Starting my search for a 91-93 240, what are some things to look for?

[EF8kid]

Search is down....

Herro everyone, Im a big Honda guy here and i can do just about anything to them, right now i work at a shop on Honda's all day, but enough of that. I had a 93 240 hatch for my first car and drove it for about 4 months before i wrecked it, then i got a 88 Honda Crx and rocked it for 3 years and just sold it because i want to build a 240. I also have a Right hand drive Cr-x that i plan on keeping forever!

Anywho Im in the market for a 91-93 240 coupe. Looking for a clean one and im gonna put some full body coilovers and some nice 17x9 low offset wheels.

Tommorow im looking at one thats clean but has no motor (good chance to go ahead and do a SR20 swap.) I could prolly talk him down to $300 or $400

In this thread im just wondering any big things to look out for, good and bad, on s13 240 coupes. (IE: rust in certain ares where theyre known to rust, dash cracks, chassis cracks, etc)


Here's a pic of my recently sold 88 Cr-x (got $5,700 for it)

http://a863.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/21/l_61d3b16150cf95ecb5c15266b99bfd46.jpg

[JDM_240SX]

$300 is a good price for a rolling chassy if your planning on drifting make sure the body, chassy is straight. good luck with the build!

[wickdmarz]

you could probably just use the search button (sorry to be the one to tell you) but this subject has been asked many times.

Go ahead a hunt around, but it's with any car. Check for welds, rust, look for a carfax, wrinkles in the paint, test drive it and check the fluids (a good owner would have the changed the fluids before the sale).

Although the a couple of those wouldn't help considering the car doesn't have an engine. Good luck.

[Farzam]

Rust on the trunk.
Rust under the car.
Look at the body with a magnifying glass.
Check out the wheel wells.
Carfax it.
Take the chassis to a shop and see if it's straight.

Nice CRX.
Nice In-n-Out sticker...I miss that place.

[EF8kid]

Thanks for the replies, keep em comin.

you could probably just use the search button (sorry to be the one to tell you) but this subject has been asked many times.

Go ahead a hunt around, but it's with any car. Check for welds, rust, look for a carfax, wrinkles in the paint, test drive it and check the fluids (a good owner would have the changed the fluids before the sale).

Although the a couple of those wouldn't help considering the car doesn't have an engine. Good luck.

Trust me i know how to search, i forgot to add that search was not working for me.

[1Via!]

I'm not sure I do trust you. There are volumes of information about basic 240 tech, problems and troubleshooting; go search google. Seriously, it will take like 10 minutes of your time and you can get a good idea of what people deal with just from reading the result summaries...

Aside from problems that are universal for cars of this age and design, there are very few 240sx quirks that arent straightforward and easy fixes.

In short; search noob.

[pileofherpes]

I'm not sure I do trust you. There are volumes of information about basic 240 tech, problems and troubleshooting; go search google. Seriously, it will take like 10 minutes of your time and you can get a good idea of what people deal with just from reading the result summaries...

Aside from problems that are universal for cars of this age and design, there are very few 240sx quirks that arent straightforward and easy fixes.

In short; search noob.

you're a fuckin' dick dude. You are wasting more bandwith telling him to search than he is making a damn thread. stfu ffs

Rust is common on the strut towers and the hatch (provided it is a hatch)

[EF8kid]

I'm not sure I do trust you. There are volumes of information about basic 240 tech, problems and troubleshooting; go search google. Seriously, it will take like 10 minutes of your time and you can get a good idea of what people deal with just from reading the result summaries...

Aside from problems that are universal for cars of this age and design, there are very few 240sx quirks that arent straightforward and easy fixes.

In short; search noob.

HAHAHA, i know im new here, but i am not a noob. Search didnt work for me, if u would have read.

[HalveBlue]

-Check for rust (strut towers, trunk/hatch, door hinges, underneath BMC, near the braklines in the fender well, on frame)

-Make sure the frame is straight (check rad support, undearneath car)

-Check dash for cracks

-Check for mold and any other signs of water damage

Obviously, if you're just looking for a decent shell you won't have to worry about mechanical issues with the motor.

Other than that, just check items that would indicate a lack of maintenance (like brake pads) as this can be an indicator of the previous owner's (lack of) attentiveness of any issues the car may have experienced.

Good Luck!

[EF8kid]

search still isnt working for me :\

[EF8kid]

-Check for rust (strut towers, trunk/hatch, door hinges, underneath BMC, near the braklines in the fender well, on frame)

-Make sure the frame is straight (check rad support, undearneath car)

-Check dash for cracks

-Check for mold and any other signs of water damage

Obviously, if you're just looking for a decent shell you won't have to worry about mechanical issues with the motor.

Other than that, just check items that would indicate a lack of maintenance (like brake pads) as this can be an indicator of the previous owner's (lack of) attentiveness of any issues the car may have experienced.

Good Luck!

Best reply yet, thanks man!

Also that 240 i looked at without a motor was kinda eh so i declined. Im just gonna get a good running 240 and drive it for awhile. Rims and suspension and thats about it. Finish up my RHD Cr-x project and then start messing wiith the 240 more.

[ManoNegra]

240s are getting harder and harder to find and everyone's idea of what a clean car is doesn't always coincide.
If I were looking for a daily driver I would personally look for:
- Carfax before even looking at the car. Check to make sure OD and Vin match the report.
- Check condition of fluids
- Make sure all amenities work - ie power windows, ac, radio, cruise, etc.
- original paint since painted cars could be hiding problems.
- Brings ramps and take a look underneath the car for cracked bushings, torned boots, leaks, etc
-Ask the owner what he's done to the car. If he says nothing, odds are he's lying. Reason for selling? Service records?
- test drive.

[kandyflip445]

Take a hammer and ask if you can tap around under the car to check for rust and try around the frame rails and the b-pillars if it has a sunroof.

[redsuns3838]

depends on who you buy the car from. if its a 50 yr old lady, odds are she didnt roll around with track dampers and drifted on the weekends. if its a 18 yr old kid, odds are its driven like crap and taken care of the same.

Test compression on the motor before you buy. I dont think that has been stated yet.

[liv2drift045]

first i'll answer your question... other things to search for are chassis damage which you would think would be and obvious thing to look for... but yea you asked so i answer'd

now, may i ask why your are buying one? is it just to sell it... or do you legitmately want a rwd moneypit ? i have quite a few honda buddies who love the s chassis but when the finally owned one they got rid it in a hurry... its just not the same kinda deal... if you're buying to sell... mo power to ya... make that money... but i just cant see spending money on a car that won't make me happy, or even buying a car to sell it.... but hey if neither of these are you... hey have at it, but when you say your first car was a 240...and you replaced it w/ two crx's that doesnt sound like a s chassis driver to me.... or maybe i'm just jumping to conclusions

['90RPS13]

Well no one added Battery Tray. Check that too. They are almost always rusted out.

Another good point would be tap the rear quarter panels or any place that is commonly hit for bondo.

Also, another common thing is, idiots using the wrong jacking points and denting the frame rails.

Lastly, its a personal pet peeve. Check the lower front fender mounts where they bolt to the body. THEY ARE ALWAYS rusted out and ever fuck up the fenders or snap bolts.

Aside from that, Good luck.

Here is a pic of a $500 shell I picked up and what it ended up looking like:

Before:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a116/ToyoSupraR/1st%201990%20Coupe/DSC001202.jpg

Right before I sold it:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a116/ToyoSupraR/1st%201990%20Coupe/DSCN0610.jpg

Wish I never did. Goodluck with the hunt. *a