Anything wrong with buying a 240 w/ sr20 ?

[exceed]

i found a 240 with a redtop sr20, and was wondering what you guys thought about buying one with the sr20 already. he is asking 7000 obo. he even said he smogged it with no problem and passed, so all i have to do is register it. is there anything i should be cautious of? anything i should look for? i was also wondering if i could like bring it to AAA to have them check it out and see that everything is working fine and nothing major is wrong with the engine and/or rest of car. do they care that its a swapped engine?

thanks

[kazuo]

Yes they are probably gonna care about the ILLEGAL MOTOR in your car, and regardless of whether or not he smogged it, YOU still need to smog it once you buy it. :P

So I wouldn't buy it unless he promises to smog it for you AFTER you've purchased it...

[the head]

find out who did the install if it was a shop find out more about the shop if it was done in the guy's garage look very closley the stuff to make sure it is done correctly if anything looks ghetto walk away there will be more 240's also what else is done if it has a stock sr it is not worth 7000
most shops will avoid motor swap cars check that you have a place that will look it over for you and a place that can fix it if you don't want ot do the work yourself
how many miles on the car and how many on the motor are other key factors

[nokeone]

you always want to be careful when buying a car and in this case especially so becuase you have no idea how the swap was done...i would inspect the vehicle in great detail and check all components for quality of parts and install...then test drive it for a decent amount of time...maybe even run it by your local nissan mechanic and pay him $50 to check it out for you...then get verification from the DMV that it has indeed been smogged (it is illegal to sell a car in California without it first being smog within 60 days of the sale)...then if it all checks out decide if it's worth 7K..

what year is the car?..how many miles are on the motor and chasis?..rust?..interior condition?..brakes, tires, belts, hoses, etc etc...just be very anal about it...why is the guy selling it?..who did the swap?

always use caution...cause once you buy it there is no going back..laws protect the seller more then buyer in these situations..

[nokeone]

Originally posted by kazuo
Yes they are probably gonna care about the ILLEGAL MOTOR in your car, and regardless of whether or not he smogged it, YOU still need to smog it once you buy it. :P

So I wouldn't buy it unless he promises to smog it for you AFTER you've purchased it...

it's the other way around..seller's responsibility to smog the vehicle...but yeah..:)

[exceed]

160k on the body, ~42k on the motor

1990 is the year of the car

[Sircnay]

I bought mine with an SR20 in it. I asked all those questions. The guy had it done at Cartune Motorsports, saw the receipts and everything. It was well done. Still runs like a champ today. My only problem is, he kind of screwed up the a/c threading for the a/c hardlines and he raised the Idle because it was originally supposed to have A/C but then he never lowered it. So I've got to do that sometime soon.

[old_s13]

Originally posted by the head
also what else is done if it has a stock sr it is not worth 7000

who cares if it is stock SR or not, I would be more interested in the condition of the chassis, mileage, suspension, interior, AND cleanliness of of install. After looking at all that, THEN decide the value of the car.

I would also learn why the person is selling it. If it is indeed so great, there has to be SOME downside as to why hes ditching it. The key is to keep your eyes open, take your time, and be sure to ask questions. The more time you spend over-looking things, the better. If the seller gets impatient, thats his loss. If someone is impatient, its usually because they are hiding something.

- Mike

[exceed]

Originally posted by Sircnay
I bought mine with an SR20 in it. I asked all those questions. The guy had it done at Cartune Motorsports, saw the receipts and everything. It was well done. Still runs like a champ today. My only problem is, he kind of screwed up the a/c threading for the a/c hardlines and he raised the Idle because it was originally supposed to have A/C but then he never lowered it. So I've got to do that sometime soon.

how long have you had it now? howd you do on smog?

[Sircnay]

I've had it for about a month. No problems whatsoever except for a few loose hoses. And smog was done in L.A. with a $200 handshake.

[exceed]

he said his reason for selling is because his parents dont like the car?

sounds a little...
:bs:
to me

[MyFirst240SX]

he could be telling the truth, depending on how old he is, he coulda had a run in with johnny law and has to sell it and buy a civic or someting.

[the head]

what shape is the car in any body damage or rust?

[Negreac]

Since it's a '90 be sure to check out the PS and A/C setup.

[jenne313]

If you're asking about the morality of buying a pre-swapped s13, rest easy. I worried that people would hate on me for not doing the work myself, but then realized - hey, f*** 'em, this is my dream, available NOW, and it costs less than swapping the one I bought for that purpose. (It doesn't hurt that the work was guaranteed...)

But if you're asking about the technical aspect, certainly look at the rockers of the car, examine the subframe, look for rust in the typicalNissan spots (all around the mirrors, the strut towers, the battery deck [your battery should be relocated to the rear of the car, look on the place where the battery would have been], etc) I don’t know the rules for Cali smog, but check the exhaust out too. The kid told me he had a full cat back, it actually had a gutted cat, stock muffler (there are 2) and an aftermarket Greddy exhaust. It was quiet, but poorly set up.

I’m repeating this part, but find out who did the install. Where did the engine come from? He should know all of this. Numbers for the mechanic are important. What’s the repair history since the swap? Salvage title on the chassis? And most important, what’s wrong with it? Treat it like your worst enemy (despite your excitement) and scrutinize everything! That way, you’re less likely to end up buying someone else’s problem.

Good luck!!!

Jenne

[Negreac]

I personally wouldn't buy a highyly modified car. It feels so much better having the satisfaction of knowing that you did everything yourself, but not everyone is like that, or has the time to do everything themselves. Besides that, when you build the car yourself you get to know the car inside and out. It makes everything so much easier to fix or diagnose when something goes wrong, not to mention how much you learn. On the other side it is much cheaper to buy a modified car than to modify it yourself, but then again it isn't personalized to your liking. You may own it but it's still someone elese's car. Anyway, it's really up to you and whether you are comfortable buying a pre-moded car both from a "moral" standpoint and the fact that the car could have serious mechanical/wear issues. However, a '90 240sx w/ over 160k on the chassis is worth no where near $7000, SR or not. If all he has is a stock SR and teh body is really clean, I'd say it's worth $4500-$5000 max.

[SilviaDriver]

im always weary of buying used fixed up cars. becuz well the previous owner is a tuner and could of beat the crap outta it. hey it might even pop on u very soon. i dunno its juss me.

[Negreac]

I can gaurantee it has been ragged on. If the owner took the time and money to install an SR in a pre '91 240, you know he used and abused it. Anyway I retract my statement before about it not possibly being worth $7000, if it has an S15 SR20DET then it'd could be worth 7gs, but otherwise it's not unless it has alot of other mods.

[Sircnay]

Well I think I got lucky. My car has been running like a champ for the last 2 months I've owned it. Granted it's all stock SR20, although the idle is a bit high (1500) only because the TPS thingamabobber has been messed around with some because of the A/C belt dragging the idle down and whatnot. Other than that it's a champ. I could use more traction and of course more power. I think I just got really really lucky. I mean my initial goal was with the $5700 I had, buy a low mileage 240sx fastback and turbo the KA motor. But then I realized how much that would've cost and how I didn't have the money or time to do such a project. So instead I opted for the SR20 prepared 240sx I had available to me. I say scrutinize it as much as possible find out everything possible and then.... go for whatever you think is best.

[Fibercus]

Originally posted by kazuo
Yes they are probably gonna care about the ILLEGAL MOTOR in your car, and regardless of whether or not he smogged it, YOU still need to smog it once you buy it. :P

not exactly.

If it passed smog within 30days, your free and clear. After 30 days, your required to re-smog it. This is in cali