Questions about a '93 240SX SE

[maddindian]

I'm currently looking at a '93 240SX SE model. It's going for about $9K CDN with 136K kms on the odo. Is it a good price? The dealer didn't know if the car had 4-wheel steering or lsd. It does have abs though. Is there a way I can check if it was 4ws or lsd? Anything in the VIN that can tell me?

Also is there anything I should look out for in a '93 240SX??

Thanks.

[MingMing]

HICAS, the 4 wheel thing, at low speeds, shud hav ur rear wheels turn in opposite direction of ur front wheels, so try having dealer drive it around the parking lot, and seee if the back wheels do anytrhing
for lsd, just have the car peel out
if its not lsd, then it should only leave one tire mark.. at least i think....
but hhmm thats a sorta high mileage... oh wait.. kilometers..hhmm so thats about 81k miles...
9k canadian .. i dunon the exchange rate for that but it seems a bit steep for an s13, in america the s14 mc's (97-98) will run you about 10k so for that car and that mileage, it mite be high
but ... hhmm tell him to do the things u said, and if it does hav lsd/hicas, ... lie to the dealer haha
and tell him it doesnt, and tell him the abs will only slow u down when u wanna go fast, and make him lower his price

i also read some problems about a fuel injector recall/problem thing in the s13's i think.. www.epinions.com if u wanna check that out, but yea... try not to spend too much on it, cuz u'll prolyl wnana get an sr20det swap for it after a few more miles, and unless its got hicas/lsd it aint worth that much anyway

[antigrind]

the feul injector problem was only wit the ealy 89 modle. i had to replace2 on my 89 before i sold it.

         craig

[maddindian]

Thanks for the info guys.  About the LSD thing, I doubt I'll be able to do a burnout, but can I check the VIN? Could someone here who has LSD and someone else who doesn't have it, could they post their VINs..there must be some letter which designates the LSD. I know Maximas have that on their VINs.

Also, $9K CDN is approximately $6K USD...

Anyone drive their 240sx in the winter?? And how long with hte stock KA24DE last ??

[burgy240]

I drove my s14 all last winter here in Cleveland and I was fine.  I got a 300 z for this winter so I don't get my baby covered in road salt.  Still RWD in the snow just makes for some fun unless you are in a big rush or have to go up steep ice covered hills.  

[KoukiS14]

Yer not gonna be able to see the rear wheels turning at any speed with HICAS, it's just not that noticeable...
If you want to know whether or not it has HICAS, look for the words "SUPER HICAS" behind each door.. Also... Look for the HICAS warning light next to the rear window wiper buttons... Should be near the key.. etc..
I think some might have it in the gauge cluster, such as JDM Silvia / 180sx..  (when you take the cluster out, it has circuit for the HICAS light haha but it's not used in north america, that I know of)

-Rob

[yenpit]

u say car is at a dealer.....if LSD would make u buy it, ask the dealer to put car up on a lift. with rear wheels off the ground, e/brake off and out of gear, spin one rear wheel......if the OTHER wheel spins in SAME direction car has LSD, if it spins OPPOSITE it is an open diff.
otherwise call a dealer, give em the VIN...they can "translate" it for ya...tell ya options.

[maddindian]

Well guys, I finally saw the car in person and test drove it. Its nice..the steering is different..not light..but not hard either...I'm used to my Corolla and Maxima steering..which you can turn with your pinky finger, so its something to get used to. The gearbox is pretty good..the throws are nice..but sometimes I found it hard to get into 4th...again..I'm prolly not used to it.

The car does have Super HICAS and ABS...so I'm guessing it has LSD also. It had the HICAS light and said SuperHICAS on the side. Is it a gimmick or does it really help in cornering?

Also, does anyone have pictures of their stock seats?? This one looks kinda plain. Its just one peice of fabric covering the whole seat. you don't see stitches for the lumbar area, side bolsters, etc.. And there was a zipper at the back of the seat.

Finally, the car had active speakers with cassette player. Can any deck connect to the active speakers??

Thanks..

[ca18guy]

HICAS isn't a gimmick it can help you in cornering. Personally i would'nt care for or again'st it. To me it add's wieght and is of minimal help in cornering, but to each there own. Also the way you described the seats is right, there's just one big seat cover, i never looked to see if i had lumbar support (i doubt it)

[MingMing]

hhmm personally, i woudlnt care about the hicas, but the car has it so thats good
dunon if lsd came on all cars with hicas too, so i'd say u shud still check for lsd, that seems a lot more important than the hicas
and as for the seats/shift... hah if u plan to be doin some racing in it then u shud get new performance seats and a shortshifter for fun too, so yea, u shudnt worry about those ;-)

[maddindian]

I examined the rear differential, and it had a heat sink type thing on it...could that be for the lsd..maybe it gets real hot so it needs the heatsink to help cool it.

Could anyone with LSD please check to see if they have it?
Also someone with without LSD check if they don't have it?

[maddindian]

hmm..apparently I was reading the FAQs on www.240sx.org and they said that all Canadian 240SX come with VLSD...which means the car I'm looking at probably has it!! w00t!

Also how much do you guys (if you are 18 with clean record) pay for insurance per month?

[ca18guy]

I'm 19 with a ticket for running a red light and I pay $65 a month for only liability.

[KoukiS14]

The guys that don't care for HICAS have never had it. =)
It's totally worth it, not a gimmick... But remember, HICAS is really a package.. 4ws, AND tighter ratio front steering, along with stiffer springs than a normal LE or SE...  (course you'll wanna change springs anyway)
but my S14 is a POS in handling compared to my S13...

But yeah.. HICAS = LSD and ABS

-Rob

[lynchmob93240]

I got my 93' 240sx se for 1500 so i would say bad deal mine had 185,000 miles

[maddindian]

Thanks for the info, especially the detailed info on Super HICAS, the tighter steering would explain its different feeling to me..

Anyway..it seems like the 240sx may not be happening cause of insurance purpose, atleast till we sell our other car. Apparently its a bitch to keep 3 cars in a household with 3 drivers. I would have to be primary on the third car which leads to the major expense. If it was the second car it wouln't be too much, and the sad part is that the 240sx is for my dad! Yet we still get screwed on the insurance!

They really bend you over those bastards!

[LanceS13]

If the SUPERHICAS 240 has a tighter radius, does it have a faster turning gear?  Like, if the wheel was turned an equal amount in both cars, would the SUPERHICAS turn sharper....or is the SUPERHICAS just capabable of more steering wheel rotations than the other models?  If the first case is true, can you do a swap into a baseline 240?  (thinking less effort on slolams at the autoxes)  Any thoughts?  Did that make sense?