Considering Nissan's... 240sx/Silvia

[evandael]

I confess, I've got a thing for JDM cars and have a semi-serious interest in buying one. Having money is another story.

Anyway, I'm primarily interested in the Nissan 240sx aka Silvia for the rest of the world. The s13 and early s14 body styles get me going..



the 89-94 s13 coupe





or the 95-96 s14 'zenki' coupe






I'm a big fan of either. The s13 for its slighty 80's bodylines, and the s14 for the newer, smoother, clearly japanese design. The interiors aren't too bad either. The whole sr20det thing is interesting too. I want a turbo motor to play with and care for.


So does anyone have experiences with these cars, good/bad? Overall opinions? Reliability? Economy? Parts costs? I imagine my insurance rates would take a hike (i'm 19) compared to my 86 e30. Oh and there's the ricer stigma too..



What doth r3v say?

[Ryan...]

My cousin had a pretty clean, white early model coupe. His only real mods were volk rims, exhaust, intake, and some cheap ebay bucket seats. He also had it repainted and some tint. It was a pretty slick looking car, Im not sure how reliable it was, but I don't remember him bitching about any issues lol

I've also considered picking one up just to play around with. They're cheap, easy to find on CL, and the list of aftermarket parts is never ending :)

[JJe30]

I think they can be done well but most of the ones I see for sale are junked out and they still want too much for them.

[325_e30]

i like the s13 better, but i tend to go for the more boxy 80's style. same goes for the older supras, rx7s and well of course the e30s.


plus i see the s13s here in miami all the time looking super fresh.

[mr.vang]

had a 89 hatch, sold it then bought a 90 coupe, traded for my e30...if you like drifting its for you, if not (like me) get the fuck out of 240 scene. on all 240 forum, all they talk about it drifting, sr20.. everybody always ask me " do you drift" "you have a sr20" it annoy the shit out of me. i like sticking with my single cam.. reliable as fuck.. first one got me from 190miles to 280miles with no problem at all.

[freeride53]

Another senior at my school has a pretty nice S14.
It's white, and has a Skyline front end.
Seems to get going pretty fast, love the looks much more than on the S13..

[JTDay]

Get something thats either like what you posted or something that someone hasnt messed with. 240 owners are notorious for janking the shit out of their wiring harnesses especially on swapped cars or boosted cars.

Aside from that, all things considered, fewer things made me happier than driving a boosted s13. It was a good car for make wet of female sex organ. Bitches love boost.

[evandael]

Cool, seems to be a generally good feel.

@jje30 and zebra, i'm really picky about the examples of cars i would buy. i bet its getting harder and harder to find unmolested cars, especially after the late 90's F&F ricer craze

@mr.vang, the drift/hellaflush scene doesnt really bother me. im kinda into it, and its just a bunch of overenthusiastic people that i can put up with (like the moar low/is lip/gods chariot brigade we have here)


I might be getting ahead of myself here, but does anyone know the US's laws about importing cars? It's in my limited understanding that a 25 year old car is golden (which excludes these)... but it surely can be done, no? I've seen a number of RHD cars for sale..

Also, as I now know, the sr engine never came to the US. So right away I'm looking at either starting a full on build (more expense/doin it right), or buying a preswapped car (less hassle, if done correctly, but potential for PO fuckups). And i'm still unsure where I stand on s13 vs. s14 body style. Both have good attributes.

[bataangpinoy]

i drove a sil-eighty (with brick headlights!) the other day, "built for the track" with an sr20 @ 8lbs. it was quick and the boost was very linear from the t25, but it just didnt feel solid going over bumps or dips in the road. it had some cheapy coilovers, and they were bouncy.

if your going to build one, dont buy the cheap suspension stuff (godspeed, isis)

powered by max, spl, tanabe, tein.. the quality shows in the drive.

and s14 gets my vote.

http://aclassblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/6666_s14.jpg?w=450&h=233

[Deltron Dirty30]

I wanted a zenki S14 so bad before I got into E30s!




although I would love to own a kouki one day

[e30 gangsta]

240s are great cars. Couple of drawbacks though.

My 1st pet pev of the car is that it has 3 fuse boxes yes 3. If anything goes wrong or you pop a fuse good luck. It’s a mission.

The oem hardware is shit, if you pull out a bolt replace it with a new one and be sure to clean the threads. They always strip.

s13's are prone to rust in the front end and under the seating area. Always check when possible.

Try to buy a slick top one, without a sunroof. The sunroof is just more of a headache in these cars.

Aftermarket support is beyond good. You can get a sr swap here in Miami for around $1900 ( red top ), black tops are funer though.

If you plan to slam your 240 and throw big wheels on it remember that the wire harness is on the driver’s side over the front wheel fender plastic. Be sure to relocate that before you do anything crazy in the stance game.

Above all maintain the car like any other old car. Invest in the normal stuff first.

Bushings, brakes, fluids, etc. And you will have a real fun car to drive.

Hope that helps.

[BrownBeanE30]

240s are great cars. Couple of drawbacks though.

My 1st pet pev of the car is that it has 3 fuse boxes yes 3. If anything goes wrong or you pop a fuse good luck. It’s a mission.

The oem hardware is shit, if you pull out a bolt replace it with a new one and be sure to clean the threads. They always strip.

s13's are prone to rust in the front end and under the seating area. Always check when possible.

Try to buy a slick top one, without a sunroof. The sunroof is just more of a headache in these cars.

Aftermarket support is beyond good. You can get a sr swap here in Miami for around $1900 ( red top ), black tops are funer though.

If you plan to slam your 240 and throw big wheels on it remember that the wire harness is on the driver’s side over the front wheel fender plastic. Be sure to relocate that before you do anything crazy in the stance game.

Above all maintain the car like any other old car. Invest in the normal stuff first.

Bushings, brakes, fluids, etc. And you will have a real fun car to drive.

Hope that helps.

That helps alot dude im thinking in buying one so thanks for the info

[Dj Buttchug]

s13 for sure. used to have one sr swapped. wish i never sold it

[whterice]

240s are great cars. Couple of drawbacks though.

Drive the fuck out of it and it loves you. We tried to kill 3 different ka24et and drove them with out oil, water/coolant and windshield washer fluid instead of oil, dumped hand fulls of gravel into the the valve cover, jammed tree branchs and such. Just would not die. We never drove them for long like this but would have liked to see how long they would have gone if we werent pulling and swapping.

The oem hardware is shit, if you pull out a bolt replace it with a new one and be sure to clean the threads. They always strip.

Cant say I ever had a problem with this and thats with winter driven cars.

s13's are prone to rust in the front end and under the seating area. Always check when possible.

This is true have seen many rusted out under the gas pedal, passenger side floor board on the left, front frame rails, rear rockers make sure to check out behind the rear bumper behind both tires.

Try to buy a slick top one, without a sunroof. The sunroof is just more of a headache in these cars.

Dont get this one...........I am 6' 2" and was able to sit just fine with a helmet and stock seat.

Aftermarket support is beyond good. You can get a sr swap here in Miami for around $1900 ( red top ), black tops are funer though.

Aftermarket support is super awesome. Just about every after marker part manufacture makes parts for these cars. Used parts are uber cheap always good deals to be found. Thats a bit on the expensive side for a sr20det. I normally pay 1100-1400 with full harness and tranny here in Canada and yes Canadian funds. What I found better was just buying complete silvias from my local insurance company that are written off. End up getting the complete car for about 1500$ then just part it out or sell the shell if you dont have the room.

If you plan to slam your 240 and throw big wheels on it remember that the wire harness is on the driver’s side over the front wheel fender plastic. Be sure to relocate that before you do anything crazy in the stance game.

anything bigger then 17" I found and the harness's I relocated were always on the passenger side. I guess driver side if it is a rhd car.

You may want to look into your importing laws. I know for Canada it is 15 years or older. So this month we are able to import pre January 1996 manufactured date

[Edev]

Dont get this one...........I am 6' 2" and was able to sit just fine with a helmet and stock seat.

He probably wasn't meaning it will give you a headache. It sounds like it'll lead to more issues/rust (water drains clogged)/ect.