focalguy

Hi. I have been saving for a 240. I wanted a 96-97, but I only have $2000 so far, so it'll be a while. My friend has a '93 240sx fastback with 168k miles. Stock engine. It has some minor body damage; little dent. He just put some 17" Enkei's on in less than a year ago, and it has tinted windows. The engine "consumes" some oil. We assume it's just being burnt, but could this be a symptom of a bigger problem? He's supposed to be gettin it checked out this week.

Anyways, the question: He wants to get a new vehicle, and will sell the 240 to me for $1500. I think it's a good deal and is much better than my '83 civic I'm in now. I figure I could buy it, keep saving for the newer 240 and at least have something fun to drive in the meantime. I don't plan to do a swap or any serious mods, but is this a good deal?

Thanks in advance....

SilviaSativa

Hell yah man $1500 is a good price! Definately better than an '83 Civic!!! I have been looking for a 91-94 fastback for about 4 months now but havn't had much luck

Although one of my friends just got one(91-94, always forget to ask her!) and she doesn't know how to drive a 5spd, so I am hoping I can give her like $2500 cash($300 more than she paid)

If she won't accept that, I may have to go all the way up to 3Gs

focalguy

Hey, thanks for the reply. It sure would be much more fun than the civic, but I'm just worried about the mileage. Almost 170k seems like it's gettin up there. Is there any issues with this model that I should be worried about? Water pump? Timing chain? Or are these pretty bulletproof engines? Most of my knowledge has been in Honda/Acura, but the 240 just calls to me.....

Please keep the responses comin!

Tito

My 240 has 160k and I bought it at a town 150 miles from my home and promtly had to drive it home. The engines take mileage really well, and I don't think I have ever heard of a 240 breaking it's timing chain. The plastic(doh) guides to the chain will break but that just causes some rattle on startup(I have this problem). But the mileage really doesn't matter if you are gonna do a swap. The price is really good, even with the high mileage.

SilviaSativa

Yea I just talked with this chick today. She is trying to get $2800 out of it, and it has 165K. The retail is like $1900 in it's condition, so I am gonna try to talk her down to $2500.

Either way, I will probaly get the car. I wanted a black one but I can live with the dark red. I will get it painted black when I tear out the KA engine

Tito

Good luck SilviaSativa. Let me know how it goes.

focalguy

Good luck Sativa! Hope you get it!

Thanks Tito. Well, maybe it's the cam chain I was thinking of. Anyways, I just wonder if there's anything that should definately be looked at before I get it. Bushings and such are probably gettin worn too, but I guess that's with all 10year old cars. I'm not really plannin on doing a swap, so I want it to last a while still. As much as I like this car, I really want a '97 (S14?) , so I'm not plannin on puttin too much into this 240. Key word is "plannin".

Darryl

If you're looking for a Fastback, there's a few available around Toronto, if you wanna make the trip

http://search.trader.ca/Results.asp?...nm=240SX&CAT=1

170,000 is A LOT of miles, though...I can't imagine NOT running into problems with ANY car that well travelled. I recently bought a '93 Fastback, and it only had 56,000km's (35,000 miles) on it when I got it in mid-March...

At the bare minimum, have it go through a thorough inspection at the hands of a good mechanic before coughing up your life savings in repairs...

chuki funk

you guys are forgetting the obvious...

when you put your hand behind the exhaust is there any humidity or black particles? in the bottom of the trunk is there any rust? do the windows leak? how is the transmission?


my car has a loose timing chain, but it makes it better

Tito

It all depends on your goals for your car. With mine, it didn't matter what condition anything was in, as long as the chassis was straight and the body structure was decent. It seems like your goals are a little milder than mine, so yeah making sure the stock ka is in good condition is a priority. If you really want an s14(95+ 240sx) wait for it, you will be happier with yourself, but if you could go eitherway, the s13 is essentially the exact same car, just with a different body/interior and it's a little lighter and has less modern car frills. I myself prefer the older s13 but I know many people who prefer s14's. Just personal taste I guess. But if my car searching has taught me anything, it is : Do not settle, only get the car you really want. I had to search for 2 months to find a decent s13 near me, but it was well worth the wait. In any case I hope your future car prospers under your ownership.

focalguy

Thanks again to all...

Darryl: thanks, but that's 3000 miles and I'm not searching that much. 170k miles sounds like a lot, but then again my 83 civic is approaching 200k and it's my daily driver. I paid $1500 for it about 2 years ago, but that was because I bought it from a mechanic who is a friend and the engine had been rebuilt recently. I have had no major problems other than it burns some oil. If I don't let it drop too low, then it's fine... I'm thinking if I get this car for 1500, and can use it as a daily driver as I keep saving for the S14. At that time, maybe I could sell it for around $1000 or less. In the meantime, it would be much nicer to drive than my civic. Nicer lookin, more fun, more comfortable..... If the engine did crap out but the rest of the car was alright, I "could" do a swap. And I'd keep my civic in case.

So I don't think of it as settling. More of an investment in my enjoyment as I make my way to an S14 I haven't really been "searching" for an S13 or S14 lately, but I thought this might be too good an opportunity to pass up. I'm pretty much leanin heavily towards gettin it, unless someone can give me any strong reasons not to; which I would welcome!

Thanks for the specific tips, chuki: I will check into those. What would humidity out of the exhaust and black particles indicate? I have almost always seen some buildup on the tips of exhausts and some condensation. Thought it was normal...

Thanks

SilviaSativa

Mmmmkay, I talked her down to $2,500. I am getting it on Wednesday. I can't wait! I just need another job now so I can afford an SR20DET

Oh yah, it's a Dark Red '91 240sx SE with 165K. The body is in excellent condition, interior looks decent, and I have not seen the engine yet. Hopefully I can test drive it this weekend to see how the clutch feels. I'll post some pics soon

focalguy

Ok, I got it! I bought it last night, transferred the title today. If I were someone else, I would probably say it was kinda dumb 'cause I didn't even look at the engine before I got it. I took it for a test drive and it was just too much fun to pass up! The rear right tire was bald (actually down to the cord!) so I my friend replaced it the other day. The other tires look fine. Damn open diff.... So I guess I just trust people maybe too much, but I don't think he would purposely give me something bad. Gettin it checked out before I got it was just turnin into too much of a hassle. He was talkin about just tradin it in because he didn't want to put a lot into it just to get it looked at. I'll get it checked out pretty soon, but so far so good!

Would gettin the compression checked really tell me much, or is it not worth it? Also, driving it slow in first gear, it seems to lurch a little bit. Is that normal, or maybe me just gettin used to the new car?

Thanks for your input guys! And good luck SilviaSativa, I hope yours turns out well for ya!