240newguy

Hi everyone. First off, this is a great forum for the 240. I’ve answered a lot of my questions about the car by reading the threads here. I will be purchasing a 240 soon, but I’m not sure which one I should get. I was set on a 1993 coupe, base model, w/ 120,000 miles on it, but last night I found a 1995 SE 5 speed with 163,000 miles on it. Both are one owner cars in good condition (the 1995 is a bit dirty). I think the smart buy would be the red 1993 because it has less miles on it, yet 95 has 16 inch wheels, and the Super Hicas(at least I think it has Hicas). As far as styling goes, I think they both look great. The 1993 is red, which is my favorite color for the S13, and the 1995 is blue, my favorite color for the S14. I will be using this car as a daily driver and monthly auto crosser for the next two years, then I will either turbo charge the KA, or more likely swap it out for the SR 20. Any recommendations? I think the S13 is lighter, so ultimately it has a greater possibility for performance, but out of the box, the S14 will go through the cones faster. It also has a better interior to me.
Finally, these two questions will help me decide which one I should take.
1. Does Hicas make that much of a difference in the way the car handles at speed or in AutoX.
2. Is the 5 lug swap for the base model that hard or expensive, or are there enough light weight 4 lug wheels so I don’t need to worry about it?


My planned mods will be conservative at first, intake, exhaust, and new wheels if I get the S13.
Any advice would be great. Thanks for an awesome forum.

240newguy

Just did a test drive of each. The 1993 needs some work.
Oil seeping from the valve cover, new brake fluid, the brakes feel rather squishy in general so it probably needs a new master cylinder. Also, there was a strange rattle on the 93 between 1500 and 2000rpm, both under load and at idle. Wierd. Have to get that checked by a mechanic if I want the 93
The 1995 check engine light was on, but the people selling it said they would get it fixed and get the tires rotated, balanced, and aligned. If that works out then I will probably go with the 1995. I also found that it has ABS. Other than some dings on the rear bumper (nothing major), and some broken air vents in the cabin, the car is great. The only thing that scares me is the high miles. Anyone here have a KA motor with 160k plus on it? If so how does it run?

The engine and tranny were felt good on both, the ABS worked well...REALLY WELL on the 95, and I got a little power on oversteer just for fun .

l2aine

I have a 95 SE too... 160k is getting close to rebuild time... my KA has 172k right now and it's drippin' some oil. Still feels pretty strong though when I floor it.

HICAS has it's fans and enemies... personally I think it's more toward how you feel driving with it. Some people eliminate it altogether, while some swear by it.

There are lightweight 4 lug wheels out there, and the 5-lug swap is mainly for putting wider wheels on the S13 since there's more wheel size/ offset options with 5 lug wheels. However you might want to swap to 5-lug for AutoX anyways - make that part of your car bulletproof on the track, if you know what I mean.

The S13 is lighter, and I think common opinion is that the S14 is balanced better - 2 things you definitely will consider for AutoX.

drnovascotia

to add what rainy said, the hicas is loved and hated. I don't drift, so I absolutly love my hicas edition s13, it really helps me grip the road.

any reason to go 5 lug on the s13? nothing wrong with 4 lug you know. A few less choices yes, but considering it'll cost 300-600 for the swap, thats the tires and some of the rims for the car. . .

I'd be more worried about the check engine light on the s14, could be bad. The s13 needs a valve cover seal, and the brakes bled, I doubt the cylinder is bad, but a used one can be found for less than $50.
The rattle you'd have to trace down manually.

both good choices.

I'm a die hard s13 fan, to me they looks like a sports car, to me s14's with a trunk just don't look sporty enough for me. But thats just me.

Post some pics when you pick it up.

Dr.

-HyJynX-

S14s never came with HICAS, as you said above yoou think it has it. I belive the S13 would probably the better buy, but the S14 is a good buy also lol. I would buy the S14, just cus im crazy