is this car good?

[Hornlesscow]

hey guys i know im kind of new here and im sorry if i posted this in the wrong section but to be honest its kind of confusing lol. ok to start you off i am a high school student with almost no money and i am trying to go to college soon but i need a car for around 3k. i will not be able to insure the car yet due to health insurance reasons but i will use the time i have to make a project car with little purchases here and there. but since i know so little i need a reliable car that runs really well and has no "big money" issues. i live in maine so i cant go too far which is why this car is perfect. can anyone please help me? i can barely afford the car let alone college so i need to make the right decision. i am willing to swap the body parts that need swapping if that makes a difference for the rust. thank you for all that read this
http://zilvia.net/f/cars-sale/428211...-sr-swapd.html

[Hornlesscow]

also a general estimate of how much money is needed to make the car really reliable would be greatly appreciated.
i know i have a low post count but i really dont have much to say. although trying to learn from this site its not helpful unless i own a 240sx so i hope purchasing this makes me a very active member in this wonderful community.

[benarovi]

seems like a piece of shit rust bucket

[S141S]

Originally Posted by benarovi

seems like a piece of shit rust bucket

I'm gonna have to agree with above post. Look for a clean STOCK 240 to work on for the time being if thats what you truly desire. Or better yet get a Toyota or something more reliable until funds become available to support something nicer. I wouldn't exactly consider a swapped 240 as extremely reliable anyway especially one pieced together by someone other than yourself.

[Hornlesscow]

thanks for responding so quickly. i know but i dont have much money and its pretty close to where i live. i will have a dealership check it out before purchase but will the rust be able to be taken care of with a really cheap body kit just to get me by until i can get a good one to look like a kouki s14 or maybe a skyline?

@s141s i get what your saying but as you may know that is really hard to find around my area and i have my heart set on one since i have heard amazing things about these cars. and i do work at a dealership so if anything is giving me trouble down the road im sure i can get some help. also as i stated above i am going to have the nissan branch checkk out this car head to toe.

[brandonp33]

Dude thats a clean 240 for the price. I think you should buy it if everything runs good and is registered. That's real cheap for a s13 with a Sr20 swap running. The idle issue shouldn't be too big a deal.

[brandonp33]

I would get it if i didn't live in California way on the other side of the continent lol

[Hornlesscow]

thats precisely what im thinking but with limited funds im very hesitant as i have heard rust can be a car killer and since this might actually happen for once i want to hear from the experts before i make a stupid decision that i will regret forever.

[AdrenalineS14]

If motor is healthy and all you needed was a replacment ecu to fix idle issues id get it save some more money and find a rust free clean shell and swap the goods over lol

[soreballz]

If there's that much rust that you can see, imagine how much rust is going to be hiding elsewhere.

[Hornlesscow]

Originally Posted by AdrenalineS14

If motor is healthy and all you needed was a replacment ecu to fix idle issues id get it save some more money and find a rust free clean shell and swap the goods over lol

im not sure if i can do that but is there a way to take care of the rust some other way? a body kit perhaps?

Originally Posted by soreballz

If there's that much rust that you can see, imagine how much rust is going to be hiding elsewhere.

thankfully the car is not too far for me to check out

[S141S]

I speak from experience when I say rust is car cancer. And for someone with limited funds I would stay away from something with that much rust unless you can cut, weld and fab up your own pieces to replace that or know someone who can help. I have jumped on 240's that I fell in love with too for prices I couldnt resist however, in the end it's not worth it for a rotbox. Save some more money and buy something you can be proud of. My 0.02 cents.

[brandonp33]

Yeah rust is bad its like cancer it just spreads fast. But you can just cut all the rust out before it spreads. Then later when more funds are available you can just fill the empty holes that used to be rust. Shouldn't cost too much.

[lude4life13]

No. Simple and straight. This is a swapped (not by you) and rusted car. After spending money on the body to take car of the rust, you will almost surely have to dump money into fixing a bunch of things that the people who swapped it did not do. Good project car? Maybe. Good reliable car for someone who has no money and need to worry about college? Hell NO!

[Hornlesscow]

Originally Posted by S141S

I speak from experience when I say rust is car cancer. And for someone with limited funds I would stay away from something with that much rust unless you can cut, weld and fab up your own pieces to replace that or know someone who can help. I have jumped on 240's that I fell in love with too for prices I couldnt resist however, in the end it's not worth it for a rotbox. Save some more money and buy something you can be proud of. My 0.02 cents.

i really appreciate this but im 18 and never owned a car so finding one so close and cheap has gotten me very excited although i wont buy it if i know i cant get rid of the rust but i might look for a shell before i purchase but would a body kit take care of the rust issue because this would fix all my problems? and would i be able to buy any model shell like a s14?

[Hornlesscow]

@lude i will have a nissan dealership check it out to see exactly what it need though and i do work at a dealership. i dont mind spending a couple hundred dollars here and there but i just dont want to spend more than 2k for repairs under the hood for at least a year. and as far as the body goes i want to buy a body kit anyway so i dont mind.

[brndck]

even if you had very strong mechanical/automotive/auto body skills i would still say that this car is going to be a very costly and difficult investment.

NOT what you want if you are looking for a solid and reliable daily driver

ESPECIALLY if you are on a starving-college kid budget.

dammit, now i want cup-o-noodle

[AdrenalineS14]

Sorry but no a body kit wont fix the rust problem its only gonna hide it, plus there's no sense in buying a kit on a rust eaten car save that body kit money and find yourself a shell if you really really want this car and yeah if you really wanna S14 shell you can swap the motor in it... but its not just an easy drop in and drive you gotta consider other things like re-wiring, motor/tranny mounts and the list goes on! In all honesty your really better off looking for some other 240 if that's what you really like just seems like this car is gonna be to much hassle for a broke college student man

[Hornlesscow]

Originally Posted by brndck

even if you had very strong mechanical/automotive/auto body skills i would still say that this car is going to be a very costly and difficult investment.

NOT what you want if you are looking for a solid and reliable daily driver

ESPECIALLY if you are on a starving-college kid budget.

dammit, now i want cup-o-noodle

lol. i dont really get why though. the only problem i see is the idle and rust and if rust can be cured with a new body kit i wouldn't mind and i can live with an idle problem for now and i just got a job making roughly 280/week until fall unless i stay here for college so i dont mind spending around 3-4k on the car until summer 2013

[Hornlesscow]

Originally Posted by AdrenalineS14

Sorry but no a body kit wont fix the rust problem its only gonna hide it, plus there's no sense in buying a kit on a rust eaten car save that body kit money and find yourself a shell if you really really want this car and yeah if you really wanna S14 shell you can swap the motor in it... but its not just an easy drop in and drive you gotta consider other things like re-wiring, motor/tranny mounts and the list goes on! In all honesty your really better off looking for some other 240 if that's what you really like just seems like this car is gonna be to much hassle for a broke college student man

Thank you soooo much you just answered my main question lol i will take your advice and just keep looking but the only problem is my max price is 4-5k and my max distance is NC but i did find this car
http://zilvia.net/f/cars-sale/431367...-lsd-140k.html
oh and that price range is set for april 30 if things go right but for now my price max is 3k

[soreballz]

Originally Posted by Hornlesscow

lol. i dont really get why though. the only problem i see is the idle and rust and if rust can be cured with a new body kit

*le sigh*
Rust cannot be cured with a new body kit. It can be covered, but not "cured."

[Hornlesscow]

Originally Posted by soreballz

*le sigh*
Rust cannot be cured with a new body kit. It can be covered, but not "cured."

thank you, i was afraid of that. so now im looking at this car which seems to be perfect if the owner can swap the transmission or if a dealership would do it for under a thousand. http://zilvia.net/f/cars-sale/431367...-lsd-140k.html

thank you for all who replied, and are still continuing to reply, you guys are really making me feel welcomed. its almost 3:30 am and i have school in a couple of hours so i have to go but i will read and respond to all future replies tomorrow.

[justinbyrant]

if the first car has rust on the outside that bad then the spare tire well and probably most of the rear of the car is going to be covered in rust as well since its a hatch and everyone knows the tail lights always leak, plus if you want to get into cars buying someone else's work is not the way to do it, how can you take pride in something you didn't do?

anyways it looks to me like the second one, the red coupe was stolen, and looks like someone fucked with the wiring, probably just stole the stereo and what not but i personally wouldn't risk it.

look on cl and stuff, you just have to be patient and the perfect one will fall in you lap, get a little honda daily for mileage in the meantime and just keep looking, and do some research so you know what problems they commonly have (like rusty spare tire wells in hatches) so you know what to look for when you find one

[touge_g35]

I'd honestly could say that my college years were my most,"Maaaaaan I'm sooooo broke!" times in my life and it wasn't spent on bars and partying.
Depending on what you are majoring in you might not even have time to really work on the car if it needed work.
Although having a car to work on will definitely keep you sane through these times but you do not want to put more pressure on yourself than what you already have.
But this is your decision so just like everyone else has added in I will contribute my advice by saying,
"Do whatever makes you happy and hope that it will serve your purpose, there is no fate but what we make for ourselves." That last bit was quoted from Terminator 2

So if you want to have an SR240 or any RWD car to fool around in and get you to school even though it has rust then do it. But do take into consideration of the consequences in the decisions you make as many people have listed the scenarios above.
Personally from experience and what I would've done at your age, even though I know money is tight I would just find something that was somewhat and mostly reliable and easy to deal with if work was needed.
I bought an sr5 AE86 while in school and it had a rod knock, did I regret it? No, was it a smart decision? No, but I had fun working on it and doing a GTS swap, I still have it to this day because it still makes me happy just as it did from day 1.
Also a fixed up 240 will get you more girls than a fixed up 86, with an 86 you will just get dudes so yeeeeah, think about that

[XiaoAZN]

Yeah, I'd stay away from both of those cars. I agree with justinbryant with the stolen comment. Also it looks like the wiring has been messed with--basically a huge headache in the making.

Just keep lurking Craigslist and be patient if you truly want a 240.

Being a poor college student myself, however, I would suggest getting something else. As justinbryant suggested a stock, cheap and reliable Honda is probably the way to go...

[wuddup]

dude from the sound of it you shouldn't be getting one of these "project" cars or an s13 in general. what you need is a reliable daily to get you to and from school with no issues and probably an easy fix here and there. a body kit would not fix rust as you keep asking, a body kit would just hide the fact that there is rust on the frame, or anywhere else that is much more critical than surface body rust. also, hearing that you've never owned a car, are low on cash, and on a budget, an s-chassis probably wouldn't be ideal for you. It's an almost 20 year old car (depending which chassis) and you would be getting huge headaches if you're main priorities are school and not starting a project. you'll run into problems you probably never thought of, etc. etc. And plus you could save some of that money and put it towards insurance, because once you're in an accident, or get pulled over for no insurance...you're basically fucked and going into some serious debt you probably can't afford. But if you're seriously considering joining the zilvia community i welcome you, i'm just saying maybe now is not the time, especially the car you linked. Just wait around a bit and find a clean unmolested car and if you're into cars, learn how to do your own maintenance and upkeep.

Just some friendly advice to you take it or leave it and at the end of the day it's your decision not ours just trying to help.

[Hornlesscow]

thank you all for your advice and trust me i will take it! all except the honda last thing i need is to be labeled a a rice burner lol. i really want a clean 240 with at least a turbo and that's it because i want to have some fun with the car but turbos can be a bit pricey so it would be nice to have something untill i can upgrade. i do understand it will be a bit of a headache but i understand and enjoy the headaches because although ive never owned a car i have taken care of some as i would my own, and i really enjoyed the project i did in those cars because i see everything as a puzzle and i dont play to lose haha. i will keep looking and hopefully by the end of my 3 month goal i find something i can really see myself in.

[KravingAKouki]

save up for college instead of getting a 20+ year old car, that is a maintenance whore.

[S-Nation S13]

Wtf...just look at the cancer it has..

[Tokona-x]

I would stay away from the rust car its going to be a big hassle for you, just be patient you'll find something.