First Car

[JDM Jim]

Hi guys, what do you think about a Nissan s13 for a first car? I sometimes see people asking the same question, and usually the people ask about driving experience. So I'll give you all a lil background of me. I frequently drive with my parents basically every time I am in the car with them. I am very comfortable driving in traffic and through town. And I am a 7/10 in confidence with driving stick. I am not sure if I would be more comfortable in a daily car bc my dads car that I practice in has a really stiff racing clutch so I have worked all summer to pay off the car that I would like to buy so I think that would also give me more respect towards my car and hopefully help me from doing stupid shit in it and driving like an asshole.. Thanks

PS: Does anyone know if it would be very pricey to insure a teenager in an s13?

[KAT-PWR]

An s13 is not a sports car so insurance is reasonable.
I had a manual s13 as my first car.

[Clutch Dog]

it sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders, but here's the low down. S chassis are getting OLD

for the same price as a decent manual ( say 3500-5000) you can pick up a 2000's Forester or outback and have the same hp and manual experience you want, but its safer, more roomy, newer, more reliable, and it'll get the job done.
other options cars you could look at would be an SC300/400, the 300's came in manual only and you have an NA 2jz to start, pluss side with those is that if you keep em nice, they make a great date car since they are cushy

I personally like accords for daily status since they are roomy, either the i4 or v6 has plenty of punch and they cost nearly nothing but oil changes and brakes year to year ( did a 90k main on my gen 7 and it cost me 1500 BUTTTT that was including a timing chain replacement. so... fair game)

i would get some insurance quotes and keep your eyes open, but dont limit yourself.

[JDM Jim]

Originally Posted by Clutch Dog

it sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders, but here's the low down. S chassis are getting OLD

for the same price as a decent manual ( say 3500-5000) you can pick up a 2000's Forester or outback and have the same hp and manual experience you want, but its safer, more roomy, newer, more reliable, and it'll get the job done.
other options cars you could look at would be an SC300/400, the 300's came in manual only and you have an NA 2jz to start, pluss side with those is that if you keep em nice, they make a great date car since they are cushy

I personally like accords for daily status since they are roomy, either the i4 or v6 has plenty of punch and they cost nearly nothing but oil changes and brakes year to year ( did a 90k main on my gen 7 and it cost me 1500 BUTTTT that was including a timing chain replacement. so... fair game)

i would get some insurance quotes and keep your eyes open, but dont limit yourself.

yeah those are very valid points, there is always foresters out here for like 800 that I would not mind at all using as a beater. I mainly want an s13 because it is my dream car, and I also want to have something to take pride in and be like, "thats my car over there "

[JDM Jim]

Those are all valid points and I would be fine getting an 800 forester as a daily beater. But I just want my 240 so I can have a car to take pride in and have fun going to meets and driving around the pretty parts of my state..

[JDM Jim]

Originally Posted by Clutch Dog

it sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders, but here's the low down. S chassis are getting OLD

for the same price as a decent manual ( say 3500-5000) you can pick up a 2000's Forester or outback and have the same hp and manual experience you want, but its safer, more roomy, newer, more reliable, and it'll get the job done.
other options cars you could look at would be an SC300/400, the 300's came in manual only and you have an NA 2jz to start, pluss side with those is that if you keep em nice, they make a great date car since they are cushy

I personally like accords for daily status since they are roomy, either the i4 or v6 has plenty of punch and they cost nearly nothing but oil changes and brakes year to year ( did a 90k main on my gen 7 and it cost me 1500 BUTTTT that was including a timing chain replacement. so... fair game)

i would get some insurance quotes and keep your eyes open, but dont limit yourself.

haha im new to this forum im not sure if you need to have your last reply quoting to have you see it.

[JDM Jim]

Originally Posted by Clutch Dog

it sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders, but here's the low down. S chassis are getting OLD

for the same price as a decent manual ( say 3500-5000) you can pick up a 2000's Forester or outback and have the same hp and manual experience you want, but its safer, more roomy, newer, more reliable, and it'll get the job done.
other options cars you could look at would be an SC300/400, the 300's came in manual only and you have an NA 2jz to start, pluss side with those is that if you keep em nice, they make a great date car since they are cushy

I personally like accords for daily status since they are roomy, either the i4 or v6 has plenty of punch and they cost nearly nothing but oil changes and brakes year to year ( did a 90k main on my gen 7 and it cost me 1500 BUTTTT that was including a timing chain replacement. so... fair game)

i would get some insurance quotes and keep your eyes open, but dont limit yourself.

gahhh this forum is confusing the hell out of me for replys... sorry if i replied like 8 times ha ha

[Clutch Dog]

trust me when i say this ( nasioc member for 6 years) you can take pride in a subie, and the older SF/SG chassis where extremely similar to the underpinnings of the 2.5rs coupes.

Keep your eyes peeled for a good deal, but be patient, id take a decent milage G20 infini over a rusty beat S13. it took me near 8 years to find my current s14 and thats after going through three others.

[JDM Jim]

yeah i gotcha drift man. TBH I think I might try to go ahead and snag this really clean s13 while I can. Then save up a grand or two and get a nice awd car to be reliable.

[theStig880]

Foresters are sweet and have a lot of potential for upgrade. WRX/STI springs, some suspension bits, seats, and steering wheel all bolt straight up. Swaps are fairly easy too. I have a SF that I used to daily but it exploded recently and is waiting for a WRX/5 speed swap. Look them over and you can get a very reliable one for cheap.

S13's are so cheap its fairly practical to buy one after you get a daily so you wont be out of a car while it is inevitably not running. I wouldnt buy an old car like the 240 without a daily lined up before or at the same time. I drove my S13 as my only car for three years but it sucked ass. No AC, loud, lowered. Fun car but its way more fun now that I dont depend on it.

[tuzzio]

You're never going to find an s13 worth buying in new england for a good price.

[dustin_rps13]

I've owned about 4 240's over the span of 12 years or so. They're not bag cars to own, but like stated previously, they are now hitting close to 30 years old, therefore maintenance is the key now. If you can afford the maintenance of a 30 year old car, then do it. It's a great experience-building car.

[brndck]

if I was a parent, there is no way I'd want my kid to have a car with no ABS and no airbags for their first car.

BUT, I bought my first s13 when I was 19 in 2001, and there hasn't been a single day since then that I haven't owned at least one s13.

[RB25GUY]

As a daily like as mentioned above p11 G20 sr20de bullet proof in stock form or a B13 sentra ser (also sr20de) if you can find one comes factory with lsd transmission plenty of fun stock and reliable i have b13 ser with 221k on it doesn't burn oil gets 30mpg with 93 oct and although its not fast still is fun and gets everything i need to get done cheap to maintain which means more money for your s13 etc

[David48]

I think you guys are missing the point of life here. I think it's safe to assume the guy is young, as in, no older than 18. 240s aren't reliable or comfortable or safe or cheap to insure or practical, etc. That being said, I bought my first 240 when I was 15 and I'm on my 14th one today. The experiences I've had and the people I've met because of my addiction to S-chassis are the things I'll remember on my death bed. I would have been much better off buying a Camry or Legacy when I was young, but I would have robbed myself of what has made me, me.

To the OP, buy the 240. Try to buy a clean one that hasn't been molested. They still pop up from time to time for good deals. Buy a good amount of hand tools from harbor freight and google search like a mad man when you break something or want to upgrade something. The beauty of S13s is that they're cheap to modify, and everything has been done and documented one thousand times over.

[JDM Jim]

yeah im set on tools for now bc im exiting the world of apprenticeship and entering worker status lol but thats one of the main reasons I want my 240.. I dont want to take a stock daily to car shows and I want to meet some cool people with the same enjoyment for cars.

[jumboflan]

then get the s13. But don't break your balls trying to get it. I know people who are frustrated and feel burned by the scene. for example this guy in santa cruz california. Want ted to give away his hatchback without engine, tranny, front hubs, fenders, bumper, bumper cover, and headlights. He's got everything else. I thought he was joking when he said he couldn't even give the shell away. The car is in good shape minus all the stuff listed. But, he said ," free fucking 240sx shell"......and in the ad he says he couldn't even give away this fuck@ng piece of shit. But the car looks nice. The paint in the back quarter panels are good, windows uncracked, rear bumper good. Doesn't look banged up. But, the catch for free was you had to tow in without hubs front hubs or wheels I don't know. I have seen some people complain about how someone stole their car, and now theyre leaving scene. I have had people rear ended right after their long journey of building one. There are scammers on forums. etc

Plus the guy that made that ad was sick of the car. He also stated he would give the car away with coilovers for $500 to entice somebody. I've seen it multiple times in the last few weeks. Might be because of summer. People think that people will take the junk off their lot if they think the potential guy is going to play this game and have a track car to show off for summer.