Want to buy a 240sx

[semtexs]

Im looking around to buy a 240 soon, i currently drive a 03 mustang gt which I like but just isnt for me. It has fairly low miles at 47k so im looking to sell it at a pretty good price and be able to buy a 240 in fairly good condition. I live in the Chicago land area and it seems like every 240 that is on craigslist looks like junk. So I wanna ask you guys that know alot about the 240 whats the best thing to do when buying one, should i buy one already modified or go for one that is closer to stock?

or if anyone is selling a 240 in the Chicago are lmk

[rwtf]

no.

[Mr.Doback]

[dorkidori_s13]

let me help you...

unless you are:

1) Done with college
2) In your career of choice
3) Are financially stable
4) Own a RELIABLE car thats paid off
5) Debt free
6) Have A LOT of time on your hands
7) Are ready to completely restore the car
8) Have a ton of mechanical knowledge
9) Prepared to be patient as a saint
10) Ready to deal with TONS of failure

then I would HIGHLY suggest you stay away from buying a 240! Theyre great cars, but this isnt 12 years ago when you could still buy these cars with good running condition motors and with straight/clean bodies! If you DO manage to find a clean 240 (be it S13 or S14), be prepared to spend a good chunk of cash, handle A LOT of general maintenance right off the bat (95% of people who buy 240s think theyre brand new cars and complain about the dumbest shit because they dont realize theyre 20 year old rolling shit boxes that were never maintained). Outside of being extremely lucky and having a good chunk of cash on hand to buy a well built or clean S-Chassis, be prepared to pay around $3000 for a piece of crap thats going to sit in your garage for quite a while until you can afford to fix all ghetto shit people do to these cars!

I got extremely lucky with my current S13 (its my 5th one in almost 13 years), it was fairly clean... but jesus, compared to my cars in the past, it was a goddamn heap! its taken me 4+ years to build it to the point where it is now. Ive still got another $10-$12 grand left to dump into it before its near "done" (no car is ever "done"). It took me 3 1/2 years to piece the interior together to make it all complete, almost 4 years to build the suspension completely in it, 3 years to fix all the problems with the motor and get it running almost perfectly (as perfectly as an SR can run on its OEM ECU, which we all know sucks balls)... but Im at a point in my life where I can afford to build my car without hurting financially. Also, Ive been building them long enough that if something goes wrong, I can fix it myself.

So in conclusion, unless you can check off at least 8 out of 10 of those items above, Id heavily advise staying away from purchasing a 240. Im sure the "drift life" looks oh so glamorous and entertaining, but the reality is that these cars are (for the most part) nothing but rolling shit boxes and money pits! If youre into restoring something and making it nice, be prepared to spend A LOT of time and A LOT of money to get the car back to "decent". You would probably be much better off buying a 350z, G35 (sedan or coupe), FRS/BRZ or even a Genesis 4 cyl turbo. At least MOST of those cars are still obtainable for relatively cheap, can be had in awesome shape and dont require a small mortgage to clean up and have fun with.

[semtexs]

The plan was to sell my car next spring buy a 240 and daily it for the last month or so of school, then once summer starts is when i can do all the mods and stuff. My family has an extra car so if i need to use that i can. I know a good amount about working on cars im new to the 240. Around chicago some cars hold their value really well so i was to buy a mazda speed 3 i would easily pay 12k+. So i figured id buy a 240, get to learn alot and have a awesome once its all done. I also don't plan on drifting at all. ive just always wanted a 240 and now i have a good sum of money saved up

[dorkidori_s13]

i think you missed my point entirely...

how many of the 10 things i listed above have you accomplished? you just mentioned "school" so im pretty sure none of them are taken care of yet.

id honestly take the Mazdaspeed 3 for 12k if i were you... youll sink WAY more than 12k into just cleaning up your 240 and making it decent.

but hey, if youve got this wonderful pie in the sky idea about building a 240... then by all means dont let me piss on your parade. just speaking from experience here is all...

[simmode1]

Why a 240 in particular? I'm really starting to wonder this. They made sense 10 - 15 years ago when they were even cheaper & not nearly as haggard. But today? Hell no. Makes no sense when 350z's are selling for like $6500.

[semtexs]

ive always liked the way they looked specifically the 95 and up, and for the 350z in my area you would have to spend closer to 10k for a decent one

[dorkidori_s13]

Originally Posted by semtexs

ive always liked the way they looked specifically the 95 and up, and for the 350z in my area you would have to spend closer to 10k for a decent one

then find one for $6500 elsewhere and have it delivered! not that hard...

[angel mkiv]

Exactly what dorkidori said! My 240 is a money bucket and if I didn't have a career and another paid off daily driver it wouldn't go nowhere and look like every other peice of shit 15 color 240sx's out there

[J3123MY]

LOL. I should not have a 240.

lol your trading a 47k mile car for a 200k mile shitbox?

[Sumslapper]

Don't listen to these crybabies. If you can turn a wrench, change out basic things like an alternator, battery, water pump, and maintenance parts, you can own a 240. If you really want one, wait until you find one that is stock. Don't buy someone else's headache. I waited 6 months until I found the right one. Mustangs suck, look like girl cars, and the interior has more plastic than Cher.

[Derson]

Originally Posted by dorkidori_s13

be prepared to pay around $3000 for a piece of crap thats going to sit in your garage for quite a while until you can afford to fix all ghetto shit people do to these cars!
...
Im sure the "drift life" looks oh so glamorous and entertaining, but the reality is that these cars are (for the most part) nothing but rolling shit boxes and money pits!

Amen, brotha! Haha I unfortunately broke about 8 of the things you listed there, and my 240 has been a mystical journey of expensive mistakes haha.

After I got my second one (rolling shell) and began to prepare it for my SR20 swap, it's when I learned that ghetto shit truly is universal for our cars. Spark plugs used as hose clamps, a long forgotten 15 year old quart of oil partially open in the crack of the trunk area that goes down the side quarter panel of the car, short shifter installed backwards and without springs, wiring loom messed up beyond belief, and that was all on a shell that the guy was trying to "fix" but he just ran out of money. I can't imagine how much worse it would have been if he was regularly driving it and trying to "mod" it.

That said though, even though it was tough at times, there's nothing more rewarding than taking your car out for a drive after finishing a big project, and that's something you'll never get in the same intensity with a car like a brz or something more modern. So I would encourage you to get one. Get one knowing its gonna be hard and lots of work, but also knowing that the amount that you will learn will be greatly worth it, not just for the life of the car, but for the rest of your life.

[Sleepiedaze]

ill sell you mine. ka24DE with eagle rods and pistons / ported head / aem emsv2 / 3.5 bar map and air inlet temp sensor presision turbo top mount. ill sell it for 10 K i will cover shipping. since you like working on cars you will love working on this 7+ year project

[bmaddock]

To add fuel to the fire, verts aren't as desirable so they can be had for cheap. I found one that was mechanically maintained well and picked it up for $2000 after hunting for months on end and doing something similar as you by selling my old car for the 240. Buy one that has not been touched by some asshole that would even think to browse Zilvia.

I'll just say owning one isn't for everyone. I mostly agree with dorkidori, although admittedly I bought my 240 while in college and made it through just fine. A good portion of my play money when into the car.

[240koukiSX]

Just my 2 cents but if you want to build a nice 240 it will absolutely be expensive. I started my S13 build in April and already have over 13,000 dollars into it that I'll never get back out and it's finally what most people consider a clean 240 with a legit swap. I have all this money into it and there's still a million and a half things I still want to change. With that said, when you finally get it right, it's SO rewarding. It really is a labor of love and I'd do it all over again if I had to.