Kingtal0n's Unofficial guide to buying a 240sx

[turbos14]

Problem with some newer cars is all the restricted factory items like throttle by wire, traction control that doesn't fully turn off, abs and others.

The 240sx is kind of a purest car and a blank canvas to make it what ever you want. You can upgrade the interior, exterior and other items to a more modern touch or gut it. Flexibility and rarity.

Mine I've had since 05 all original except engine (still ka). But a few tasteful modes kouki tail lights, suspension, exhaust, lsd and intake. I didn't have factory floor mats so I picked some up won't put them in till I sell it. Kept all the stock items in case someone wanted them when sold or I want to put it back.

[Kingtal0n]

Originally Posted by 97nismo

I commend you for making this thread however I still think you are way to high on pricing 240s period. They are nothing special the technology is outdated, compared to most of the cars on the road sports cars or not. It's sad Nissan quit making the a chassis but move on for the 17k or whatever your trying to get out of one is absolutely ridiculous...for 17k you can get more performance, styling and reliability out of lots of other sports cars.

I don't blame you for misunderstanding my methods/practices, many do not. I never said what a 240 was worth; in fact it crossed my mind to write a small flow-chart for that very aspect. But when I sat down to do this, I realize that not everybody is going to put as much value on something like a pinch weld as I do. So it is impossible to say what any given car is truly worth; that said, everything has a price. Everything I own has a price, and so does everything you own. I am sure whatever car or house you own, you would sell for the right price. So when you see me list a car that I am driving, and enjoying, for some ridiculous number; its just the "right price" that I would part with it for. Until then, I would rather drive it. In other words, I dont buy 240s to sell them. I am not a dealer and have no interest in selling cars for a living, if you see me owning a car it is because I intend to drive that car as much as possible, and I would prefer not to sell it. The benefit to the community if I do sell is the fact that I am meticulous in my work and ways, such that, whatever car I am returning to the pool/population of cars available to individuals, it is now higher quality than it was before I got ahold of it, I have done it justice, and not hacked it up, as so many have and will continue to do.

Originally Posted by silviaks2nr

Beat up trim means water and debris get in and sit in the sills and rust, not to mention it's unsightly. I'd rather see aftermarket glass with replaced weather stripping as it shows the car is maintained by someone who cares and not just the bare minimum is being done to keep it roadworthy. Plus, who wants a 20 year old pitted windshield? They are awful for night driving. I agree that these are not collector cars so general used car buying rules should apply. The reality is you will pay an inflated price for a nice car but to some people it's worth that to know the car hasn't been owned by an idiot who aspires to be ken block.

I should have also said why I Like to see factory trim. It means the windshield was never replaced, which means that it probably never had a serious front end collision. Sure, buy the car, change the trim and install a new windshield. I am all for that. But at least you got the car knowing the original glass was there to begin with. I actually like the aftermarket rubber and I think it looks good when installed upside down, but some people don't like that look.
Just as a general rule I and many others are always in favor of making a positive modification, regardless of whether it is oem or not; as that is the true essence of high performance.

[KoukiMonsta]

how did I miss this thread,

currently translating words such as 240sx into civic/corolla as I am searching for a new daily of that sort.....lol

[turbos14]

That and if it was installed using factory glass and seals not cheap aftermarket glass and rubber.

With how many people thrash and destroy 240sx especially the s14 the pool continues to shrink and that pool wasn't very big to begin with for those models. My 96 is one of 500 or so in Mediterranean blue.

I'm not saying it's a rx7, supra or nsx but they are scarce and continue to dwindle.

The less molested unless done well the better. Receipts, pics left over factory parts and everything in the right spots those are what I like to see.

[ixfxi]

Originally Posted by silviaks2nr

Beat up trim means water and debris get in and sit in the sills and rust, not to mention it's unsightly. I'd rather see aftermarket glass with replaced weather stripping as it shows the car is maintained by someone who cares and not just the bare minimum is being done to keep it roadworthy. Plus, who wants a 20 year old pitted windshield? They are awful for night driving.

I think it all depends on where the car is terms of life cycle

If the car is all original, then fuckit.. it is what it is. During my restoration process, I pulled (and scrapped) the original glass. I installed a good quality aftermarket glass that was perfectly transparent and not wavy. I used aftermarket weather stripping on the front glass as well. The aftermarket weatherstripping is MUCH nicer than the stock one and looks more modern. I used OEM weatherstripping for the rear hatch glass and of course, when I replaced the rear quarter windows.

But guess what, most of those parts are no longer available now. This was only a matter of years ago. Now its all in the history books. Its very disappointing owning a car where all of these parts are NLA, but thats the way the ball bounces.

Now I am the proud owner of a partially finished resto-mod that has been static in my garage for the past 9-10 years. Sometimes it sits on wheels/tires, sometimes on jackstands. Its great to know that I will probably not be able to enjoy this car to its fullest as parts become more and more scarce (with the exception of shitty aftermarket parts). It would be nice if companies actually put time and money into making quality replacement parts, as opposed to shitty replacement parts. Oh well, it IS what it ISIS. (how clever)

Smart people should take heed to posts like this and if you're considering a 240SX, or any 90s-era vehicles... consider buying something newer. Even cars with drive-by-wire can have good response, you just need to separate the good from the bad.

[KiLLeR2001]

Originally Posted by ixfxi

Now I am the proud owner of a partially finished resto-mod that has been static in my garage for the past 9-10 years. Sometimes it sits on wheels/tires, sometimes on jackstands. Its great to know that I will probably not be able to enjoy this car to its fullest as parts become more and more scarce (with the exception of shitty aftermarket parts).

I need to see this thing. Probably one of the cleanest s-chassis to exist.

[turbos14]

Ya restoring a 240sx is an ongoing thing. It does help that I work for Nissan so parts are cheaper and some times dealer hoard parts that are no longer made. But at least Oregon is friendly to older car not too much sun or snow, no salted roads. Only thing faded on mine is the top of the back seat other then that all original windows, seals and paint. A few inside plastics have been replaced but with factory things. (Shity tabs break or even on brand new).

[Kingtal0n]

I made a piece of software to help estimate 97/98 240sx value
http://www.megafileupload.com/91o0/240sxestimation.zip

beta testing!

[OBEEWON]

Originally Posted by KiLLeR2001

I need to see this thing. Probably one of the cleanest s-chassis to exist.

Its super clean.

[BossHogg]

Originally Posted by KiLLeR2001

I need to see this thing. Probably one of the cleanest s-chassis to exist.

I know of an original owner 89 64,xxx miles yellow two tone coupe. Cleanest 100% stock car I've seen in a loooooooong time. The only thing I don't like is the do-do brown interior.

[graycob]

This makes me feel so much better about the PS fluid leaking from my tranny

Btw guys, they are definitely out there. Picked up this 93' all original SE with heads up display, still has the original clutch in it even. Found it for 3600 in the bay area California. I looked for a year and a half... but they are out there. uploadfromtaptalk1438042360640.jpg

[XMcEvilson]

yeah I saw one pop up that looked like it came off a show room floor in 1990 but it was gone in about 7 minutes

[Kingtal0n]

I want to share the pictures I made for my software since not everyone will have the opportunity to download it. I realize that multiple forums may eventually make use of something like this (or need to share the info / learn what some of these attributes are) as the WWW is quite large and all that.

So lets start with the pinch weld. Where is it, what is it, why do we care.

This is a cosmetic attribute that runs along the side of the vehicle. I don't care if you call it a "strip of metal" the main point here is that
A: it is cosmetic and has no performance benefit
B: it is fragile, easily bent up, by carelessness or by road debris
C: It may have other uses (such as laser alignment of the frame)
D: like everything else, it may tell you a thing or two about the vehicle you are about to buy i.e. how the car was cared for and where (good mechanics will mind the pinch, bad un-caring mechanics/owners will ignore it as a feature and bend it up. If so what else did they ignore and bend/ruin?)

First the elusive, near mint pinch. I have only ever seen two cars with this in my life, both were owned by me almost all these pictures are from those two cars.


Here are images you can click for more info about the pinch, how to raise it properly, how not to raise it, what a bad ones look like, and how it looks if you try to repair it yourself






A more completed guide is now available:
http://www.freshalloy.com/showthread...buying-a-240sx