what to look for when purchasing a 89 240sx hatch? - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

im_a_tiger · 11-24-2002, 03:21 PM

hey, im new at this and i would really appreciate any help then is given.....

I am currently in the process of purchasing a 89 240sx hatch and i am wondering what or if any problematic areas should i look for in tha car... or what should i generally look out for?

thanks

240dude · 11-24-2002, 05:25 PM

First off, dont get a 240 if it has any more than an intake as far as mods go.  You want to know what your baseline is if you start building it.  Make sure the body is nice and clean and rust free and that everything feels tight when you drive it.  Check the underbody in particular.  Make sure intererior is VERY nice because i was once told that body is easier to fix than interior.  try and get it without a rear spoiler because if you ever want to take that off there will be rust and holes.  Make sure that all accessories work and there are no leaks from under the car.  Other than that take your time on finding one,  i speak all the previous things from experience so dont get excited and jump out and buy the first one you see.  Hope this helps.   -John   '89 hatch SE

andrave · 11-24-2002, 09:29 PM

well, I can't tell you what to look for besides telling you what I like about mine and what I don't like.
I bought an 89 sohc hatch, so I speak from experience too.
first off:
LOOK FOR A LIMITED SLIP!!
I live in WV (winter=snow) and god god I wish I had a limited slip... gonna try and do my first real modification as soon as possible and get a 300zx rear axle under there.

Bodies are easy to repair, parts are relatively expensive as there are a lot of 240's around in junkyards and they were produced with basically the same body for a while.  Interior is important, especially in my case- mine came with blue tweed, which someone once told me was only available on japan spec cars?  at any rate I've looked in like 10 different yards and seen a whole lot of 240's and still haven't seen one with a blue tweed interior, so I'm glad my interior was complete.

If the sunroof is missing parts its probably gonna be hard to find them.  I had to order a new sunroof for mine from a yard in indiana at a considerable cost.

Personally, I wish my cruise control still worked, but someone told me it breaks a lot.. you might wanna check that too.

As the guy above said, the rear spoiler (unless you plan on leaving it there) should be avoided.. mine has one and underneath, rust rust rust!

expect rust under the hood, at the weld seams in the fenders, under the spoiler and on the latch in the hatch, and on the exhaust hangers if your car was driving in an area which uses salt.  There areas most of all are susceptible.

pop up head lights can also be expensive and difficult to fix, so try and avoid ones that aren't working.  

most of all I would keep in mind that if there are a couple small problems, get over it.  its a 10 year old car and you can fix the small stuff.  If you can, do research on what it would take to repair that stuff and mention it to the seller- he may drop the price.  My had a damaged fender, quarter panel, leaked oil at the head gasket, bent hood, and broken drivers seat.  I got the owner down 1300 dollars below the initial asking price, and that stuff only cost me around 100 bucks to fix (mainly because the headgasket turned out to be a matter of a few loose bolts on top of the engine and not the blown gasket I feared).

I am incredibly happy with mine, but I still wish I had got one with a limited slip... and I'm thinking about getting aftermarket seats and a steering wheel (mine is literally falling apart).

240dude · 11-25-2002, 06:08 PM

there was no LSD option on 89 and 90.  But make it one of the first things you buy because i got one and it is NICE. completely different when installed.  Anyways yeah good points Andrave.    

SOHC POWER FOREVER!                     -John 89 hatch se

andrave · 11-25-2002, 07:17 PM

what kind of LS did you put in?  curious because with winter coming in if I could find one cheap in the next couple months I would snap it up for sure... I guess a 300zx will bolt up if I get the shocks, but then i will have 5 lug rears and 4 lug fronts as well as brakes that won't be properly biased.  I'd like to do a 5 lug swap all around eventually so its not that big of a deal.  
I haven't seen any aftermarket ones for less than 900 and that is insane.. 100 less than my whole car was.

240dude · 11-26-2002, 09:20 AM

Right on James, i know what your saying.  My hatch had rust on it and i bondo'd it up and its pretty nice, still kinda wavy but i did it in a day with not enough sanding ; )  My LSD came off a 95 SE with ABS and HICAS.  Fits fine BUT you must be willing to swap the covers (they fit the same but S13 has 4 bolts instead of 2) and have some bushings made for the front mounts.  Other than that i would make effort to find one from an S13, stay away from 300zx diffs unless you arent on a budget because you have to replace the output shafts and shit and thats no fun and its expensive.  I got my diff from a 95 for 330 shipped with about 85,000 miles on it..not to shabby.  Anyways thanks for reading.  -John

11-24-2002, 05:25 PM	#2
240dude Leaky Injector Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 50 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	First off, dont get a 240 if it has any more than an intake as far as mods go.  You want to know what your baseline is if you start building it.  Make sure the body is nice and clean and rust free and that everything feels tight when you drive it.  Check the underbody in particular.  Make sure intererior is VERY nice because i was once told that body is easier to fix than interior.  try and get it without a rear spoiler because if you ever want to take that off there will be rust and holes.  Make sure that all accessories work and there are no leaks from under the car.  Other than that take your time on finding one,  i speak all the previous things from experience so dont get excited and jump out and buy the first one you see.  Hope this helps.   -John   '89 hatch SE __________________ As soon as you think your going to fast...speed up. 89 Hatchback SE w/ ka24e-t in the making : ) The first Legit excuse for speeding: "If Eintsteins theory of reltivity is correct then having a top speed of over 155mph extends my life."

11-25-2002, 06:08 PM	#4
240dude Leaky Injector Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 50 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	there was no LSD option on 89 and 90.  But make it one of the first things you buy because i got one and it is NICE. completely different when installed.  Anyways yeah good points Andrave.     SOHC POWER FOREVER!                     -John 89 hatch se __________________ As soon as you think your going to fast...speed up. 89 Hatchback SE w/ ka24e-t in the making : ) The first Legit excuse for speeding: "If Eintsteins theory of reltivity is correct then having a top speed of over 155mph extends my life."

11-26-2002, 09:20 AM	#6
240dude Leaky Injector Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 50 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Right on James, i know what your saying.  My hatch had rust on it and i bondo'd it up and its pretty nice, still kinda wavy but i did it in a day with not enough sanding ; )  My LSD came off a 95 SE with ABS and HICAS.  Fits fine BUT you must be willing to swap the covers (they fit the same but S13 has 4 bolts instead of 2) and have some bushings made for the front mounts.  Other than that i would make effort to find one from an S13, stay away from 300zx diffs unless you arent on a budget because you have to replace the output shafts and shit and thats no fun and its expensive.  I got my diff from a 95 for 330 shipped with about 85,000 miles on it..not to shabby.  Anyways thanks for reading.  -John __________________ As soon as you think your going to fast...speed up. 89 Hatchback SE w/ ka24e-t in the making : ) The first Legit excuse for speeding: "If Eintsteins theory of reltivity is correct then having a top speed of over 155mph extends my life."

11-24-2002, 03:21 PM	#1
im_a_tiger Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	hey, im new at this and i would really appreciate any help then is given..... I am currently in the process of purchasing a 89 240sx hatch and i am wondering what or if any problematic areas should i look for in tha car... or what should i generally look out for? thanks

11-24-2002, 09:29 PM	#3
andrave BANNED Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Burton WV Posts: 2,350 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	well, I can't tell you what to look for besides telling you what I like about mine and what I don't like. I bought an 89 sohc hatch, so I speak from experience too. first off: LOOK FOR A LIMITED SLIP!! I live in WV (winter=snow) and god god I wish I had a limited slip... gonna try and do my first real modification as soon as possible and get a 300zx rear axle under there. Bodies are easy to repair, parts are relatively expensive as there are a lot of 240's around in junkyards and they were produced with basically the same body for a while.  Interior is important, especially in my case- mine came with blue tweed, which someone once told me was only available on japan spec cars?  at any rate I've looked in like 10 different yards and seen a whole lot of 240's and still haven't seen one with a blue tweed interior, so I'm glad my interior was complete. If the sunroof is missing parts its probably gonna be hard to find them.  I had to order a new sunroof for mine from a yard in indiana at a considerable cost. Personally, I wish my cruise control still worked, but someone told me it breaks a lot.. you might wanna check that too. As the guy above said, the rear spoiler (unless you plan on leaving it there) should be avoided.. mine has one and underneath, rust rust rust! expect rust under the hood, at the weld seams in the fenders, under the spoiler and on the latch in the hatch, and on the exhaust hangers if your car was driving in an area which uses salt.  There areas most of all are susceptible. pop up head lights can also be expensive and difficult to fix, so try and avoid ones that aren't working.   most of all I would keep in mind that if there are a couple small problems, get over it.  its a 10 year old car and you can fix the small stuff.  If you can, do research on what it would take to repair that stuff and mention it to the seller- he may drop the price.  My had a damaged fender, quarter panel, leaked oil at the head gasket, bent hood, and broken drivers seat.  I got the owner down 1300 dollars below the initial asking price, and that stuff only cost me around 100 bucks to fix (mainly because the headgasket turned out to be a matter of a few loose bolts on top of the engine and not the blown gasket I feared). I am incredibly happy with mine, but I still wish I had got one with a limited slip... and I'm thinking about getting aftermarket seats and a steering wheel (mine is literally falling apart).

11-25-2002, 07:17 PM	#5
andrave BANNED Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Burton WV Posts: 2,350 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	what kind of LS did you put in?  curious because with winter coming in if I could find one cheap in the next couple months I would snap it up for sure... I guess a 300zx will bolt up if I get the shocks, but then i will have 5 lug rears and 4 lug fronts as well as brakes that won't be properly biased.  I'd like to do a 5 lug swap all around eventually so its not that big of a deal.   I haven't seen any aftermarket ones for less than 900 and that is insane.. 100 less than my whole car was.