s2k's are well above 10k here with clean titles
Ill have to test drive an e36 and a miata
s2k's are well above 10k here with clean titles
Ill have to test drive an e36 and a miata
halokilller wrote: s2k's are well above 10k here with salvage titles.
Fixed that for you. I spent plenty of time searching CL in the Bay area and Sacramento. If KBB said the value on the car was $14k, the clean title ones were listed for $16k, and the salvage titles were asking $12k. And there were equal number of each.
as an owner of a miata. Any sort of highway commute I don't want to do in it. It's a much to loud car for day to day and revving out at 4k rpms to go 70ish is blah.
Given I just got offered a 98 323is e36 for less than 1k I think you could do a lot with a 7k budget
240SX is a decent option, the S14 has a pretty pleasing and simple interior. Engine isn't super inspiring but gets the job done and is reliable. Lots of easy suspension and brake mod options. Overall you get a reliable RWD car with various OEM Nissan LSD and brake options, a roof/backseat/trunk, and no German electronics. I did a bunch of track days with S14s from bone stock to significant mods other than the engine (coilovers, brakes, helical LSD, rollbar, bucket seats), and it was a good time. With stock power levels your braking and cooling needs are pretty easy to address.
Also had an E36 M3 and they're definitely better cars overall especially in stock form, but more expensive and mine had a lot of issues that made it much less fun to daily drive.
turtl631 wrote: 240SX is a decent option, the S14 has a pretty pleasing and simple interior.
I also like the looks of the S14. Trouble with a 240sx will be finding a non-abused manual. If I were looking for a nice RWD car and didn't want Miata for some reason... I think I'd take an S14 over any of the non-M BMW's in this price point.
I found my DD S14 240SX Zenki(95/96, Kouki is 97/98, 94 S13's are Chuki's) up in MD(a 752 mile one way trip to get it, turn and burn back within 24 hours). I got the car fair priced at $5k. I have just over $1k into RS Enthalpy ECU, N1 cat back, Injen Intake(300ZX MAF), Bosch quad plugs, Sumitomo R33 8mm wires, and spec'd discs with Stop Tech pads. I am running about 185hp at the flywheel right now with the current mods. If I rebuild the engine(That's a $4000 proposition, rods, 11:1 pistons, 274/280 Jim Wolf Technology cams, Retuned RSE ECU, Megan Header, JWT intake manifold, and either Silk Road or JIC Magic coil overs, R32 brake conversion, and Gram Lights 57D wheels/tires at 225/235, install rest of Energy Suspension bushing kit, ACT 13# flywheel/XTSS clutch) In the end that will drop the car down to the tires with a slight forward stance just above the sidewalls, on 17x9j wheels I can slightly stretch the tires so I have no fitment issues or rub, adn I will have a total investment of $11,000 into the car. Rear end is OEM VLSD 4.08:1 flushed and refilled with Redline gear oil and friction additive, Trans is good, just refilled with Redline MTL. A new stereo, and maybe a little tint and it will be done.
Check Autotrader, Craigs List for these cars all around the country. You can find really good ones that haven't been beat up or murdered out with SR's and stanced into the ground with hammered bottoms
14 240SX Zenki(95/96, Kouki is 97/98, 94 S13's are Chuki's
Alright, let me just add those terms to my weeaboo file.
I agree with the basic premise that a late 240 is a good car and you can get one for 5k. My personal opinion is that you have to really like them to have over 10k into one and still think it is a good value at this point in time.
If MR floats your boat, you could look at 2nd gen MR2s. Around $7k could buy you a decent example of an N/A car or a turbo that needs some work.
I still want to drive one of those
You could probably find a decent RX-8 for that price.
thanks for the responses, will check these out, turbo miatas seem very fun to drive, im seeking a raw driving experience and I'm not sure if thats possible with a 240
halokilller wrote: thanks for the responses, will check these out, turbo miatas seem very fun to drive, im seeking a raw driving experience and I'm not sure if thats possible with a 240
I would say that's very possible with a 240. You won't know until you drive examples of each car in question.
924s
halokilller wrote: thanks for the responses, will check these out, turbo miatas seem very fun to drive, im seeking a raw driving experience and I'm not sure if thats possible with a 240
For sure it is.
Even in stock form, they're great fun on the track too. Power on, tail out. Power off, tail tucks in. Repeat.
<--- S14 owner
Late turbo 944 or a 968?
redhookfern wrote: Late turbo 944 or a 968?
I would look for an S2, if you're leaning in that direction.
dont want a porsche due to the maintenance costs, im going to try to test drive a na miata and a stock 240sx and go from there
the high maintenance costs are over hyped unless you are talking turbo. The 924/944 non turbo maintenance cost isn't as bad as you may think.
Why I suggested a 924s is that you can get a car for extremely cheap and they don't cost very much to maintain as well and you can get a sorted car for track days if you want to do that for probably half your budget. I think the E30 vs n/a 924/944 cost difference is negligible.
You can also pick up an SR20 swapped 240SX for pretty cheap nowadays...everyone wants the LS1 cars instead. There are a few Japan only parts but the big Nissan shops here tend to stock them. SR20DET is robust anyways and can make great power with various OEM parts. Most cars out there tend to have a lot of questionable ebay/china/drift parts on them, but its easy enough to sell that junk. Generally they'll have some crappy coilovers and a welded diff, but there are readily available viscous and helical OEM LSDs out there, and Koni Yellows, etc. Also of note, S13 interiors are definitely worse, but the hatchbacks are common and they fit a lot of stuff back there.
I have an S14 with Koni Yellows, 300ZX brakes, and an SR20 with a GT2871R that has done tens of thousands of miles in the 300-340whp range with no issues on the street for the previous owner. Bought it for 7k...great fast street car, but I'm making it into more of a track car with better brakes, suspension, and cooling.
Point is, there are good deals out there. Just have to decide if you want the tiny convertible feel of the Miata (which is admittedly fun, I still need to own a Miata at some point) or the balanced M3 experience. A stock E36 M3 really strikes a nice balance that most modified cars will never hit. Under $7k you might be into a more ratty example however. My E36 ownership was pretty painful actually, with lots of annoying electrical problems (dead gauge cluster, OE alarm issues) along with the usual peeling headliner, brake sensor switch, failing computer nonsense. Oh yes, also had a spark plug launch into the coilpack after ripping out the threads in the head. That was an enthusiast owned car with all the cooling system and suspension issues taken care of.
Again, not a ton of 240SX owners on this board which baffles me as they are cheap, plentiful, reliable, RWD, many engine options for lots of power. I honestly think this platform is one of the cheapest ways to go fast on track. I think perhaps the drift hype annoys the average GRMer so they stay away?
It's not the drift hype, it's the drift tax.
I can't touch a 240sx i'd want to be seen in for less than $4500-$5000 around here. 
Which sucks, because i really DO like the cars. I would LOVE to have an S14 Kouki. (And so would every other 240sx fan, ever, which is why i'll never buy one, can't afford it.)
Woody wrote: You should be able to get into an E46 for that kind of money.
Agreed. I paid just a touch more than 7k for mine, 03 325i @ 116k with every option short of the lumbar supports (which I would really like to have now!). You could easily get a slightly older or more used one and end up with a nice driver with a few $ left over for a few key repair/upgrade areas.
I honestly haven't had a better car as a daily. (includes various VW's and Audis, Geo/Corolla, Land Rovers, pickup trucks, etc)
Swank Force One and I have both poo-pooed the SR20 in previous threads. The KA that's already in the 240sx is a better engine than the SR20 in every way. Not doing an engine swap buys a lot of turbo parts for the KA.
Early to mid-90's 300zx TT? Mostt of the ones around NYC are pretty trashed and ghettocized, but maybe where you are....
clutchsmoke wrote: Swank Force One and I have both poo-pooed the SR20 in previous threads. The KA that's already in the 240sx is a better engine than the SR20 in every way. Not doing an engine swap buys a lot of turbo parts for the KA.
Agreed.
You'll pay $5k+ for an SR20 240 that i'd trust to daily drive. Probably closer to the absolute max of your budget.
ASSuming you can find a decent non-swapped 240 for $4k these days, you could easily make good power for $3k if you decided to turbo the KA.
I don't HATE the SR20, but the KA is a superior motor.
redhookfern wrote: Early to mid-90's 300zx TT? Mostt of the ones around NYC are pretty trashed and ghettocized, but maybe where you are....
That's an interesting choice, and one i could get behind. In my general area, you could find a nice one for $7k, and they're very reliable and overbuilt cars.
They're not as terrible to work on as the internet would have you believe, either. Things take longer, but they aren't harder. Everything is "layered" pretty logically.
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