Biting the Bullet

"GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo" (jackolson) 10/18/2013 at 00:48 • Filed to: Deep Thoughts

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First off, I love S13's with the corner ambers. Second, and more importantly this photo makes me want to sell my stratus and pick up the 240sx coupe for sale by me, because ever since I was 12 and saw F&F for the first time I have been obsessing over modified cars and I think a S13 would be a good place to start. But I'm timid about selling a car that I already enjoy driving, just had several expensive repairs in the last few months, and will get me through the New England winter with minor drama and starting a project that would also be my DD because I have a long commute to work. Can't really make up my mind about the subject. Looking for anyone's thoughts and experiences

Chase > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 10/18/2013 at 00:58

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I feel that anytime "project" is involved, it would be best to have a reliable DD on hand. Especially with New England winters. Where by the way? Im in Worcester

GhostZ > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 10/18/2013 at 01:03

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Do 10 hours of research for every 1 hour you spend buying the car. Don't buy the one close to you, buy the one that you can wait for and fits exactly what you need based on the modifications you'll be making.

Also, watch out for drift sluts that have been abused. Find one (as rare as they are) that have been restored or taken good care of without being driven too hard.

Textured Soy Protein > Chase 10/18/2013 at 01:24

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Agreed.

RWD isn't necessarily terrible in the winter. I drove a Miata with Blizzaks through 4 Wisconsin winters, and now after the last 5 years with an AWD Mazdaspeed 6, I got stupid and went back to RWD with a BMW 135is which will soon get a set of snow tires & wheels (unless I get a beater awd something instead).

But an old RWD project car as your daily is just a bit much for me.

Squid > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 10/18/2013 at 02:10

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With an S13, sadly you are most likely looking at a beater status car. If it is a project that means it was someone elses project and you can expect some mickey mouse bullshit. Plus the S13 is the popular choice among dorifto wannabes who might have just thrashed the shit out of it and the tranny pops out of gear and makes noise and the clutch is fried from repeated clutch kicks.

Granted that is an extreme scenario, but I could see it happening. If the one by you is modified at all I would pass. Unless it is in really great shape and is a project because it was undergoing a restoration. . . Keep your eye on the market and try to find a good one. It doesn't hurt to go look at the car, give it a good inspection and then make a decision. The thing about buying a car that you want but needs love, is going into the inspection with the knowledge that you will walk away if anything feels funny or doesn't look good on it. If there are wires wrapped in electrical tape everywhere and it is sitting on Megan racing anything AVOID. If it has flashy rims, look beyond that to what shape is the chassis in? Is there rust anywhere? A good PPI is worth the $100 it costs. It gives you piece of mind knowing what problems there are and essentially gives you potential bargaining power if you move forward with buying one.

On the other note, the repairs you had done to your current car can be a selling point if you decide to sell it.

Really it comes down to how comfortable you are working on your own car and what you are capable of doing your self. I'd rather buy a stock car that I can tinker with than someone elses project that they got too far over their head with. I learned that from a buddy who bought a project car that was mickey moused to all hell and ended up going to the scrappers because half the wiring loom was spliced into with electrical tape and all the splices were put less than a half inch from the connectors which would have all needed to be re-pinned. Educate your self as much as possible before you pull the trigger on buying any vehicle. It is well worth your time to find out critical areas to be aware of when looking at a potential vehicle.

911e46z06 > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 10/18/2013 at 03:52

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When I was a wee lad I used to be pretty in to modifying my cars, and it kind of seems to me that buying an extensively modded car kind of defeats the purpose. There's no better feeling than finally getting the money up to buy that new exhaust/trim/taillights/set of wheels, wrenching all weekend, and cruising around feeling awesome.

I still get it. I bought a new truck last week, and I can't sleep tonight because I'm too excited about my 9am appointment to get my new wheels installed (omg its gonna be so awesome!).

So yeah man. Buy a blank canvas and do it up exactly the way you want it. That's my two cents. But then of course, the modifications on used cars add no value, so you basically get all the mods free instead of paying huge money for each little thing. But whatever. Worth it.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Squid 10/18/2013 at 08:59

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No interior shots but this is the car I'm talking about: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

I get with S13s and 14s your either going to end up with someones half assed attempt to become a Formula Drift superstar or its going to be a rust bucket that no drift nut wants to touch, but the apparent visual condition of the car left me surprised. There's no fart cans, body kits, wings, stick on portholes/scoops, and it isn't covered in Monster stickers; I think I found a real gem.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > GhostZ 10/18/2013 at 09:00

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No interior shots but this is the car I'm talking about: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

I get with S13s and 14s your either going to end up with someones half assed attempt to become a Formula Drift superstar or its going to be a rust bucket that no drift nut wants to touch, but the apparent visual condition of the car left me surprised. There's no fart cans, body kits, wings, stick on portholes/scoops, and it isn't covered in Monster stickers; I think I found a real gem.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Chase 10/18/2013 at 09:07

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By project I mean constantly modifying it as I want to because the S13 I'm looking at is surprisingly stock. I work on weekends too so I can't weekend warrior it either. I'm worried about big modifications like a front clip swap, suspension, anything involving wiring.

GhostZ > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 10/18/2013 at 09:14

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That actually doesn't look too molested, and could be pretty good.

Watch out for frame rust and expect a complete engine swap (200,000 miles + 2v KA24? Worth more as scrap.). If you have the budget, you could get some serious performance engines, either in an RB block or a LS block.

http://www.nicoclub.com/ NICO is a great resource for technical info, and so is Zilvia. http://zilvia.net/

Squid > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 10/19/2013 at 03:28

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Thats a lot of money for that mileage. You could get a miata with a hardtop and half as many miles for that money. I will say that it does look good in those pictures but I don't know if I would trust that motor...

NoIDontDriftmy240 > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 10/31/2013 at 03:34

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What ever you do, don't rush and buy the first one you see. Clean s-chassis are out there but it'll take some patience. I spent over a year to find my unmolested, old lady owned stock S14. It's an auto but 5sp swap parts are plentiful and somewhat easy. Look for an auto s13 if you wants a clean/unmolested chassis.

NoIDontDriftmy240 > Squid 10/31/2013 at 03:36

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Agreed, that is a CP. KA engine can last well into 300-400k miles if properly maintained.