"TotallyThatStupid" (jbbush)
03/04/2014 at 16:17 • Filed to: Nissan 240SX
3
21|
"TotallyThatStupid" (jbbush)
03/04/2014 at 16:17 • Filed to: Nissan 240SX | 3
| 21 |
We are fond of mentioning the hilarity of nostalgia here at TTS. Often our youthful objects of desire are considerably less needful to our middle-aged selves. Back in the day, one hundred of Honda's carbureted horses somehow felt better than ninety-six of Volkswagen's fuel-injected motivators. Today, neither feels very good. The truth is, it's all relative, and if you dispassionately view the hardware of yore, it can look primitive and largely uninspiring.
I don't think this is the case here.
Before the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S twins, there was the S13 Nissan 240SX, produced from 1989-1994. Alleged to be the spiritual successor to the original Datsun 240Z, the S13 had all the right hardware specs: a tidy rear wheel drive chassis featuring MacPherson strut front and multilink independent rear suspensions, a cozy 2+2 configuration, four-wheel disc brakes, and a tight row-your-own 5-speed. It even had that totem of 1980s attainable sports coupedom, the pop-up headlight.
What about the Toyota Celica? What about the Acura Integra? Hell, what about the Ford Probe? All good cars with pop-up headlights, but all front wheel drive. This was the only rear-driver of the group.
The only letdown – and not unlike the complaints today against the Subaru and Scion – was the power output. The KA24E 12-valve single cam 2.4-liter inline-four pumped out 140 horsepower, which wasn't fantastic even back then. It was big for a four-banger, and a little unrefined, lacking the Acura's smoothness. More on this in a minute.
The S13 was built during a pretty great time at Nissan. The Maxima really was a four-door sports car ("4DSC"), especially in 5-speed SE trim. The Z32 300ZX had just launched. Even the Sentra was a fun little econobox, and the SE-R hotrod – a BMW 2002tii for the time – was only a couple of years out.
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is shocking for several reasons. The first is condition. Minus some light wear, it looks almost exactly as it did when new. There seems to be no rust and, at the most, minimal bodywork. It's hard to tell, but the paint/reflection on the driver's door may not match the rest of the car. Could just be the photos, though. Further, the black accents around the back of the car don't continue on the rear bumper. The seats are gorgeous, including all the plastic trim. It wears cheapy "sport" tires, but I'd think you could source a proper set of Toyos – what the car originally came with – just for nostalgia's sake. There are a few minor items that seem to need attention – the window winders, the exhaust tips – but the overall condition is remarkable.
The second reason is the fact it appears completely unmolested, down to the stock wheel covers and stereo. I've seen very few in this state, and none in this 5-speed hatchback configuration. So many have been "upgraded" with Japanese domestic market (JDM) nose conversions, all manner of Nissan four- and six-cylinder turbo conversions, $200/pair eBay seats, fart-can exhaust pipes, and suspension systems made for show rather than any form of go.
My cousin had a 240SX he purchased new in 1989. It was identical to this one, except I don't remember his having mudflaps. We occasionally commuted together in it from Norwalk, Connecticut to Yonkers, NY. The Parkways around southwestern Connecticut and the greater New York City area – four lanes divided of twisting asphalt snaking through the woods and designed for 40 MPH but regularly travelled at 70-plus – emphasized just how great this perfectly balanced chassis was. Indeed, over any kind of road, the car just went where you pointed it, either with the steering wheel or the throttle.
My 16-year-old self got to know the car quite well. It was one of the few rear-drivers I had access to, and I learned a lot about car control in it. I also learned what happens when you hit 112 MPH on the Merritt Parkway – speed-limiter fuel cutout, leading to personal heart failure – and that you needed to push in the clutch to start the engine.
So back to that "lack of power" thing: Driving this car on those roads, even viewed through rose-tinted 20/20 hindsight, it didn't feel underpowered. Just like a Miata or an E30 3 series BMW, there was always enough "go" to get you there while having a ton of fun. Look at the interior. It has everything you need and nothing you don't. It is a driver's cabin, with simple controls, supportive seats, and a low cowl. The shifter falls perfectly to hand. The headlights pop up via a huge dashboard button!
I think even today I would enjoy driving an early S13 240SX. It has all the right hard parts, and has them in the right places. It has everything I need in a car, minus ABS (available later in the less attractive, facelifted SE model). $10,000? Probably high and hopefully negotiable, but sure, why not? Go find another one. No, really. Let me know if there are any others out there.
The buyer of this time capsule should be obligated to sign a document promising to never alter its lovely face, notarized and witnessed by Yutaka Katayama himself. The penalty for failure to comply would be swift and ugly, the perpetrator made to drive around in a white Nissan Altima coupe with a CVT for all eternity.
That's how rare this car is.
Totally That Stupid is a blog run by two lifelong car geeks. More at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . You can also !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
Axial
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 16:20 |
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Proper orientation, none of that transverse crap!
dogisbadob
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 16:23 |
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CP
Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 16:23 |
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If I owned this it would stay in this condition forever.
I love the stock look of ANY car.
It's a "Porch-uh"
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 16:28 |
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The S13 (preferably a notch-back) is on my list of potential track builds for this year. I wouldn't even consider this one because it's too nice to make into a race car ( = too expensive). I want one with crap interior, blown motor, and a decent (but not perfect) exterior. As long as the frame is straight, I'm happy to work with a shell.
Saracen
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 16:29 |
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I prefer bone stock over most molested S13's.
However, a tastefully tweaked S13 is the best.
SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 16:31 |
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Even a 240z isn't worth that.... CP all the way
Dunnik
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 16:40 |
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This car is a unicorn.
Loved the 240SX back in the day, was one of my teenage dream cars. But the only survivors I see today have been severely molested.
What a find.
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Saracen
> It's a "Porch-uh"
03/04/2014 at 16:55 |
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I'm totally with you there.
YSI-what can brown do for you
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 17:32 |
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Gotta turn them into track cars!
Bird
> TotallyThatStupid
03/04/2014 at 20:54 |
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CP. You can find clean ones...just have to watch...this dealer found a clean one for probably half what they're asking! lol
One of my neighbors has a bone stock 240sx, very nice and clean, similar condition to this...only bad part is it's an auto...
US model engine options sucked though. KA24DE no thanks...I'd much rather have the SR20DET, or even the CA18DET...And you can actually get nice clean low mile Silvias and 180sx's from Japan for the same money. They've just started to turn 25, so the door is wide open.
signintokinjalol
> TotallyThatStupid
03/05/2014 at 23:14 |
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I'd mod the fuck out of it.
Most the ones you see, they cut corners. But i'd just go with a great strut and spring combo, nice wheels, maybe change the front and rear bumper. Complete tear down of the motor, i think theres a new stroker out of it as well...
d3v
> TotallyThatStupid
03/06/2014 at 01:35 |
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"Read-wheel drive"? You mean you can slide that thing while reading War and Peace?
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d3v
> Saracen
03/06/2014 at 01:36 |
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Personally, my dream S13 is an unmolested Sileighty.
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Saracen
> d3v
03/06/2014 at 01:50 |
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I would totally build one.
Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
> d3v
03/06/2014 at 03:23 |
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Depends on the situation, you Kirijo fanboy!
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d3v
> Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
03/06/2014 at 04:06 |
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I really need to replace that image.
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TotallyThatStupid
> d3v
03/06/2014 at 11:36 |
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Fixed. But yes, you could read while drifting. I see people on the roads in winter doing it all the time.
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d3v
> TotallyThatStupid
03/06/2014 at 11:42 |
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And here I thought it was a system to control your car like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. To apply opposite lock, go to page 32.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
03/08/2014 at 00:00 |
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ANY? Im sure someone can find something that would look better modded. But pedantry aside, I definitely agree with you!
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Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/08/2014 at 10:20 |
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Some cars are ugly, but at the same time something unmolested is a beautiful thing....stock Civics.......My stock looking Cobalt.....
Aftermarket wheels and body kits ruin cars most of the time.
Jim in TX
> TotallyThatStupid
03/08/2014 at 16:54 |
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http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/specif…
Seems an awfully lot like a scam...