Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

"BiggsHoson" (BiggsHoson) 03/19/2015 at 12:26 • Filed to: None

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Well Oppo, the time has come for me to offload my first enthusiast car.

I got her back in 2001 when she was a mere decade old with a scant 107,000 miles. She served me well for the next decade, through college and into my first big-boy job. Eventually I picked up motorcycling and an old Volvo and she just sort of sat. Collecting dust, fading away in the desert sunlight.

But, I'm not going to sit on her and let her crumble to dust. Time to pass her on to the next generation of car nerds. Yes, she'll probably be sporting rattle can black within a month. Yes, she probably won't last two years before getting drifted into the curb down at the Jack In The Box, but it's a more dignified life than sitting in a driveway until she's of no use to anyone.

Alright, sob story done. The car is a bone-stock 1992 Nissan 240sx I bought back in 2001. It was my gateway to wrenching - where I learned basic (and less basic) maintenance and repair. 217,000 miles and the motor is still running strong, interior is what I'd describe as "somewhere north of average," and the paint has faded to a nice pink.

It seems tough to pin a price on these cars - perusing Craigslist makes me feel a lot of owners are overvaluing their heaps. Now after many good years of teaching me to wrench, she's gonna teach me how to deal with people on Craigslist. Mostly I think she'll teach me how to make snarky replies to folks whose best offer is "What's the least you'll take?" Wish me luck.

itschrome > BiggsHoson 03/19/2015 at 12:53

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Damn, damn it.. you just know the fate of this car.. :'( she deserves a good home, with some one who actual will love her.. not strip her and turn her into a drift/stance POS...

BiggsHoson > itschrome 03/19/2015 at 12:58

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I know, that's why I've been sitting on it for so long! I don't think I'd find "the right" buyer, just hope to never see or hear about it again. Sleep well in the delusion that somebody wanted to do a bone-stock restoration. I think I'm about ten years early for that hope :P

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > BiggsHoson 03/19/2015 at 13:01

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This is what I'd say. Keep her for awhile. get some good tires, and use her as a weekend car. When you don't take the bike out, take the 240 out, and enjoy yourself some backroads. It looks very clean, so please don't give her up to some punk who'll treat her like shit. give her a good home, polish her up, and do work on it when you can! make her your canyon carver!

itschrome > BiggsHoson 03/19/2015 at 13:02

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well maybe you will find that person. just maybe. I'll join in your delusion and dream sweet dreams of a ground up stock rebuild for her. or at very least just a few slight mods that add to her beauty not subtract from it.

BiggsHoson > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 03/19/2015 at 13:08

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Motorbike bug got me too bad - next canyon carver won't have a roof ;)

iakona > BiggsHoson 03/19/2015 at 13:31

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This is why I can't let my S14 go, even though I have a nice new(er) daily. She's going to be pressed into full time autocross duty with a nice set of sticky tires(Kumho Ecsta XS right now). The thought of some 20 year old moron drifting the car that I've maintained and cared for, for 9 years from 206 to 312k miles, into a wall just makes me angry.

RallyWrench > BiggsHoson 03/19/2015 at 13:39

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Wow, an unmolested 16v manual S13. That's a rare beast. Honestly, ask $5k and wait until someone gives it to you. All the others are wannabe drift missiles with half-assed SR20 swaps, half-assed 180SX conversions, 12v Automatics, or are held together with zip ties. Or better yet, keep it. You won't lose money.