Back home! Here's what a $1 car is like.

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
06/19/2016 at 18:38 • Filed to: Se-Riously

Nowadays a dollar won’t even get you a bottle of soda most places. I just bought a car for that much and then drove it 1000 miles from Cleveland, Ohio back home to Wichita, Kansas. Here’s what 100 pennies got me.

This bitchin’ keyring (and two keys)

Someplace to put them

An SR20DE

This is a spiffingly clean engine bay. Obviously very well taken care of.

Any Nissan nerds know why there is an empty plug on the throttle body?

Smaller than a Buick.

...a Buick covered in bugs

Nissan comes a close second in bug-collection

This sticker is awesome. I need one for my Miata, because nothing says “nostalgic” like orange wheels and stickerbombing.

Mandatory.

Very clean interior, headliner not included.

If it had A/C this wouldn’t be a half-bad place to spend time.

JDM ziptied front bumper

Splotchy red and black paint on the skirts

Mmm, these wheels will clean up nicely.

A wood screw will fix that bumper fitment right up.

BOOTY

Aaaand new phone wallpaper.

This leaky JB weld on the radiator explained why the car was initially running hot. Upon seeing this I poured some filtered water into the reservoirr and all was well.

*screams in horror*

Gonna learn how to do body work. Wire wheel this down and prime what metal is left, fill in the rest with either fiberglass or metal mesh+bondo. I lack the equipment and patience for proper metal patches and welding thin stuff like this.

I love OEM spoilers. Especially subtle ones like this.

And that’s it. All totaled the trip cost me a little under $300. The SE-R got 28mpg and the Riviera got around 27-31mpg. For a very long time I wanted to buy a cheap car and road trip it, and now I finally got to knock it off my bucket list and got one hell of a starting point for a kick-ass autocross car, restoration project, and show car.

DISCUSSION (25)

smobgirl > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 18:44

I’ve been out (driving) most of the last two weeks. This is the car that “no one wanted,” right? Looks like a good story in the works!

Invinciblejets > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 18:49

That’s awesome!!

Looks like a fun car for sure. may have to check on the missing plug.

I need to find something like this been a while since I've bought a car.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > smobgirl
06/19/2016 at 18:52

That is correct. And yes, it should be. I hope to have it painted professionally after I muck around fixing up the bodywork and scavanging what I can from local salvage yards to make it a decent example of the breed and keep it from rusting any more.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 18:59

FYI Japanese Nostalgic Car isn’t just a sticker - it’s an entire website/forum! :)

http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/

Birddog > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 19:08

A sweet deal at twice the price!

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 19:19

Nice! When I bought my e30 I immediately drove it 1500 miles including some of the best windy Smokey mountain roads like the tail if the dragon.

Cheap car road trips are the best.

LongbowMkII > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 19:24

For a buck? /jealous

jkm7680 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 19:24

You will not rice this one.

You will not paint it green.

You will not ruin it any more than it already is ruined.

You will fix it.

JGrabowMSt > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 19:36

This SE-R is seeing some crazy Jake to Jake action.

Glad that its gone to another good home. If I had the space I would have loved to try it out, but it looks like it should do well. If you ever think about passing it along though, drop me a line.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > jkm7680
06/19/2016 at 19:44

Gonna have it professionally painted black once I stop the cancer and find a better condition hood/front bumper/driver fender. The interior and engine are in great shape, but it’s ROUGH to look at. Probably even going to keep the OEM wheels and refinish them because they look cool.

I dunno what I think about the ride height. It’s a usable amount of lowered, but the wheels are way too inset to make it look good. I could get higher-offset wheels but I like the OEM ones. I could use some spacers but then 40 people will tell me how bad of an idea that is.

jkm7680 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 19:45

Just space it out and don’t tell anyone what you did.

Also, get some PDR up in that shit

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Flyboy is FAA certified insane
06/19/2016 at 19:45

Buying a cheap possibly shitty car and road tripping it has been on my bucket list for six years. Now I need to head 9 hours west of here sometime to Colorado to meet up with some Oppos and go carve up the mountain twisties.

Your boy, BJR > JGrabowMSt
06/19/2016 at 19:59

HOT JAKE ON JAKE SENTRA ACTION

TheJWT > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 20:03

Already looking better now that it’s in your driveway. Enjoy the car, buddy!

Also, you have to keep the JNC sticker as its the only mod I did to that car.

Frenchlicker > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 20:21

I was not aware a Riviera did that decent on gas mileage, it may be worth looking into an old one.

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 20:42

I have no idea how the roads are out west but I’ve been all up and down the east coast’s best driving roads if you’re ever out this way.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > TheJWT
06/19/2016 at 21:49

Were you a member of the JNC forums?

cbell04 > Your boy, BJR
06/19/2016 at 22:49

Two Jakes one coupe

cbell04 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 22:54

Keep her clean Jake. Do oppo proud. Look forward to the progress.

TheJWT > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/19/2016 at 23:53

Didn’t go on the forums, but I’m a big fan of the site. 2 more years before the SE-R is a classic

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > cbell04
06/20/2016 at 00:20

Clean is easy when you’re starting from a dumpster fire of this proportion.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > TheJWT
06/20/2016 at 00:23

Kansas be like “classic cars have to be 35 years old and in original condition”.

Flies With Thunderbirds > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/20/2016 at 15:16

They don’t need to be original. Just factory configuration I believe.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/20/2016 at 19:01

Congrats, you now have two of the most popular SCCA cars of the 90s. Before Spec Miata took club racing over by storm, it was FWD or GTFO. Neon ACRs, Achieva SCX W41s, Cavalier Z24s, Civic/CR-X SIs, Integra GS-Rs, and one of the most popular of the bunch, the Sentra SE-R.

Kinja'd!!!

...They also make for bitchin’ rally cars.

Kinja'd!!!

Jake Huitt - Two Alfas And A Nissan, Not A Single Running Car > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/22/2016 at 01:52

I’m in. I’ll join you in the 986. I’m just outside Denver. Lots of amazing roads near by.