Buying my first car. What do you guys think about it?

[kyo_death]

I'm really interested in a 1992 Nissan 240sx SE trim that i've tested out and seen.

Here's the sellers ad, which contains all the info:
1992 NISSAN 240SX.
167K.
~Sunroof
~pw steering
~pw locks
~pw windows.
~ 5 speed manual
~ Engine & Body in Great Shape
~ Cloth Interior
~ White
~ Bought on Vancouver Island 1 year ago
~ Well maintained, garage kept ~
All maint. records.
~ Timing Chain, fuel, air filter done recently
~Oil change every 5k.
~If want test drive contact seller at least 2 bus. days in advance as no insurance on car currently.
~Must sell to pay tuition asap
$8000

A nice rfder helped me check out its carfax info and everything seems good. I plan to go get the car looked at. Anybody have a reccomendation for a mechanic and autobody shop in Vancouver or Burnaby? I'm planning to have this done on Wednesday morning (March 9th?)

I've got the price down to 6150 considering some things that need to be touched up:

- Rear brakes (seems like there's rust on the rotors)
- a little rust on the roof and some paint needed for another spot on the roof,
also a little rust around where the spoiler is connected to the hatch.
- leaks some oil, about 1 litre for around 10,000-15,000 km. Has something to do with the timing chain which has been replaced already
- driver seat shows wear, damaged on the left side from enter/exiting (do i consider this?)
- wheel top plastic layer is peeling off (do i consider this as well)

Some nice things tho:
- engine does seem to be in good condition
- clutch seems good, no slippage while i was driving
- gear box seems solid
- aftermarket cd deck with auxilary input, ipod ready ^^
- all lights seem good, doesn't seem to be fading

Considering this, and the lack of airconditioning, do you think this is a fair price?

My dad told me to check the value and see how it depreciates (i kinda didn't believe him but i worked it out): 1st year 20%, then 10% every year after that, then 5% after 10 years. So:
original dealer price: $17,435 USD
SUPER rough price now after crazy calculation: $5069 USD or 5750 CAD

What do you guys think? Feel free to leave responses, I'm new to this so I'm trying to learn as much as possible. No help from my parents so I gotta spend my money wisely

Thanks

[kbjy11]

6k is not a bad price considering the prices on the 240sx are quite inflated due to the "drifting" craze and the potential this car has. Personally i love this car, and i plan picking on up in a couple years.

It sounds like it's in good cond, which is hard to find... but paying 6k for a 14-15 year old car i think there are safer choices... but definately if you want it, i say go for it.

I say try to get the price down more if you can, an asking price of $8k is ********. If you get it in the 4-5k might be a good buy.

just my 2 cents.

[UrbanPoet]

6k is not a bad price considering the prices on the 240sx are quite inflated due to the "drifting" craze and the potential this car has. Personally i love this car, and i plan picking on up in a couple years.

It sounds like it's in good cond, which is hard to find... but paying 6k for a 14-15 year old car i think there are safer choices... but definately if you want it, i say go for it.

I say try to get the price down more if you can, an asking price of $8k is ********. If you get it in the 4-5k might be a good buy.

just my 2 cents.

but arent NA 240sx's FWD? seems more poser/import show like...
I know peopl elike the swap the SE20DET in for good power/speed.

[corrupt123]

check for rust in/on the underbody, if the braklines or fuel lines are dieing they're pain in the ass to replace, and very expensive if you cant do the work on your own.

although in vancouver you guys probably have less rust issues.

[kyo_death]

but arent NA 240sx's FWD? seems more poser/import show like...
I know peopl elike the swap the SE20DET in for good power/speed.

NA 240sx are still rwd. Just stuck with the weaker engine. At least 91's and up have a limited slip diff.

Still trying looking for a bodyshop/mechanic/both in one place? haha

Yeah... i do think the asking price is too high, and even the price i have it at now is pretty high. But nothing else on the market right now that's even close to comparision in price (they are listed from $4500-5000). Mostly 200kms+ and from smaller dealers. And auto... yay.... auto..

My friend's cousin is planning to sell her 90 240sx with only 127kms on it, but she's been so busy i haven't had a chance to take a look at it

[TenzoR]

I'd keep on looking for a better

6k for 1992 /w problems is a lot.

I just did a quick search and found a 95 for about 7k (probably can negotiate more), granted I did the search in Toronto, but you are in BC, shouldn't be too hard to scout another with similar spec

- Rear brakes (seems like there's rust on the rotors)
- a little rust on the roof and some paint needed for another spot on the roof,
also a little rust around where the spoiler is connected to the hatch.
- leaks some oil, about 1 litre for around 10,000-15,000 km. Has something to do with the timing chain which has been replaced already
- driver seat shows wear, damaged on the left side from enter/exiting (do i consider this?)
- wheel top plastic layer is peeling off (do i consider this as well)

looks like you have a list of things to fix on top of the 6k you are spending.

- Brakes, should be changed, you need to check all the seals, calipers, brake lines, brake pump etc
- If rust is minor it should be easy to fix, as I recall BC don't get much snow, so less salt on the road? but maybe salt from the sea water?
- Leaking any fluid from any car should already tell you this car has not been properly taken care of. It doesn't really matter how old the car is, it just means the owner doesn't spend the time and money to take care of his car, that should already tell you something
- This is normal wear and tear, but if its excessive ..then reconsider
- I don't really get what you are trying to say here so ....

I'd look for a better deal, unless you like to fix it up yourself and learn about the car

[FastFokker]

Sounds scary to me.

Some young kid bought it 1yr ago, and is now claiming they have to sell it for tuition? Sure, I wonder what the real reason is. And you should expect it's been beat on.. most kids do.

As long as you can manage high maintenance costs, go for it. But don't buy it if you're already stretched on the purchase price. Also, how does insurance look?

[TrevorK]

6K for a car that has rust and an oil leak is not a good deal. I think even in Alberta, where cars are much more than BC, we can find a 240SX in better condition for that price.

Whatever you do - take it for an inspection and get the mechanic to quote you on the price of ALL the repairs. Then decide if you still really want it.

[Spray]

Uh..am i missing something? My friend bought a 93 240sx for 2500...mint condition, 170km

Theres several on autotrader for that price right now

Heres a nice one:
http://www.trader.ca/powerpage/detai...1&adid=5063760

[Alvito]

I think it is too much.

[Makaveli2k]

I think it is too much.

yeah, I think it is a bit expensive. I would really urge you to keep your options open, even though the car may be in somewhat good condition you could probably find an S15 for just a little bit higher, probably. 240's are great cars just really can't justify paying 6g's + for a 92. Good luck man

[RastaManMax]

I think that's far too high a price for that many problems. I would be expecting a mint condition car for that kind of money. The car is 13-14 years old too.

LEMAR

[bunga]

so how much money do you have saved up in the piggy bank to repair a 14 year old car? you're going to need a lot...

these things are huge rust buckets for one, every square inch on these cars starts to rust pretty much. Next you're faced with the problem that it's FOURTEEN years old. Suspension, motor, general electrical items all become a question mark around this time. What maintenance history does it have? Considering he's trying to sell it with an oil leak, I doubt it's anything too great. The seller will probable just toss some silicone around the timing cover so you won't notice the leak for a few weeks. Think realistically, it's a fourteen year old car who's body is in poor shape (trust me, it doesn't go up from here, things go downhill very fast, some bondo isn't going to fix it), likely poor mechanical, and age is not on it's side. I'd understand if it was a Porsche or some collector item, but it's a Nissan. Sure, sure, if you have some deep pockets you can make these things go like stink, do you? Do you have the time and resources to do that?

Or are you, as likely as the kid that's selling it, dreaming of dropping a SR20DET into it and fixing it up into a show winner? That kid woke up and smelled the leaking oil, time for you to do the same before you make the mistake

as someone that spent way too much money on a junker that I loved as my first car, I'm trying to save you from the very expensive bills that I've had to endure.

For the same amount of money as you're willing to blow in this junker, buy a 8 year old Civic, it might be base with no power options, and you might not have any drifting dreams of it, but it will be a much wiser choise than that.

As mentioned if it was maybe a true collectors item or at least worth it, you can pick up a Porsche 944* in much better shape for about the same amount, at least then you'll be able to justify all the repairs to people without them giving you an awkward look. I'd maybe take it for $1000 just to beat on and then flip as this kid has done, but as a real car to invest money into repairs, etc. it's just a losing battle

*please note that I in no way belive the Porsche 944 to be a collector car or a good investment

[ViperZ]

240sx's engine was (and still is?) one amazing machine... I remember looking at one of these around '94... Guess where the car was?? In Berlin!!! Still has great looks

[B0000rt]

I think it was 91 when they started to put the 4 valve engine in there, and the front fascia has some cosmetic differences. The 90 and older have 3 valve engines.