1990 Nissan 240SX

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Hi, Iam looking at buying one,and i have one picked out but i wanted to know if anyone here has experince with one or knows anything about them,forexample things that are good/bad about the car, thanks for your time.
 
GTchampion
Hi, Iam looking at buying one,and i have one picked out but i wanted to know if anyone here has experince with one or knows anything about them,forexample things that are good/bad about the car, thanks for your time.

Don't know much about the car but I'll try to help...

2.4-liter SOHC inline-4 w/ 140hp 152 lb.ft.
Weighs under 2700lbs.
Excellent handling.

Timing belts tensioners tend to be a problem with these cars from what I've heard.
There are no cupholders.
Not much of a back seat (if that's important to you).
There is an XE model, and an SE model (the hatchback).
The cars are mostly reliable (from what I've heard).
Engine code name: KA24E

The above is all I can remember...

There was one recall that I could find...
"NHTSA Recall History

1990-91: Front-seatbelt release button can break and pieces can fall inside, causing improper operation. "

Hope this helps some...
 
Thank you very much man, i have been looking around the last few hours about stuf and the car seems like a good one to get :) when me and my dad go and look at it if everything is good i will be buying it :) 👍
 
If possible, try and get a 91, 92, 93, or 94 model, as they have the DOHC engine, which produces more power and torque, and they go for practically the same price as an 89 or a 90 model.

But as everyone else has been saying, they are great cars. Great handling, good acceleration (as far as early 90s cars go), good reliability, and they are very affordable. I'm strongly considering getting a 240SX the instant I can afford car insurance in Ontario (less than a Civic in some cases).
 
I had a 1990 for about 7 months then it unfortunately became totalled :( and I cried. I loved that car so much. Light, quick, agile, all around awesome car.

I can vouch for everything MrktMkr said except for the timing belt problem thing. And its even better that you're getting the SE because the hatchback is damn sexy. One other problem, I don't know if this was just because my struts were bad, but when you opened the hatch I had to hold it up or it would fall, I replaced them and I think it did the same thing, although I can't recall as I replaced them right before it was totalled.

The seats were kinda hard but I don't really have any complaints about the car other than the fact that the KA24E is the same engine found in the Nissan Hardbodys of the day. I never had any major problems with it during the time that I had it, so I'd say it is definately a good buy.
 
I was going to buy a 180sx at one stage. They make excellent drift cars. I dont know whether the American made version is as good though.
 
If you don't mind me asking, how much is insurance going to be on the 240SX? And what province do you live in? I'd like to get a general idea, since as I said above, insurance is the main concern for me in terms of owning a car.
 
As an owner of a 90' 240SX Hatch SE, 95' 240SX Coupe SE, and now a 93' 240SX Hatch Base, I would have to say, the difference between them, is well for the 89-90 Models that came with the SOHC engine, they rev slower than the 91-94 Models with the DOHC engine, speed is still there, if you remove the baffle under the stock airbox, the SOHC sounds like it wants to eat small children :D The 95' Model is more sportier in my opinion, but doesn't handle as well as the 90 or 93 hatch does, its turning radius isnt' as good. Which ever you do decide to get though, keep in my that the S13 (89-94) like to have a high pressure line problem where the power steering leaks out. Another common problem is overheating, and the coolant resevoir to be all retardedly cracked up and broken, and Nissan wants like around 80$ for a new one. (yea right!!!) You can just cover those cracks and holes with duct tape like I did haha... Make sure if you get the SOHC engine, get it 5-SPEED as automatic sohc is really reallly reallly reallly slow.. the DOHC isnt as bad automatic, but it still shaves off a second in the 1/4 mile. With my 93 S13 Hatch with no mods except a relocated battery to the trunk, I ran the 1/4 mile with bald 195/55/15 tires on my rear a 10'' subwoofer, and 2 full size spares in my trunk at 15.6@91.3mph ....overall, I like the S13 hatch a lot better than any other S-Chasis they made. Oh yea, another common problem is RUST on the hatch, make sure you get that taken care of cuz its a nasty problem, my whole rear hatch is basically made out of bondo now... also check the underbody of the car when looking to buy one, frame damage and bent control carms, TC Rods, etc. if those are irked, you might want to re-consider and look at another one. Another common thing I've seen lately is that some dashboards have a nice big crack in them.... dunno from what though, just seen a bunch of them like that. When you're looking for a 240sx hatch, try and find a Super HICAS equipped model. They have the ever so sought after VLSD which is pretty bad arse for stock if you want to drift. I'm stuck with my Open Differential and only spin one tire when doing burnouts or trying to keep powering going to the wheels when I slide at the track....not the coolest thing when you got totally uneven wear on your back tires haha.... and be careful driving in the rain, they come alive as soon as you turn the wheel and get on the gas
 
No, don't look for the HICAS model if you have drift in mind. The HICAS itself does nothing but screw you up, and the stock 240 diff is pretty weaksauce.
 
Takumi Fujiwara
No, don't look for the HICAS model if you have drift in mind. The HICAS itself does nothing but screw you up, and the stock 240 diff is pretty weaksauce.

whats wrong with ABS and a VLSD? beats non-abs and open diff....for any kind of driving.
 
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