Long time 240sx owners (10 years or so)

[nightwalker]

There are a fair amount of long term 240 owners in here. We've pretty much grown up with our 240s and have literally watched the scene change many times over. I'm just curious to hear your opinions on it; how it's changed, what you consider bad, good, and what you think the future holds for the beloved S chassis cars. Thanks. (Please keep it mature)

[zombiewolf513]

I've had 6 240sx over the past 12 years. My opinion on them now is: keep it stock and relish it. Modification is overplayed anymore. The future is looking grim in terms of finding a good or even fair condition one in stock form IMO.

Great idea for a thread!

EDIT:

[DrftKingIII]

Bought my first S13 when I was 14, now 11 years later I'm starting over with a new chassis and modifying it in OEM+ ways and learning from what I didn't like on my last couple of 240's.

Ten years ago, owning a 240 was, in my opinion, kind of a respectable thing. Nowadays they're the new Honda Civic. Majority of today's owners are Hooniganbros who think it's "cool" to spray paint them, bash them up, and call themselves drifters. It's sad, really, but I think we all predicted it when drifting really went mainstream in the US.

Car culture is a lot different now anyways. It seems like everyone just does shit to impress strangers on the internet and up their follower count, not modifying their cars to suit their personal goals/needs like we used to. No one has any interest in the roots of drifting, much less just to have fun. Everyone just wants to build a competition car that far exceeds their driving abilty.

I'm only 25, but I feel like an old fart in a lot of ways. I used to want to help new S-Chassis owners with their builds, provide insight, and whatnot. Now, I generally hate the majority of them. I dunno.

[mogli9000]

10 year owner

Owned about 100+ 240sx's in that time span. Currently own 4 240's ranging from 1,000hp hatch to a rolling shell. On top of my other non s chassis cars.

When I first started in High school, 240's were considered "baller" import cars. If you saw a JDM inspired/modified s13 or s14 then you knew that guy was doing something right. I saw my first widebody s14 and fell in love. Picked my first zenki up for 5k. Cash. 180k miles, salvaged, decent condition. Took me 6 months to find it. (At the time it was a good deal since stock clean SE zenkis were going for like 6-8k)

At first the community was great. I was a noob and had many older guys help me with trouble shooting and issues. Everyone was a group and stuck together. Huge bbq's, meets, and even parties with people from Zilvia. Don't get me wrong, zipties were still a focus back then. Everyone was just more legit about how they built their cars.

I linked up and met many of my friends through the 240sx community. All of whom I see still today at car events or car business related stuff.

Nowadays its just a bunch of poor kids with no morals or self respect. They encourage stupidity and ghetto behavior. Street drifting during the day. Godspeed is the best. I love zip ties. JB Weld is the only option.

I stopped working on 240's for customers because of this. Its a great feeling not having to touch an utter piece of shit.The older OG's are still around, but most moved onto Z's, skylines, or left cars completely.

The legit crowd is dwindling. They are still out there, but they are low in numbers. The hoonigan generation has taken over. I sell parts daily and have to deal with these kids all the time. Some are awesome, don't get me wrong. I had an 18 year old roll through with his s14 and he was cool as shit. They save up for good parts and buy properly used items.

Others are garbage kids who think they know everything and want everything for $20 bucks. Willing to meet in my city? I can pay you next month?

Still got love for the "original" users that were only known by a screen name.

[lunchmeat]

I hope Nissan is paying attention to how a cheap 90s sports coupe is still one of their most popular cars. As for sports cars, all they have is the Z and gtr, one of which is out of reach for most of us. They seriously need to bring back the Silvia. I'd sure as hell buy one.
I prefer clean mods or stock cars, not stance nation crap or half assed drift cars. I cringe every time haggard garage pops up on YouTube's recommended list.
Maybe I'm just old and can't stand to see kids ruining the cars I grew up driving.

[andisan]

I've had mine since 2002 and I haven't fallen to any trends, and like I read, keeping it OEM as much as I can with good aftermarket replacement parts to adjust certain things

[rawgarage]

never seen so many ragged 240s till the blood masters shit took off.... gave hoonigan a platform and ppl started having missile cars with no clean daily or track car....MISSILE LIFE

[SoundEfx]

I always loved the 240's but could never afford one. Needless to say, when I finally could, it was too late, the hoonigans got to them first.

So desperation crept in and when a someone decent one showed up, my impulse made me buy it without a thorough look over. But I was determined to keep it because they don't come up very often.

A year went buy and out of boredom I searched for a 240sx and there was another one for way cheaper than mine with NO body damage. So I bought it and sold the previous one.

To me it seems as if younglings these days don't understand the 'less is more' concept. A nice drop and rims could make these cars look really good.

[ryandriftingfat]

Bought my first s13 in 2001.

Every thing you people bitch about as being a problem now. We bitched about the same 10 years ago.

Builds are way better now either way.

[Kingtal0n]

Im driving the $#!T out of it until something breaks?


And nothing ever breaks.

Thats my future holds

[DJTTon]

Im way out of my league here, but Im one of these newbies you guys refer to (not the hoonibros, I despise them as much as you guys do) but my point is that it is pretty interesting to see these comments from veterans like yourselves because it offers a useful perspective to guys like me.

Dont get me wrong, there is a reason why I called myself a newbie but thats because I havent read enough, met enough people, driven enough and experienced enough of what owning a 21 year old car has in store for me.

4 month owner and I already know a lot of things that could be wrong with a midwest 240. Obviously being a college kid has its limitations but Im working with my car despite slightly regretting purchasing it.

I tune to zilvia daily to gain insight and I guess I couldnt be doing that if it weren't for the 240 veterans.

[blkblk240sx]

The 240 I own was purchased by mother in 1996 it is 91 coupe at the time it had 30,000 she past away 2001. I was 26 when she bought it I'm now 46. Mods xxr rims rb25 suspension coilovers
And I only run once every 2 months but when I bring it out it turn heads

[Agent S14]

had mines since march of 2004 when I was 17. great memories in my car. wont ever let it go.


I was very shy and didn't have any friends my car helped me become social and meet people who share similar interests as me. I owe a lot to my car even if it does sound dumb.

[ZenkiKid]

Ive had my pignose since Summer 2006. Had alot of inspiration from PG, SlideSquad, Team Hinga and so on.

Love the car but almost never drive it anymore. With how stupid most of the youth is with cars there`s no way in hell I would sell it.

[s13poop]

I've owned an S-chassis on and off since 2006, I've met a lot of great people off this forum some that I still hang out with today.

I remember setting up the original Diamond Plaza meet out here in rowland heights area and all Socal OG's used to drop by (Simoun (akademik1), Vatche, Yuri,Brian Harte, John (Moderator), Duffm4n, Edgar (Arctic Dragon) ect. ect..

I recently bought another s13 coupe last year to restore and it boggles my mind how hard it is to find parts now.. Just meeting up with these kids is a pain/ waste of time, seems like no one keeps their word when they're selling a part to you with the whole "sorry man just sold it to my friend excuse"

I don't even want to get started on kids with their missiles and parting out every single 240 to scrap. It's honestly sad to see whats done to these cars

I made a mistake of selling my last coupe which recently was salvaged (by its owner) but i'm keeping my current one for good

I hope Zilvia does find a younger crowd willing to use this site to bring the community back to where it once was

[jackal264]

bought my 95 s14 in 2002. my first car. still have the car today.

[JM216S14]

I've had 5 or 6 over the last 10 years, I don't even know why I like them.

[Quail]

I've had the same Kouki for 10 years now.

I was 19 when I bought it, and R32 GTST and R33 GTSTs were the most popular RWD turbos over here. As such I decided to look for something a bit different. S14s weren't particularly popular yet (the drifting boom hadn't exploded).

I bought the car completely stock, did some questionable aesthetic modifications (ill-fitting wheels, ugly bodykit, etc), and eventually returned the bodywork to stock and got some decently fitting Work Meisters. Power mods have remained fairly conservative throughout (breathing mods on the factory SR20).

I have definitely outgrown the bodykit and stretched-tyre phase, although I still enjoy the more extreme projects when they're put together well.

My rule of thumb is (as I approach 30 years old), would I be embarrassed to drive this car to a restaurant? I'm way too old to drive a teenager's car, hence my more conservative choices as my S-chassis tenure grows. I intend to keep the car indefinitely.

[Michael E]

Bought my first s13 10 years ago, almost all of the same guys are still around. Some new guys and some old guys dropped off. Met some of my closest friends through cars!

There were a lot of junkers back then as well, it all depends on the owner. But back then non car people had 240's as their every day car, I do not see that much anymore these days as the cars get older. Every car and every situation is different but I think the 240's are here to stay and will be in enthusiast hands for years to come.

[Ellie]

I got my first 240 at 19 and have only been in this scene for 3 years, but I really wanted to vent my experience with s-chassis owners of my generation.

Half ass:
It needs a gasket I don't have, cardboard will do
I'm missing a screw, a zip tie will do
I'm not using those wires, but I'll just leave em hanging there
It's got a leak..meh, it's only a 'small' leak
I swear, so many guys just don't want to do shit the right way, there's always a shortcut.
This sucks because most guys that sell/buy 240's are like this, so when you get one you gotta sift through all the bullshit they rigged up and fix it.

Messing with the recipe/all over the place:
It's simple, get a car, do service and maintenance, then suspension components.
Its so fucking easy and you can add all the upgrades you want after, and you'll have a reliable platform to start with. Why wouldn't you want that?! Everyone wants to start off somewhere stupid like doing a silvia front with banged up fenders, then turbo their ka without a tune, next is rattle can paint, springs are cut but they wanna get strut bars, time for a cage because why the fuck not, etc. Then their engine blows and it's up for sale as one of the many shitboxes you see on your local FB group.

Overdoing it:
I feel like the only way your car is recognized as 'baller' is if your bay is tubbed/tubed & you're rocking over fenders with some crazy ass deep dished wheels. What's wrong with stock bodies and wheels that fit? It makes me sad when guys cut up perfectly straight bodies, such a waste.

LS's:
I know this is a sensitive subject, but I fucking hate LS swaps. I don't care if it's more reliable, cheaper, easier to acquire parts, it's fucking lame. It totally kills everything cool about these cars and what attracted me to them in the first place.

[Future240]

Originally Posted by Quail

My rule of thumb is (as I approach 30 years old), would I be embarrassed to drive this car to a restaurant? I'm way too old to drive a teenager's car, hence my more conservative choices as my S-chassis tenure grows. I intend to keep the car indefinitely.

I have not had my car for 10 years (6) but this is my same philosophy. I am to old to drive some kitted out car with a GT wing and ultra loud exhaust. The JDM aero with a nice set of wheels that fit without have to run -7 camber is what I prefer.


Not saying that I hate on those who do. To each their own. Just not my cup of tea.

[nightwalker]

Sounds like those of us who got into the S chassis for the love of driving them and their timeless looks will still be here in another 10 years.

I will admit that I got drawn into the drift thing when I was younger with my old fastback. And like a lot of people, I over modded the car to the point where I hated driving it. Eventually I jumped a curb being stupid and ruined the car indefinitely.
I moved on to other cars after my 3rd S chassis, and got drawn back in with the purchase of my current S14 Kouki. At this point, I don't see myself ever selling this car. I may buy new cars, but this one will never leave my ownership.

Keep the comments coming, maybe we'll resurrect this thread in 10 years to see how things have changed.

[bmaddock]

I bought my S13 in 2012 so just around 4 years of ownership now and I've seen quite a shift in just that time alone. Prior to my 240 I really wasn't into modifying cars like I am now but I always appreciated the workmanship many build threads seemed to have at the time. The Bloodmasters videos were coming out around this time and I remember finding them entertaining but had no clue what that would entail for this platform over these past years.

Having seen some of these deemed 'missile cars' in person and watched on as locals destroyed their cars, I think this trend has come as quickly as it will go. My car is stock bodied and lowered on cheap wheels, I think it looks OK but overall a very poor representation of the quality looking cars I feel I saw in the past. But you wouldn't believe the praise I get for having such a "clean 240, bro." I always look at them like they're joking but most people are serious. If having one color, endless dings and scratches in the paint, knockoff wheels and a tatered convertible top qualifies as a clean car, call me Broadfield.

It’s laughable at best but with the hoonigan gods (tuerk, forsberg, gittin) not promoting missles as much anymore, the instagram builders and scene kids will taper off and hopefully quality builds will return. Final Bout and threads like Youre doing it wrong will hopefully guide the community into the right direction of what to do and not to do.

[[240sx]]

Originally Posted by bmaddock

My car is stock bodied and lowered on cheap wheels, I think it looks OK but overall a very poor representation of the quality looking cars I feel I saw in the past. But you wouldn't believe the praise I get for having such a "clean 240, bro." I always look at them like they're joking but most people are serious. If having one color, endless dings and scratches in the paint, knockoff wheels and a tatered convertible top qualifies as a clean car, call me Broadfield.

Holy hell. Q.F.M.F.T!

[EJ8 944]

I've been looking for a good S14 chassis since 2007, finally found the right one in 2009. Still have it today, with no plans to sell it.

I think the "instagram" builds go for most car makes/models and not just ours. I don't know why but becoming internet famous is the end goal for a lot of people these days. Those who come into this because the trends, leave when it's over, and those who enjoy building these cars, will stick around regardless.

I still think this is one of the best FR chassis cars from the 90's, to me, the cars of that decade are the cars of the 60's for the generations before us.

Edit:

[Future240]

^^^The car in your avatar is pretty much how I want mine, albeit a different color. Stock jdm with a hint of the fmic peaking out. IMO it looks 10000x better than the instagram stuff.

[estrada42]

I've been a Datsun guy since high school, always having an S30 Z car or two in various stages of repair. I bought my first 240sx in 2005 for $1000 because I wanted a commuter that had four seats.



It was a junker that looked decent. It was a 5-speed swapped 92 that needed "help" passing smog. I loved it, but one of my customers sold me his 300zx Twin Turbo for a bargain so I sold the S13. I remember having a rough time selling it for $2000, and some kid came up from LA for it. Now, I would have gotten $4000, because it's the same color, lowered and has a triple projector front.

I went through a few more Z's and some non Nissan car's but came back to the 240sx when I needed a cheap commuter that had 4 seats and was rear wheel drive. I was shocked to see how much the "scene" has changed and how much more these cars went for.

Seems like the 240sx crowd is becoming flooded with kids. Theres still the small but vocal older crowd but the younger guys don't listen to the older crowd and don't really want to do the work. I've been a member here forever, but have a super low post count because I'm from the generation that search 2-3 times before I post and find what I need instead of demanding someone tell me what I need. The same thing happened tot he Subaru crowd when WRX's hit the sub-$6000 price.

Now I have a 93 Automatic coupe that legit passes smog every time. I won't post a picture of it because it's not lowered and it's on horrible Konig 17's. The front end needs to be replaced, but I probably won't Silvia face it. I'll lower it because it looks ridiculous, but I'm not SR/JZ/VQ/LS swapping it anytime soon. I'm at a point in my automotive life where I don't need my DD to have a shit ton of power. I want a good handling street coupe that I can put my two kids in the back of if I have too.

[chris_240sx]

I got my S14 as my first car back in 2007, so nearly 10 years ago. Still have it, although it's more beat up from people running into it and the occasional drift day.

I remember back then when the sticker thread was huge and I wanted ALL of the cool ones. Pretty glad I'm over that. Now I just want to finish my Navan kit and have it look nice and feel nice to drive.

[silviaks2nr]

I have had the same s14 for 12 years. If you go on the Wikipedia 240sx page you will find a photo of my car which has been there since a friend wrote the page.

[MrMigs]

Have had one 240 (s14) for 15 years. Opinions on the scene? Hard to say because I'm pretty sure that while the scene changed, but I've probably changed too. Before, everything is exciting. See so many people with common interest with strong respect. First drift events and competitions in SoCal? So awesome. Drift is life. Could say that there were many less "fukbois" but maybe I was a bit of a fukboi at the time too, so naturally, perspective is a little bit different.

I can only say these things from this 32 y/o point of view:

Changed: Now, people getting much more of a "pass" to put together really crappy 240s. Some ppl even get props for building ultra junky cars. Sense of pride in purposely making poop-mobiles. Before, if your car was shit, at least you knew it. Late night mountain runs much more secretive. 20-car meetup at mountain? Ultra risky now (cops). Before, hell ya, party time no problem. Those were all kind of bad changes...

Good? Ahhh.... hmm... parts are more accessible? I don't know... that's not really "community" stuff. As sheit got kind of crappy, I've started to slowly drop out of the community, although I pop back in from time to time.

Future? What future? Next generation of enthusiasts are running these cars to the ground. At least it's making the value of my car go up. Pretty sure it's going to be considered rare, which is kinda cool, but super sad at the same time.