Water Pump (Bearing Failure)
Irregular Idle (750rpm - 1100rpm)
Check Engine Light (Emissions System) Power Window Regulator (Internal Gear)
Fair - Good Handling.
Moderate Power.
Moderate Reliability.
Good - Excellent Gas Mileage.
Very good looking car and worth the money, but not for the power hungry. Hatchback model has more headroom in the back than the fast back and probably more space, but in my opinion doest look as good. Get a manual if possible to take advantage of the 240's gas mileage and power. An automatic 240 is fun to drive but doesn't compare to a manual with its pull as the gears shift. After a little while i wanted more power. Many performance parts are expensive and some are hard to find and are often out of stock such as headers.
The 240 is a good starter car and fun to drive. The heads up display is excellent but isn't on all models. You don't have to take your eyes off the road to see your seed. The 240 also feels like its going 40 miles an hour when its traveling at 60 so be careful. This car would be ideal for a person getting interested in sports cars who wants fairly good handling and accelerating car with good mileage for little money. Expect to pay $2000 - 5000 for a 89-93 (The newer model is ugly to me) Keep in mind the Honda Prelude can be the same price and same year with double the miles ;) I think the 91-93 240s have a dual over head cams (DOHC) giving them 20 or so more horsepower than the 89-90 240's and the 92-93 240's also have air bags while the 89-91's do not, Check for these two options before buying a 240 I cannot guarantee those are the exact dates, but if I could go back in time I would of gotten a 92 or 93 240 so it would have had the air bags and the dual over head cams for more power.
Be careful in the rain, i fishtailed and destroyed 3 tires after going up onto a curb.
Ugly rims, not the easiest car to work on. Comfortable, good sound with a subwoofer in the trunk and the back seat down. Id also consider a Porsche 944 and a Nissan 300zx both the 944 and the 300zx have better handling than the 240. Good online community of 240 owners if you have problems, questions comments or tips. Great car, but I think I should of bought a Porsche 944 for the same price instead, the mileage would be higher on the Porsche and it would be older but I think it could out perform the 240 in every way except for age mileage.
Do as much research on the 240 before you buy one, mileage can be high and make sure the car is in good working condition before a purchase.
Where can I go to get the most information about the 240 if you could return this is to mc240sx@aol.com thank you.
A good source of information for the 240sx is at www.240sx.org and www.freshalloy.com.
Also, I would tend to disagree with the comparison to the 944 as an immediate alternative, if only for differences in cost. For a 944 in even comparable condition to my current '91 240 I would expect to pay at least 3,000 more (that is, close to 5,000). Also, you can buy a newish KA24DE (<100k miles) for less than 300 bucks. The 944 engine, assuming you could find one, would likely be what, a couple grand? The 944 is a wonderful car, and I have personally looked for one, but unless you are prepared for the repair costs or an enormous price tag, it's not really a 240 alternative.
Similarly, you would have to go back at least to the z31 to find a 300zx even close to a 89-94 240sx in price range. If you were to compare the 89 to 89 directly, the 240sx can be found for around 1000 while a N/A 300zx would be closer to 2 or 3 thousand; at least 4k for the decent turbo.
I've had a 93 240sx for 3 years now. I bought it with
95,000 miles on it. It now has 160,000 miles on it and still
drives like it is new. the only problems that I have had was the water pump went a year after I got it. I drive this car hard everyday and it really surprises me that it's not broken yet. Also I forgot to change the oil a couple of times to where I was running with oil that had 7,000 miles on it or more. Stupid, I know. But even after that this car still rides smooth and performs excellent. I love my car. It's slower than I want it to be, but I am currently taking car of that.
The 89-93 240SX is a great project car, lots of parts now, but i'd recommend getting your hands on the SR20DET motor if you want to have some real fun with it.
How could you compare a 944 and 300zx with the 240sx? They are different categories. The 240sx is the affordable lightweight RWD sports car while the 944 (all Porches in general) and 300zx are more luxury oriented and people who have deeper pockets. From a cost per value/performance standpoint, the 240sx is hands down the winner. It is lighter and shares a lot of components with other Nissans. That is why they are very easy to upgrade and can be made to perform even better than the 300zx big brother. Examples include people putting in SR20DET motors, 5 lug rotor swaps, 300zx four piston brake upgrades, limited slip differential from 300zx or J30, etc. In contrast, if you get a 944, you have very limited and expensive upgrades/replacements. 944s/924s parts are unique only to themselves. You cannot say put 911 upgrade parts on them. Even if you can find parts, they cost an arm and a leg because they were made in fewer numbers. During the late 80s to early 90s, no other affordable lightweight RWD sports were offered, so from a used car perspective (in the $1k-$2k range), the 240sx is about the only logical choice. you have.
The 240sx is all around a good car. Sure the 300zx is the better one of the family. But with the 240sx, you benefit from weight and gas mileage. The KA24DE is well engineered to last you awhile (200-300k miles). It is true that 240sx parts are interchangeable with 300zx parts making them just as bad as their older brother "Z32". I have a 93 240sx SE, I'm 17 years old, and this is my first car. The results I'm getting from this car is very satisfactory. The handling is better then any other "sport compact". Examples: 93' Acura Integra LS and GSR, 96' Honda Civic Si. The common "imports". The 240sx with stock internals can outrun a stock Civic. If you're going for the street look. 240s are the way to go. Unlike the other cars where you have to get a nice body kit the 240 already has a nice body. Just drop the car an inch then you're all set. Have fun my fellow car enthusiasts. Let's keep it safe.
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