reliability of the 240sx

Alright I'm tired of hearing that the 240sx is a piece of unreliable shit. Seems like half say the KA is bulletproof and is reliable, and will last you forever while the other half say the 240 gets into so many problems. Nissans are known to be pretty reliable, not as much as honda or toyota, but Forbes rated nissan as the fourth most reliable car maker that has the least amount of problems. I've read many instances where people's 240sx's have lasted them around 160k-200k miles and beyond without any problems. While we have some instances where there's a shitload of problems already at 60k (dayna's 240). So lets put this to rest, 240sx reliable or not?

Some are reliable some are not, it's all in how it was treated before you.

we will never get a real anwser is personal opinion.But i agree half say its a piece the other half says it isnt who cares if you yourself likes it then thats what really matters.

yea i think mr7 is right, it's how you treat it. If you do regular maintenance and oil changes the car should last for a long time. Mine was a rental car for 27k miles so hopefully it wasn't treated too badly

The KA is a very sturdy iron-block that, if maintained properly, should last well past 200k.....

HOWEVER, 240s do have a few more vices than the average honda:
-This car had an abnormal dependence on rubber-silicone bushings. More bushings = more things that can wear out after 10 years.
-The electrical system (particularly the distributor) had sub-par reliability, and things like A/C, electric motors, and interior lighting tend to short in old age.
-The 240 has a penchant for broken weather seals and non-oil leaks.

It has its strengths and weaknesses.

i gotta agree with the weatherstripping wearing out with age. the dohc ka is build like a rock and i haven't had any much problems with it. if there is any problems its usually from the crap around it. like the aiv for example.

preventive maintenance is the key to a long living car.

:2cents:
I got to agree that the electrical, bushings and the seals could be a problem. I swapped the SR in and I’m dealing with a leaking moon roof, old window seals. Also the rear break light and the high beam are not working. Finally a pair of shot front bushings!

Don’t get me wrong, the car is a blast and a joy to drive and I will not trade it for anything else but, you have to keep in mined its a 12 year old car and most probably your not the first owner. So every 240 will have cosmetic problems that you have to deal with, some are major and some are not, choose the vehicle wisely.

The KA is wonderful, mine has 216K miles and when I change the oil its still golden-green, just like out of the bottle. The chassis, suspension, and interior is solid too. My cigarette lighter is tempermental and as others have said, the weather stripping could be replaced. Overall its a very solid car though.

On kindof the same note, how reliable is an SR20det? How many miles do they usually make?

My motor hasn't given me many problems at all. I replaced the main crankcase seal about 3 months ago but that's all I've really had to repair on the motor. The weatherstripping around my windshield is starting to come loose though....

Seeing as how theres so many people putting SRs into their vehicles, they better HOPE its reliable. I suspect around 2/3 of the engines imported have at least 80k on them.

This is everything that went wrong with my 240sx with less than 60K miles on it, basicly it was all minor stuff.

~CD player stopped working
~power antenna never worked
~alarm never worked
~cruise control stopped working
~windshield washer sprayers stopped spraying ( i ~think I clogged those with wax)
~had to replace clutch (maybe person before me was a shitty driver)
~When I replaced my brake pads, the 1995 w/abs (what my car was) pads I got from hawk didnt fit in the front, the pads that did fit where the 1996 w/out abs... figure that one out...
~fan clutch went out at about 50K miles
~tie rods broke and while waiting for them to come in at my work (a mazda dealership) my car got broken into and my $1500 amps and crossovers got stolen and about another $2500 in body damage from the dumbasses that didnt know how to properly brake into a car did.
~keyless entry stopped working (it wasnt the battery, it was something with the reciever not getting the signal, which I think had to do with the alarm not working)
~right before I sold the car I was hearing a noise coming from the tail-shaft of the transmission and I really didnt feel like replacing that so I sold the bitch.

I'm sure theres more too but I'm tired and dont feel like going on.

I've had pretty good luck with mine, when I bought it I knew it was due for a clutch and tires (I had that factored into the selling price), after fixing those, the only problem with the car was the input bearing on the tranny, which we think went bad because of the new clutch. I've had my 240 for 3 years and about 30,000 miles now, the only current mechanical problem with it is my power locks get really cranky. =)

I absolutly love my 89 240 it has been a great car till recently when I had the engine rebuilt and now it just feels like I am geting the run around, but then again it just passed 200k I dread the thought of parting with it

mine has never failed to start has not broken down yet(knock on wood) i have had it for about 5 years i have used it for a daily driver when i got it, it had about 80k on it know it has about 220k on it and still runnin strong even with the drastic climate change when i moved from oklahoma to cali to flordia to north dakota but i dont really ever get on it cause of the milage

i cracked my '91's exhaust camshaft in half somehow, needed 3 new tie rods, tension rods, sway bar end link, timing chain/guides/tensioners. its been a good car. things are bound to go wrong after 12 years. a lot of the things you guys are listing as reliability issues are just a factor of age, they're not nissan's fault. also, your car getting broken into is not a reliability issue.

my last car was a '92 sentra with 215K on the odo, the only thing i ever had to replace on that was the sway bar end link (i bought the car with 197K on it). don't tell me nissans aren't as good as toyotas or hondas. i have friends that own both and things go wrong with them too when they get of age.

the car is dead now so it doesnt matter, but i had a '92 toyota paseo, basically 2D corolla, and it had 230k on it, ran just fine til the day the piston rod snapped, my fault, NOTHING ever went wrong with it, original clutch, original everything, except the cd player, lol just thought id ad my word
+1


now, as you all know, ive got my '89 240 sx with only 93k on it, runs strong, i love it to death...check out my pics here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=173929) could use a litttle work on the body, but thats minor.