93 240

hey guys...im lookin at a 93 240 wit 159k on it...ive been talkin to the guy for weeks waitin to see if i can get a loan...but i was wonderin if you all thought it was worth it or if i should keep lookin...no ive been lookin for the past year but really hard core in the last 6 months so...hes askin 3k for it...he started at 3500 but no one bit so now he lowered...he sent me pics and it looks clean...but i kno for experience looks arent everything...im tryin to go up and see it this sunday to really check it out but i dont really kno a whole lot about mechanical things so i cant really tell what all looks good and what doesnt...he said all the maintenance was kept up on...and also there arent any leaks from the engine...anything else i should ask...what should i look for when i go??...what would be a good price to shoot for??...any help would be great...thanks

its kinda hard for us to judge since you seem to be quite meticulous.. in terms of aesthetics, look for rust, dents, scratches (on a car with good paint, scratches will lower the value), on the interior, look for cracks in the dash, look for tears in the fabric, make sure EVERYTHING works, ie. a/c if it has it, all the lights, audio, fan controls and heat.. in the engine bay, look for rust, leaks mainly where gaskets would be, hoses, see how tight the belts are and if they're in good shape, check fluid levels (that'll tell you if the car has been maintained properly), look for overall cleanliness.. you'll also be able to tell if its been in an accident by checking for newer looking parts than others on the body, and the engine bay tells the best story if its been in a front end accident.. on the exterior, also look for tire tread, brake disc girth, ask about pads (he could bullshit you and if he does you'll probably be able to tell..) and one of the most important things visually is the underneath.. check that very carefully cause the floors in these cars aren't by any means heavy duty.. frames are easily bent!! finally, when you're driving it, if you do, make sure its at proper running temperature then push it a little.. if it does anything but run smoothly, then point it out and ask about it, again you'll be able to tell if he's bullshitting.. test the brakes and handling.. finally, look for any aftermarket performance mods.. if its got anything from an intake to exhaust to suspension or more, then you know somebody has been driving the piss out of it.. ask to lower the price because of more wear and tear than normal.. if you do all this and find small things that are wrong with it then the price could lower significantly.. if nothing is wrong then just try to screw him for a good deal.. you have to be relentless when buying a car..

damn that should be a sticky so people don't screw themselves when buying a car!!

Shit the next one I buy, I'm bringing a compression gauge and a set of tools. I'll drive my KA-T so there's no question of my expirience.

i'd say bring the car to a mechanic for that stuff..

Me?

I wouldn't trust the mechanics around here.

its kinda hard for us to judge since you seem to be quite meticulous.. in terms of aesthetics, look for rust, dents, scratches (on a car with good paint, scratches will lower the value), on the interior, look for cracks in the dash, look for tears in the fabric, make sure EVERYTHING works, ie. a/c if it has it, all the lights, audio, fan controls and heat.. in the engine bay, look for rust, leaks mainly where gaskets would be, hoses, see how tight the belts are and if they're in good shape, check fluid levels (that'll tell you if the car has been maintained properly), look for overall cleanliness.. you'll also be able to tell if its been in an accident by checking for newer looking parts than others on the body, and the engine bay tells the best story if its been in a front end accident.. on the exterior, also look for tire tread, brake disc girth, ask about pads (he could bullshit you and if he does you'll probably be able to tell..) and one of the most important things visually is the underneath.. check that very carefully cause the floors in these cars aren't by any means heavy duty.. frames are easily bent!! finally, when you're driving it, if you do, make sure its at proper running temperature then push it a little.. if it does anything but run smoothly, then point it out and ask about it, again you'll be able to tell if he's bullshitting.. test the brakes and handling.. finally, look for any aftermarket performance mods.. if its got anything from an intake to exhaust to suspension or more, then you know somebody has been driving the piss out of it.. ask to lower the price because of more wear and tear than normal.. if you do all this and find small things that are wrong with it then the price could lower significantly.. if nothing is wrong then just try to screw him for a good deal.. you have to be relentless when buying a car..

damn that should be a sticky so people don't screw themselves when buying a car!!

aiight cool...thats a lot of stuff to remember but ill do my best...thanks for all the advice...ill let u kno how it turns out

nissanfanatic, i have one guy at the dealership i work at to bring my car to. they have the longest service hours in the country so when its slow, they have lots of time on their hands.. so i bring my car to this guy and he does the work whenever he's done everything else.. normally, he'll start around 1am and go till he's done.. cause the service bays are open till 2am.. (which basically means that if a job can't be done by 2am, they don't start it and leave it for the next day sorta thing)
he's done lots of good shit for my friends.. i had one buddy with an accord exr (no rice, he did it up very well) and all service was done by this mechanic, who owned a 13 second n/a civic or somethin like that..he's just about the only mechanic i trust cause i've known him for a long time.. i took my 240 to him when i was planning on buying it.. he had it for an hour or so and didn't have to do any work on it.. thats probably partly why i paid so much for it.. everything is in great shape (except for a couple of spots on the trunk and driver's door..)
i was just talking about a mechanic you'd usually deal with.. i don't do much to my car myself.. i might try shit here and there but anything major, i take it to this guy
you must have a guy you take your car to if you've got anything major wrong with it.. or maybe you're HIM

I don't have a person I take my car to. But I do have great knowledge resources. Only thing I will ever get done is machine work. Everything else I either know or can learn.

All the mechanics around here have serious plumbers crack and believe that cars can only be fast if they 8 cylinders. They don't know what an ideal AF ratio is. They don't understand why synthetic engine oil is superior to conventional. They buy what they see on nascar TV. They don't believe that a 2.4l engine flows 4.8l under 14.7psi of boost(given the air temp is the same). Shit the latest "10 second car builder" I talked to didn't understand why a larger ring gear would increase acceleration, but lower top speed and decrease time between shifts. Oh and he said he put a 400 degree duration cam in his mustang. No I don't take my car to Northeasern Florida's finest. Any shop I go to, I don't want to see ASE certified, I wanna see a 240sx running 11s and I wanna see the car.