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 Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:20 am
I never understood why the 240SX has gotten so popular, other than because they're a car used in Japan for drifting. Ever since Initial D and the drifting scene came to the US, prices and demand for them have skyrocketed. Back in the day, nobody was interested in them and their aftermarket was dismal. And to be honest, all the ones I see in magazines are just built for drifting, show, or dyno queen.
They really aren't competitive against other cars for real circuit or track racing it seems. They're a very rare site at the autocross events I go to, and the ones that are there all pumped up with SR20BLAHBLAH whatever turbo-this conversion-that don't run very good times. I will admit, that I like how the coupe version that Iketani had looks nice for an early 90s car (I even like the flippy lights that it had here in the US), but I wouldn't pay more than $2,000 for a 240SX that was in good condition. That's what it should be, if it wasn't for TOONer inflation of the prices.
I truly believe that the current popularity of these cars is the epitome of a mob mentality / sheep following trend. Why would anyone pay so much for such an old, used, mediocre (I'm being nice when I give it that much) car?
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:23 pm
It is a sheep-ish trend actually. We had a black one last year making about the same power as myself down at Winton(or even more, if the owner wasn't flat-out lying) quite well set up, too. Wasn't lapping anywhere as quickly as the 4WD cars, though it did make plenty of noise. That said, they are a bunch of fun to belt around in the lower speed range as they're quite easy to "flick," though, that works against them in grip events.
Never did get to go door to door with the black one but; he ran a class down and was having traction issues all day(but that could be attributed to tyre choice if anything else)
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:17 pm
Oh jeez, I can feel a storm brewing... Wait until SpeedmanRC sees this.
Okay, here's my opinion. Yes, they're overrated - glorified by the "drifter scene." They can, however, be a good platform for an autocross / circuit car so long as you use the equipment when modifying, but not many do... They increase power, throw on some Nankang tires and zip around sliding about.
I don't think it's right to discredit a car's potential based on how overly hyped it is. The Fast and the Furious immortalized the Supra, but they're superb cars. Do most people use them for the wrong purposes? Yes, but does that matter?
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:06 am
I quite like the 180SX and 200SX, as they where called down here.
I certainly wouldn't mind getting one for myself, but with that said, by the time I have that kinda cash I'll also be looking at older S3s and such. :/
I can't say that I've ever driven one, but I think they are appealing cars, I think they got popular in Japan, probably because they where cheap to fix, fast enough for their roads and small circuits and weren't to bad on fuel either. (I suppose)
I like the idea of mid sized, RWD 4 cylinder engined sports cars that are affordable.
I suppose though in the American market there is plenty more to choose from, especially if you have $2, 000. So if it came down to that, I probably would look them over if I was in the US.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 7:19 am
At first I was all, "He likes the 200SX?! WHY?! That car was a**!"
But then I realized that our USDM 200SX (basically a Sentra coupe) is different than yours, thanks to Google and Wikipedia.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 7:37 am
Oh yeah, the US 200SX is essentially a Toyota Tercel. Those things are about as good as a B12 Sentra. I feel sorry for the guy who eventually joins our group that owns a Sentra... I severely dislike them.
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Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:49 pm
F R I V O L O U Z Oh yeah, the US 200SX is essentially a Toyota Tercel. Those things are about as good as a B12 Sentra. I feel sorry for the guy who eventually joins our group that owns a Sentra... I severely dislike them. heh i should tell this guy in town with an SR20DET in his SE-R sentra (B12, by the way) to join up... bet you would love that ^_^
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:28 pm
I like the 240sx, and hopefully it may become my first car. Yes they may be used to drift and stuff most of the time, but can't any car become a good autocross car if you invest a lot of time into it? I don't start to dislike a car due to it getting a lot of attention by people who make them look bad or getting pumped up a lot, and you can't argue with a car that is superb in its league and may not necessarily get that much recognition in yours . There is a lot of potential in a 240 and I wouldn't mind having one, I'm actually looking forward to it.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 6:55 pm
Quakes21 but can't any car become a good autocross car if you invest a lot of time into it? To an extent. Your base platform dictates the maximum performance you can extract for a given application. i.e. you can only put down so much power with a particular setup before you have to go and seriously look at what's happening with the chassis and make the necessary modifications. There IS a limit to what you can buy off the shelf, and most of the time it will only take a production platform so far.
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:15 am
Weelll...
To be honest, I was looking into getting a 240sx as my first car to (that is until I found the mirage and fell in love). But, alot of them, where I'm at, had things that were wrong with the car that I didnt have the time or the money, at that point, to fix. I wasn't 100% sure on their reliability, so it was either pay a little more for one that was well maintained and had plenty of milage (120k-200K+) or take one and put some TLC into it.
I was planning on doing a Sil80 conversion, or get the s13 240 that had the silvia look from the doors back and just do the JDM front end coversion. With an SR20DET on a manual tranny, I was going to be alright. XD
But, I have to confess it was only after watching Initial D and doing some research that I became aware and interested in the 240's. But, I'd still buy one if I had the money.
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Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 2:17 am
I just thought I'd chime in here. The 240sx is not a good platform for circuit. That car wants to slide. Because of its naturally slidey characteristic, and because they are easy and cheap to find and own (at least they WERE), this made them popular amongst the "top ramen drift crowd"; essentially high school to college students that were one a budget doing what they could to have a fun weekend drifter/ DD. Another thing, the SR20 might be a huge fad but that doesn't mean it's completely and utterly worthless. But, I agree that people put too much emphasis on the SR20 like it's some kind of god of the engines when it comes to "JDM engine swaps." However, I've been seeing more and more people go back to the stock KA24 that's found in the S14 and making use of it, naturally aspirated or turbo-ed. I totally agree though that it is actually very annoying that the rich, sheep JDMers out there have caused everything to sky rocket. You can no longer buy S14s for cheap, not even S13s. If you want something that's a true "Top ramen budget" drifter, you have to look for much, much older cars now like a Toyota Cressida. BTW, while we're on the subject of 200sx's, click this link and check out this special 200sx. I feel that this is the kind of stuff that lures me into Japanese motoring scene. I feel that they take themselves less seriously than say, the Muscle head crowd with their cowl hoods and super-shelbied Roush Mustangs. There's a lot of things about that car and many other cars in this "scene", that I can keep raving and raving on about; from the fact that it feels like the car itself has "come alive" with personality and character due to its "modifications" to the idea that this car is not just any other old 200sx, it's someone's 200sx. It's kind of like the idea between a house and a home. I mean check out the drawings all over the valve cover, to me, that's just great. heart
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Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 4:29 am
Chron0s I just thought I'd chime in here. The 240sx is not a good platform for circuit. That car wants to slide. Because of its naturally slidey characteristic, and because they are easy and cheap to find and own (at least they WERE), this made them popular amongst the "top ramen drift crowd"; essentially high school to college students that were one a budget doing what they could to have a fun weekend drifter/ DD. Another thing, the SR20 might be a huge fad but that doesn't mean it's completely and utterly worthless. But, I agree that people put too much emphasis on the SR20 like it's some kind of god of the engines when it comes to "JDM engine swaps." However, I've been seeing more and more people go back to the stock KA24 that's found in the S14 and making use of it, naturally aspirated or turbo-ed. I totally agree though that it is actually very annoying that the rich, sheep JDMers out there have caused everything to sky rocket. You can no longer buy S14s for cheap, not even S13s. If you want something that's a true "Top ramen budget" drifter, you have to look for much, much older cars now like a Toyota Cressida. BTW, while we're on the subject of 200sx's, click this link and check out this special 200sx. I feel that this is the kind of stuff that lures me into Japanese motoring scene. I feel that they take themselves less seriously than say, the Muscle head crowd with their cowl hoods and super-shelbied Roush Mustangs. There's a lot of things about that car and many other cars in this "scene", that I can keep raving and raving on about; from the fact that it feels like the car itself has "come alive" with personality and character due to its "modifications" to the idea that this car is not just any other old 200sx, it's someone's 200sx. It's kind of like the idea between a house and a home. I mean check out the drawings all over the valve cover, to me, that's just great. heart The SR20 is quite a well-made engine though. Its castings and machining are damned good for a production unit. It's quite competitive when put into the right chassis, and they have the potential to make HUGE power(though, at the cost of everything else. That's some people's cup of tea, I suppose.) IMO the best part of the SR20 is that it is light. The worst part, is the timing chain. The entire front of the engine needs to come apart if you don't know how to do it. Though, light is subjective. because its still heavy as a sack of bricks with a T88 hanging off the side. 4laugh
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Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 2:02 pm
s i x s p e e d Oh yeah, the US 200SX is essentially a Toyota Tercel. Those things are about as good as a B12 Sentra. I feel sorry for the guy who eventually joins our group that owns a Sentra... I severely dislike them. I haz sentra B12! crying *goes and cries in a corner in the trunk* It's okay, my precious, they didn't means it. *sniffle* emo
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Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 2:55 pm
delSOLdier F R I V O L O U Z Oh yeah, the US 200SX is essentially a Toyota Tercel. Those things are about as good as a B12 Sentra. I feel sorry for the guy who eventually joins our group that owns a Sentra... I severely dislike them. heh i should tell this guy in town with an SR20DET in his SE-R sentra (B12, by the way) to join up... bet you would love that ^_^ O_o really? B12 coupe? Could you yank a little info off him? i'm wondering how much would be needed to fabricate mounts for the SR20 to fit. The only truely successful build i can really recall is the Salt Flat Sentra that hit Bonnville in '06 and '07. Scary it can potentially go 170. Right now, i must admit B12 sentras are a JOKE, sitting stock. there's nothing i could see in investing in the stock motor, unless you wanted to go strange and carbuerate/build/port it. but that'd be a waste, i suppose. I heard CA18(?) and the especially the GA16 were easier to put in. But suppose a RWD conversion for shits and giggles? twisted I'd probly do some s**t to piss people off, like swap a F20C in (the F20C BMW made me j**z when i heard it)
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 4:12 am
Vengeful Revenant Oh yeah, the US 200SX is essentially a Toyota Tercel. Those things are about as good as a B12 Sentra. I feel sorry for the guy who eventually joins our group that owns a Sentra... I severely dislike them. you cant hate on the b13 SE Rs though sr20 all day heart durable & lightweight
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