Should I buy a s13 ????

Hi all im looking for some advice. I'm dead keen on buying a s13, it's the car that got me into cars. Iv been saving all year and am looking to buy around April time. Iv done as much research as possible about the car and most people say there alot of hard work. I'm a complete novice this will be my first sports car and first time maintaining and working on a car.
My question is is this car going to be a bit out of my league? and is it going to continuously brake ? I'm looking to spend about 10k and preferably get a type x. The other option is to get a 2010 370z get a bit of experience first and then get one which I don't really want to do. What do you advise ???????? Thanks

They're an easy enough car to maintain but - you know - they're knocking on 30 years old; stuff does and will go wrong. The worst case scenario is rust though TBH. Going round over and over a rusty shell with more and more patches is soul destroying.

Thanks for the reply !!! And ye I'm ready for stuff to go wrong just trying to get a gage of how often it tends to happen think iv been buying into the scare mongering a bit now it's all starting to get real

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Originally Posted by krispyd1

Thanks for the reply !!! And ye I'm ready for stuff to go wrong just trying to get a gage of how often it tends to happen think iv been buying into the scare mongering a bit now it's all starting to get real

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S body is a chassis from the 80's and the game has moved on quite a bit so will need mods for it to be a sports car. like everyone has said they are getting on a bit now. Rust is the problem.

The gt 86 is the spiritual successor to the s body and plenty of mods available now. Just lacks power. Lots to be said about driving a slow car fast than a fast car slow though.

Yes!!!

For all the little quirks my S13 had and issues it presented I loved it and tbh have no idea why i sold it. The replacement (E46 M3) just didn't really cut it in the end.

Keep an eye out for one that’s been rust proofed already and that will eliminate those worries, or buy one and get it rust proofed. There’s a company in spalding that will do this for you in a matter of days and charge about £500 to give you that piece of mind, if they find any holes they can sort them out whilst they are on the job and will only charge a bit more for welding.

10 grand is more than enough for an S13, you should be able to import a fresh one thats rust-free.

Just make sure you get it professionally undersealed when it arrives, otherwise it'll be ****ed pretty swiftly.

Will this be your only car?

They are just cars. Nissan made them as a mass production vehicle designed for life. They're not fragile but they have aged.

You can pretty reliably attribute anything that goes wrong to someone else's bad mods on these. Buy a stock, clean car for peace of mind. Modify it yourself if the intention is to mod.

I am the proud owner of an S13 1994 which I imported myself 2 years ago using Pick n Buy24.com - the overall cost was just short of 10k but it is a low mileage non drift car with just 60k miles on the clock. As soon as it arrived I got it professionally undersealed at Krown Rustproofing in Dudley, West Mids, well worth the day out. Quick for a 1994 car and now has Jap Racing Alloys with new rubber, it is very easy to whip out the tail coming off roundabouts so light foot needed ! BUt an absolute pleasure to drive and of course, I believe, somewhat rare in UK. Good Luck in your search, can thoroughly recommend Pickn Buy, check em out. Steve L

Hey thanks for all the replies ! This has really chilled out my worries. Thinking potentially going down the importing route as a couple of you have mentioned so hopefully see some of you at the meets next year ��

Get rid of those replica wheels and do it some justice with something proper :D

After rust proofing, next job is replace all coolant hoses. They are all 20-30 year old rubber. I've had 4 fail in last year at 25 years old.

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Originally Posted by arry

They're an easy enough car to maintain but - you know - they're knocking on 30 years old; stuff does and will go wrong. The worst case scenario is rust though TBH. Going round over and over a rusty shell with more and more patches is soul destroying.

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Actually you mean an S13 is an Albatross

You end up caning the arse off them. Me, Carter, Crazy Eddie and My Dad christened the new A130 and it gave me a £4000 engine rebuild bill. And then when bits break, you upgrade and it becomes a bottomless spiral of money

Still loved mine but I’m probably what you call a bit crazy

They are an Albatross [emoji1787]


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Originally Posted by krispyd1

Hi all im looking for some advice. I'm dead keen on buying a s13, it's the car that got me into cars. Iv been saving all year and am looking to buy around April time. Iv done as much research as possible about the car and most people say there alot of hard work. I'm a complete novice this will be my first sports car and first time maintaining and working on a car.
My question is is this car going to be a bit out of my league? and is it going to continuously brake ? I'm looking to spend about 10k and preferably get a type x. The other option is to get a 2010 370z get a bit of experience first and then get one which I don't really want to do. What do you advise ???????? Thanks

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If it was me and I have done. I have fat arsed 370z Roadster and it is way better than an S13. A decent 370 will cost more than 10K though and I would also recommend getting the 7 speed Auto


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Originally Posted by Chriscooke

Will this be your only car?

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This is a fundamental question.

No: As Ash says there will be something else worth looking at. S13 has style (sleek low fastback with pop-ups), practicality (2+2 + hatch), low cost. It's not safe and falls short by a long way compared to cars under 10 years old, though late JDM do have air bag and door bars can be fitted (rego requirement in Australia). There will always be something that's faster or handles better. As a 2nd car doesn't have to tick the practically box the back seats and hatch can go. Then you get better safety, more performance but if you want sleek low style it will cost.

Yes: Are you getting fresh rust free import? Ones that haven't been modified are getting rare as they are all over 20 years old (21 as you don't want a 140 bhp SR20DE).
Yes: May be OK.
No: Are you mad? Every MOT has a high risk that it will need a day with interior stripped out having chassis welded. Silly expensive if you have to pay to have the interior removed and put back. Very very expensive if you don't accept MOT standard weld patch and demand showroom paint finish. If you think you can get away without removing the rear side trim, the foam and sound wading in the rear quarters on top of the sills sets the car on fire. Plus you have to rent a car.

If you don't have a 2nd car and aren't getting a JDM import, then you need at least 2. Then you might have one on the road. Ratio of Taxed to SORN on howmanyleft says you need 4! Taxed 304 Sorn 1013

I’m going to change my mind.

If you are handy with a welder and a spray gun etc and enjoy tinkering with cars (read fixing them).... the most enjoyable car I ever owned was the S13. Just make sure it is a 2nd car or you have a backup.

Mine handled like a go kart, it wasn’t the most powerful but had potential, but it cost a lot to get there, but I loved the car.

If you do get a good one I have a Greddy Intercooler and Blitz Nur Spec R available for sale. I loved that S13 so much I dumped my girlfriend for it, although she was a complete
Bitch ( I found my senses lol)

Oh and if you want to stay standard looking, Momo Arrows look epic on them (Shameless plug)


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