Just buy a cheap Diesel hatch and get it over with.
Pretty good MPG
Quiet
More comfortable than an S-body on coilovers
Easy to park
No Drama when it rains
No Drama when it snows
Able to park it on a side-street without having to worry some thieving shite will rob it/rob from it
Don't have to worry it's going to fall apart on the way to work
big bills when you blow the engine up when the DPF failsOriginally Posted by R3K1355
increasingly expensive to tax and run
environmentally unfriendly
get to spend lots of "unhappy time" in the car instead of "happy time"
join the herd - feel like a loser
These are easily fixed.
1. Don't buy coilovers. Or buy some that don't have spastic damping.
2. Buy proper tyres.
3. See above.
Rain has not been in a drama in either S13 I've owned.
I have gone full circle with this
Hated diesels, had a couple (TDCi Mondeo and 530D) sort of appreciated them but hated the repair bills and the constant fear of major repair bill and am now in a 14 plate Focus ST. The amount of 5-10 year old diesels i can stuck behind that i swear are giving me cancer is stupidand i cant think of a reason anymore to buy one unless you do a million miles a year. in 5 years time when the new wave of eco petrols are in the 2-5k bracket you wont be able to give a diesel car away
200s are getting more and more of an enthusiasts car, a car you want to ownif you just want a quick car then there are shitloads of hot hatches to pick from and if you want a RWD car just get a 330/335 and have a comfy daily as well all in one.
So if you want a 200 then get one and try not to ruin it meaning you will buy a daily and then wonder why you have a £5k car on the drive 90% of the time and you are driving around in a sub £2k diesel eurobox. Otherwise get something newer, better specced and more practical
Coilovers and a bucket seat ruined my 14a. Was fine until I added them. Sold it pretty soon after.
I've had my 13 over 10 years for the first 4 it was a daily then I've had a carina, 4 door skyline, 2 x e39 5 series and now an e class estate as dailies.
The 13 has turned in to a competition car though. still road legal and does get used for days out every now and again.
I had a S13 a few years ago and I loved it to bits, quite literally. Anyway, some git nabbed it in a thunderstorm. I thought I ought to replace it with something sensible so I got a diesel hatch - some Mazda 3 thing. I hated every moment of ownership and longed for the 200. I kept that horrible, oil belching sh**er for a couple of months and punted it at a loss. Now I'm back in an s-body and it feels special every time I get in.
Follow your heart, son.
Last edited by Tanuki; 18-02-2015 at 14:04.
The right seats make it great. I have a Recaro Speed in mine (same as I had in my old DC5) and it's perfect. I don't like the suspension that's currently on it though, or the rose joints everywhere, so I'm currently in the process of binning those.
I hope that with a less drain pipe exhaust, the suspension mods and getting the engine actually functioning as an engine... and perhaps binning the mental competition clutch... it will serve as a daily just fine. It was brilliant before that, although it was a victim of being too low hence the raft of electrical issues I now have. Every other problem it has is my own dumb ass fault!
I hope to keep mine relatively standard but I must say coilovers have completely transformed mine. It used to be bouncy and wallowy now its firm and precise, ok speedbumps suck but other than that its awesome!
It is possible to modify a daily but you need to be sensible and not be a fashion victim.
Coilovers - Apex Limos are stiffer than standard but only by a factor of 2 instead of a factor of 10
Exhaust - Mongoose or Apex Sensible
Lowering - 10mm max...if you must but get it aligned afterwards
Interior - Just leave the seats/panels/carpet/sound-deadening the fcuk alone. Fit S15 seats if you must have better seats.
Arms - Apex bushed adjustable arms are fine
ARBs - Adjustable ones set to soft will eliminate almost all body roll - I use Whiteline
Bodykit - Whatever. Deep skirts will make it look lower without the agony
Wheels - 17x8s with proper premium tyres and a sensible ET
Engine - 300 bhp/lbft max. or its going to get unreliable
Brakes/ICE - Knock yourself out.
/\/\ Sounds about what I'm aiming for Jonny!
what coilovers have you guys been buying?! My mono pros have made my ride 10x better... bar the previously mentioned speed bumps...
Yes I have Tein Monos. 6kg/mm up front is 3x stiffer than stock and the damping is all wrong.
I'll be getting them pulled apart and revalved with lower spring rates when the opportunity arises.
Used mine (14a) every day for work for 10yrs and put a smile on my face every time till I retied, its just coming back on the
road after a 13month refurb, not sure how it will feel with all the new parts we'll see.Lets hope I can still
get in/out as good as before (71 this year)its a lot lower.
Last edited by Gerry; 22-02-2015 at 08:07.
I think the -30mm that I got from Eibach springs was perfect for a daily.
I then ran Apex coilovers with 8/6 springs, they were miles too hard for everyday use IMO.
I'd go with the above and fit an upgrade factory seat, S15, Type R etc. The Cobra Suzuka bucket I had custom made was an ass to get in and out of and not very comfortable.
To be honest I only want one slightly modded anyway, lowered, filter, bov, exhaust/decat and thats about it really, won't be changing seat, installing coilovers, etc, etc cos I want it to be a daily driver, to be honest I only work about 3 miles away but I just don;t wanna get something then 2 months down the line have bills for clutches, gaskets, internals, etc.
I know all cars need maintenance but obv a car thats 15-17 years old might not be the best choice, just f@ck.s me off how few 200's there are out there these days, serious lack of options
I'm tempted to get a cheaper one under budget so if anything does go wrong I've got a spare £500-1000 sat in the bank just incase
Last edited by Paul C; 18-02-2015 at 20:25.
Just be patient and wait for the right car. Then, pounce!
A standard s13 makes a lovely daily but Christ the prices are mental now! Not sure I could quite justify it myself
Agreed.Then I modified it with way too much horsepower and it became increasingly unreliable, so I had to get something else for everyday duties
At 354bhp my car was a daily driver. It had a head gasket failure, I rebuilt it, added more power, and it's been a garage ornament most of it's life since.
Tbh, a 200SX is a great daily car in mild and reliable tune. If I started again, I would definitely keep mine as as a daily car.
Edit - buy cheap at your own peril. But don't pay over the odds either. Assess the car you want to buy thoroughly.
Define mental. They used to be stupidly cheap and now they are a very reasonably priced, quick, RWD classic.
When was the last time you heard of one selling for more than 7K and we still hear of people picking up standard autos that need little work for less than 3K.
Compared to other 80s classics, that is still cheap.
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