Nissan 200SX - Any good?

[Goochie]

So, as you'll know I've fallen for the Nissan 350Z - however, in a brief snesible moment I'm thinking that my money would be better off invested in a house :eek:

Glancing through the classifieds on PistonHeads I noticed 200SX's can be had quite cheaply these days.

Would one make for a good fun car or would it feel slower than a remapped Octavia?

Never even sat in one let alone driven one :P

[noodles]

one sentance: rwd = drift = fun!

[Goochie]

Are they turbo'd = can be remapped ?

[noodles]

there are different models, the flip top headlight early ones, or the later non-flip top headlights! completely different cars, early on 1.8T, later 2.0T. Have bigger turbo's than the skoda, very tuneable, very robust engine too. nice cars.

go to www.sxoc.co.uk will tell you all you want!!

Just don't buy an auto! Lots of uk spec ones are automatic, kind of pointless!

[ScoobyChris]

Think they're 2.0l turbo RWD cars, putting out around 200bhp. Very tunable I believe, but not sure how many companies are still producing bits for them. You may want to have a chat with Denis

Chris

[Goochie]

Why Denis?

It is the non-pop-up headlamp version I would be looking at, though it seems the interiors are worse than a classic scoobie :(

[ScoobyChris]

Why Denis?

I believe his son has a slightly fettled one

Chris

[noodles]

Why Denis?

It is the non-pop-up headlamp version I would be looking at' date=' though it seems the interiors are worse than a classic scoobie :([/quote']

Yeah they are regarded as the better cars, but the 1.8Ts are sooo cheap these days, you could go a long way for peanuts. I spent a while hanging around the sx owners club when I was looking to buy one. Never did though, got a GT4 instead.

[Vroomtshh]

Why Denis?

It is the non-pop-up headlamp version I would be looking at' date=' though it seems the interiors are worse than a classic scoobie :([/quote']

What you want is an S14a Touring. Many people make the mistake of thinking the S14a is a touring but touring is actually a spec. The S14a has the squinty headlights rather than round fixed ones. And the touring spec means you get leather. They can easily be had for 4k these days. S14 and S14a come with 197bhp but 250bhp is quite easily achievable. Pistons are known weak parts but not til about 300bhp.

There are literally millions of parts available for them and 700bhp if you have the money.

[devonutopia]

http://altarmoore.com/jason/200SX%20DRIFTING.wmv

[Goochie]

Hmmmmm. sounds interesting, it was the squinty eyed ones I was thinking of and had seen the word "tourer" in some ads in the trader.

What are they going to be like on fuel/running costs? a tadge more than the Octavia I assume?

[noodles]

Hmmmmm. sounds interesting' date=' it was the squinty eyed ones I was thinking of and had seen the word "tourer" in some ads in the trader.

What are they going to be like on fuel/running costs? a tadge more than the Octavia I assume?[/quote']

yeah similar i would expect. renowned to be bulletproof. bit thistier maybe, but if you are tuning it, then who cares!

[kit]

my dad had a touring a few years ago....well nice!! drove really well but was like them all.....a nightmare in the rain!!!.....back end all over the place!!! but a real head turner.....his was black with cream leather interior.parts can be a wee bit pricy though.

k:)

[AwesomeSarah]

I had the one with the pop up headlamps.

It was nice , well fast and as has been said alot of fun.

But this also had 3 turbos fitted to it.

The oil pipe was too small and restrictive :confused:

All I know is it cost a fortune.

Do a bit of research and check out them pipes.

Nice car though and was driven in to the ground.

Sarah

[Goochie]

Thanks Sarah, must have been very fast with 3 turbos fitted - no wonder the oil system couldnt keep up :eek:

[ADMotorsport]

could always go for something like this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TOYOTA-SUPRA-TWIN-TURBO-6-speed-700-BHP_W0QQitemZ4621918325QQcategoryZ18290QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Goochie]

No, it has to look sensible and not like an oversized kids 1990's RC car (like the Supra)

[ScoobyChris]

Classic MR2 turbo? Would suit you nicely

Chris

[Goochie]

No way!

[DGW]

Did someone mention my name? :wave: Chance would have it that I drove my son's 1999 200SX S14a Touring from St Neots to Newbury yesterday afternoon to get a Horsham Developments ECU chip fitted. That was the last in a line of mods including an APEXi AVC-R, APEXi induction kit, APEX hybrid FMIC, Walbro fuel pump, APEX full 3" SS exhaust, KYB adjustable shocks, TEIN suspension springs and Skyline GTR 18" mag alloys. It is probably now producing at least 280bhp for a fairly modest outlay. The S14a is relatively cheap to service and secondhand parts are plentiful - due in part to the number written off by SXOC members this winter! How do I rate it? Well, it is a lot of car for the money and offers excellent performance in a straight line - but does need treating with respect on bends and/or wet roads......

.....the owner has just come home and would like to add that the 0 - 60 time for his car's spec should be around 5 seconds, quarter mile in 13.5 seconds, and top speed is limited by the gearbox to 162mph (the ECU mod includes removing the 155mph limiter).

A standard S14a has 197bhp, weighs 1280kg, and has a 0 - 60 time of 6.7 seconds. It would probably feel slow in comparison to a remapped Octavia but it wouldn't cost much to reverse that - if my son's car is anything to go by.

[AwesomeSarah]

Thanks Sarah, must have been very fast with 3 turbos fitted - no wonder the oil system couldnt keep up :eek:

Ha Ha

You know what I mean.

They blew them up!!!

Black smoke all over , the works

Sarah

[MC Bodge]

A friend has one of the 2.0s. It's a fairly ugly car on the inside with little space inside or in the boot. Not my cup of tea at all.

[Tech1e]

Its a huge little car.

My workmate has a S13 that he has done a fair bit of work to.

Run 13.6 on its only run at Pod last year and done loads since then.

Hes getting some bigger wheels soon, might nab these ones from the Primera

[Goodas]

I would say it depends what type of roads you enjoy most. One of my best mates has an S14, totally standard, and I can easily keep up with him on twisty b-roads in my Fabia Vrs because he finds it quite challenging to drive fast on narrow roads and it doesn't have massive reserves of grip.

On fast A roads, motorways etc it is very quick. The car obviously has great handling, but its a bit harder to exploit if you are used to front-wheel drive cars.

For less than half the price of a 350z you could have a seriously sorted 200sx!

[Wardy]

Think that's mainly down to driver skill and confidence, IMO.

Without a doubt a FWD is easier to get in and drive 'briskly' than something unfamiliar and RWD.

Steve