We’ve lamented the fact that AE86s have nearly all been drifted into oblivion, but what about its cross-town rival? The Nissan 240SX sold in larger numbers, but finding an unmolested one can still be a challenging proposition these days, especially when it’s a one-owner car with less than 44,000 miles on it.
Someone near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has shown a 1990 Aztec Red S13 quite a bit of brotherly love. The paint looks flawless in photos, and even its aero disk hubcaps show nary a spot of curb rash. What’s more, this is no secretary’s special; transmitting power to its rear wheels is a 5-speed manual.
US-market versions came equipped with a KA24 “truck” motor instead of the revvy SR20 turbos found in Japanland, something to do with our love of torque decades before anyone in the states thought sliding the tail out in tight turns would supplant stoplight drags as the hoon move of choice among the youth.
Pre-facelift cars for the 1989-90 model years had the single-cam KA, while post-lift 1991 and up models received one extra cam. Thus, the average S13 driver would likely frown upon this particular specimen, but we think that makes it even more special.
That’s because we prefer the sleeker, “pig-nose” styling of the earlier models, named for the Mamoru Aoki-designed twin faux grille openings, a trademark that propagated through much of the Nissan line during the 90s. Since you’d be getting the KA no matter what — and on a car like this a swap is out of the question — you might as well get the one that looks better. In our opinion, only a two-tone coupe would be a more desirable S13.
The price is $9,950. At the time of this writing, 10 offers have all been turned down and there’s one day left in the listing.
To soften the blow of being fitted with the KA24; being a 1990 build, its engine-alternative at the time would have been the CA18, not SR20..!
Huge soft-spot for the S13-chassis cars, and no more than in un-raped form like this one. Dubious build quality and materials of Nissans of that era means most others are pretty shabby overall by now..
Be aware this seller has bad reviews online under different business names at that address. Some of that has been reported several times on Bring A Trailer. This also does not appear to be the SE version they claim because the wheels are not of the SE, does not have a rear spolier.
I do agree that it is great looking and the better front end of that gen. Too bad the seller is so disreputable. It appears this has been listed before.
Another case of great cars owned by assholes.
Nissan SE’s in that era have white had gauges. This one doesn’t..
No sunroof, no rear spoiler, and no front lip/spoiler. This is no SE. The other guy mentioning white face gauges- those were solely on s14’s.
Sometimes mistake these for an Eagle Talon when I see one on the street here.
(This one looks showroom fresh).
I have an S13 that I know has “adjusted” miles on the clock. This one has the same appearance. Look at the “3” slightly lower and the following 2 digits slightly higher.
Not original mileage…
Have you guys seen this importer in the US? They are a local company in Richmond VA. http://www.japaneseclassicsllc.com/
If Nissan had debuted the 240SX just one year earlier, I would have bought one. In October of 1988, I was looking for a RWD daily driver to use to commute to my new job. The only thing that interested me was a 1988 Long Bed Toyota pickup.
As I see, the decade 86-95 was to Japan about what the sixties were to the USA; a boom-time of excitement, technological progress and a sense of ever-expanding possibilities. And the eastern equivalent of the 1964 Ford Mustang was the 1988 S13 Silvia and 1989 180SX. Based on parts-bin underpinnings, but with torquey motors wrapped up in a sleek, head-turning shape and sold at prices affordable to young men just out of school and into work in the booming economy, the S13 was the intersection of mass-market affordability and sports performance. The Silvia and 180SX boasted four-valve heads, turbo intercooled engines, multi-link IRS, rear-wheel steering, and an optional heads-up display.
Even in 2004, the S13 Silvia was sufficiently common in Japan for it to sometimes be an issue making sure you found your own one in a parking lot, rather than someone else’s. A decade later they are far scarcer, although not extinct.
Still, I’d suggest that if you don’t mind RHD, you could find a reasonable 88 or 89 Silvia in Japan and import it to the states for less than the $10k mentioned in the article.
Here is another possible kidney trade. Not sure where else to put this so you guys see it.
http://greatfalls.craigslist.org/cto/4428946637.html
10th Anniversary 280zx in the rarer black red color combo, with less than 60k on the clock!
Nice car, but check the odo numbers… They look worse than the slight misalignment on this one.
I didn’t think people were still doing that… Still, it IS 34 years old.
Really glad to see cars from this era being appreciated. These are our future classics! These cars have the motorized seatbelts. A lot of people hate them, but I actually find them hilarious and kinda cool. I went thru a brief phase recently of badly wanting an S14, but I love S13s too. Beautiful car!
Let’s just pray to the car gods that some “drifter idiot” doesn’t get a hold of it; it’ll be trashed in no time. I swear, great cars like this aren’t going to be around years down the line because they were ruined by people trying to look cool.