S13 & S14 Running and Maintenance costs

[silverzx]

Hello chaps! I should have a reasonable amount of money saved within the next two week to be able to get myself an OK 13 or cheap 14 (£1000~£2000)

I'm only doing about 200 miles a month mostly town driving for my daily commute.

What are the running costs of these cars? I imagine the 13s average 20-25 mpg town driving and the 14s 15-20 mpg? So if I do 50 miles a week around £15-£25?

My main concern however is maintenance costs, parts aren't easily available and I'm guessing they aren't cheap either? If the bottom end was to give in on a CA then you might a well be buying a replacement engine which would be a major set back.

Id imagine half the problem is finding the right car that's been well maintained and therefore shouldn't require too much (if anything) doing to it.

For my budget I should probably look at 13s but for reliability 14s are favoured right?

I guess I'm just looking for some general advice and reassurance.

Roll on VVT rattle & big end complaints. :P

[NickS13]

you about right for petrol costs.

as for maintenance you can find every part you will ever need just on this forum. most motor factors will also have 90% of bits and ebay is always a last resort.

personall it would always be an s13 for me but thats because i love the ca18.

[Alex B]

I would say you could comfortably get 25mpg from an S14a, I got 27mpg when I drove round town, then went on a drift day. Dropped to 23mpg purely round town, (max 5 mile journey), when I had a massive boost leak, and haven't worked it out since.

Part are easily available from motor factors and Eurocar parts, (cheap for branded parts). No more difficult to get hold of than our Volvo, Vectra or Focus estates.

Mine had VVT rattle when I bought it, but I put up with it until a brand new Nissan spracket turned up on Ebay cheap, I got it for just over £200 delivered, £15 for gaskets and a couple of evenings and it was sorted.

The big thing with mine was rust, I've spent quite a bit of time repairing rust, which if you can't do yourself would be very expensive to sort.

Alex B

[kingj]

sr20's I have found better on fuel than ca18s, but with your budget you will be better going for a well maintained middle of the range s13 than an low end s14 imo otherwise you may spend as much again keeping it on the road!

Best bet is to go and look at as many as you can within your budget and then buy the best example you find

[Jonny Wilkinson]

I reckon you'll need nearer £2K than 1K.

Pay around £1200-1500 for a good solid car and figure on spending 500-800 on getting it sorted/fixing it.

If you want to mod it/lower it/drift-spec it/convert it from auto then you need more money.

If the interior is a bit tatty, it is possible to get interior bits pretty cheap and cleaning products don't cost that much.

Try to buy one with 12 months MOT and check the advisories on-line BEFORE buying.

Take a test drive/ride and if it rattles and bangs over bumps in the road, figure £150 for new bushes and another £350 if you need someone to fit them for you.

If you buy a standard S13 that is over 20 yrs old, it qualifies for classic insurance and that can make quite a bit of difference if its going to be fairly low mileage and you are over 25.

[Alex B]

Jonny's got some good points, BUT do not rely on a car with 12 months being better than a car with a short MOT, or that it is in good condition, basically what I'm saying is don't put faith in an MOT, we've had some death traps through our workshop with fresh MOT's!

Try and take an experienced owner with you, they should know the common areas to check over and issues to look out for.

Alex B

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Jonny's got some good points, BUT do not rely on a car with 12 months being better than a car with a short MOT, or that it is in good condition, basically what I'm saying is don't put faith in an MOT, we've had some death traps through our workshop with fresh MOT's!

Try and take an experienced owner with you, they should know the common areas to check over and issues to look out for.

Alex B

What you say is true. However, if you buy one with a short MOT, there is a greater likelihood that you will get a big bill to keep it on the road sooner.

I bought the red S13 a few months ago for £1100 with fully declared rust issues and it cost me £300 to get that sorted. I ended up spending a few hundred more and quite a few hours to get it to a decent state where I feel I can rely on it as a daily.

It still owes me less than £2K though and it now only has a few niggles. I also think I should be able to get all my money back if I were to sell it and not just the £1100 I bought it for.

It can be done but you need to pick the right car.

[steve109]

You're about right there, Jonny speaks some wise words when buying check everything have a decent test drive and if possible get underneath to prod around. Receipts with everything check out the history for usual service fluids/parts etc.

I get about 30mpg out of mine on motorway runs and about 25 round town so your figures are about right. As mentioned most parts are available still, obviously brand new from Nissan they're not normally cheap but sometimes they're not too bad. Other than that there's loads of breakers and people with parts stacked up in sheds.

Think I spent about 1500 all in on mine before going down the modification route to get it on the road with about a weeks MOT on it. Mainly due to rust which didn't show up on first inspection, so far 140k 20k of that is my mileage and it takes a good thrashing at times, but I pay the price as 20 year old parts do get worn quickly when you start to replace those around them.

If you can find someone close who knows the cars to go with you to have a look that's always a good shout as well

[silverzx]

Thanks for the comments, in regards to viewing with a member I know Someone local to me but not sure how active he is on here at the moment.

I'll just keep an eye on prices for the minute a get a feel for the Market.

Is there anything particular I should be looking for in the service history other than rust/corrosion repairs?

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Regular oil changes at 6K intervals or less. Every 10K is too long. Cambelt changed every 6 years or 60K miles whichever is sooner.

Listen very carefully for a top end tinkle on slowly falling revs that would indicate big ends on their way out.

Check inside the rear wheel arch lips for dirt. If it is clagged with dirt, then its more likely to break out with a rust rash than if its clean.

If the arch linings are missing, check the wiring loom for signs of wear. Lowering the car without moving the loom can lead to all sorts of horrid electrical maladies.

If it has an aftermarket sound system, check the wiring to see if its been butchered.

Other than that, its just a matter of looking for signs that its been cared for...matching & big name brands for the tyres, decent alarm (e.g. TOAD ai606), interior doesn't look like a dustbin, wipers not split, aerial still works etc.

[Alex B]

If you're looking at S14a, they have camchains so don't need changing.

Rust areas I've had issues with are:

Front lower part of the suspension tower, (more inner arch, but you should notice it.
Rear outer seat mount
Rear edge of sills
Around subframe spreader plate mounts
Front inner arches, (inside the wheel arch, easily visible with a bit of steering lock)

The rest is normal used car stuff, checking oil for condition, fluid levels etc, (most 200's are enthusiast owned so may not have service history even though they've been well maintained, especially basics like oil changes), pay attention to the handling on a road test to feel for worn bushes, clutch etc.

Bear in mind you'll be looking at a 15+ year old car, so things will need doing and at your budget you won't get a spot on car. Best thing to do is look at a few so you get experience of what to expect for your budget, don't rely on pictures or sellers honesty.

Alex B

[silverzx]

The other option is a e36 325 coupe.

Probably cheaper, more reliable, similar MPG, similar insurance.

It's not Jap and it's not turbo'd though. :/

[Alex B]

The BM will be a lot cheaper to buy, probably have less rust, possibly more reliable, (depending on how well it's been cared for), MPG should be better, (ours was much better).

But it's completely different to drive, a little less intersting, so have a drive of both if you can.

Alex B

[silverzx]

Well I've been offered this as a swap for my diesel daily:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160972585442

Would be less hassle then looking for a '13 and might be a wise idea to learn to slide in something a bit less valued then a nice '13.

Choices, choices, choices!!

Edit: Alex sell me your 14.

[Jonny Wilkinson]

I can't see ebay at work. What is it ?

[Sidewaysfun]

I can't see ebay at work. What is it ?

High mileage BMW 323 coupe (M3 rep) for £1250

[Jonny Wilkinson]

High mileage BMW 323 coupe (M3 rep) for £1250

Ta.

I'm all for people not learning to crash in S13s. There are few enough of them as it is