[Jason]

Thank you all for the usefull info on where to buy motors, and opinions on engine swaps. I forgot to mention my ga16de has 140k on it, and I am struggling with the thought of spending the money to fix it or to get rid of it. It was wrecked before I bought it, however, I am not sure how bad. I like the little car, but I want a fast fun car, and if I am going to have to be swapping motors every 30k, it would seem like more work then fun.(the reason I say this is because I haven't found an engine with under 100k on it) The car impressed me with it's ability to keep up with my brother-in-laws firebird (3800 series V6) although I had to drive it quite hard to accomplish that. I don't know if I should try and build the car up, or sell/trade it in on another car. I don't want a honda because they are notorious for lacking in the torque dept. So my nissan seemed like a viable option. Oh well, my poor little ga16 is probably beyond help. And keeping it, well, we will have to see what cost I will have to endure before I make that decision.

 

[nissanracer805]

yeah, i'm having that same problem as u, my car has 110000k miles on it and almost near its end, i'm a college student on a budget, and an engine swap doesnt sound like it's for me.......and like u, all the cars i see for sale have over 100k miles on it, not even worth buying....so i guess my only option is to get one from the dealership, might get myself a '03 spec v.....fun to drive, quick, and has balls.

 

[Probedude]

What makes you think the engine is near the end of its life at 110K? Especially a Nissan!

I've got:
1991 Sentra SE-R with 156K still going strong
1992 Geo Metro 202K still going strong - I even bought it with 108K on it.

Had a
1982 Datsun 200SX with 298K miles still going strong when I got rid of it
1993 Dodge Shadow 3.0L, 126K miles still running -given to family member.
1985 Mitsu pickup - 152K - donated
1980 Datsun 310 - 180K - sold
1977 Datsun B210 - 240K - sold
1984 Dodge Colt Turbo - 130K - donated

All the above still had good engines and drivetrains.

None of the above cars ever saw the dealer for non warranty work including tuneups - did all the work myself. Saved a bundle, cars lasted forever and never broke down on me.

My only low mileage cars I currently own is a 1991 240SX - 52K miles, and a 2001 PT Cruiser, 8K miles.

yeah, i'm having that same problem as u, my car has 110000k miles on it and almost near its end, i'm a college student on a budget

 

[nissanracer805]

see, but u dont understand where i'm coming from dude, when i first got the car, it had 80k miles on it, a couple days after i got it, the speedometer gave out on me, replaced that, a week or so later, the starter gave out on me, replaced that, about a month or so later, my suspension fucked up, fixed that....right now, i have a problem where my car wont start because the fuel pump isnt getting electricity(i think) when u have the key in ON, u cant hear the pump work, havent fixed that, and now, my CV boots got torn, guess i have to replace that.....i have a lemon, wack, what's next? THE ENGINE

 

[toolapcfan]

Originally posted by Jason: "... like the little car, but I want a fast fun car, and if I am going to have to be swapping motors every 30k, it would seem like more work then fun.(the reason I say this is because I haven't found an engine with under 100k on it)..."

Why would you have to swap motors every 30K miles? When you say you haven't found an engine with under 100K on it, are you talking about another car or just an engine? Anyone selling JDM's should be selling engines with around 30K on them, and they should run for another 120K easily. Did you call Watanabe's or Soshin/Soko/Soken about an engine? www.kwcengine.com and www.soshinusa.com If you can do the work yourself I'd swap in another engine and then sell it, or just sell it as it is.

 

[Probedude]

It's called wear and tear. You're not going to solve ANYTHING that you've just posted by dropping in a replacement engine. Everything you've mentioned is not engine related. Everything you mentioned is far cheaper to fix compared to paying 3 months worth of car payments for a new car.

Think about it - 60 payments of ~$400 a month - having to make that payment EVERY month OR
- fixing these minor problems and have a reliable car that is paid for!

BTW, the fuel pump does not continuously operate when the ignition is on unless the engine is running.

Lemon? Again its called wear and tear and maintenance.

see, but u dont understand where i'm coming from dude, when i first got the car, it had 80k miles on it, a couple days after i got it, the speedometer gave out on me, replaced that, a week or so later, the starter gave out on me, replaced that, about a month or so later, my suspension fucked up, fixed that....right now, i have a problem where my car wont start because the fuel pump isnt getting electricity(i think) when u have the key in ON, u cant hear the pump work, havent fixed that, and now, my CV boots got torn, guess i have to replace that.....i have a lemon, wack, what's next? THE ENGINE

 

[R33Dreaming]

My 96 has about 170k on it and it's still going strong. No leaks, no nothing. Fix the little stuff, avoid the payments.

I look back to a couple of cars I sold prematurley <sp?> and I regret the money I spent on the new stuff. Trust me new stuff has problems too. Besides the payment. Just a thought.

 

[toolapcfan]

Nissanracer805, Probedude is right. If you're on a college student budget, you certainly can't afford a new SE-R. I can afford to have new engines swapped into my car, with labor, every 3 months for what it'd cost me to make payments on a new car every month. Or if I install them myself I can afford to do one every month. Not that anyone would do that, but that's not the point. Not to mention the load of cash I'd be out having to put down a big down payment to keep my monthy payments low. If you think your car's a lemon, then get rid of it and get something else, but buying a new car is rarely a smart thing to do. Cars have always been a poor investment. You get the occasional rebuttal, "But what about classic cars that are worth several times what they were new" To which I respond, "True, but had a person invested that money instead of buying the car they'd have far more money than what the car is worth now." But that's beside the point. I thought about getting a new SE-R because I can afford it, but after thinking it over I realized that I could have what I want and save $15K. So I bought a B13 SE-R. That $15K I saved and the interest I avoided will allow me to keep the car running for a long time if I choose to.

 

[nissanracer805]

ok, i see what u guys are saying, but look at it this way....how much is the total, including labor and time to do an engine swap from a ga16de to an sr20det, look at all the parts i have to replace... and the time i have to spend without my daily driver, which i use for school and work......and some stuff here and there. as compared to just selling this car, while it's still alrite, and buy a used 96 se-r or so, if i can find one, how much would i pay for that se-r? prolly less than 8 thousand, no waiting for nothing, besides, i'm not an all out racer, so the turbo for me is just a luxury option..by the way, my car is an auto, i want a stick so to find a used se-r for sale, with low mileage, and stick, would be pretty damn hard to find in the area i live in....so just food for thought, but i do appreciate your guys' input and all

 

[R33Dreaming]

Ya gotta do whatcha gotta do brother. Good luck.