Hey all, I'm trying to find a nice 240SX to convert to a Silvia. I'vefound this one on EBAY:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=596768546

Now it says his starting bid was $7000 US. I've emailed him a couple times and his reserve is $10000 US. Now here's the pickle, I live in BC (canada) and would have to import the car. I've checked out the Transport Canada site (http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importusa/english/im3nis_e.htm) and the car is legal to import. With all the currency exchange and stuff this car will cost me about $16000 CDN to bring back. Here are some other details he's told me over e-mail:

"1. Engine is in good condition. I replaced water pump and starter earlier this year. other than that it has no problem. On this car I used to have another turbo engine (SR20DET) but it blew up, so I put my stock engine back in which is the engine that one with the car. The stock engine has about 55-60K on it. But the odometer said 80K because I didn't adjust my odometer when I put in my turbo engine.

2. HID Xenon .. Is the real one as bright as the one on BMW, Audi, Benz etc. It's not just the blue blubs .. It's the whole kit.

3. There is a tiny, very small 2-3 paint chips on the hood, other than that it's clean .. no dents on the doors."

"The tranmission will be the same way as the engine .. When I use the SR20DET I had to remove the transmission as well. So the transmission and the engine has around 60K on it. Here is the link of my car when I have the SR20DET."

"sorry, but I don't have the SR20 engine anymore .... I sold them along with the SR20 modified stuff.

And yes, I still have the silvia enblem on the hood ...

At least something still there."

Check out the EBAY article for for details (above).

Here are some pics:

http://www.fortunecity.com/millennium/sunnyside/94/gallery/nok09.jpg<br>
http://www.fortunecity.com/millennium/sunnyside/94/gallery/nok01.jpg

The EBAY article has many more. So is this a good deal? Should I get it? What do you guys think? I have 5 days to decide...

JD - The JDM Fanatic :devil:

I think it's not too shabby..go for it. I don't know whether or not the price is fair, but it seems like a decent car.

Normally one would reckon that that car has been beat on, but since you're be doing a conversion sooner or later I don't think it'll matter much. :)

Nissan guru of our board will pop his head in here and give you some tips - Mr. Don Nimi! :D (am I putting you on the spot Don, sure I am! ;) :D)

Some costs to think about:
Duty and taxes -- sorry, but ya gotta pay them! :(
Transportation fee - how are you going to get it home to Victoria?
Licence and Registration fees -- dunno how you're gonna do this since you're buying it from Seattle - get temporary insurance to bring it onto the Island, leave it at the ferry parkinglot, and then register it in Canada?!?

LaterZ!
Darren!!

I'm well aware of the fact that I'll be taxed to bring the car into Canada. It has 5 point harness seatbelts so it should pass that inspection (seatbelts are often a major hiccup when importing). I will undoubtably get a 1 day insurance card thingy and drive it home, then insure it here in BC. Anyone know how long the inspection will be @ the border? An hour maybe?

EDIT: I'll just drive the car home from Seattle. I could easily make it in a day!

JD - The JDM Fanatic :devil:

A wealth of information is available here:

http://mr2.com/TEXT/Import.html

All about importing from Washington to B.C. The new Registrar of Imported Vehicles website is located at http://www.riv.ca .

well.....from the pics with the white rims, there sure as hell ain't no Brembo big rotor/calipers on that car. I have the F40 Brembo front brakes on my 3 Rotor, and they fill my 18" rims a whole hell of a lot more than that picture does.

One question that pops up into my mind all the time... WHY is a person selling something for less than market value.

1. Is there tons of stolen parts on the car ?
2. Is the person involved in illegal activity, and has to get rid of collateral.
3. Is there other damage on the car he is not telling you about ?

Being in the States, you have to be leary about the car, and if he owes anything on the car.

$16K Canadian is "highish" for a 95 S14, but you have to verify all the actual parts on the car, and are they actually there or not. (paint is not a value adding issue, since it should not be in bad shape to begin with for a 6 year old car for $16K Canadian)

19" rims are ricey...and not functional on the car. Stuff like stereos and electronics may add marginal value to the car, but again, you would never pay retail for used electronics...so they aren't linear in their value.

The headlights are illegal, as they were never DOT approved in Canada for use...so they would fail the car on an inspection (if it were needed) due to that.

I've seen S14's go for as little as $10K locally Canadian for 95's

don
http://www.pdm-racing.com

Just a bit of info. Don't quote me on this, but I believe the 5 point harness belts will fail the inspection. Although they keep you in the seat better, they are not DOT approved. Correct me if I am wrong. This only what I have heard. Usually it is not a big deal but it may be something that could give you trouble.

:) Mike