hey guys lol I’ve been thinkin of sellin my 93 hatch to get an s14…and lookin through autotrader, the ever-tempting ads of Coliseum came up in my search… I did some research on here, but the last post in that thread was wayy back in 2005…so just wondering…has anyone purchased a car there recently? any s14s recently? how was your experience with them? condition of the car? any “secrets” they forgot to mention? lol…I mean…I could go there and take a look at their cars and test drive it…jack it up n look under but i dont know if i’d be able to tell if parts have been bondoed n such…with my limited knowledge and experience with any type of body work besides spray painting some skirts n things…
born2beaskyline bought his from there, i think 2years ago
yea I think he posted about it on the other thread i found…cuz yea…i really want to get an s14 now…I wanted to wait till i finished school next year and work fulltime…but yea…lol…just wanted to know about anyone’s more recent experience with them…the prices do seem too good to be true…for $5999 with 17inch rims, alarm, n other mods…I would see that price more reasonable for a stock car…but yea…i’m tempted to go see…but just I dont really know how to “spot” things in terms of damage repair n such…
those cheap mods dont up the value of the car tho… especially rims that are worth 400$ and alarm 200$ … parts like those dont up the value of a car…since car is not a investment u wont ever get back what u put into it…
genuine rims like volk te37 or somethin good may up the value of car accordingly to the rim value lol…
most importantly is check underneath the car and its true conditions…
well yea…if i do see a car i like, i’d set up a test drive, then afterwards ask for them to put it up on a lift, or i’d pull out my hydraulic jack n check it out on the spot if they “cant put it on the lift right now”…but i mean…seeing the underbody, making sure ther eisnt any funny business with anything down there…i’d also look at the shock towers(all the way down to where holes usually formed on s13s)…but in terms of body panels n such…like ionno just from the old 2005 thread, there seemed to be a few ppl that bought the car only to find the frame was rotted? did they not even care to look under? is there a way to tell if the panel’s have been bonboed? run a magnet along the car?
Strut tower rust
frame rail rust
Magnet along the body panels
Trunk rust
Gear grinds
stuff like that
are these common s14 rusts? I get the feeling that S14s rust in random spots…rather than specific areas “known” like with the older hondas and s13s…
S14’s usually rust at these spots:
-drivers side strut tower at the frame rail
-top corner of the strut towers that’s closest to the fender
-rear wheel arches, just above the tires
-behind the trunk lid, just above the rear bumper
-both rocker panels (especially if it has a sunroof)
-underbody, right below the rear passenger seat where one of the subframe studs is. Basically a little corner just before the gas tank.
-and of course the frame itself.
Those are the usual spots on S14’s where rust starts first. At least from what I’ve seen…
hmm wow lol lots of things eh…hmm…guess i’ll have to write these down when lookin…thanks alot
the other thing is…there is an automatic s14 on autotrader for $4200 obo, it’s automatic…i’ve read up on doing a conversion to manual here a few months back…and there have several posts here where people have “recommended” another person, or shop…but how reliable can it be?..the only other affordable ones I see would be a white one for $2700obo(which i dont trust from the pic on autotrader), and then the next ones up would be the Coliseum ones…
A few points…
– I generally don’t trust these dealers, but it really boils down to the CAR they’re selling (and it’s price) - because that’s what YOU’LL be driving everyday!
– Add a compression test and trying out all accessories to your to-check list
– Generally, you do get what you pay for
Good luck.
hmm…yea thx jackal, but yea, it’s true you do get what you pay for…but $5999 seems about right for a 95 fairly stock?..the coliseum ones only had rims…looked like stock suspension as well…so sounds right to me…:S but yea i’ll have to wait a bit more n see what else is goin on sale instead of just jumping in…
hmm…would it be worth it if i got an automatic s14 for cheap? and do a manual conversion later…when i say “later” i mean after i graduate and hopefully get a decent job…which would be next summer…i can live with an automatic s14 for under a year lol…only concern is how decent will the conversion turn out…i would rather pay a bit more to have it done as carefully as can be as well as CLEAN(no extra holes or anything left open lol)
In my opinion, buying an S13 or S14 automatic is worth it if the car is mint. I don’t know about other people on this forum, but I would rather an amazing body and underbody before a 5 spd.
yea that is true…hmm…i’m just worried about how well the conversion will come out…and i dont like the thought of my car being hacked up(if that is what happens? not too sure, but arent holes cut n such for the pedal assembly n such?) i would want a neat clean job
atutt is totally right, but I say if you can find a mint 5-speed then why not go for it and pay a little more.
First off, your finances might change and you could be driving automatic longer than you think, and second you wouldn’t have to worry about sourcing conversion parts and labour and the possibilty of the swap being less than perfect.
IMHO it really depends on how much you’re saving (if it’s automatic) and the overall condition of the car.
auto - manual conversions are simple for S14 because you can use S13 stuff, it’s all the same.
the conversion should cost under $1000… talk to Sasha or chris (canadiandrifter240sx) about it… heck, i think bobby (ViZion) has a S13 5spd parts car that he and chris could do a whole conversion out of.
the thing with an auto car is that the computer wont let you beat the shit out of the motor, so theoretically, the motor should be stronger in the auto car provided it was serviced appropriately.
You want to end up with the S14 that some chick bought new, changed the oil under warranty and continued to have it serviced… undercoated it and never beat on it.
if it’s got shit rims it was likely owned by a ricer, or the whole lot is owned by ricers…
as mentioned before, use a magnet, make sure you take that magnet to the rocker panels, especially if it has a sunroof…
hmm…yes it looks like a VERY VERY clean s14, completely stock, stock rims as well, it is an LE trim…so sunroof…why does the sunroof affect the rocker panels? and as for the auto-manual conversion, I am 100% sure I would have it done by people with reputation, such as Sasha(SG motorsports?). but Jackal is also right about my finances…right now i’m a student, and I could afford to have the swap done a month after purchasing the car(provided nothing else is wrong with the car lol, otherwise another month?)…but my plan was to drive the automatic till i graduate and get a fulltime job…i’m sure if i can afford to do it with my current part-time…it shouldnt be a problem once i start working fulltime(even at my part-time job)…my main concern is the condition of the body…and i’ve considered paying a bit more to get a manual one…but it’s kinda hard to find any “mint” ones out there…and if the conversion should cost even $2Gs(with parts being expensive or labour or whatever, $2Gs seems to be the high end of it if i was to pay that much), the car would be cheaper than the s14s currently on sale here on son240…but the price of the car isnt what drew me in…it’s the condition, looks absolutely mint…but I have yet to see the car in person, I’ve got my final exam this thursday, so I plan to go look at it afterwards with cash in hand…
also, do the rocker panels rust as bad as the s13s did?
sell drugs, you’ll make lots of money really fast. hard stuff is better.