All the way from New Zealand~

[danny92]

hi my names Danny . Im new to the forum but been lurking in the back checking out members cars etc
Im currently in NZ and on a journey to owning a s15
I just want to ask you all about the experience of owning a s15.
Now 2 days ago i found a s15 for sale which caught my attention
here's the link to it if anyone's interested.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=446274586
It looks quite good and will be checking the car out in real life very soon.

However i do have some questions that need cleaning before i purchase this car since you lot will know MUCH more about these cars than me.
How does the car drive overall? Are they very tail happy or grippy in stock setup(stock suspension + stock tyres/rims) What are their fuel consumption like? Are the replacement parts/mod parts expensive? How reliable are the Sr20det engine/gearbox?
The last car i had which was a honda civic type r ek9 was a grippy track monster of a thing which i loved to bits but i thought turbo tail happy s15 would be alot more fun .

Any stories/experiences will be great in order for me to decide :nod::nod:

 

[spoonman]

Hi Danny

Firstly do NOT buy a spec S

the one you are looking at looks alright ask if its been lowered, looks like it so whats been done there? at a guess i would say he has not done much too it as he didnt even mention the FMIC so there might be a whole lot to that car that he does not even know.
Drive of S15's, they are great but depends alot on how well the car was setup, they are tail happy especially in the wet on boost, i would offer 12.5k and see what he says, its got no body kit, and only a few basic bolt-on's, if thats what you want then cool. fuel eco is rather good until you plant your right foot, i have got 500 - 600 on open road driving and that not being a pussy everywhere either. heaps of parts everywhere in this country, SR20DET's are a very strong engine when compared to most cars and are easy to modify keep in mind that 178kw wheels is much more then the factory 140, 6speed box is a bit of a case of when it breaks not if, not ideal for drifting but looked after it will last a long time. The S15 will eat that civic alive and **** it out whole, until you go into tight corners. but rear wheel drive is what makes a sports car a sports car to begin with, thats what i think, im sure you will get many more comments to assist you.

 

[danny92]

hey man great to see a fellow kiwi
Yeah i definitely won't be buying a spec S. My mate bought one early this year and he was hugely disappointed. The seller actually lives in Albany and i live near central Auckland hence the reason why i havn't had a look at this car in real life yet but i will do soon. i only like that car cause the internals are all stock except couple of bolt-on mods. ill offer him 12.5 with stock wheels and see what he says. just 1 worry i have is the car's odometer is quite high for its age, would there be any internal failures that i should be expecting? like turbo failure or something like that. And also i checked out your car in the forum and was wondering how much did you get the Aero kit for ? god it looks so nice... i've only been able to find the spoiler and the sideskirts but the front bar is quite hard to find Oh yes and also i almost forgot to ask, is there a huge difference between 200sx and JDM spec R? i heard theres abit of power difference and the turbo is diffrent too??? is it worth paying 1-2k more for a JDM spec R?

Cheers

 

[meddler]

Turbo is the same. It could either be ball bearing or bushed, it doens't rally matter. The only difference in performace is down to the tune. Japan had better fuel so they tuned them to suit. I think the NZ delivered cars were the same, but the Oz cars were dutuned due to the crap fuel we have here.

 

[spoonman]

meddlers right the said power output is exactly the same going from JDM to NZDM, differences were a nissan badge on the bonnet instead of the very cool S (but thats already been changed for you), and 200sx on the boot instead of Silvia, no bodykit and you might still have a very gay large retractable aerial coming out of the right rear side to suit NZs poor radio reception. apart from a few cosmetics the cars were the same, of which we are all great full of, unlucky OZy.
130ks is about normal for these cars now, under 100 is becoming more rare, but due to the nature of the type of car once they all get to 180 or 200+ most have had there engines either rebuilt or replaced, you will see heaps listed with ks for the body and then ks for the engine/gearbox. Nope its not worth paying more just for JDM, value depends totally on condition, and mods.

Also being still on the stock ECU dont expect the engine to handle the fuel system perfectly since its got a external BOV?? and been free-ed up 40 odd kw, it will pop and burble a bit but thats about right for state of tune, fixed with a remap or better ECU. Try to get the guy to ensure you get too cold start it when looking at it, expect rather noisy injectors when cold but any other clicking or ticking noises i would not consider it, but make sure you dont confuse injector noise thinking its the VCT (inlet cam solenoid) as the VCT are a typical SR20DET weak point.

 

[spoonman]

oh year, um good luck with the aero front bar, only reason i brought my old spec s was to get that kit.... they are around but chances are they either wont be in blue or wont be OEM, i know where a damaged red one is but its only fiberglass.

 

[danny92]

Anything else i need to look for other than ticking or clicking sound in cold start?

 

[spoonman]

just usual car stuff when your looking at them, play, leaks, rust, gearbox crunching, funny noises when driving, how much the seller is lying, ask for a copy of the dyno sheet, 180rwkw for whats been done is a indication that the engine is heathly enough so thats a good thing, check the VIN plate (not the cert plate) to see if it has SR20DET on it and not SR20DE, this will indicate its a genuine Spec R not just a S15 with a engine and box dropped in,
Get a mechanic to look at it,

heres a link to show what all the extra spec R braces look like, if you are missing ones like the subframe braces then it might not be a spec r,
http://forum.s15oc.com/showthread.php?9933-JDM-Spec-R-Body-Bracing-info-compared-to-JDM-Spec-S

 

[danny92]

swt ill probably take my mechanic mate along with me to have a look at the car and offer him 12.5 and see what he says. where about in nz are u spoonman? near auckland? and by the way is there a silvia owners club in nz? like NZhondas.com

cheers

 

[spoonman]

year im already on SNZ, between morrinsville & te aroha

 

[danny92]

hey guys
would getting a automatic spec R and converting it to a manual box be a good idea? if so how much would it cost since automatic spec R's are like way cheaper with less k's and most of them pretty much stock

cheers

 

[spoonman]

They have smaller 380cc injectors (purple) and only make 220hp at the fly compared to 480cc at 250hp for the manual. if you were going to upgrade the ECU & injectors that wont be a problem, but you still have got the cost of about $1100 for a solid fly and heavy clutch, a 6speed box will set you back $800 - $2000 depending on condition + drive shaft ?? and a you will have the wrong Diff ratio, you will also have a viscous LSD instead of the helical, so it would probably be a good idea just to get the 5speed box from a S14 as they are stronger anyway. or just buy the manual to begin with. How much money do you want to spend? do it up front or spend $$$$ upgrading and in the long run it cost more.

 

[spoonman]

oh year and you will have the gay auto dash cluster and the interior plastic surround to swap over it all adds up to more in the long run,

 

[danny92]

more work involved i see. thanks for that spoonman. its cause my budget is quite low its around 10-11k but its way not enough to get a spec R and i definitely dont want to get a spec S and be disapointed. i think atm i have 2 options. either get another honda which are alot cheaper or save up for a few months and get a spec R. i txtd that guys and he said 13.5k with standard wheels so.. well ill let you guys know what happens and keey you guys updated! hopefully ill land a nice spec R very soon. Cheers

 

[spoonman]

for that money either get a already worked S14 or save, if it was me i would just save and get the better spec cars, instead of buying cheaper and then spending a fortune doing them up. unless you are one of those people that gets as much enjoyment out of building as you do driving

 

[rapid200sx]

oh year, um good luck with the aero front bar, only reason i brought my old spec s was to get that kit.... they are around but chances are they either wont be in blue or wont be OEM, i know where a damaged red one is but its only fiberglass.

Hi Ben, the Aero bumper I have now comes with genuine Aero sideskirts

 

[spoonman]

Hi Ben, the Aero bumper I have now comes with genuine Aero sideskirts

well danny theres one on offer for ya

 

[danny92]

The car i was looking at recently sold to another person.. so im looking for another one to buy. in the meantime ill be saving up. ill let you guys know how it goes and also to rapid200sx, if i ever buy a 200sx ill definitely be buying a aero bumper&sides as well so ill give you a pm. Cheers