Day Dreams: 240SX S14 Kouki

You wake up everyday, walk out onto the lawn, coffee in hand and just stare at the car you've traded spare change and personal hygiene for. It was all worth it, just to park the perfect lawn ornament in the driveway. You love everything about this car, the way it looks, how it drives, how it communicates unlike anything else you've driven....until one you don't sip that coffee and you start looking at things a little differently. When you really wake up and wipe the night time sandies from you're eyes you just might realize that maybe you've been a sleep just a little too long.

This was what the Nissan 240SX S14 was like. It started great but I quickly realized that there was something missing. Don't get me wrong there's a lot of fun to be had with the 240SX platform and plenty was had. The 240SX is an incredibly reliable car capable of long distance road trips and some of my fondest memories in on four wheels.

Now I know what your thinking, there's no way that you can purchase a 240SX S14 and not do donuts in your local school parking lot or avoid having it on jackstands for years at a time. Thats why I went into this one with a plan. To make sure this wouldn't happen I did two things: 1) I purchased the car with Nissan's KA24DE engine which was incredible reliable and 2) I would be the first owner (of many) of a 240SX that wouldn't be drifting it every chance I had. As a matter of fact under my ownership this car never even had a J30 LSD.

This is solely because I would be dailying the car and didn't want to ruin the car. The Cobalt Green paint had seen better days though but all in all it was still a fairly clean car. It could of used a respray but alas. The rear trunk was damaged too but no matter how many times I came across the previous owner in conversation he seemingly could never tell me how the damage got there. Other than that this car was flawless. Aggressive glass head lights that resemble a rebellious teenager. Check. Highly sought after Kouki interior. Check.

I mean yes the dash was cracked. A unicorn this car was? Yes. Perfect? Far from it. Aside from the regular degrading panel bits, the interior is a great place to be in. Kouki interior is a real pleasure to the eyes, something about those 90s cloth seats with a confetti style pattern. Go look at a modern Nissan and then look back at the art the made. You'll wonder where all the fun went and ask why they cant do more things like they used to. Even more goodness is that the seats are as comfortable as they are stylish with just enough bolster for a windy road and enough cushion for 6 hour drives.

The steering wheel and shifter are perfectly placed, driver centric, right where you need them to be but with room left for ones personal taste. Manual buttons and a sliding lever for your A/C and radio controls remind you of the simple technologies of previous decades. It would be a disservice if I didn't say this one of the best interiors of any car to drive.

Out of the seat and under the hood, you'll find the KA24DE motor which is a torquey robust and reliable motor that was originally found in the Nissan Hardbody. A truck motor in a coupe? Sounds like an easy day at the office and in practice it is. With a 155 horsepower and 160 ft-lbs of torque you find these number just enough for daily duties. Regular maintenance kept the KA24 healthy enough for long distance trips across state borders on multiple occasions. For the mileage and age of the S14 MPG was a huge suprise. I cant recall exact numbers but 27-30 MPG seemed to be a frequent after numerous fill ups. That's probably not what you buy this car for but when it was time to have fun the KA24DE was modest at best. Not fast enough to be impressive but good enough to keep you entertained. Great gas mileage is just a plus.

The real highlight of the the high displacement 2.4 liter 4 cylinder is torque. On the track (driven at Apple Valley Speedway) there was enough torque to drift the car with a limited slip or welded differential. After a few you laps you can see why this is the perfect drift car to learn the ropes in.

Right, the S14 chassis. The front end grip and response of this car, when properly set up, is incredible and rivaled second to none. The steering rack communicates every detail of the front end making worst of tires give confidence like racing slicks. Paired at the rear is the anti-squat setup of the S14 that delivers a surprising amount of rear grip. The rear is not as competent the front end but does indulge confidence as the tail end kicks out. With a setup like this its no surprise that this chassis is choice for drifters at every level of competition in drifting.

Granted the S14 platform has potential. The seldom trips up to the mountainside were lack luster. Climbing up the hill with is like watching a snail slide across a sidewalk. But downhill it sailed like seed blown from a dandelion. Even with the gravity assist I found that the S14 just wasn’t as impressive as I had hoped.

Ok so I will come clean, the S14 tested has a few modifications being mismatch coil overs, a shifter, and a steering wheel you can say that there’s room for improvement. Even still that doesn't change the fact that the stock US motor is not great lacks character and quickly gets old. The chassis rattles like penny in a tin can and begs to be reinforced after just minor upgrades (you can feel the flex in the canyons).

I want this car to be great. You want this car to be great. The problem with the S14 (or the 240SX in general) is that they are not great cars out of the box but are cars that require modification and for what this car is in todays age inflated used car market its a hard pill to swallow when you consider the selling price. After many miles the S14 left me with more questions than answers and the most lingering one of them all was: Is a car worth dreaming about if it isn't perfect?