Hi

new to the forum thought i would introduce my self. my name is matt and im in northern CA(sf bay area).  i dont own a s12 yet but i will be possibly checking one out later on this week any advice on what to look out for the one im gonna take a look at is a 87se V6 5-speed hatch
thanks

If i was to do it all over again. id NOT get a ca20e "xe" like i did(i love my car,but...) and id get a "SE" v6. Like your talking about getting. that saves you alot of trouble sense the "se" has bigger brakes stock. with hopes the previous owner didn't steal the side skirts and all that cool stuff. 

If the "se" don't have the side skirts. Ask the owner. his most likely has them stashed around his house with hopes of selling them to someone else. :)

Try to get irs rear end. unless you like full rear ends. You won't be able to swap full rear end with irs unless you have mad skillz. A few s12's had irs pre 86. alot didn't. so if your getting a 87se. your all good.

If you plan on replacing the v6 with a turbo 4 banger in late date(ca18det/sr20det/ka24de). you will need few parts off a junkyard 200sx "xe" ca20e/ca18et

When people say the 200sx don't have aftermarket support.  that is somewhat true. But, They didn't search for innerchange-able parts. or do any searching on clubs12 at all. Thanks to the guys on clubs12 and other s12 websites and there money and time. The engine bay seems to take any nissan 4banger as a direct bolt in. s12 front end takes almost all the s13-s14 front end parts. and 200sx rear end takes z31 parts. I also seen the s13 and ae86 body kits mocked up.

Now lets hope you get that 200sx/s12 and not a s13 like every other kid and his brother has on the streets. :) haha. Most of the people on clubs12 got there's for cheap. or free. around $400-$700. and alot of people talk shit when people pay over 1,000 it seems. Id pay over 1,000$ for a rust free 200sx, only for a "SE" tho. NOT a "XE". But, alot of that shit talk is because we all located in different state's and country's and city vs. country. also. I have been noticing the "DRIFT TAX" on any rwd car on craigslist. And that sucks! oh, welcome.

^ thanks for the heads up if i remember right the car had all the SE stuff on it still so thats good. im just waiting for a few more pics to see if its worth my time and gas money but keeping my fingers crossed

cool, go for it dude. How much is the guy asking?

I got a rusted, non running, no brakes and flats "xe" ca20e for around $400. i didn't even think twice. Filled up the tires, smooshed the back brake line, tossed some fresh gas in it and drove it home 60miles with almost no brakes downshifting to every stop sign. i love my car and can't wait to have a rust free notch one day.

What are your plans for the car?  If you're planning to swap to a turbo 4 cylinder, the SE-V6 is not the way to go.  If you plan on keeping it a V6, whether it's a 3.0 or the newer 3.3, then by all means, the SE-V6, I think, is the sexiest of all S12's.  That were available in the US anyway..  I still get a chubby for the RS-X.

All the suspension and brake components are pretty easily interchanged on the 4 cylinder models to the S13 stuff, and then the sky is the limit!

more then likely im gonna leave the motor alone  for now. the plan if i get the car is lower it put a nice set of wheels and tires on and a cat back and a few other little things here and there

Just keep in mind you aren't going to be able to go on randomcarpartssite.com and pick from a selection of bolt on parts for these cars. Everything is hacked up, borrowed from other cars or just flat out custom.

Hope it goes well, and welcome to the club.

Welcome post some pics up when you get it....

StephenG on 05:45:11 AM / 03-Mar-13Just keep in mind you aren't going to be able to go on randomcarpartssite.com and pick from a selection of bolt on parts for these cars. Everything is hacked up, borrowed from other cars or just flat out custom.

Hope it goes well, and welcome to the club.

sideways_s12 on 07:52:34 AM / 03-Mar-13Welcome post some pics up when you get it....

Welcome, homie,  keep us posted.

well the car was a no go i wouldn't come down enough off his price to make it worth it so im still on the hunt

ne2rk on 08:33:49 AM / 28-Feb-13If i was to do it all over again. id NOT get a ca20e "xe" like i did(i love my car,but...) and id get a "SE" v6. Like your talking about getting. that saves you alot of trouble sense the "se" has bigger brakes stock. with hopes the previous owner didn't steal the side skirts and all that cool stuff. 

If the "se" don't have the side skirts. Ask the owner. his most likely has them stashed around his house with hopes of selling them to someone else. :)

Try to get irs rear end. unless you like full rear ends. You won't be able to swap full rear end with irs unless you have mad skillz. A few s12's had irs pre 86. alot didn't. so if your getting a 87se. your all good.

If you plan on replacing the v6 with a turbo 4 banger in late date(ca18det/sr20det/ka24de). you will need few parts off a junkyard 200sx "xe" ca20e/ca18et

When people say the 200sx don't have aftermarket support.  that is somewhat true. But, They didn't search for innerchange-able parts. or do any searching on clubs12 at all. Thanks to the guys on clubs12 and other s12 websites and there money and time. The engine bay seems to take any nissan 4banger as a direct bolt in. s12 front end takes almost all the s13-s14 front end parts. and 200sx rear end takes z31 parts. I also seen the s13 and ae86 body kits mocked up.

Now lets hope you get that 200sx/s12 and not a s13 like every other kid and his brother has on the streets. :) haha. Most of the people on clubs12 got there's for cheap. or free. around $400-$700. and alot of people talk shit when people pay over 1,000 it seems. Id pay over 1,000$ for a rust free 200sx, only for a "SE" tho. NOT a "XE". But, alot of that shit talk is because we all located in different state's and country's and city vs. country. also. I have been noticing the "DRIFT TAX" on any rwd car on craigslist. And that sucks! oh, welcome.

ill toss that in the memory bank sideways. :)

If you swap a 4 banger into an SE, I will find you, and i WILL KILL YOU!

Colonel Gustard on 08:36:48 PM / 15-Mar-13If you swap a 4 banger into an SE, I will find you, and i WILL KILL YOU!

ne2rk on 08:08:25 PM / 15-Mar-13ill toss that in the memory bank sideways. :)

Getting nice condition interior parts are becoming harder and harder to find so check the condition on that if you are one to care about how the inside looks.  Hoods are not rare to find but they are not very common either.  Sucks that the deal didn't go through.  I bought my SE for 2k.  I had the money, I needed a car, and I wanted an s12. Didn't know much about it either.  I'm glad I got an SE though as they are becoming harder to find as well.

You can refurb the top part of a door panel, as well as the vinyl on the insides on either side of the back seat. You get to pick what color and texture you want.

If you at all want an all-original S12 that performs decent with some grunt under the hood, get the SE (the V6). If you at all want to modify quickly and easily for power, don't get the V6. Get a cheaper 4-cylinder S12 and swap the engine for either a KA or an SR, which is easy to do.

Anyone who says anything less than what I just did is a fan of one version. I'm not biased in either direction since I like the SE and I like the four-cylinder swap versions of S12's too.

dont forget the slightly harder to find ca18det that too is an easy swap!

sideways_s12 on 01:22:37 AM / 16-Mar-13 :thumbsup: