S13 buyer’s guide

The ultimate S13 buyer’s guide

This is the definitive S13 Buyer’s Guide. In this guide, we are going to look at all the common issues you might find when buying an S13. Read this guide, make notes, and buy with confidence.

What should you look out for when buying an S13?

So you saved up some cash and you want to buy an S13. First of all, congratulations you have an excellent taste in cars. You started browsing the web, going through dozens of ads per day, and maybe even went to check one out in person. But you are not sure what to look out for. You find yourself wondering what the common things are to look out for to make sure you don’t buy a lemon. Thankfully after reading this guide you are fully prepared to buy your first S13 with confidence. So let’s get started!

The number one thing to look out for is rust!

The S13 comes from a time when cars simply weren’t as corrosion-resistant as they are these days. Some S13s are reaching 30 years old now. Just imagine the damage that 30 years of rain, snow, and sunshine will do to a car.

The most important factor that will determine how rusty a car is, is its habitat. If you are looking to purchase a car in a place where it is always sunny, rarely rains, and never snows, you are almost certain to encounter less rust than your northern neighbors. There are however other factors that come into. Let’s have a look at the most common rust spots and their causes.

The most common and devastating places to encounter rust on an S13 are the chassis rails. The chassis rails are open to the elements and collect a lot of road grime, water, and salt. You will often find rust at the part of the chassis rails where the chassis rails bend down and meet the floor. This is also a common jacking point for the car which can damage the rails even further. You should take an extra good look at this part of the chassis rails when you discover a leak in the ABS pump, the master brake cylinder, or the clutch master cylinder. Brake fluid might leak from these parts and collect between the firewall and the chassis rails. The seam sealer will eventually rot away and brake fluid will drain directly into the chassis rails. The result is devastating as you can see above. This often also leads to holes in the floor of the car.

Other spots where the S13 is prone to rust is on the outer sills and rear quarter panels. These are easier to spot as they are on the exterior of the car, but might still take you by surprise if the car is fitted with sideskirts or rear bumpers that cover the lower half of the quarter panel. Damage to the sill is caused by jacking the car up on the pinch weld underneath the sills. This is not a structural point to jack the car up without the proper jacking blocks. Rust in the rear quarter panel is mostly caused by of rain and dirt collecting there. You are also likely to find rust in the wheel arches so run your hand along the arch and feel for rust. If you don’t feel 2 thin pieces of metal seamlessly connected all along the arch you can be sure that it has been repaired in the past.

Another place where you will commonly find rust is on the front strut towers. The strut tower is made out of multiple overlapping pieces of thin metal, so over time moisture gets in between and the strut tower starts to rust. 

Other common points of rust on these cars is along the front windshield. Look alongside the entirety of the rubber trim for any signs of repair or rust. They also tend to rust around the wiper arm in the middle of the car. This part is covered by a cowl but beneath this cowl, you can often find rust. You might also find rust on the battery tray and lower radiator support.

Everything is repairable but finding OEM repair panels can be hard as almost everything is out of production. There are some companies which are starting to reproduce patch panels but these are still hard to find and not quite the same quality as an OEM panel.

Extensive modifications

I personally view modification as a big disadvantage and here is why you might too. Most modifications are not carried out by professionals and most people simply have no idea what they are doing (and more importantly what kind of harm they are causing).

I have seen so many cars with engine modifications that did more harm than good. Starting from small things like not recirculating a blow off valve, all the way to fitting bigger turbos without a tune and the right supporting modifications. A lot of these modifications will cause premature wear of the engine. Not only does this tell me that the owner is careless about the car, it also tells me the owner is probably to cheap to spend money on his car for maintenance. On top of this, the original parts are often missing which can be a pain in the ass if you prefer an OEM look.

Lastly I would also stay away from high horsepower cars. I know everyone thinks that these Japanese engines can handle infinite power without ever breaking but that is simply not true. Highly tuned cars are far more likely to experience catastrophic engine failure than mildly tuned cars. If a car makes double it’s original horsepower, you better make sure it has been done by a true professional and be prepared for things breaking. There are only 2 scenarios where I think modifications are acceptable.

1. They have been carried out by a professional tuner/shop with a good reputation. or..
2. The parts used are of exceptionally high quality and it looks like no expenses was spared. This also means that all the right supporting mods should be present on the car.

Besides engine mods there are some other common mods that people like to do that in my opinion completely ruin the value of an S13. The number one thing being widebody kits. you can’t get quarter panels from Nissan anymore so those hacked up arches will probably stay like that forever. Most FRP bodykits also fit terribly and are fitted by people with no experience. You can expect horrible fitment, rust issues down the line, and an S13 that just lost most of its value.

Some of these things might not be a reason to walk away, but keep in mind that you might be in for unexpected costs fixing someone else’s mistakes.

Wear and tear

Because these cars are 30 years old you are almost certain to encounter a bunch of wear and tear items that will need to be replaced. Think of wheel bearings, brake lines, brake pads, brake/clutch cylinders, all sorts of bushings, ball joints, and so forth. It is wise to check suspension components for slop and play, and brake components for any excessive wear. Expect to replace at least a couple of these items if you want your S13 to handle like it should.

Besides the wear and tear items, other components can fail with age. This can be anything from a broken wiper motor to a worn-out alternator. I would make sure to check if all the different knobs and buttons in the car work and if the car starts and runs fine.

If the car doesn’t run it can be a host of issues that can be hard to diagnose on the spot. If the car doesn’t start, prepare for the worst and negotiate accordingly. Common reasons these cars don’t start is due to old fuel, broken crank angle sensors, clogged injectors, MAF sensor issues, improper timing, spark issues caused by coils, ignitors, or spark plugs, or in the worst case low compression due to severe engine damage. The last can often be heard when turning the car over. If it turns over really quickly or inconsistently you might have compression issues in some or all off the cylinders.

Unfortunately, most S13s have had a rather poor life. The cars were often beaten on, raced, drifted, crashed, and so on. If you purchase a car which has 10 different colors on its panels, is missing half its interior and doesn’t run, you might want to stay away. It is hard to judge how much a car has been messed with until you start digging into it. I generally view extensive modifications to the car as a negative unless the parts used are expensive top-notch parts. What you will often run into with modified cars is wiring that has been cut up and parts missing because they were ‘deleted’ or went missing and in the worst case, a chassis that has been cut and modified. Unless you are a professional and know what you are doing I would recommend you to stay away from other people’s project cars.

Perform a history check on the S13 you’re looking at

This is something that in my opinion you should check with every car you intend to purchase from the second hand market. The first thing you will want to check is if the car has a clean title. The rules surrounding this vary per country but generally speaking most countries will have a way to check if a car is currently stolen or not legal to drive on the road. A car might not be legal to drive if it has been previously wrecked and deemed unsafe to participate. You might also want to check if the car still has the original engine (especially if you plan to import it from another country). In some countries, government authorities will check if the chassis number and engine number match up. In case they don’t they might question the legality of your engine. If the car has been engine swapped to a different type of engine it might need to undergo inspection to make it road legal.

All of these rules differ per country so you will have to check what applies to you. There are often reports available online that will provide a sort of background check off the car. It should say if the car has a clean title, if it has an accident history, a mileage history, etc. They ussually cost between 10 to 20 USD/EUR and for an unexperienced buyer, definitely worth the money.

When to pull the trigger

So you’ve done the research, you know the history, and you’ve checked the car out thoroughly. Should you buy it? The answer tot his question all comes down to your own skill, willingnes to work on the car, or the extend of which your pockets reach.

If you don’t have a huge budget and are not skilled enough to safe a car, then stay away from project cars. The odds of you finishing someone else’s project car if you have zero experience are small. If you are interested in learning about cars and have the space and budget to do your own wrenching, then go for it. But I will recommend you to stay away from extensive rust. Just make sure that when you buy a project car you pay project prices AKA it has to be really cheap.

If the car looks clean and drives fine then it all comes down to price. The market value of these cars fluctuates and differs per region so it’s hard to say. Do your research and decide for yourself if a car is worth it or not.

I hope this guide will help you purchase the car of your dreams instead of the car of your nightmares.