Hey guys I'm new here and would just like some general direction/advice. So I'm looking at a project car for the spring to start building. My main focus for the car is for backroad/weekend/tracking/road racing NOT drag racing although I may be open to taking it to the strip in the future but for immediate purposes i would like to focus on tracking the car. As the title states, Im debating between an integra either LS or GSR or a 240sx s14. Now i know they both have their pros and cons and i have researched the topic but would like some more in depth info regarding them. One of the reasons I'm interested in the teggy is that the parts are cheap and its a great platform to start with and my brother and one of my friends have both built GSRs so i know people with experience messing around with tegs on the flip side I have always wanted a 240 since i could start driving but I couldn't afford afford, working at mcdonalds at the time lol but now i can afford one but i don't know anyone with experience working on nissans that could be of help with my build. Now I'm not looking to spend anything crazy on the car itself about a 4k budget. If I were to go with the integra (which is most likely what will end up happening), it brings up the GSR vs LS question. If i get the LS that would leave more money leftover for mods like suspension and the like whereas if I get the GSR that will most likely be all of my budget and i will have no money for any immediate mods. That would also be the case with any 240 that I get, no money left for mods. Also at some point I want to turbo any car that i do get but not over 300whp. any thoughts from the experts lol

 

Off the bat, the integra is faster than the 240...gets better MPG, has more aftermarket support, is less primitive, etc.

My first car in highschool was a 240SX. I was getting left in the dust by GSR's. And I couldn't stand getting 17mpg in a 140-150hp car. BUT...I liked RWD and decided to develop the 240 instead of caving in and buying an Integra. Which was dumb because this was like 2003, and I could have gotten an almost new ITR. In any case, I ended up doing a SR20 swap. This was great because nobody had ever heard or seen a SR20 in real life...so the car got tons of accolades. And it was quick...and I picked up some Tein Flexes, 17X9 and 17x10 wheels and BFG KD's. All top of the line stuff at the time.

I never DIDN'T have issues, though. Turbo car problems are awful when you are kind of clueless and 17 years old. I blew a turbo and had to replace it (myself). Bad TPS issues, issues with fuel mapping. I think I actually had less issues than other people because all the parts I bought were high end.

I bought a Honda civic as a daily....and ended up motor swapping it (lol). After that...I kinda realized how much time I had wasted on the 240. I had a lot into it...and I really did like power and RWD. So I kept the 240 and kept buying and modding civics and integras on the side. At the drag strip, the 240 shined. I think I had a freak motor. It ran a 13.3 with the boost solenoid missing (so I was only able to make 7-9PSI). If the driveshaft hadn't broken on the next run, I woulda gone 13.0 or 12.9.

I also would find back roads to totally crush with the 240.

Then...my friends all decided that they were going to evolve from drag strips and back roads and actually do a track day. We decided to go to Road America for a track day. I was getting ready to take my 240, which had upgraded brakes and an alignment, pillow and polyurethane bushings, etc etc by now.

About a month before the track day, I drove my friend's AP1 that he just bought.

Whoops. I had S2000 fever. I loved everything about my Integras/Civics....but needed RWD. The S2000 combined the best parts of my 240 and my hondas. Plus it had AC. And it looked nice. And it was modern.

But if I bought a S2000....would I miss the way the 240's fire belching on every shift, torque on demand, boost noises, high 12 sec quarters, and turbo car personality?

I waited 3 weeks...and then test drove a S2000 at a dealer. Fell in love...and bought it 8 days before the track event. I took the S2000...and never looked back. I sold the 240 in the next few months...and I've never missed it.

Side note: IRONICALLY (not making this up), I had a dream about my 240 last night. But...I drove my S2000 to work today, and still have 0 regrets. My S2000 is almost stock...and I haven't tired of it in 10+ years. I've tracked it mercilessly and taken it to both coasts. It has never broken down or had recurring issues. I can count on one hand, the amount of "issues" I've had in 10 years. A bad wheel bearing. A toasted diff. A worn TCT. Thats it.

Just sharing my experiences.

My cliff's notes to you:
-I was a silly kid. I shouldn't have modded my 240 as much as I did.
-Hondas are just better in almost every single way. I obviously speak from experience. It took me 5 years to admit that I liked my Hondas better than my 240.

Spend money on track days, tires, brakes, and developing the car for a purpose .

Properly turbo'ing a car takes a lot of $$$$$$ and know how. I guarantee this. Even most factory turbo cars have issues. When people think they can build them in their garage and not have issues...its laughable.

Both cars you're considering are fine. If you really want 300hp...its going to be very expensive in either car. But the 240 will likely be more enjoyable at that power level. Because its RWD.

 

Nice, was fun reading your experience. There are too many cars out there to try them all.

To the OP, Have you ever mod a car before? I am a believer that car guys always learn it the hard way in realizing when they have spent too much money and over modding. I spent way too much money on my first car. It is a slippery slope. What I have learned from modding too much is, OEM is really good, and you will learn to compromise between the mods you put on the car and daily drive-ability.

My suggestion is get the GSR with maintenance history (which will be hard), and bring it up to date on maintenance. Get quality parts like OEM Honda Type R if you want to mod it. I highly advise against turbo the car unless you have a lot of money. Please check out my new GSR acquisition build.

 

def really interesting reading your experience with the 240 and no I don't have an experience modding cars but like I said my brother and one of my friends has both modded GSRs so i figured i would just bring them in on the build haha and so far now I am pretty set on the teggy,