Selling an old Nissan 200SX

The two cars behind the name

S12, 1984-1988

The S12 reached North America in February 1984, four months after the rest of Nissan's 1984 line. It was built at the Nissan Shatai plant in Kanda, Fukuoka. The XE coupe used the 2.0-liter CA20E with either a manual (five speeds) or an automatic (four), and the hatchback offered the CA20E or the 1.8-liter CA18ET turbo. For 1987 the turbo went away and the SE gained the 3.0-liter VG30E V6 also used in the 300ZX, at 160 hp, then 165 hp for 1988. Nissan planned only 5,000 of each trim and engine in the last two years, and U.S. production stopped in 1988. Nissan's heritage collection notes that a V6 Silvia 200SX took second overall in the 1988 Safari Rally.

B14, 1995-1998

The second 200SX was the Sentra's coupe. It arrived for 1995, replacing both the Sentra coupe and the NX. Base and SE cars had a 115 hp 1.6-liter four; the SE-R had the 140 hp 2.0-liter SR20DE. Every one had dual air bags, with a five-speed stick or four-speed automatic. The SE-R skipped California for 1997 over emissions rules, then returned for 1998 with new head- and tail-lamps but no limited-slip differential. Nissan's 1998 press kit lists ABS as an option on the SE and SE-R and says that year's cars were built in Smyrna, Tennessee.

What owners reported

NHTSA's file is small: 163 complaints across both cars. Two patterns stand out.

Fuel leaks on the 1987-1988. Fuel system is the component listed most on both years, 9 of 13 complaints on the 1987 and 5 of 8 on the 1988, with 7 fire reports between them. One 1987 owner described the fuel line from the injectors to the fuel rail leaking until the car died. The file has no recall for it.

Air bag lights on the 1995-1997. Air bags lead the complaints on the 1995 (25 of 51), the 1996 (12 of 37) and the 1997 (5 of 16). Owners describe a warning light that stays on or keeps flashing. One was told by a dealer that the SRS computer had failed; another heard from Nissan that the part was discontinued. We found no recall or bulletin behind it. The 1995 also logs 18 crashes and 14 injuries, the most of any 200SX year.

The three recalls

• 1987-1988: front seat belt buckle release buttons that can break, part of a 2.7-million-vehicle Nissan recall (95V103).
• Early 1995, 950 cars: air left inside the ABS hydraulic actuator, lengthening pedal travel and stopping distance (95V028).
• 1995-1998: water can wash the grease out of a wiper linkage ball joint until the linkage separates and the wipers stop (98V093).

Complaints and recalls by model year

Both 200SX generations, counted from NHTSA's bulk data on October 10, 2026. The two complaints filed under 1989 and 1991 fall between the two cars' U.S. runs.

Fix it, or sell it?

The newest 200SX is 28 years old, so this is a judgment about the car in front of you. Get a written list of what it needs, with a price on each line, and compare the total with what a running one of the same year and trim sells for. If it has sat for years, the guide to cars that have been sitting covers the usual first problems, from flat tires to a dead battery. Before you decide, check the VIN for open recalls at NHTSA.

Selling one as it sits

Ask for an offer online or call (877) 421-6008. Tell us the year, the engine and the trim, whether it's an S12 or a B14, and what's wrong with it. Say where it's parked and whether the wheels still turn.

Leave it complete. If parts are already gone, list them, since that changes the offer. Have the title in your name ready for pickup; if it's missing, selling without a title explains each state's replacement route.