Selling a non-running Nissan 240SX

These cars still have a following. The last one left the line on July 23, 1998, yet Wikipedia notes that drifting has pushed up prices for S-chassis cars and parts. If someone has offered to buy pieces of yours, compare that with selling it complete before you decide.

S13 and S14

Every 240SX was built at Kanda, Fukuoka, in Japan, with rear-wheel drive and a 2.4-liter KA24 four. The EPA lists a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic for every year.

The twin-cam KA24DE has four valves per cylinder. The S14 also moved the fuel tank: it used to sit at the back, under the trunk floor, and now sits ahead of the rear suspension, behind the rear seats. For 1998 the trims were the 240SX, the SE and the LE, a luxury version added in mid-1997.

What owners reported

NHTSA holds 182 complaints on the 240SX, with 20 crashes, 8 fires, 8 injuries and 3 deaths reported in them. More than three quarters, 139, sit on just three model years: 1989, 1990 and 1995.

1989-1990: fuel injectors

The fuel system is the component named most across all 240SX years, with 49 complaints (most also carry a "gasoline" tag). On the 1989 and 1990 cars, 29 of 79 complaints carry a fuel tag, and 25 mention the fuel injectors. These two years also hold five of the eight fires owners reported. Neither of the two 240SX recalls NHTSA lists covers the injectors.

1995: the tank, the air bag light and the brake light

The 1995, the first S14, has more complaints than any other 240SX year, 60. Of those, 18 carry a fuel tag and 25 mention the fuel tank, on the first model year with the tank in its new spot. We found no recall or Nissan campaign for it.

Air bags come next on the 1995, with 14 complaints, and 7 of them mention the air bag control unit, module or warning light. One recall covers this year: 94V135 (July 1994), on 7,500 cars whose brake warning lamp may stay dark when the fluid in the master cylinder runs low, because a diode was wired wrong.

1989-1991: front seat belts

Recall 95V103 (May 1995) takes in 1989-1991 240SXs among 2,730,462 vehicles. The red front buckle release buttons, marked PRESS, can break, and if pieces drop into the buckle it may not work properly. NHTSA's notice says the belts would then not give adequate protection in a crash. Seat belts account for 18 complaints in all.

240SX complaints and recalls by model year

Built from the October 10, 2026 copy of NHTSA's complaint and recall databases. Crashes are the ones owners reported in those complaints.

Fix it or sell it?

There's no sourced repair price for any of this, so think in terms of what the car needs. On a 1989-1990, the complaints point at the fuel system, the injectors above all. On a 1995, ask about the tank. If the car has been parked a long time, read a car sitting for years before anyone tries to crank it.

Parting it out is the other path some owners take with an S-chassis. Our guide to parting it out or selling it whole compares the work and the risk of each.

Selling your 240SX

Tell us the year, the body (coupe, hatchback or convertible), the transmission and the mileage. If the car is modified, list what's different from stock, and say whether the engine is the original KA24 or something else. Then get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.

Leave the car together. Wheels, seats, the engine, the catalytic converter: if it's on the car now, keep it there until pickup. Mention the spot it sits in and whether the wheels turn and it steers. On collection day, the title and your ID need to be on hand. Plates and the rest of the paperwork: after you sell; if the title is lost, start with selling a junk car with no title.