If you ever get bored of driving to work then it may be time to invest in a Nissan 200sx.
Ignore the fact that in Japan at least this is one of the few cars that has a girl’s name (Silvia) and marvel in the way that you no longer have to commute in a straight line, with a Silvia you can drive everywhere sideways.
This pretty looking coupe has its origins in 1964, the Silvia line starting with the with the CSP311 2-seat coupe, and has always been immensely popular in Japan.
When the S13 came out in 1989 it sold fairly well here too, giving drivers a cheap, and fast, alternative to a Porsche 944.
It was good looking too and the 164bhp 1.8 turbo engine could haul it to 60 in 6.7 seconds and on to almost 140mph.
It had a good standard spec and there was even a little bit of room in the back for small children.
You wouldn’t want to put your kids in a 200SX if you were pressing on though because the handling was of the type where you could find yourself driving through the side window.
The suspension was a little soft when fresh from the factory, but with big turbo power and rear-wheel drive it was easy to get the back end hanging out.
And for this very reason the car has become something of a drifting legend.
You’d be lucky to see a 200SX these days that doesn’t have a bigger spoiler than a 911 RS and graphics on the side that look like the car has been tagged by a hoodie.
They are easy to tune and although the mods can be a little tasteless there has to be a certain appeal about turning up at the office looking like an extra from The Fast and the Furious.
We found this example on the Autotrader website and thankfully it appears to be the last remaining example that doesn’t have neon tubes bolted on to the underside.
It’s a manual, and a rather attractive green and there is leather on the Porsche-esque seats.
Good body work is handy and the ad says there is lots of history. Apparently the number plate is worth £600 alone but unfortunately it doesn’t say DR1 FT.
The seller reminds you it is fast, but ominously it says it is ‘priced to sell’ because the MOT is about to run out.
All this for £995, so get down Halfords buy a box of LED’s and get to work.
Ad says: 1994 NISSAN 200 SX 1.8 3dr Coupe. £995
Manual, Green. Turbo coupe. Priced to sell! (due to MOT expiring) Road Angel installed. Leather interior. Body work very good. Complete with a file of history, receipts etc. Private
number plate recently valued at £600! Fast, nice looking car!!. £995.
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