Junkyard Find: 1986 Nissan 200SX

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

The 240SX version of the Nissan Silvia has become something of a cult car among drifter types in the United States, but the earlier (1984-88) 200SX version seems to have disappeared from both the streets and the public consciousness. Still, I see the occasional 200SX in wrecking yards these days, and I spotted this red ’86 in a Denver yard last week.

So close to 200,000 miles!

Except for the odd checkerboard seat upholstery, Nissan kept the interior of this car fairly restrained by 1980s standards.

120 horses from the CA20E engine, which was acceptable power in 1986.

Rust-free, straight body, interior pretty good— a Supra of the same vintage and condition would have been worth enough to stay out of The Crusher’s domain.








Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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  • Realpower1 Realpower1 on Nov 29, 2013

    interesting the hideous nissan orange lettering on the switchgear.. i did not realize the recently used hideous orange instrument lighting was a carryover trait from this era.. i suspect this is a reflection of some folks back at hq who think this characteristic is somehow key to the brand identity... it is not.. and i am certain buyers have been repulsed by the color.. i have..

  • Shut up Ike Shut up Ike on Dec 07, 2013

    My first new(er) car was a black '84 notchback. With a 5-speed and a red interior it was a sharp ride! And yes - it had the nanny option (Fuel level...is low/Door is...ajar). She went to the digital graveyard after my stereo got yanked buy some dickweed. The only car I liked more was the car I traded it in on...a brand-new 1990 Integra GS coupe. I wish I had either of them today! Well...those and my '70 Challenger. Or my '68 Chevelle. Or my '67 Coronet. Dammit.

  • The Oracle Well, we’re 3-4 years in with the Telluride and right around the time the long term durability issues start to really take hold. This is sad.
  • CoastieLenn No idea why, but nothing about a 4Runner excites me post-2004. To me, they're peak "try-hard", even above the Wrangler and Gladiator.
  • AZFelix A well earned anniversary.Can they also attend to the Mach-E?
  • Jalop1991 The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged due to suspected improper assembly by the supplier. Over time, partial engagement can cause damage to the intermediate shaft splines. Damaged shaft splines may result in unintended vehicle movement while in Park if the parking brake is not engagedGee, my Chrysler van automatically engages the parking brake when we put it in Park. Do you mean to tell me that the idjits at Kia, and the idjit buyers, couldn't figure out wanting this in THEIR MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICLE????
  • Dukeisduke I've been waiting to see if they were going to do something special for the 60th Anniversary. I was four years old when the Mustang was introduced. I can remember that one of our neighbors bought a '65 coupe (they were all titled as '65 models, even the '64-1/2 cars), and it's the first one I can remember seeing. In the '90s I knew an older gentleman that owned a '64-1/2 model coupe with the 260 V8.
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