18/09/2021
!!!BARN FIND ALERT!!!
We have a 1990 Nissan Axxess AWD up for sale. If you are interested, you can make an offer now while it’s in its “as found” condition. We will be incrementally fixing the few things that need work, re-assessing its value, and putting it up for sale on a repeating basis as we fix things, until it sells. Look over the many pictures… it’s a rare find. 115,775 miles on the odometer.
This is a one-year-only car sold in the US. It has a 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine (KA24E), 4-speed automatic transmission & transaxle, and factory all-wheel drive. Research indicates that this is a one-year US model, and the drive-train was borrowed from the Nissan Skyline utilizing the ATTESA system or Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-terrain to mimic 4-wheel steering. It has well-working sliding side doors on both sides, fold-down rear seats, and a lifting rear door. It was last licensed in 2010. Per our research an SR20DET should bolt right to the existing transaxle.
The Good:
The engine starts and runs quietly;
The transmission shifts and the car was driven for a short distance (about 2 blocks);
The interior in general is very-good-to-excellent;
It has automatic seat belts for the driver and front passenger;
The glass is good everywhere except the windshield has a small crack in one corner that was repaired sometime in the past and there’s a small rock chip that appears to be repairable using standard techniques;
The cast aluminum wheels and the tires appear to be in very good shape with good tread left;
The spare wheel and tire are present;
The paint is generally in very good shape;
The body appears in very good shape generally with minimal rust (see “The Bad” below);
All doors and windows appear to work as intended;
It has power locks (that work!);
No driveline hitches or noises were noted during the short loading drive;
All external lights and lenses are in-place, in good shape, and appear to be working
The Bad:
The dash vinyl has a Y-shaped crack that appears repairable and is on our list for a fix;
The hood has an odd-looking form of paint flaw called lacquer-check that we would probably leave “as-is” because it has an almost artistic look and feel to it;
The passenger-side mirror casing is gone and the mirror lens is crunched (damaged in transport, others have been located);
Its hard to tell, but the passenger side front end might have taken a hit in the past, however, it is not clear enough to be certain (if it was damaged, all repairs were done appropriately);
There are small areas, particularly around bodywork corners, where the topcoat of paint appears to be flaking;
We have not been able to adequately assess the brakes but have no reason to think they are not working properly;
Rocker panels on both sides underneath the doors have rusted and rotted through, but there are no other apparent rust perforations (should be a quick fix, its an easy shape)
The Ugly:
The main “ugly” is that the transmission has a massive fluid leak when the engine is running;
Our present assessment is that the automatic transmission’s fluid pressure pump has compromised seals or the pump itself is cracked in a way that allows massive leakage;
When the transmission is filled with fluid, it seems to function normally and shifts well from 1st into 2nd gear under load, as well as reverse, but the fluid leaks out within a few minutes when the engine is running and will no longer move the car.
As best we can currently determine, the transmission leaking is the only “ugly”.
It is the first thing we have targeted for fixing.
Once the leak is fixed and the transmission is no longer an issue, the value of the car should increase substantially. After that repair we will again assess the car’s value and re-advertise it, if we haven’t sold it by then.
Long story short, this would be a 4-seasons quirky weekend getaway car, daily driver, or a magazine-worthy one-of-a-kind candidate with a turbo'd engine upgrade.🌪🌪
