The Story
Back in 2017 I was on Craigslist looking for a car to start my very own and first project build not knowing too much or having any type of knowledge about most cars but i definitely knew more of JDM cars since that was more of my interest. I remember seeing a post that was listed as “Mazda 240rx” confused out of my mind saying “what kind of car is that??” Thinking it would’ve been an insane unique car that nobody even myself has ever heard of. I eventually messaged the guy asking for more information about it. How it looks, what kind of condition it’s in, does it run, etc etc. we discussed a date and time that I could stop by and check out this what I thought was a “one of a kind Mazda 240rx”. Mind you where I stay from where the guy told me to meet him at (was his house) I was a good 2 1/2 hours away from him so a bit of a drive there lol. Anyway I get there and while I’m waiting for this could’ve been young dude like myself to come out. Turned out to be a 55 year old man named Philip. (Cool dude by the way) we had a chat about the car, he’s telling me great things about it but only bad thing was paint which didn’t bother me too much. I get all excited and asked if we can see the car. We walk out to his back yard. Oh, did I mention this guy was a professor at a college and was really wealthy?? I’m talking really REALLY wealthy. The second I look to my right, nothing but classic vintage cars lined up Beautiful sight to see. As I’m trying to look for a Mazda he comes around the corner in a Nissan 240 SX not RX lol I asked him “where’s the Mazda you had listed on CL?” He looked dead into my eyes and said “this is the Mazda” baffled I was. No literallly I was so lost out of my mind I thought he was messing with me. So I laughed and just went with it until I realized he was being genuinely honest and serious about it being a Mazda. I asked “how do you know it’s a Mazda?” Mind you there was no badges on the car anywhere. It just have the (240sx) logo on the corner windows. He told me “ I had these guys asking about the car a week before and told me that they would give me $500 for it” he had it listed for $3500 at the time. I know I wish 240’s cost that much till this day lol. Then he said “they asked me if I knew what I was selling and I told them no but it runs, tags are up to date, and theirs no issues with it besides the bad paint job” he told me that he had asked them since they know more about the car than he does if they could tell him what kind of car was it. I guess the guys before me told him that it was just an old school “Mazda 240rx” and that the “people” who put the hatch glass messed up on the lettering. I asked him if he had the title that it would say on it of course but sadly didn’t have it and would have to go to the DMV to have that issue resolved. So I guess he eventually believed these guys and thought the whole time it was a Mazda. I eventually told him that it was never a Mazda and that it was a Nissan. I asked him what would be the lowest he would go and told me $3k flat. Sadly I had only brought $2k with me since that was I had saved up for during that time. I eventually told him that he could sell the car for way more than 3500 and that I sadly can’t purchase the car from him since I was low on the funds. I shook his hand and told him to have a great day and that i was sorry to have wasted his time. He then found some type of generosity in his heart and told me to come back before I had took off in my moms car (I had no car) I went back to him thinking I maybe forgot something. He eventually came out with a pin and paper and said to me “since you were honest with me and told me the truth about this car knowing what it truly is and what kind of value it holds, I’ll tell you what. Give me $1k and it’s yours” I smiled ear to ear and thanked him. I couldn’t believe it. I asked why and told me “I would rather sell it to someone who’s honest and would actually teach me on something I no idea about other than to someone who just made it up thinking I’ll just get rid of it that easy” i appreciate him for that and till this day. This car has seen a dramatic change and is still going strong till this day. Currently undergoing from a dually KA, SR, to now a 2jz! Here’s a photo of how it looked when I first got it.
