I am considering purchase of a 92 to 93 SE-R for autocross and other race related purposes. Many of the vehicles in this age range have mileage well in excess of 100,000. I am interested in performing only minor modifications to the vehicle. I would appreciate any advice you could provide relating to overall vehicle reliablity, specific model year problems and how well suited you would consider this vehicle for autocross'. Thank you in advance.

1. Good for you! Best car move you'll make. Trust me.

2. I autocross (STS up until early 2001, then into Street Mod) my '93 SE-R, and can tell you the car's overall reliability will hinge on how the former owner(s) maintained the car. I bought mine new.
-'91-92 cars have the ever-troubling fifth gear popout problem, but it's not as apparent in the '93-94 cars.
-If you're going to run in the 'stock' classes, then get some good struts (KYB AGXs come to mind), good springs, good brake pads/rotors, bolt on some sticky Kumho V700s to the stock 14-inch wheels, and have at it!
-Other maintenance issues are really just typical items that need to be checked/changed every year or so: Distributor cap, rotor, fuel filter, etc. Nothing major.
-Never let your oil get below the 'full' mark.

3. SE-Rs are very well suited to autocross duties. There are only two in the two SCCA regions I autocross with, and both of them I must admit are usually in the quickest/fastest 25% of the cars at any event. Sometimes, even better than that. You can rev the car high, and will never get out of 2nd gear at an autocross, which will leave you more time to concentrate on other things, like turning, braking, etc.

4. If given proper maintenance, 100,000 miles is nothing to a SE-R. I didn't begin autocrossing mine until the 146,000 mile mark. The car will take abuse and like it, as long as you do the minor things mentioned above.

5. Mods? Decide which SCCA class you want to autocross in and use that as a guide. Stock won't let you get away with much. Street Touring/Street Tire (STS) will let you get away with a lot of mods, and Street Mod (SM) is as close to a free-for-all as you can get with a street car.

6. Most importantly....have fun.

i'm modifying my car to my decisions, and then just autocrossing for fun. setting your car up for one class seems kinda boring really. you find yourself crying because you can't get what you want, and you have to buy newer and more expensive stuff to stay competitive. a sts neon has like 3-4 grand in his suspension, and he's going to redo it soon to stay competitive. wtf!?

Thanks for the advice. I currently own a 97 Maxima SE but don't really want to use it for racing becuase of it's value. Do most people purchase a second vehicle for racing?

I'm not very interested in drag racing but autocross looks like fun. Are there any types of racing that allow you to race other people on a track? I'd be interested in any car clubs that you might recommend. The only one I am somewhat familiar with is the SCCA.

High miles aren't trouble. I'd be more apt to trust a clean, well-maintainted SE-R with 175k on the clock than a thrashed, oceanside SE-R with 75k.

Finding a sharp "Classic" is a chore. They're affordable, everyone who knows about them wants one, and the good ones are getting snapped up. Like any decade-old car, old age and accidents are slowly leaching away the total population. If you find one that's in good shape and not on the other side of the country, jump.

The SR20DE is a bulletproof engine if given typical, regular maintenance, so don't worry about 100k+ miles. You're not going to find a Classic with lowish miles, anyway. Outside the wear and crash damage you look for in any used car, just make sure fifth gear doesn't pop out. Almost all of our cars squeal and clatter at startup, so don't worry about that - it's 99% harmless.

The SE-R is an all-around fun car to drive in autocrosses and track lapping days. It would have been the perfect all-rounder from the factory if it had pillar-mounted seatbelts, the bigger NX2000 front brakes, and the slightly bigger wheels from the factory. They got it right, if you ask me.

Good luck finding the Right One.

I agree wholeheartedly with JimR here, high mileage to an SR20 isn't something you should worry about. Mine was immaculate when I bought it at 169k 5 months ago, and it still runs good now with 182k on the clock. Take care of it if you get it, and as long as it wasn't abused by it's previous owner, you should be fine. Good luck!