Try and get a 92 on model, as they had a few worthwhile improvements over the old bangers.
BUT, as I said above DON'T buy a "Scruffy", coz it'll keep ya broke. If you go for a turbo, make sure that the turbo's have been recond semi-recently coz they're hell expensive to get worked on.
Just take ya time and find a good one (preff., non-turbo) and it'll treat ya right.
If ya's have a talk to John Jantzen (Tassie member), he owned one for some years, and would be a good source of info
I've driven a lot of them over the years, and MY recomendation would be a 2+2 NON-turbo, Targa top, Auto with leather for a car with reasonable performance that won't cost a mint to run, but still look stylish. The 2 seater Twin-turbo's are fast & furious, but once the novelty wears off, they become a pain to own & drive.
Caveat: This is from the perspective of a 52 yr.old who's been there and driven that, and now drives Nanarishly
Sunday, June 04, 2006 - 06:55 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
Andrew, if you have a licence issue, the non turbo is the way to go. They still go OK if given the berries(i drove a manual), but as Don says, take your time and the right one will come up.
Monday, June 05, 2006 - 02:50 pm, by: Marc Vipond(04awe)
My mate owns one the better examples travelling around at the moment. Having driven it I must say the rb30dett is a mighty engine. Looks wise they don't appeal to me, too flat for my liking. I have seen some fairly wicked kits however that go a long way toward improving the aesthetics. My mate has found modifications to be expensive at the best of times and fairly limited as space under the hood is non existent!! They've come down a lot in price of recent however the quality available has also dropped dramatically. If you are set on buying one bide your time don't just jump in and buy the first one with big rims and nice paint. Go onto some of the 300zx forums and look in the tech pages find out the common problems and associated costs and start developing a list of things to look out for when buying one second hand based on this. Make sure you cost insurance as well i have heard it can be fairly hefty!!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 08:42 am, by: Perry Morgan(Uzz32)
A mate who used to run an import wreckers once told me that his most profitable customers were the 300zx owners. They were always needing bits. And he personally was not a fan of the 6782 vacuum hoses on the engine that always seem to crap themselves.
Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 09:49 pm, by: John Jantzen(Taslex)
I owned a 1991 300zx Z32 NA from early 2000 until late 2005. A lot has already been covered. I searched for a while until buying a really good one. I thought the Australian model was a better proposition, less powerful but cheaper to insure and a known history is so important with these cars. I had NO trouble at all with mine. I bought it with 130000 on it and sold it with 152000 on it. I didn't need a major service in the time I owned it, but they are VERY expensive $1000-$1400 depending on who does it. I had a month or so overlap with owning my Soarer. The Zed felt bigger on the road (it's a fair bit wider than a Soarer) and feels less substantial. Very precise handling, but less directional stability, and a light-in-the-rear feel which made you wonder just how close it was to letting go (it never did). The engine loves to rev - I agree that it would be easier to lose your license in a Zed. The Zed engine has a design problem - it is an interference engine - and of course that means basically a new engine if the cam belt lets go. I don't know why they persisted with the VG30DE engine - the excellent VQ30DE became available in 1995, so why didn't Nissan develop this engine and substitute it? I've got a Maxima with a VQ30DE and it's a great engine. I think buying a TT 300zx is something you should only approach with a very big budget. They perform amazingly, but so many have been tweaked and fiddled with until they are grossly unreliable. As several people have said, this is a horrible car to work on, too. Access to almost anything other than service parts (eg filters) is a long job. Nearly all 300zx's will blow their heater core - a similarly difficult job to the Soarer, but access is grim even once you get the dash out. Apart from the heater core, there is a hell of a lot of stuff jammed between the back of the engine and the firewall. Accessed only by removing the gearbox or the engine. I suspect the VG30DE was designed as a Mid East-west engine, under which conditions access to everything could have been better. I lived in fear of blowing a minor hose - $300+ labor to replace a $10 hose is a real pain!. I don't agree that 300zx's are "factory lemons" - a good one is an absolute joy - I loved mine, but it's definitely a car to own for the first 10000Kms of its life and then get rid of. As several people have noted, it's a very beautiful shape, and I never tired of looking at mine. Unfortunately its good looks attract all the jealous s**ts around, and many of these cars get keyed or worse. I've never been sorry I bought my Soarer. It's more stable on the road, easier to work on, more forgiving in its handling, parts are cheaper etc etc. I wouldn't buy another 300zx - despite owning 8 other Nissan Zeds over the past 30 years.
Monday, June 12, 2006 - 10:35 am, by: John Jantzen(Taslex)
Further to my post, here is a picture of the back of the 300ZX TT engine. There is no more than 30mm between the back of the engine and the firewall. I think if I'd seen this picture before I bought my 300zx, I doubt if I'd have gone ahead with the purchase!
I don't know if I said this forcibly enough - the 300zx does not relax you when you drive it - it's a hyperthyroid sort of beast which encourages you to give it a go - not so good for preservation of your license. My v8 limited feels good at any speed - even just cruising along at legal speeds. It just lopes along on all that torque. While the Soarer is deceptive in how it does high speeds, as is the Zed, the Soarer feels good at any speed, whereas the choppy, less sophisticated (sporty?) ride of the 300zx encourages you to drive it at a speed where the suspension begins to feel smooth - somewhere beyond 120kph. When all's said and done, too, remember that the 300zx should probably not be compared to the Soarer - more likely the Supra. Alternatively the Nissan Leopard compares more to the Soarer as a luxury GT car rather than a sporty. If all that other members and myself have said does not put you off, then I would rate the desirability of Zeds as: Most desirable: Aus Market 2+2 1990-1996 - later the better - except the last two years dropped VVT (but still cost $90000+ here!). Insurance on the Aus model is affordable - for any of the others it is just plain crazy! ($1500+ per year) Next most desirable: Jap import 2+2's NA - hard to find, though. Next most: Jap import 2 seat NA's (but the 2 seaters are more "twitchy" in their handling because of the shorter wheelbase) Last: Anything Turbo! (For the reasons already given) And don't forget: History is EVERYTHING with these cars! Factor in about $1500 for a 100,000 km service if you don't get very good evidence of it having been done.
Monday, June 12, 2006 - 04:00 pm, by: Thads Cooke(Thadz)
I worked for a performance & prestige workshop for a while which specialised in 300's. Most of our customers' cars were immaculate (ie: not the poorly maintained timebombs) and even so - They were always in the 'shop, and they were always expensive!
I thinks its all been said above, but unless you're a real fanatic and happy to spend the $$, there are better cars out there!
Monday, June 12, 2006 - 07:15 pm, by: Vinh Bui(Hyudsjk)
Andrew, how long did you lose your licence for mate? I always thought that if you lost your licence, you'd still be able to drive turbo's and V8's? You'll just be restricted to one passenger when you get your licence back.
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