my bros 16th isnt too far away and i planned on giving him my beater and my dd neon
i have my turbo neon for me still as a weekend warrior and ive always wanted a 300zx (90+ year the other ones are ugly) i was leaning towards a 3000gt but i dont want a vr4 and i dont want a FWD SL
there are tons of affordable deals on ebay ive been looking at one for 3k with 180 on the clock in NC
another with 140ish on the clcok 2700 NR BIN 4100 OH
and one with a missfire and a 104k for 3500 OH
how reliable are these cars, what are the things that often break and how long is original engine life before a rebuild? just lookin for a quick few facts about their powertrain
3kgt’s, Z32’s and RX7’s…3 of the fab 4 jap cars of the 90’s…were great in the day, but pick one up today and reliability is not going to be a cheap option. if you want a reliable one, expect to pay $15,000 or more for one with less than 60K miles on it.
i would never buy a Z with over 150K miles on it, unless you have all the maintenance records and are sure everything was done on time or before on time.
if you want a fun car, that is almost 20 years old, and still doesn’t look dated…has tons of potential, can be a great project and with the right attention and money (nothing like you’ve mentioned in the cars you posted about being interested in), can be a relatively reliable DD…
i heart Z32’s…there’s not a thing about them i dislike with the exception of the millions of small annoying problems that can tend to surface…but if you’re patient, i say go for it.
and oh, when talking about 3kgt vs. z32…my opinion is very bias, i know there’s a huge aftermarket for both…but the Z32 just seems to be easier to make faster for much less.
thanks for the info, not so much looking for speed thats what the neon is for (ironically), but more of an attention grabber
my boss used to have me deliver cars for him and anytime i was driving around a vr4 or SL i swear the whole world stopped to take a second look and thats how i feel about these cars
i know that’s the 4th…but i dont know anything about the reliability issues of the supra…i just know the Z, 3kGT, and RX7 are all notorious for problems, ranging from stupid vacuum problems (Z) to stupid awd problems (3kgt) to stupid blowing-up-rotary problems (rx7)
ive def had enough problems with 3000gts so i know what ya mean about one thing goin after the other, luckily they were never my cars, but i was always helping getting them back on the road
if it wasnt a tie rod in the front it was a tie rod in the back, a misfire here or there, u joint going, etc. etc. these cars do come with lots of equipment im willing to take that risk
thats why it just might be easier to get an engine rebuilt and then drop it into an existing chassis with a blown one to save some cash, but that may also lead to more problems, i guess maybe i could get lucky and find some little old lady trying to get rid of one for cheap XD
Don’t listen to Andy about the “many little problems” lol. It all depends on the car you buy.
NA Zs are stupid reliable. The maintenance intervals are every 60k, and that’s the only thing you’ll need to do besides change the oil and put gas in it.
When I had my NA, it was almost 180k on the original motor. You won’t need to rebuild it unless it sucked up water or was run on 87 octane it’s whole life. The only thing major I had to do was rebuild the Auto tranny ($500 at AAMCO.)
There are seriously no major issues with these cars. You might hear about “soft valves” in the '90 models, but that’s mostly BS. The most common problem you’ll run into is holes worn into the drivers seat from “too much love” lol. That and the stock silicone filled bushings tend to get worn out after 100k… but you can pick up every bushing you’ll ever want in a package for $200. The only other thing I can think of is that the wire harnesses and connectors get brittle over time. People will complain about engine stumble, etc. but they are too dumb to check their connections most of the time.
Keep in mind that most people don’t sell Zs because they don’t want them anymore; they sell them because they neglected the maintenance and can’t afford to fix it (partially because Nissan dealerships charge poop loads of money.) So it’s very important to find one with Nissan-dealership maintenance records because most other shops don’t have a clue what they’re doing when it comes to these cars. And even more important to find an unmolested (stock) one if you’re just looking for a nice daily driver / cruiser.
… And if you heard the sound of KCuv’s NA Z, you’d be sold
Post up any links to cars you’re interested in, and I can give you some feedback. :tup:
if you can find a decent TT shell with motor problems, i think blk300tt still has the drivetrain from his Z when he wrecked it…
bigger turbos and injectors, ran GREAT, and hauled ass…i can get in touch with him if you’d be interested in something like that to see if he still has the motor and is willing to sell.
The '93 guy says his motor just started blowing white smoke… which is in the worst case the head gasket, best case just condensation… but I wouldn’t risk it unless you can do the gasket yourself.
The '92 needs some obvious body work and looks like it wasn’t taken care of at all… you can see a huge crease on the passenger rocker panel which could be full of rust… meh at best.
The '90 has a small exhaust leak around the manifold?? lol, how does that happen? And do you really want to find out… but it is the best of the bunch. It likely had an off-road experience and the exhaust got tweaked.
I don’t think you should look on eBay. Try the AutoTrader online. You should be able to find a decent one for $3-$4k, but you might need to travel. And avoid Florida cars or North Eastern cars if you can.
God, searching eBay really makes me appreciate mine… it looks like you can’t find a good condition, unmolested Z at all!
Because Florida has the most relaxed laws when it comes to reporting flood / fire / accident damage. It’s easier to “wash” a title too (removing salvaged titles, previously stolen cars, etc.) Hell, they don’t even have safety or emission inspections.
Legally, a seller can say the car is fine but you could be buying a huge POS.
