RyviusRan

It's hard to find a Z31 GLL in good condition where I live but I've found one from a guy listing his on Craigslist.

1986 Nissan 300ZX For Sale - Great Shape!

My question is if his asking price of $4000 is reasonable.
It seems to be in well kept condition and the only things he lists as being problems is the air conditioner needs to be recharged and the odometer stopped working.

The thing that bothers me is that the guy never had to have the transmission or clutch replaced or the engine rebuilt and he doesn't know what repairs the previous owner made.

It should have around 200k mileage on it so the clutch should definitely have been replaced a couple of times and probably a lot more work done to it than what the current owner has added.

The seller is very compliant and has answered a lot of my questions along with keeping records of his own repairs and supplying the VIN.

zxguy1986

I would say the 'reasonable' price is what you are willing to pay. You need to take a spin in it with the owner and see and feel everything working - and the things not working. You'll feel if the clutch is still solid and the tranny is tight. If so, don't worry about them now. If there is work clearly needed, use that to negotiate the price down. A Carfax check will show any really big discrepancy in the mileage. The AC has at least a leak and may need more than that repaired or replaced. I would put some refrigerant in and see how long it cools - if at all.

Since nobody sells a car that needs no work at all, keep some extra money available for that. Tires, brakes, etc. Z31s are amazing machines and can always be brought back to a reliable 100% with the right kind of attention and a little smart mechanical work. They are just a great ride.

Pick up a freebie service manual at XenonZ31 Reference and check out the inspection and troubleshooting pages. First rate references there. Good luck and report back!

ken99

About 3 years ago, I tracked the asking price and sale price of just about every Z31 offered up on Ebay for 4 or 5 months. Excluding the special edition cars, about the only factors that seem to affect sale price was mileage, turbo vs NA engines and auto vs manual trannies. GL vs GLL didn't seem to matter much. Of course everyone describes these cars in good to excellent condition, unless obvious problems are shown in the photos. All cars with less than 100K, especial cars with less than 50K, commanded a higher price. Most cars with $5K or more reserve seldom sold, again except for the special editions. On cars with NA engines in reasonable shape with more than 150K miles, I would say most sold for $1000 to 1500. Turbo cars were ~$1,000 more. You have the luxury of seeing this car first hand. I would only pay $4,000 if the car was a turbo in exceptional condition. zguy1986 is right though, the car is worth what you are willing to pay.

Desert Rat

Very clean and appears to be rust free, but the miles are way up there, and if she's never been overhauled, that's probably not far off.

He's got a couple grand in suspension and upholstery most likely, so those things are done and if you found a lower mileage car where that hasn't been done, chances are you'd be spending that anyways.

Cast a $3200 offer out if you like the car and it drives good and see if you get a nibble.

I dropped $4700 on my '85 NA last summer. No dash cracks, 101k on he clock, new AC compressor, brake master, clutch master, clutch slave, headlight / turn signal switch, radiator, recent timing belt, nice original paint and zero rust. Since then I've put close to another $4k in it with all new suspension, clutch, leather seats, speaker upgrade, tires, brakes, vacuum lines, rear louver, etc. Most here would probably say I paid too much for the car, but I got a solid platform out of the deal, and functioning AC in Arizona is important!

RyviusRan

I am currently trying to get a carfax from the seller.
If it had around half the mileage and was in the same condition as the seller describes then I would have no problem purchasing it for the price listed or maybe slightly higher but since it's at the 200k mark it makes me think he is trying to sell it right before it needs a lot of work done to it.
I wouldn't want to purchase a Z31 for 4k just to have to drop another few thousand and spend a lot of time overhauling it.
If the price was lower the repairs wouldn't bug me as much.

He hasn't sold the car in the few months he has had it listed up on Craigslist which probably means most people share my opinion.
In one of the photos in the ad it shows that he was originally trying to sell it for 4.5k.

I've wanted a Z31 for quite some time, especially the GLL version, but I don't want to overpay on it.
I am patient in waiting.
If it hasn't sold (which I doubt it will) I will most likely schedule a meet up next month when I am in the area and bring a friend who is more experienced with Z31s.

Desert Rat

I tend to agree with you. Unless that motor has been rebuilt, it might run ok, but it's not far from needing a cash infusion. Mine was only a few hundred more, in similar condition, with half the miles.

RyviusRan

His argument is that he babied the car and took very good care of it so it should last longer than other Z31s that people abuse.
Of course I only have his word to go on.
I have heard stories of people getting their VG30 engine past 300k miles without issue.

He seems sincere but people can be good actors.

He did say he recently purchased a 50th anniversary edition for 2.5k with 130k miles but it ended up being a lemon and the seller lied to him.
My guess is that he is trying to get rid of this 86 Z31 in order to use the money for repairing his anniversary model.

My friend says he is lying about the price for the suspension.
He says that he had the same one and purchased it for around half the price.

The seller also added that the car will occasionally have a rough idle on a cold start and was told that it can be fixed by replacing the CHTS sensor.
He also added the brakes still have some meat on them but may need to be replaced soonish.

RyviusRan

Just got a reply back and the guy says the lowest he will sell it is 3500USD.
....I will have to think on it.

He posted some more photos too.

zxguy1986

No doubt that Z31 is in good physical condition - but there is still no substitute for taking your spin in it. You need to see, hear, feel it running. If you don't do 5 spd yet, let him drive. If he let's you drive it, don't blow the clutch by testing it at the limits. When you know what isn't right, his price comes down.

I like DesertRat's posts above. He has the idea. You get to pour a lot of money and time into a Z because you love it when it finally runs right - exactly the way you want. Forget about getting that money back. It won't happen. But you win anyway. You got your Z and it flies!

RyviusRan

I've decided I am going to meet up to inspect the vehicle.
Although I probably won't have the time to drive down until next week or the week after.

I am not too experienced with Z31s but I have spent some time looking at the reference documents.
I would be grateful for some advice from Z31 owners.
What things I should keep an eye on and what are the most common problems that should not go overlooked?

Desert Rat

Rebuilding a suspension to OEM with poly bushings, including struts, springs, tierods, balljoints, all the soft parts, shocks, etc. is close to a grand in parts. If he paid someone else to do it, I can easily see another grand in labor, so $2k isn't far off if he paid a shop to do it.

On the cold start rough idle, I'm not sure that's CHTS related, but it is common. Brake pads are cheap.

Desert Rat

Look for things you'd look for on any used car....

Check the oil. Clean? No water bubbles indicating head gasket issues?
Brake fluid shouldn't be black. If it is, the system needs flushed
Power steering fluid shoudln't be burned.
Look for uneven tire wear
Make sure all lights, dash items, HVAC stuff works.
Get under the car and look at the floorboards and frame rails for rust.
When driving, does it shift smooth, accellerate smooth, stop right, etc.


Common issues:
Make sure cold air blows out of the vents that it should. If it blows cold out the defog vents only, for instance, you have a vacuum line issue. If he's never done all the HVAC vacuum lines, figure on doing that yourself. After 30 years they get brittle underhood, and crack and leak, causing issues with HVAC operation
Look for weird camber in the rear end. That'll tell you if he replaced rear springs or not. If he says he did urethane suspension bushings, look for them. Most of the kits use red bushings...they'll be obvious. Same for rear shocks - you'll be able to tell if they're newish. The fronts are hidden in the strut housing so bounce the car by hand and make sure things are dampened as they should be.

Inspect the interior closely. Interior parts are expensive and add up quick if you're looking to restore. In dry climates like AZ and CA, if a car has a trashed interior, I move on because the cost to fix that stuff exceeds what the car is worth.

Otherwise, drive it, and drive it as hard as he'll let you to see what bugs pop up. At that price and with that mileage, I'd walk away if there's ANY problems with the car.

RyviusRan

The seller sent me some more pictures.
He said the driver's side door had some cracking on the trim so I asked for a picture.
I also asked for some pictures of the underside.

The underside is pretty dirty and he says he's never gotten around to washing it down, but assures me that it's not rusty.

zxguy1986

The driver's door panel can be replaced or patched, your call. They are avail at yards, check car-part.com for one near you. Maybe $150 w/ shipping? Not much rust to see underside. Nice.

Taking a spin is next? I think she could be a winner - but see what's still working 100%

RyviusRan

Yah I am going to try checking it out on the 13th.
The guy lives about 100 miles away from me so I am really hoping I am not wasting my time.

I am going to check everything I can think of and what others might add.

For the past couple of weeks I've been drilling the guy with all sorts of questions and requests of pictures.
He's been nice enough to answer them all so I am hoping it turns out great.

Desert Rat

update?