Looking at a '93 TT, need advice
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Looking at a '93 TT, need advice
Okay, I read the sticky'd threads about what to look for, and I have been reading up elsewhere too.
I am seriously looking at buying a 93 TT with ~109K on it. The seller has been completely upfront over the phone about the car but I must travel a long distance to even take a look at it so I would like a little advice. I have already run a Carfax on it (clean, only 4 records).
Here is what I know about the car from the seller:
1993 300ZX TT, 5 speed, Black, Black Leather Interior, Spoiler, 17" aftermarket wheels and tires. The factory wheels sans rubber come with it.
He is the second owner, bought it a little over a year ago. Carfax confirmed this. Complete service records available. It has been running Mobil 1 for years.
These are the pre-disclosed issues with the vehicle...
Interior:
Driver's door panel has wear mark and small crack where you would hang your
arm out the window.
Passenger side window switch will not roll the window up, only down.
Shift **** is worn.
Driver's seat side bolster leather has worn through and the stitching is
starting to come undone in the seat.
Exterior:
Stone chips in front fascia.
Small surface rust spot under driver's side rocker panel.
Paint is still glossy but will need detailing to get the luster back.
Power antenna mast is broken but the motor is still functioning.
Mechanical:
Needs a timing belt replacement in another 10K or so.
Clutch replaced at 83K by original owner and last November by new owner.
Red flag until he explained that the throwout bearing went prematurely and
he decided to have the entire clutch replaced with the OEM part. He said he
has the records so I will expect to see a work ticket for this one.
Otherwise it would scream abusive driving, seeing he ownly owned it 6 months
before the new clutch went in.
Front rotors may need to be turned or replaced due to a shimmy when braking
at high speed.
Rear brakes will need new pads soon.
Shocks are okay but to get it "tight" again it may need new ones. These are
the adjustable shocks.
I can do all the repairs except for paint myself. So at worst it may need $2000 worth of work to get her back up to shape until something else wears out.
Now for the questions.
What price should I consider fair and what other issues should I look out for? I can and will walk away from the car if I see anything sketchy. I have already checked KBB and NADA on it but they are not always accurate.
Thanks for your time...
I am seriously looking at buying a 93 TT with ~109K on it. The seller has been completely upfront over the phone about the car but I must travel a long distance to even take a look at it so I would like a little advice. I have already run a Carfax on it (clean, only 4 records).
Here is what I know about the car from the seller:
1993 300ZX TT, 5 speed, Black, Black Leather Interior, Spoiler, 17" aftermarket wheels and tires. The factory wheels sans rubber come with it.
He is the second owner, bought it a little over a year ago. Carfax confirmed this. Complete service records available. It has been running Mobil 1 for years.
These are the pre-disclosed issues with the vehicle...
Interior:
Driver's door panel has wear mark and small crack where you would hang your
arm out the window.
Passenger side window switch will not roll the window up, only down.
Shift **** is worn.
Driver's seat side bolster leather has worn through and the stitching is
starting to come undone in the seat.
Exterior:
Stone chips in front fascia.
Small surface rust spot under driver's side rocker panel.
Paint is still glossy but will need detailing to get the luster back.
Power antenna mast is broken but the motor is still functioning.
Mechanical:
Needs a timing belt replacement in another 10K or so.
Clutch replaced at 83K by original owner and last November by new owner.
Red flag until he explained that the throwout bearing went prematurely and
he decided to have the entire clutch replaced with the OEM part. He said he
has the records so I will expect to see a work ticket for this one.
Otherwise it would scream abusive driving, seeing he ownly owned it 6 months
before the new clutch went in.
Front rotors may need to be turned or replaced due to a shimmy when braking
at high speed.
Rear brakes will need new pads soon.
Shocks are okay but to get it "tight" again it may need new ones. These are
the adjustable shocks.
I can do all the repairs except for paint myself. So at worst it may need $2000 worth of work to get her back up to shape until something else wears out.
Now for the questions.
What price should I consider fair and what other issues should I look out for? I can and will walk away from the car if I see anything sketchy. I have already checked KBB and NADA on it but they are not always accurate.
Thanks for your time...
I'm Chillin
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 194
From: Phoenix, AZ
I would always be wary of a TTZ with over 100k miles on it. If you do buy it you need to take into consideration that in near future you may need to replace turbos. $3-6,000. Unless you take them out and just rebuild them yourself. You should check the cause of the shimmy closer. It might be the rotors but it also may be the tension rods (about $200 upgrade). THe bushings will start leaking after some time (usually around 100k). They will need to be replaced if they are leaking. Look for oil leaks. I dont really fall for the early throwout bearing failure. I have changed many many clutches in my time and never had a problem with that one, but it could happen I suppose. The power antenna is an easy fix as with the rust. Well I think a fair price for this car would be around $5000-$8000. $8000 being the extreme high side. I would try to offer like $4-5k and see how he takes it. With all of those problems you mentioned I would never go above $8k and I might not even do that. My .02
Oh also check the shifting. Make sure that the gears shift smoothly and no grinding. If so you will need a rebuild sometime and not to mention the grinding gears is annoying. I think that is it.....We'll see
Oh also check the shifting. Make sure that the gears shift smoothly and no grinding. If so you will need a rebuild sometime and not to mention the grinding gears is annoying. I think that is it.....We'll see
Guest
Posts: n/a
Thanks, what about this one?
That was a very thorough and thought out response that I sincerely appreciate. The owner is asking $12K firm for the car and the more research and people I talk to the more I realize that the price is way out of line. NADA almost shows it to be reasonable, Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds value it between $8 and 9K. I was kind of "getting in a hurry" to get one so I was convincing myself that I might be willing to spend that much to get the color combo I wanted, but the more I sit back and think about it the less sense it seems to make. I just found another one online, a '91 with 25K fewer miles and my second choice color out in AZ for much less than the black one up in MI I was going to look at on Friday.
Last edited by onlyonedr; Jun 2, 2004 at 06:55 PM. Reason: adding a question
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,672
From: Gerber, CA
I have over 150k on my '91tt with the original turbos. I've had no problems. 100k on these cars is not a big deal. You said it's been running Mobil 1 for years, so the turbo bearings should be fine as long as he changed it at the proper intervals and did not run low on oil. The Control Arms could be the cause of your shimmy. It's an easy job and stock arms run $150-$175. If it still has the original factory shocks and springs, then you should consider replacing or upgrading. $12k is pretty steep for this car. $4k-$5k is way low. $8k would be a fair offer. The grinding that you hear when you shift are the synchros, not the gears, and it's common. The manual trannies in these cars are bullet proof. I would question the throw-out bearing as well. Unless the clutch was installed wrong at 83k, I've never seen a throw-out go after 20-25k miles. If the '91 has fewer miles and a lower asking price, if it's in similar condition, then I'd take that car, but the '93 sounds fairly solid.
Guest
Posts: n/a
Thanks for the sound advice. I am having someone I know and trust look at the '91 this weekend for me. 25K fewer miles and from all the pictures it looks like the body and interior are pretty much in perfect condition. It has had the timing belt, water pump, and clutch replaced in the last few thousand miles and supposedly runs tip top shape (needs very little work if anything, as compared to the other car which needed some work). Carfax was clean on this one as well. It does have aftermarket wheels that I do not care for (I was looking for one with stock wheels) but that is not a deal breaker to me if everything else is great with it.
Another question: Did the TTs ever come stock with the chrome wheels? I have seen a few NAs with the chrome wheels but not turbos. Better yet, if they did make them is anyone willing to part with a set? That is if I buy this car though.
Thanks!
Another question: Did the TTs ever come stock with the chrome wheels? I have seen a few NAs with the chrome wheels but not turbos. Better yet, if they did make them is anyone willing to part with a set? That is if I buy this car though.
Thanks!
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