Hey guys, new guy here, currently looking for a Z. I figured I would join up and learn while I look for one.

I currently own a couple of Preludes, one of which is my daily. I have been building them for years, but, I'm tired of the Honda scene now. Used to be, I could find nice JDM accessories for them, but now it's all peel and stick carbon fibre trim, and, arcade game style steering wheels. The ownership has moved downmarket as well. I am not looking forward to the part out. Some scrawny kid in a hat 3 sizes too big for his head lowballing the *** off me.

I was looking online and found a Z at a dealer for a decent price. It's not exactly what I had dreamed my Z would be, but it looks like a decent platform to start with.

1992 300ZX NA 2+2.

+ Clean
+ No rust that I can see
+ Leather
+ Price isn't bad for a daily
+ Carfax says: No accidents, no damage, no theft. Shows that the camshaft seals were replaced in 04.


- Automatic (I hate automatics) Though perhaps it hasn't been abused as badly as a manual? I would definitely swap out the slushbox for a manual if I get this one.

- Small dings on the hood and the roof rails (on the edges of the t-tops). Looks like hail damage.

- Carfax says it has more often than not failed emissions (sniffer test) since it was first tested in 1999. It passes the very next day though. Why would that be?

My biggest concern is the driver side front fender isn't aligned properly. The gaps along the hood are equal, and everything else lines up, but the fender bulges outward where it meets the door. Looking at it perpendicular, the gap between the door and the fender are good as well. Looking forward though, you can see right in to the door hinges. At the top, where it meets the a-pillar, it doesn't sit quite right either. I can push on the bottom of the fender where it meets the rocker panel, and it moves, almost back to perfect alignment. It feels as though someone took the fender off for some reason, and didn't bolt it back up properly.


Here are some pics of it. I didn't take them, so I apologize for the limited scope.
























Here are a couple of pics of the fender issue:

All four corners of the hood line up.



This seam doesn't quite line up like the passenger side. There is a bevel. or grove in the a-pillar that the fender meets, but on the drivers side, it sits high, and it just doesn't look right.


The gap. The fender feels loose and can be pushed back in to sit flush by hand. Could someone have taken it off to get to a wire harness underneath, and not re-installed it properly?


Almost no gap on the passenger side:



Hopefully a few sharp eyed Zedders (Zee'rs?) can spot any red flags in those pics and give me a heads up.

I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can, and getting to know you all.

 

^Forgot to mention it has 134000 miles.

 

Is the bottom of the fender secured to the body? Should be 2 bolts (if I recall correctly) holding the fender on at the bottom. Sometimes that lip gets crushed, which pushes the fender up and bows it out. I would look under there, if its not secured just bolt it back on. If the lip is crushed, you would have to try to straighten it out, and then try to bolt it back up. Good luck on your search, take your time.

 

Hey guys, thank you for the replies. I appreciate the help.


I went to go see the car again today. I drove it around for about half an hour. A couple of highway runs, and some tooling around on surface streets.

This was my first time ever driving a Z.

First impression was: WOW.

Second, was "I am going to get into trouble with this car." In the blink of an eye I was doing 30 over on the highway!


The car felt very solid, heavy, and small. The steering was very heavy, but felt connected to the road. I prefer the tactile feel of underboosted steering, and a clutch pedal that gives lots of feed back. None of this pinky finger steering BS in other cars.

The tires are absolute garbage, and I think the alignment is a bit off. I found that at higher speeds 70MPH+ the car felt a bit floaty and squirrely, as though it had 4 wheel steering...and had been drinking.

Is there really no tilt steering??? I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find a lever for it.


There is no documentation with the car. So I'm going to have to assume the 120k service wasn't done. I really hope it was, but with no proof, who knows. I know on the H22 there are noises that are a sign of timing belt issues, are there any for the Z?


Carfax says:

06/11/2004 93,827 Service Facility Vehicle serviced
Odometer reported as 151,000 kilometers

07/22/2004 98,642 Service Facility Camshaft seal(s) replaced
Odometer reported as 158,750 kilometers



I took some pictures and videos of the car. Hopefully they will help you guys get a better idea of what it is I was seeing.

The fender problem was (as someone noted) a jacked up jacking job. They dinked it up pretty good.

Here is a picture of what is left of the pinch weld on the drivers side.


My heart stopped when I saw it. The rust is really kind of scary, and the whole area looks pretty mangled. Thoughts?

Here is a different view of the same spot. It's not a great picture, but it also shows something dripping. The car had been running for approximately 15 minutes at that point, and I had parked it there long enough to get out, get on the ground and look underneath. Its a pretty good leak in my estimation.



Rear pinch weld... ....eep.



Apparently the brake lines blew a couple of months back, and they had them replaced. Obviously not oem... I don't like the looks of these at all. What is the availability of parts like this? I know for the Prelude, a lot of stuff is discontinued, and a total pain in the *** to get.




Videos!

This is pretty crappy, but it was -13 degrees outside. The car hadn't run in a long time, but had been running for about 15 minutes at this point.



Just because I love the sound...



This engine noise was a little worrying to me.. it sort of sounded like an electric pencil sharpener.


WTF is that sound at 13 seconds?




Issues that I noted:

- ABS light is on. I don't know what the code is.

- Shitty looking brake lines.

- Fluid leak.

- Strange rattling/scraping engine sound. Head shields? Timing belt?

- Radio and clock have no power. (fuse issue?)

- Antenna mast torn off completely. (Will generic replacements fit?)

- The red reflective part where the third brake light is, has a crack. (Hard to find a replacement?)

- Misc light bulbs burnt out.

- Tires are crap.

The car comes certified and emissions tested, so it has to have new tires, and the safety items fixed.

The dealer has it on for $4000 CDN, or $3250US. 134000 miles.


What do you guys think? I am mechanically inclined (went to college for automotive tech back in the day... ...now I fix humans). Looking for a daily driver for now, and maybe something to play with down the road.

Deal or no deal?

 

Few things pop to mind with certain noises and your alignment issues. First of all, those are some substantial rust holes, especially around the rear cross-member, this could explain your high speed drunk car, the whole cross-member could have play in it. Rust is always worse, the more you dig the more you find, and this rust is going into the structural part of the car!. The engine noise does sound like the belt, if they did one recently and didn't set the proper gap on the tensioner, this could be the issue, but that is unknown, and if you don't know that they changed it, you will have to do it (!!!interference engine!!!!).

4k is a decent price and I am sure you could haggle few hundred off, just remember, there is A LOT of work to be done, mechanically and body wise due to that rust. I honestly would pass. If you can afford to find a cleaner one, might be a few thousand more, but at least you wouldn't have to do a frame up restoration. My .02

 

^Thank you. I appreciate the benefit of your experience with these cars, and you taking the time to steer a new guy in the right direction.

I think I will pass on the silver one. That rust looked pretty scary to me, and, to be honest, the dealer telling me he hasn't been able to sell it for three years is also kind of spooky. Surely some n00b (like me) would have bought it before. He did have it listed for 6k though. Either way, shes been a wall flower for three years, and I find it suspicious that no one has asked her to dance in that time. I think people are having a look up her skirt and want no part of it.


I have spotted another one, that I hope is still available (you know how kijiji people are about taking their ads down). It is a 1990, NA, 2+0. Black leather, manual, imported from Las Vegas. Mileage is listed as 140, but I don't know if that is miles or KMs. The guy wants $5398 ($4300US) for it. Says it needs two back tires, and a strut.

Manual is definitely a plus, and leather. I'll post more info on it if the seller gets back to me. In the mean time, I'll be researching the forums.

 

I was going to go see this one today, but it's really cold today and the roads aren't great after the snow we had yesterday. Maybe I'll go tomorrow.

For Sale By: Dealer
Year: 1993
Trim: SPORT CAR :facepalm:
Make : Nissan
Model: 300ZX
Kilometers : 176000 (109361 miles)
Body Type: Coupe (2 door)
Transmission: Automatic (seems we only ever bought automatics, and convertibles up here) :facepalm:
Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive (RWD)
Fuel Type: Gasoline

The description says it comes with new tires, certified and emissions tested. $6490CDN or $5100US.







What is up with the ends of the dash? It looks like the ends are missing.



Is there something missing from this door? An armrest or something? The seam between the top and bottom looks cheesy and unfinished.


From the pictures the outside looks okay. The interior looks as though someone was redoing the fuzzy part of the dash and hashed it up. Or they took the pictures before the job was done.

Thoughts on this one?


CARFAX:

06/30/1992
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Registration issued or renewed.
First owner reported.
Passed safety inspection.
Vehicle color noted as Black.

02/22/2000
37,415mi.
Service Facility
Antifreeze/coolant flushed/changed.
Odometer reported as 60,215 kilometers

09/29/2000
Ontario Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection

10/16/2000
41,354mi.
Service Facility
Upper control arm(s) replaced <---seems awfully premature.
Odometer reported as 66,554 kilometers

12/27/2000
43,430mi.
Service Facility
Oil and filter changed
Rear brake pads replaced
Transmission fluid changed
Ignition control module replaced
Odometer reported as 69,894 kilometers


09/25/2001
48,636mi.
Service Facility
Alternator/Generator replaced
Odometer reported as 78,273 kilometers


11/28/2001
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Central Ontario
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as
personal vehicle

01/10/2002
52,659mi.
Service Facility
Front brake rotor(s) resurfaced
Tire(s) balanced
Odometer reported as 84,748 kilometers


04/15/2002
55,415mi.
Service Facility
Vehicle serviced
Odometer reported as 89,183 kilometers


08/08/2002
59,022mi.
Service Facility
Antifreeze/coolant flushed/changed
Water pump replaced
Timing belt replaced
Odometer reported as 94,987 kilometers


10/16/2002
Ontario Inspection Station Woodbridge, ON
Passed emissions inspection

10/25/2002
61,663mi.
Service Facility
Vehicle serviced
Odometer reported as 99,237 kilometers


11/28/2002
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Central Ontario
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as personal vehicle


07/08/2003
70,498mi.
Service Facility
Vehicle serviced
Odometer reported as 113,456 kilometers

11/28/2003
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Central Ontario
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as personal vehicle

11/29/2003
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Greater Toronto Area
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as personal vehicle

11/10/2004
Ontario Inspection Station Woodbridge, ON
Passed emissions inspection

11/18/2004
83,885mi.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Greater Toronto Area
Odometer reading reported
Odometer reported as 135,000 kilometers

11/29/2004
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Greater Toronto Area
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as personal vehicle.

11/10/2005
86,991mi.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Greater Toronto Area
Odometer reading reported
Odometer reported as 139,999 kilometers

11/29/2005
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Greater Toronto Area
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as personal vehicle


11/01/2006
Ontario Inspection Station Woodbridge, ON
Passed emissions inspection


11/21/2006
93,205mi.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Greater Toronto Area
Odometer reading reported
Odometer reported as 149,999 kilometers

11/29/2006
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Greater Toronto Area
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as personal vehicle

09/29/2008
Ontario Inspection Station Woodbridge, ON
Failed emissions inspection

09/30/2008
100,865mi.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Odometer reading reported
Odometer reported as 162,327 kilometers

11/29/2008
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as personal vehicle

09/15/2010
66,873mi
Ontario Inspection Station Woodbridge, ON
Failed emissions inspection
Passed emissions inspection
Odometer reported as 107,622 kilometers

MILEAGE INCONSISTENCY
The mileage reported here conflicts with this vehicle's odometer history. Ask a mechanic or the seller to confirm the actual mileage - this entry may just be a clerical error.
11/02/2010
10,755mi.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Odometer reading reported
Odometer reported as 17,309 kilometers <---pretty big error!

MILEAGE INCONSISTENCY
11/29/2010
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Registration issued or renewed
Registered as personal vehicle

 

I guess depends how it drives and looks under it, and if all the maintenance has been done, with records. The dash is missing the end caps yes, and on the doors I have armrests, not sure if it was leather only option or what, but I do have them. Interior looks a little wore out, steering wheel. For the price range, its seems decent as far as milage goes, I don't think you would find anything in lower range for kms for that price...yeah convertibles in Canada..get out..haha

to edit: I am pretty sure another big service is coming up on the car, which is gonna be same as the 60k service....so...yeah.

 

I'll go have a gander at it and report back. It looks like the first owner was a stickler for the maintenance, or got taken for a ride by a shop.

I was going to ask about the steering wheel, but I didn't want to come off as wanting a CSI investigation on the car lol. "We swabbed the wheel and found the DNA of X number of people, indicating that the number of owners is a lie!"

Seriously though, the wheel does look a little worn, and I wondered if that amount of wear is consistent with a 174000km/109000mile Z?

 

Well I am not sure...Depends how people drive I guess lol. I don't think he got taken, you have to put up maintenance with these cars, there is no room for letting it go by, you will regret it hard later.
here is mine in comparison at 177000k, I only have 1 nick on the wheel, and that isn't a wear mark, I think I nicked it with something...But I don't think I would sell it for 6k either so...

 

^I want your seats.


I went out there today to have a look at that '93. Their site has two z's, one is the black one I went to see, and the other, for the same price is a white RHD TT. They'll never sell it. When I get there, theres three Z's! Two white and one black. The extra one was manual, stock wheels, tan leather, NA, with pretty big exhaust tips. Heres where the car buying experience gets weird again... apparently, that car is not for sale. It's sitting there between two cars that are for sale, with no plates. Is not sold, its just not for sale. Why? "Personal use." WTF. Are all car dealers like this these days? In the old days they'd sell the picture of their wife on their desk to make a buck. Now they want to keep cars for their own personal use.

Back over to the black one. The body was pretty good. No rust. Someone dinked up the passenger fender by jacking it up wrong. The interior was really clean. Some rough edges, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Started right up, and idled so smooth and quiet, I had to check to see that it was still running. The engine bay was pretty clean, but I noticed two spots of rust that looked a little ominous. I'll use a picture of the other car to show where it was.



On the drivers side it was a small spot that they tried to cover with some gummy rust inhibitor, but I spotted it right away.

On the passenger side it was worse. It looked as though layers of metal had separated, and it was flaky. Like this:

After seeing that I looked underneath. Again, a picture from the other car (I didn't waste time taking pictures of this one)



The area outlined in yellow looked like black tree bark, or a tree covered with undercoating. I reached underneath, and pulled a piece of it right off (the jaggy yellow part).

No sale!