Thinking about a 300ZX
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Thinking about a 300ZX
I'm going to college next year and I am wanting to get a car that will be more reliable and more safe than my 280ZX. I think the 300ZX would suit me pretty well, and although a TT would be nice I can't afford one and I'm not sure I'm ready to wield that kind of power anyways. So I've been looking for 300s in the $4000-6000 range and I came across this White NA '91 http://overdrive-motorsports.ebizaut...d-4998633.html
the car has 140K on it and I'm wondering what I should look for. I know I should check if the timing belt was changed around 60K and how recently the injectors were changed. The car looks pretty well taken care of inside and out, especially considering its age. If anyone has any info on this specific car that would be awesome! I hope to see it this weekend and I'm very excited!
the car has 140K on it and I'm wondering what I should look for. I know I should check if the timing belt was changed around 60K and how recently the injectors were changed. The car looks pretty well taken care of inside and out, especially considering its age. If anyone has any info on this specific car that would be awesome! I hope to see it this weekend and I'm very excited!
Last edited by mayhem052; Mar 10, 2010 at 09:29 PM.
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Also it appears from the pictures the car might have an aftermarket exhaust on it. Does anybody have any insight on this? There is a craigslist posting for this car at $4500. I just hope this car at this price isn't too good to be true,
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http://www.tulsaautofactory.com/(qvg...5)/PopWin.aspx
there is also this one but it's an automatic and the starting price is a little out of my range. Although it is TT one owner and it just had a new timing belt and water pump put in.
there is also this one but it's an automatic and the starting price is a little out of my range. Although it is TT one owner and it just had a new timing belt and water pump put in.
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UGGGGGGHHHHH BAD NEWS. I went to check out the white N/A today. The car was pretty good. needed a tiny bit of exterior touch up but the interior was pristine (with the exception of a glove box that wouldn't stay latched after I opened it lol). Anyways the car ran beautifully. Itr had been lowered but judging from the ride quality you'd never know it. The gear box was smooth as silk. The car also has an aftermarket exhaust on it which sounded amazing but was also crazy loud. The only other thing that truly worried me was the air bag light kept flashing. So I went home with my dad and we ate dinner and talked it over. We decided it'd definitely be worth it to get a carfax, especially since the front bumper was definitely replaced and we were worried the car had seen the wrong side of a hedge. Of course everything came up on the carfax perfect (california car, passed emissions, not too many owners). But here's the bad bad bad news, an auction had turned the odometer back from 230,000 miles to 130,000, f'ing bastards. so I definitely don't want to deal with a car w/ that many miles plus the fact that it's not hardly worth anything anyways. I suppose I could use that as a bargaining chip and get the car down really cheap, but that'd probably be too much of a hassle. So I'm gonna call up the dealer on monday and tell him the bad news. He seemed like a good guy but it was literally a husband and wife operation and they can't afford to pay the carfax partnership deal. It sucks for me but it really sucks for him also. His dealership was definitely not responsible for changing the odo as it had been done in cali. It's a real shame, and of course the only other cars near to my area and near my price range are that TT (automatic arrrrrrgggghhh!) and a 2+2 that's at 57K so it would need a major service soon although it is well taken care of, unfortunately it has a cloth interior and I don't really want a 2+2. The TT's report came up good but its got a lot of miles on it. it's also pretty loaded and has driver and passenger airbags, but I don't understand why a person in their right mind would buy that car with an auto. Lazy Americans annoy me to no end. Can someone PLZ convince that the auto is a good choice!? Or if you live near me and know of any Z32s for sale that are not listed I would love you forever.
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Or if your could just recommend a car with similar performance and in a similar price range to the Z. Nothing is coming to mind for me and I don't really want to settle for anything less. I love these cars, I definitely have type Z blood flowing through my veins and I really just don't want anything else.
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http://www.carsforsale.com/used_cars...00ZX_108583712
found another one, this time slick top. Ran the vin, the odo had been turned back on this one also. Man this is really eye opening you wouldn't think this would happen so much today. People must be getting screwed left and right by unscrupulous dealers like this. Car history checks are worth it people!!!
found another one, this time slick top. Ran the vin, the odo had been turned back on this one also. Man this is really eye opening you wouldn't think this would happen so much today. People must be getting screwed left and right by unscrupulous dealers like this. Car history checks are worth it people!!!
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From: virginia
hey sorry man it looks like all the z32 people have been out of town this week.
for me, the biggest things are 30mm rotors, new style fuel injectors, and good suspension.
'90 n/a's came with 26mm rotors which just don't work. they have to be upgraded to 30's and it's not particularly expensive, but it's not free. it's better to not have to worry about it. old style injectors aren't lasting long with this ethanol. i don't remember the change over year though. i believe '93 for n/a's and '94 for tt's, but i'm not sure. switching to new styles is a lot of work and costs a bare minimum of $600, and that's with used injectors from bernie that he sells in a kit when he has them. if you go all new stuff you're looking at $1k or so. as for suspension, if the stock springs are sagging, your camber will be off and you'll be wearing tires badly. there are several ways to fix this and none of them are really cheap.
these are IMO the biggest things to look for on a z in particular. most of the problems are solved by getting a '93 or newer, but someone check me on that change over date. other than that, it's all standard car stuff. needs to have good oil pressure and i'll never buy a used car again without checking the compression. look for good tires because it sucks to jump strait in to putting money into maintenance on a car as soon as you buy it.
for me, the biggest things are 30mm rotors, new style fuel injectors, and good suspension.
'90 n/a's came with 26mm rotors which just don't work. they have to be upgraded to 30's and it's not particularly expensive, but it's not free. it's better to not have to worry about it. old style injectors aren't lasting long with this ethanol. i don't remember the change over year though. i believe '93 for n/a's and '94 for tt's, but i'm not sure. switching to new styles is a lot of work and costs a bare minimum of $600, and that's with used injectors from bernie that he sells in a kit when he has them. if you go all new stuff you're looking at $1k or so. as for suspension, if the stock springs are sagging, your camber will be off and you'll be wearing tires badly. there are several ways to fix this and none of them are really cheap.
these are IMO the biggest things to look for on a z in particular. most of the problems are solved by getting a '93 or newer, but someone check me on that change over date. other than that, it's all standard car stuff. needs to have good oil pressure and i'll never buy a used car again without checking the compression. look for good tires because it sucks to jump strait in to putting money into maintenance on a car as soon as you buy it.
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Thank you KasbeKZ. The rotors I'm not too worried about since I don't plan to push the car too hard and the brakes on the 91 that I test drove bit much harder than my 280 does right now w/ new front pads. The injectors on the other hand could be a problem. Do you have any idea how long the old style injectors do last milage wise. I suppose this is a problem with all semi early fuel injection as my 280ZX's injectors have had to be replaced a few times also within 123K.
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http://bit.ly/axCkJj OK this one looks pretty nice, 93, manual shift, red, low miles well taken car of. The price is a bit high, and it's a 2+2 w/ a cloth int, which is not ideal, But hey I can deal w/ it.
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it doesn't matter how hard you push the car, '90 n/a rotors warp pre-maturely. you WILL want to upgrade them if you have them, just so that you can stop replacing rotors every few thousand miles.
it's hard to say how long the injectors will last. i got new old style injectors a few years ago and have about 25k on them now and they are just fine. zlover on the other hand has had one fail within a year, and he doesn't drive his car a whole ton. didn't* rather. on top of that, the injectors in my car that i replaced were supposedly original and they had about 150k on them and they still weren't bad. at any rate, with rising levels of ethanol in the fuel, you'll want to either avoid the old styles, or make sure that you could afford to upgrade all to new style should one of your old ones go out. i wish i had known all this before i started "trying" to fix my car when i first got it.
it's hard to say how long the injectors will last. i got new old style injectors a few years ago and have about 25k on them now and they are just fine. zlover on the other hand has had one fail within a year, and he doesn't drive his car a whole ton. didn't* rather. on top of that, the injectors in my car that i replaced were supposedly original and they had about 150k on them and they still weren't bad. at any rate, with rising levels of ethanol in the fuel, you'll want to either avoid the old styles, or make sure that you could afford to upgrade all to new style should one of your old ones go out. i wish i had known all this before i started "trying" to fix my car when i first got it.
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I bought mine in Bergamo, Italy and I took it 3 times before buying it to a Nissan Official Dealer to get a mayor exhaustive check up on it.everything was perfect.So I guess I was lucky with only 66.000kms.Reason the guy sold it to me it´s because he had a Porsche; BMW and he was ready to buy a Lamborghini Murcielago.
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 855
From: Little Rock, Arkansas
Finding the right Z takes patience... I searched for 3 months for mine, and ended up flying to get it, and driving 6 hours back home.
If it is between 60 and 120k miles.. you will want DOCUMENTATION (not just a verbal word) that the 60k has been done, or ask for some money off the car. If it's between 120k and and 180k, same situation, get documentation on the 120k maintenance...
As far as the injectors / ethanol problem, this can be solved with a simple rewire of the ECU.... (there are write ups that show step by step how to do it).
Car faxes = great idea...
There is nothing wrong with an auto... and there have been many times where I had wished my Z was an auto... why? Because I was just wanting to cruise and enjoy the drive / scenery / company of a lady friend, but I also love my 5 speed...
Why not just keep the 280 and take the money spent on the 300z and spend it on the 280 and have a REALLY REALLY nice 280? (Would I do this? NO of course not, but it is always an option).
Also, as far as the dealership you did go to went... Of COURSE they were nice.. and seemed friendly... but you have to remember... a car salesman only has his PERSONALITY to sell the car... Remember, they want your money, nothing more..... Good job on not making an impulse buy.
If it is between 60 and 120k miles.. you will want DOCUMENTATION (not just a verbal word) that the 60k has been done, or ask for some money off the car. If it's between 120k and and 180k, same situation, get documentation on the 120k maintenance...
As far as the injectors / ethanol problem, this can be solved with a simple rewire of the ECU.... (there are write ups that show step by step how to do it).
Car faxes = great idea...
There is nothing wrong with an auto... and there have been many times where I had wished my Z was an auto... why? Because I was just wanting to cruise and enjoy the drive / scenery / company of a lady friend, but I also love my 5 speed...
Why not just keep the 280 and take the money spent on the 300z and spend it on the 280 and have a REALLY REALLY nice 280? (Would I do this? NO of course not, but it is always an option).
Also, as far as the dealership you did go to went... Of COURSE they were nice.. and seemed friendly... but you have to remember... a car salesman only has his PERSONALITY to sell the car... Remember, they want your money, nothing more..... Good job on not making an impulse buy.
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From: virginia
no. the re-wire is not an end all solution. ethanol still reaches the pintles.
i've never understood the carfax thing. i don't really see what it could tell me that i couldn't figure out myself. if it's been wrecked, i scarcely care if i can't see it and it's still in good alignment. if it's been flooded and all the electronics still work and it's not rusting, i don't really care about that either. a good checking out is essential whether you look at the carfax or not, so i don't see why it's worth it to spend the money.
i've never understood the carfax thing. i don't really see what it could tell me that i couldn't figure out myself. if it's been wrecked, i scarcely care if i can't see it and it's still in good alignment. if it's been flooded and all the electronics still work and it's not rusting, i don't really care about that either. a good checking out is essential whether you look at the carfax or not, so i don't see why it's worth it to spend the money.
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Car faxes = great idea...
Why not just keep the 280 and take the money spent on the 300z and spend it on the 280 and have a REALLY REALLY nice 280? (Would I do this? NO of course not, but it is always an option).
Also, as far as the dealership you did go to went... Of COURSE they were nice.. and seemed friendly... but you have to remember... a car salesman only has his PERSONALITY to sell the car... Remember, they want your money, nothing more..... Good job on not making an impulse buy.
Why not just keep the 280 and take the money spent on the 300z and spend it on the 280 and have a REALLY REALLY nice 280? (Would I do this? NO of course not, but it is always an option).
Also, as far as the dealership you did go to went... Of COURSE they were nice.. and seemed friendly... but you have to remember... a car salesman only has his PERSONALITY to sell the car... Remember, they want your money, nothing more..... Good job on not making an impulse buy.
And of course the salesman just wants to make money. He could see my dad and i knew the car pretty well (as my dad and I had rolled up in his 370Z lol). The salesman just showed me that everything was working, popped the hood let me look around and check the oil, check the windows rev the engine see if the radio was working etc... and asked if I wanted to test drive it, he let me test drive it without him in the car, he wasn't pushy, and he actually encouraged us just to think about it and get a car fax since he wasn't sure of the history of the vehicle, in the end he just gave us his business card and said he hoped we would come back, we never even walked in the office. He also promised to reimburse for the cost of the car fax. I feel sorry for the guy because he probably payed a lot more for the car than it is obviously worth. Of course its his fault for not doing his due diligence. But I got an unlimited Auto check and ran a bunch of other vehicles on his lot and none of them had their odometers rolled back or much else wrong for that matter.
This is why I said he seemed like a nice guy, maybe not a good car salesmen, but a nice guy nonetheless
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 855
From: Little Rock, Arkansas
Originally Posted by ZLover4Life(from zdriver.com)
That's kinda unknown at the moment. Here's why...
The people who have done the rewire have met success - no reported failures yet (it's only been a short while since that method was determined though). But to determine if it is a solution, we must fully know the problem, and that's not as clear.
There are two suspected causes for failing early injectors... it could be one, the other, or both.
The problem the rewire fixes is called the "constant voltage" problem. Early style injectors are getting power ALL the time... yes, even when the car is off. This wasn't a problem a decade ago when gasoline was just gasoline, but now it has ethanol. The theory is, the constant voltage + ethanol (an alcohol) is causing electrolysis to occur in the injectors when the fuel is sitting (any time you're not driving the car). Essentially, the injectors are rusting from the inside out. There is strong evidence to support this, as there are images of bad injectors under a microscope that are rusted out. The rewire makes it so that the injectors only get a voltage when the car is on. If the car is running when there's a voltage, there's not enough time for the injectors to rust as the fuel is rushing through the injectors rather than sitting, and the problem is resolved.
The other semi-suspected problem is friction. Think of an injector as a valve that opens to allow fuel to flow through it. This valve is lubricated with gasoline (a petroleum product). Ethanol, an alcohol, is a cleaning solvent. This breaks down the lubricating ability of gasoline. As such, when the injectors are opening and closing rapidly, they are wearing out prematurely. If this is true, the rewire won't resolve this.
But the fact of the matter remains... 94+ injectors are immune to these issues entirely. 300Degree rails allow them to be bolted onto early-style plenums, making plenum replacements or machine work unnecessary (they also flow better).
To give you an idea of how susceptible early injectors are to failure, I replaced all 6 of my injectors with Nismo 555's (that's a brand name and all NEW pintle injectors) in 2004. I replaced one in 2005. I replaced one in 2006. I replaced one in 2007. I replaced one in 2008. And my car may have another dead one, since it was on 5 cylinders when it ran briefly last week (but it could also be due to the head gasket, I'll know in a few weeks). If the 300Degree rails had existed at the time, you can bet your **** I would've gone that route in 2004. I ended up spending far more replacing injectors annually.
The people who have done the rewire have met success - no reported failures yet (it's only been a short while since that method was determined though). But to determine if it is a solution, we must fully know the problem, and that's not as clear.
There are two suspected causes for failing early injectors... it could be one, the other, or both.
The problem the rewire fixes is called the "constant voltage" problem. Early style injectors are getting power ALL the time... yes, even when the car is off. This wasn't a problem a decade ago when gasoline was just gasoline, but now it has ethanol. The theory is, the constant voltage + ethanol (an alcohol) is causing electrolysis to occur in the injectors when the fuel is sitting (any time you're not driving the car). Essentially, the injectors are rusting from the inside out. There is strong evidence to support this, as there are images of bad injectors under a microscope that are rusted out. The rewire makes it so that the injectors only get a voltage when the car is on. If the car is running when there's a voltage, there's not enough time for the injectors to rust as the fuel is rushing through the injectors rather than sitting, and the problem is resolved.
The other semi-suspected problem is friction. Think of an injector as a valve that opens to allow fuel to flow through it. This valve is lubricated with gasoline (a petroleum product). Ethanol, an alcohol, is a cleaning solvent. This breaks down the lubricating ability of gasoline. As such, when the injectors are opening and closing rapidly, they are wearing out prematurely. If this is true, the rewire won't resolve this.
But the fact of the matter remains... 94+ injectors are immune to these issues entirely. 300Degree rails allow them to be bolted onto early-style plenums, making plenum replacements or machine work unnecessary (they also flow better).
To give you an idea of how susceptible early injectors are to failure, I replaced all 6 of my injectors with Nismo 555's (that's a brand name and all NEW pintle injectors) in 2004. I replaced one in 2005. I replaced one in 2006. I replaced one in 2007. I replaced one in 2008. And my car may have another dead one, since it was on 5 cylinders when it ran briefly last week (but it could also be due to the head gasket, I'll know in a few weeks). If the 300Degree rails had existed at the time, you can bet your **** I would've gone that route in 2004. I ended up spending far more replacing injectors annually.
A nice 280ZX will still never be as safe as a 300ZX with working airbags, brakes, etc... I think my dad still wants to fix it up but either way it's not up to 4 hour round trip highway drives from home to college.
And of course the salesman just wants to make money. He could see my dad and i knew the car pretty well (as my dad and I had rolled up in his 370Z lol). The salesman just showed me that everything was working, popped the hood let me look around and check the oil, check the windows rev the engine see if the radio was working etc... and asked if I wanted to test drive it, he let me test drive it without him in the car, he wasn't pushy, and he actually encouraged us just to think about it and get a car fax since he wasn't sure of the history of the vehicle, in the end he just gave us his business card and said he hoped we would come back, we never even walked in the office. He also promised to reimburse for the cost of the car fax. I feel sorry for the guy because he probably payed a lot more for the car than it is obviously worth. Of course its his fault for not doing his due diligence. But I got an unlimited Auto check and ran a bunch of other vehicles on his lot and none of them had their odometers rolled back or much else wrong for that matter.
This is why I said he seemed like a nice guy, maybe not a good car salesmen, but a nice guy nonetheless
And of course the salesman just wants to make money. He could see my dad and i knew the car pretty well (as my dad and I had rolled up in his 370Z lol). The salesman just showed me that everything was working, popped the hood let me look around and check the oil, check the windows rev the engine see if the radio was working etc... and asked if I wanted to test drive it, he let me test drive it without him in the car, he wasn't pushy, and he actually encouraged us just to think about it and get a car fax since he wasn't sure of the history of the vehicle, in the end he just gave us his business card and said he hoped we would come back, we never even walked in the office. He also promised to reimburse for the cost of the car fax. I feel sorry for the guy because he probably payed a lot more for the car than it is obviously worth. Of course its his fault for not doing his due diligence. But I got an unlimited Auto check and ran a bunch of other vehicles on his lot and none of them had their odometers rolled back or much else wrong for that matter.
This is why I said he seemed like a nice guy, maybe not a good car salesmen, but a nice guy nonetheless
. Just keep searching and taking your time, it will be worth it in the end.. If you want a manual, don't settle for some auto TT or something like that (you've said it yourself you don't think your ready to wield the power)... Just be patient, keep rocking the 280, and your Z will come to you.Like I said, it took me 3 months to find my (first) Z
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Joined: Sep 2009
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From: Bartlesville, OK
You're probably right napoleon I just got caught up in the excitement. I took a trip to tulsa (3 hours driving total) in the 280 and you know what it's still a great car. Although as I was leaving the Nissan dealership the engine was idling really low and it stalled as I was backing out of the parking lot right in front of the salesman. Now the guy probably thinks I stalled the car and probably won't call me if they ever do get a 300 on the lot lol. I checked out the dealer w/ the 91 N/A and they said the lowest that they could go was 4K but they said they were gonna call the dealer that sold them the car with the rolled back milage. The owner was very disappointed. I left a copy of the autocheck with them and hopefully they'll take that car off the lot. I also went to check out the auto TT but it had been sold earlier this weekend. That 2+2 w/ cloth is still out there and I emailed the owner, but its really not the car I want.
Luckily I have the rest of the school year and the entire summer to find the car of my dreams so I really shouldn't rush it.
Luckily I have the rest of the school year and the entire summer to find the car of my dreams so I really shouldn't rush it.
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Joined: Sep 2007
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From: virginia
so, within that quote you included these statements....
"The people who have done the rewire have met success - no reported failures yet (it's only been a short while since that method was determined though). But to determine if it is a solution, we must fully know the problem, and that's not as clear."
"The other semi-suspected problem is friction. Think of an injector as a valve that opens to allow fuel to flow through it. This valve is lubricated with gasoline (a petroleum product). Ethanol, an alcohol, is a cleaning solvent. This breaks down the lubricating ability of gasoline. As such, when the injectors are opening and closing rapidly, they are wearing out prematurely. If this is true, the rewire won't resolve this."
it seems that what zlover is saying is that the rewire MIGHT work. the last i saw on tt.net with all of the injector diagnosis threads that went up a couple months ago was that nobody else was really sure either. people have reported old style injectors going bad while sitting on a shelf.
this is really not worth arguing because the fact is that if your old style injectors start going out, you should replace them with new style injectors.
"The people who have done the rewire have met success - no reported failures yet (it's only been a short while since that method was determined though). But to determine if it is a solution, we must fully know the problem, and that's not as clear."
"The other semi-suspected problem is friction. Think of an injector as a valve that opens to allow fuel to flow through it. This valve is lubricated with gasoline (a petroleum product). Ethanol, an alcohol, is a cleaning solvent. This breaks down the lubricating ability of gasoline. As such, when the injectors are opening and closing rapidly, they are wearing out prematurely. If this is true, the rewire won't resolve this."
it seems that what zlover is saying is that the rewire MIGHT work. the last i saw on tt.net with all of the injector diagnosis threads that went up a couple months ago was that nobody else was really sure either. people have reported old style injectors going bad while sitting on a shelf.
this is really not worth arguing because the fact is that if your old style injectors start going out, you should replace them with new style injectors.
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