hey guys, im new to the forum, im 17 turning 18 after winter, im looking at buying a 300zx, nothing specific ATM, but im not a mechanic or anything... i can build custom stand up jetskis lol but i dont really "do" cars. i can drive em, just dont know everything about them. i have a few questions.

1. im not sure like jetskis, some years are different than others, are there any years i should stay away from? or try to get

2. ive seen z's go from like 4k all the way up to 20k so what should be a normal price for a semi built z32?

3. anything i should know about these cars? all the video reviews ive seen and read say great things about theses. and that they are FAST, but stock is only about 220hp i want about 400hp because i want a car that can make me smile everytime i hit the gas. so say i pick up a pretty stock one, what should i do about putting some HP on one of these?

i think thats it, thanks guys.

 

There are two main directions here: naturally aspirated and twin turbo. NA is slower and probably what you're thinking about when you mentioned 220hp, but will probably still make you smile. TT's are (supposed to be) 300hp which makes people happy, and when the turbos kick in your smile becomes something not unlike the Joker's hysteria. I suggest you get a stock, clean TT ($8k - $10k where I live) which is plenty fast and fun, especially if you have no prior experience with fast cars. Then as you get to know the car more and more, you can modify and upgrade it as you please. You'll learn a lot more and it'll be less dangerous to slowly work your way up from stock.

As for which particular years to go for, I don't know the details on those. Think the wing looks different in the later years, there's something about the injectors too.

 

ya it just seems that any TT that i find either look aweful, because its stock, or riced out... so its hard to like find something, but how much would be a reasonable price for a well modified TT?

 

No idea. If it's modified properly it's still going to look pretty stock. What's so awful about stock look? How would the appearance be altered without it looking like a ricer?

 

just a nice set of wheels, some bling under the hood, nice exhaust, but not a 5gal pal under the bumper. there is a front bumber ive seen thats alot like the stock one but more edgy and i like that, i hate the stock look of them, but with a few tasteful mods make all the difference. i found one on craigslist. he wants 8500, this is what the ad says
-stage III - 400 hp, many performance upgrades, regular maintenance, 102,700 miles, OZ wheels, new performance clutch, light weight flywheel. i emailed him about what the "upgrades" actually are. but does that price sound ok? or is it whatever someone is willing to pay?

 

People always ask the price question but IMO, I believe it depends on so many factors, including the infatuation factor. I may have paid a few $$ more than I could've for mine but I could tell the owner spared little expense for mods and upgrades. However, the power is enough to help me understand other addictions.

 

yaa, i think im going to see how low i can get the guy and maybe hell have it after winter. how long can these motors go for? i know the jeep 4.0 straight 6 can go for like 250+ but how many miles can these actually go for with out major probs?

 

That all depends on a few factors. Any engine can last a while as long as its properly maintained. (oil, timing belt, hoses, injectors, spark plugs, etc...) That and it depends on how hard its been driven. IMO the VG30 is a reliable engine, but will spit in your face if you neglect her. Treat her right and she will return the favor. With that being said, it doesn't mean something unforeseen can't happen even if you do everything your suppose to... To put it simply, these cars are not cheap to keep running.

 

*****. do all those parts need to be changed alot? should i find one with all those parts newly installed? ive seen alot of them that have been. are they tempremental like the rotary motor? i thought a straight 6 is a pretty solid motor?

 

It's a V6. I'm pretty sure what he meant was not cheap to keep running because time = money. Not necessarily going to be replacing **** all the time. The best thing you can do if you're worried about running in to problems and stuff is to find one that's truly been taken care of, with proof of maintenance and all that (and don't think that always being serviced at the Nissan dealer means anything). Then comes the build/aesthetic preferences in my mind. If you're not spending all your time and money just to keep the thing alive, then you can spend that time and money elsewhere (like the exact wheels/bumpers/upgrades you want).

 

I didn't mean to make it sound like all those parts fail constantly, but you will better off doing preventative maintenance to keep it up to par. Like Rupe said, find one that has been taken care of and you don't have to worry as much. I'm actually still looking for my perfect Z32, but I don't mind taking my time to find one worth buying.

 

Gotcha, I saw some more pics of this one and I'm not feeling it, I actually came across a clean nicely modded 350z for 8500, loaded with interior too, leather, nav, etc for 8500, only 70k miles but the body has 180k mostly high way miles... But that's alot sweeter than the zx I found

 

Funny you should mention the 350, I just watched a 3 part review of 300 vs 350 vs 370 the other day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTpjEWTkrM0

Obviously, your opinion matters most here, but they bring up things I wouldn't have expected or thought about.

 

ya thats i watched a few times lol