Advice on buying a 300ZX TT

[mfroese]

A friend is looking at purchasing a 300ZX TT, the car has had a new tranny installed and both turbo's swapped with new ones. Can any previous owners or people that know about owning these cars give their 2 cents? I've heard they are horrible to work on because the engine bay is small compared to what is crammed in there. Any helpful comments would be great. Trolls move on...

I don't have exacts on this car but I can get more info on it if needed. Just more wanting advice on the cars themselves.

Thanks

[msmith]

Friend here. The car is a 1990 300ZX TT with rebuilt motor, new nissan tranny (not rebuilt), upgraded turbos and 25,000km. This is apparently just brocken in and was recently switch to synthetic oil. Overall condition seems really good and there's no rust that I can tell. Interior is in great shape with a couple of seems on the top of the back seat beginning to pull apart and a couple scratches on the leather in the front. Boost and timer already in place. The rear spoiler is also aftermarket as the stock one apparently has an issue with holding water.

This car really caught my eye and they're asking $12,500. I have also been told that there is a definate downside when it comes to repair. I want something fun, but not at the expense reliability. Any other recommendations are more than welcome.

[Snow]

I looked into these when I was in the market for my GTS-t. They tempted me...

From what I was told, they are a more comfortable car to drive, and although they're hard to work on due to limited space, there are only a few things that tend to go one them. I think one of the major things is the turbos, so you should be set, and with a fresh rebuild and tranny, it should be good all the way around. They're also pretty easy to get decent numbers out of, I believe the red one at Z-Tune is putting down something like 530RWHP on their "heart-break" dyno, and I believe they changed out the turbos, upped the boost, did a full exhaust and intake, injectors, fuel pump, cams and a good tune and called it a day. But don't hold me to it, they've got pictures and a dyno sheet up on their wall; I looked for their project car link on their website but they still haven't put up any details.

Talk to a couple of the guys out at Z-tune (www.ztune.ca). They're a site sponsor and know tonnes about the cars.

Funny thing is the guy who was convincing me to buy a 300ZX the week before I bought my R32, went out a bought a GTR like 3 days later haha

[CanadianGTR]

Owned one for years, what do you want to know.

Yes they are a pain in the ass to work on, car was built around the engine, Fuel Filter is easy to change though thankfully. You'll want a t-top/upper door weatherstrip kit as they are prone to leaking. Some electrical gremlins too, and NEVER buy stuff from the dealer as things for this car are crazy expensive from Nissan.

Check for rust on the usual Nissan spots:
- Wheel Arches
- Front Frame Rails
- Strut Towers
- Inside the Wheel Wells

The Pros:
- Engine is bulletproof, really... I had 270,000km on an original motor and the only reason I ditched it was because my driver turbo oil seal was bunk and was feeding my one bank oil... and if I was pulling the engine I figured I'd just put in a new one... got a 65,000km engine out of a front clip at an importer for $1500 cash with everything but alternator.

- They look slick, make tonnes of torque, and are a blast to drive. What the GTR has up high the 300ZX has down low. I also had a chipped ECU from day one so I've never really driven a stock one.

The Cons:
- Maintenance costs, not really a DIY car
- Can't fit wide enough meats on it without work, if I recall anything over 10" rear and 9" front is going to be a headache, which sucks for that car.
- Weight, thing weighs in at 3450lbs.. thankfully it makes enough torque that you really dont notice it, and it's got a very well designed steering rack... so you dont FEEL like you're driving a land yacht.
- Nissan Rot, these cars do it... and when they do its a PITA to fix because its always on the pieces that can't just be replaced (QP, strut tower, frame, etc)

If I get another sports car it would be a Z32 just because there is so much NORTH AMERICAN aftermarket parts support it's more financially worth it than a GTR. Plus a company in St. Louis makes mount kits to drop in the RB26 (which is what I would do to alleviate some of the concerns about engine bay space). What I would do is goto the states, get a NON turbo shell with a blown engine for $1,000. Bring it up and put a TT engine in it for $2000 (doing it yourself). And you have a MINT TT 300ZX for under $5k that your insurance company think is NON TURBO and they will never know because unless the car is on a hoist you can't tell it has snails tucked way down there.

Win win win.

I was once asked if I liked my Z32 more than my R32, and I couldn't answer the question.

Any other questions feel free to ask.

Cheers.

[billboa]

No direct experience but ive heard from a guy who does have one that they suck for drifting and autox compared to his old gts-t.

[CanadianGTR]

No direct experience but ive heard from a guy who does have one that they suck for drifting and autox compared to his old gts-t.

Yeah it's a touring car for sure.
Anything > 3,000lbs isn't really a great auto-x car.

[kelaog]

My advice on buying a 300zx TT,

Double check with the owner if its actually a skyline, if he says no twice... Keep looking for a skyline =/

[RHDskyline]

I sigged that for sure

[CanadianGTR]

Z32 is just as competent as the GTR.
Just depends on what you're after.

Both cars have had their share of racing wins.. GTR was banned from group A, VG30DETT was banned from IMSA.

And really... for 95% of the population, you wouldnt be building them to a point where you would notice a difference anyway.

YO BRO I HAVE SICK COILOVERS BUT MY CAR IS TOO HEAVY STILL BRO... TO HARDPARK AT TIMMIES.

Fail.

[titaniumrings]

My advice on buying a 300zx TT,

Double check with the owner if its actually a skyline, if he says no twice... Keep looking for a skyline =/

awesome!

[JZ]

Ex-Z32 guy here too. Love the cars, still the best looking Z after the S30 IMHO and nothing that came afterwards will change my mind either.

Everything CdnGTR says rings true. My only advice in addition to his is if you really are thinking of his BRILLIANT $5K Z32 idea, I'd take the time to find a NA slicktop (non-t-top car) as a starting point as they are much simpler, a bit lighter and looks better. Don't buy one thinking its an autoX or sports car. Its a GT, plain and simple. Think poor man's Ferrari 550 Maranello, not Challenge Stradale. Go to twinturbo.net for more info.

Oh yeah, their stock brakes, esp pre-1993 ...sucks rocks.

[CanadianGTR]

Slick-top is mandatory for any caging, as head clearance sucks.

Also having non-adjustable steering can be bothersome if you aren't average shaped.

John, can you tell I have the Z itch again?

[collector240sx]

Really love that car,

If you want to be different, you can also get a infinity V8 to fit in that.
Guy around here did it and god it sound nice.

Like stated before get a rust free n/a 300zx from state side.
Get dirt cheap complete infinity V8 swap.
Get close to stock peak power, but now you get that power
from around 2000rpm and up from the stock V8.
The kicker is the car is lighter with the V8 (aluminium) then
the stock. lol

The only problems is the engine is a little bit taller, so it kinda
gets in the way of the hood, and they didn't really make any
standard tranny for that engine. They do make a adapter plate
to use the stock 300zx tranny, but be ready to pay for it $$$.

[CanadianGTR]

I'd go LS1 just for package size and parts availability... if you're doing custom work anyway.

Really love that car,

If you want to be different, you can also get a infinity V8 to fit in that.
Guy around here did it and god it sound nice.

Like stated before get a rust free n/a 300zx from state side. Get dirt cheap complete infinity V8 swap. Get close to stock peak power, but now you get that power from around 2000rpm and up from the stock V8. The kicker is the car is lighter with the V8 (aluminium) then the stock. lol

The only problems is the engine is a little bit taller, so it kinda gets in the way of the hood, and they didn't really make any standard tranny for that engine. They do make a adapter plate to use the stock 300zx tranny, but be ready to pay for it $$$.

[Shadao]

http://www.nmimports.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51:destroying-the-world-in-your-z32-tuning-tips&catid=1:latest

just had that posted in a diff forum from a friend of mine... said its a good read about the Z32 and your wallet