hey whats up, guys. i'm new here and need some advice in buying a 300zx. I drive a '99 trans am so i'm new to the import scene. I found a great deal on a low mile Z car and just want to know what problems are common and what to look out for. i hear they aren't cheap to work on, but as long as it's not a money pit, it's all good. it'll be a daily driver so i don't plan on upgrading it much, and will put a good bit of miles on it. any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

A little info on the car:
'93 white 300zx
non-turbo 5 speed
95,000 miles, tan interior, completely stock
asking about 4,000

 

looks like a great deal. as with any car, check the compression, don't get it if the oil pressure looks really low (below 15 at idle and/or 45 while cruising roughly), big shakes are usually bad obviously, like with any car, and make sure the 60k maintenance was done. the only thing i really wish i had checked before i bought my car was the compression. i wouldn't have gotten it if i knew it was 55 low in one cylinder. also, try to find out if the fuel injectors have been replaced. they run $1k a set, so it's really nice if they have been. good luck. go for it.

but, you heard right. parts are very expensive, and it's getting up in age, so if it hasn't been well maintained, you should expect a costly repair from time to time. feel free to ask any specifics.

 

Not that the oil pressure gauges were that good to start with

 

i don't know where you buy your injectors but your getting bent over....

if the 60k maintance was not done, expect to spend another 600 bucks and might as well do a 120k kit. Timing belt, tensioner, idler studs, water pump, etc etc.

Once you get a non turbo running good, it will run good for a very long time and the only thing you have to worry about is standard maintance, and your timing belt every 60k miles, and maybe some suspension stuff every now and then.

non turbo z32's, once running correctly and properly, are very reliable.

 

damn. i guess the shop my dad got them from marked them up. he didn't ask me before he got them, so he didn't really think it through. oh well. they are $140 now, which brings them to about $850 a set.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/16603-i...-p-182466.html

 

i'll ask them what maintenance has been done and if it looks good, i think i'm going to go for it. thanks a lot for the help!

 

You could always get the car inspected at your local auto shop before you buy it. I took my Z to the shop to get it checked out before I bought mine. Might be something to consider doing.

 

except odds are his local auto shop isn't going to know jack crap about a Z32....

 

yea, the car's about an hour away so i don't know anybody in that area. my friend does know a local mechanic that owns a highly modified twin turbo 300zx that would look at it, but wouldn't be able to come see this particular car.

 

i had the local z guy offer to check mine out before i bought it too. i'm glad i didn't because he said he was going to do it in an hour, and there isn't anything i would want to know that he could figure out in an hour. what he can do in an hour on the lift, i can do in 2 hours for sure.

 

I found out that the z-32 weeks spot was " stoping " i upgraded the rotors to brembo drill sloted with metal master brake pads and it helped me avoid many close calls.

 

you'd be surprised what some of the Z guys can do so quickly, especially those that do it frequently.

 

hey talking about how fast some z guys work lol.
guys here in az in our local z club "projectz32" we have successfully done a clutch job in less than 4 hours without a lift

 

yeah they can do stuff fast, but in an hour, what would he check out about that car? compression, ECU codes, suspension bushings, test the shocks, tire wear, interior accessories? i can do all of that, and could when i bought the car. so perhaps someone could use a mechanic to check a car out for them, but i don't see the sense in it.

 

If you drive a Trans Am, you should really hold out for a twin turbo. The NA won't have the kind of power you want.