New guy looking for a Z. Opinions on this one?

[Medic!]

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 a** off me. :fenforcer:

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. 134000 miles.

+ 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.

[Ace2cool]

I don't see too many things that jump out at me. The fender issue is from someone jacking the car up by the pinch weld instead of the jacking point on the underbody. Common to see. Sometimes you can press the panel back into shape with your toe on the rock guard and your heel on the ground. Mechanically, nothing to worry about, though.

Front right and left rear wheels are on backwards (swapped). If they're directional tires, get them swapped before you buy. The wheels are designed to draw air in and cool the brakes, and they don't work well when installed backwards.

3rd brake light isn't faded, which is almost kinda rare to see nowadays. Car looks like it was cared for.

Looks like a SZ/ B&B/ Labree dual tip exhaust, which is a great catback system. Tasteful mods are also a plus. I'd wager there's a cone intake under the nose as well, instead of the stock air box.

I've seen better looking engine bays, but I've also seen worse. Throttle body cover is missing.

Biggest concern I would have is if the 120k service has been done on it (WITH DOCUMENTATION!!!!). That includes (but is not limited to) the timing belt, idlers and studs, tensioner, water pump, thermostat, cam seals, VTC springs, VTC plate seals, coolant bypass hoses, front main seal, amd the crank sprocket.

If it's not been done, the parts can be had for a bit over $400, but if you're not doing the labor, it will get expensive. Most dealers will charge upwards of $2k.

[DCaff300ZX]

Ace nailed it pretty good, only a few things maybe to add/look into.
The emissions tests can be explained with bad O2 sensors, replaced immediately upon emissions fail would give a pass next time through most likely- and not sure if the same as the States, but around here the emissions station you go to makes ALL the difference as several will adjust idle and/or ignore or adjust the test parameters (while others won't) for the current idle which clears up many failures in my experience.
Adding to Ace's comments, the COMPLETE 120K service is mandatory to me to purchase a Z32 so be sure to track that ALL down.
You also didn't mention price, which really makes a huge difference as well. If they want $10K for that car, run...so depending on price this car may shine or lack luster. I'd say if you are in the $4.5-5K price range this is a decent deal if the 120K and other things check out (I'd have it looked at by a reputable Nissan guy since your experience is Honda) as well as the cooling system and trans. The thought to swap the AT is a good one, the Z32 AT isn't awful but isn't good either...be SURE the AT has never been power flushed as that ruins them, you only want fluid changes.
That covers my extras, Good Luck!

[Medic!]

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 a** 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrDJHkEnEE


Just because I love the sound...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShhRfMhyhTY


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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sm2T86gySA

WTF is that sound at 13 seconds?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB3ZCpoKTrA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCUJD9_I2NI



Issues that I noted:

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

- s*** 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?

[Ace2cool]

I'd try and talk them down. A lot. That cancer is bad in the rear. Almost call a pass based on that alone.

Abs light is just low fluid or a broken/disconnected sensor.

Timing belt won't have any warning signs. It'll just go.

I'd be willing if radio and clock were not on, the overhead dome light was out too, and that would be "theft room l" in the engine bay fuse compartment.

Those engine noises are rough, though. A lot of bad rattles, and some serious sounds. Could just be an alternator, though. I had a similar noise in my TT and it was the alternator. Hard to diagnose/localize through just video. Now, I will say that when these cars sit for a while, the electronics take a little while to come back.

Also, sounds like the fan is seized.

And there was a high pitched noise when you revved it in the first video that I just can't seem to put my finger on. It's just running a lot louder than most VG's I know.

All in all, unless you can get it for around 1700-2k, I'd pass. Seems like a lot of work, and that rust is serious.

[DCaff300ZX]

That cancer is bad enough for a pass for me sir, especially on top of what Ace said.
I almost wrote to check for rust but realized once you checked the pinch welds you'd see anything obvious, as you have.
Clutch fan seized screams cooling system issues to come (and no 120K service- waterpump) and an alternator always on says charging system is struggling or the battery/connections are bad.
And that most likely is a rear main seal leaking, common for a car sitting for a long time. If not rear seal then worse, cam cover gasket(s)...enough wrong/struggling for a complete inspection should you think about buying, and surely a $2K-4K bill.
Unless you are looking for a complete refresh or close, I'd pass on this car.

[Medic!]

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.

Thank you for taking the time to steer a new guy in the right direction.

[DCaff300ZX]

Be careful about Z32's that "just needs" something, as there are a LOT of other something's that tend to fall in line with the bad something's when it comes to aged failure.
My suggestion and of many others would be to either save a little longer if working out of pocket, or increase your available funding for a $6-7K '94-'95 NA ($8.5-10K for TT) that would have less problems due to OEM upgrades, or if the other years will have low miles and have all of the documentation of repairs of the known issue areas: injectors/connectors, cooling fan/waterpump/hoses on top of true 120K service, and no known issues.

[Medic!]

^A red flag for me on the second ad was that it needs rear tires. That says to me someone has been horsing around with the car. If I go see it, I will be looking hard for signs of abuse.

I spotted another '90. White, manual, but it has that tan interior. Not a fan of that at all. If I ended up with one like that I would be changing that out for sure.

I would love to find a newer model, but where I live there aren't any. The newest I have seen is 93, with the exception of a couple of 96 convertibles which no one seems to want. The majority are early automatics, with cloth. There is a dirt cheap TT for sale locally, but it is RHD. That is to jaydeeeeemm y0 fo me, and for my insurance company.

I agree though, a bigger budget would be better for these cars. Obviously the cheaper I can get one, the better, but, I don't want to sacrifice quality or reliability. As much as I would love to have one in my driveway right now, I can wait for a better one to appear. It gives me more time to research and learn all I can about them.

[NolimitZ32]

I know this is halfway to a pipe dream for most but since you are in the land of the free (for the importation of cool JDM cars) have you looked at importing? If you don't want RHD you could even look into getting something from Europe (except UK) and these cars are cheeeeeeap in many European countries. Just a though, you could always fly down to the good ole US of A and pick one up.

[Medic!]

I'm beginning to think me owning one of these is a pipe dream. I have inquired about a couple more with higher asking prices, and, none of the people get back to me. They are either sold and the guys are too lazy to take the ads down, or, they are flakes, who think that they can keep prospective buyers danging on a string because they don't sell cars for a living. "Dude this isn't my full time job!"

Even the silver one I went to go see, as much of a dog as it was, I practically had to threaten the dealer to show me the car. The first day I went, the place was open, but no one was around to show it. The second day I went down (Sunday), their website said they were open. I get there, closed. I had to drag the guy out of his bed (at 11am) to open the place up so I could see it. WTF? Do people want to make money these days? I remember years ago, if you even glanced at a car dealership, a salesman would chase you down like the borg cube just to give you a business card. These days I need Dog the bounty hunter to track down the bastards so I can force them to take my money.

/rant

I never thought of importing a car before. To be honest, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I know there are places that you can buy from that will ship the car from Japan, but I haven't had any luck finding any for (Japanese) cars from Europe.

Maybe it's a sign... perhaps the world is telling me I should cash in my chips in on a hyundai accent and wait for the angels to take me in my sleep.







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
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)
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

[NolimitZ32]

That one seems to be in really good shape, and if you are really set on getting exactly what you want it may be worth looking into importing even if it is from South of the border only. I see at least 1 decent condition NA sell in the Houston area every month. The drive back would just let you get acquainted with your lady.

[Ace2cool]

The door seam is just worn out. No missing armrest, though they were an option on earlier models. They figured you'd be too busy carving corners at 90 to worry about an armrest. Or cup holders, for that matter.

And the interior looks right to me. It's a two-tone deal.

But if you don't want an auto, then don't get an auto.

If you would really consider importing, look at these, pick one, and I will personally inspect it for you.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/search/ ... x&sort=rel

There's little to no rust in TN.

[Ace2cool]

Oh, and that one you posted, being at 109K miles, is just 10K shy of the 120k service. Keep that in mind when looking.

[Ace2cool]

http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/4820344508.html

I've actually been wanting to go check this one out. SCREAMING deal on a TT.

[Ace2cool]

I can also check in Huntsville, but that may take a while. It'll happen next time I go see my parents.

[Medic!]

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 you their tie just to make a buck. Now they fight to keep cars for their own personal use and enjoyment.

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!


@Ace, that TT looks awesome. I would definitely be interested in something like that. I would have to run it past my insurance company first though. An NA 2 seater is cheaper to insure than my 96 prelude, surprisingly. They didn't give me a number on a TT, all they said was it is a higher rated car. If its within reason, I could stretch to it.

The prices an selection where you are beats what we have up here. How does the transfer of a car go down there? License plates etc. The more I look around up here, I think a southern car is what I'll have to get. The guys up here want top shelf prices for rust flakes.

[Ace2cool]

Basically, you just show up, and hand the guy cash or whatever, and he hands you a signed bill of sale that is conveniently located on the back of the title. Stupid easy. Now, as far as importation goes, I have no clue. That's something you'd have to talk to customs about. I assume it would be retarded easy though, as you guys can pretty much import anything.

[Ace2cool]

Or if you need a place to store it until import, I have a spare slot in the garage. Brooke doesn't like to park inside, cause it's not an auto door. Not a whole lot of room, but at least it would be out of the elements. You can ask any of these guys though. I'm not one to scam anyone. In fact, scammers are one of the things I hate most in the world. Just google "lamarz32" and you'll see what I mean.

[DCaff300ZX]

Or if you need a place to store it until import, I have a spare slot in the garage. You can ask any of these guys though. I'm not one to scam anyone. In fact, scammers are one of the things I hate most in the world.

Truth, I'd trust Ace no problem.
That TT does seem to be a screaming deal at $4,500, other than the mileage being higher it seems well worth the efforts to fix a few reasonable problems such as exhaust and not have to worry about rust. Be sure to keep rust in mind because there are so many places you can get a Z32 where rust isn't an issue...really even here in Wa. state most of the Z's don't have rust issues unless they are a obvious daily beater left in the elements and barely cared for.

[Medic!]

Ace, I am really interested in that TT, and, in your assistance in finding a southern car if the TT turns out to be a flop. I was looking to send you a PM, but I couldn't find a link to do so.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Welcome to NICO!! Wow that rust is so bad! Glad you aren't going with that one. You also have to have 10 posts to be able to send pm's I fixed it for you though, just click his name to view his profile then you will see the button to click to PM him.

[Medic!]

Oh. Thank you! I forgot all about the new guy filters haha. It's been a long time since I joined a forum.

I've been in the Honda scene for a long time, and people told me to quit wasting my time there and look into other groups. They were sick of the Honda kids and the hate from within Honda culture.

Since I began seriously looking into the Z, and joined up on the forums, I have to say they were right. I have received more help and quality guidance from the Nissan crew in a couple of weeks, than in years on the other side.

I can't wait to open my garage and see a z sitting there, because I absolutely love the car. I am just as excited to join a group of people who strike me as being true automotive enthusiasts, instead of the peel and stick dolla ninety nine value mods people I am used to.

Again, thank you all for taking the time to steer me in the right direction.

[Ace2cool]

No problemo man! For someone as true as an enthusiast as you, we'll do our best. And it helps that you're motivated enough to take lots of pictures and write hundred word posts. Just say the word and I'll roll out to look at what you need me to. The closer to Smyrna/Murfreesboro, the better. Nashville will pull in listings from ~100mi away, lol.

[Medic!]

status update:

Still no Z.

I went to look at a '90 last night. Red, manual, apparently it has "nismo" racing seats (I'm not a race seat expert so I do think know if those actually exist or not). The ad had ton's of pictures, and it seems as though the car has had a lot of work done to it. For $6700 it better have.

The girlfriend and I go up to see it. It's 40 below outside. We get there, the car is in this makeshift hut, blocked in with a motorcycle and another car with a ton of front end damage. About 16 inches of room on the drivers side to walk around. Can't get to the front or passenger side.

"So it runs...right?"

"Yeah but the battery is dead so it won't start..."

"...oh I see." I guess a weeks notice that I was coming was not sufficient to sort that out.

I get in and notice a bunch of wires everywhere. Wires for speakers, subs, wires for the deck that wasn't really installed, more like placed into the dash. Oh, and the kicker..

"What's this wire for? The one coming out of the glove box?"

"That's for the lights under the car! They have 12 colours, and they can dance to the music!"

(Heartburn begins)

At this point I am taking stock of all the crap that I'll have to remove.

The drivers seat was not hooked up properly so it was left side low, and the power adjustment was laying on the floor. The hazard switch popped off when I pushed it.

I get out and close the door, that didn't work properly either. It took a couple of tries. Armed with the VIN we left and I ordered a carfax.

2002: accident/damage
2003: accident right rear damage $958.
2009: accident left frontal and centre damage. $8950.00. <----!!!!!!

No wonder it has so much work into it. New paint, transmission, exhaust etc.

Junk.



The next one I have lined up to go see is another 90, 225000kms. 2+0. Automatic (yuck) with a bum transmission. He says it slips and won't go into 4th...but it comes with a new transmission. He wants 4k for it.

[NolimitZ32]

Dude, seriously, come down to anystate USA and buy one, you will find much better examples for decent prices.

here are just a few:
http://houston.craigslist.org/ctd/4879875116.html Very decent but overpriced IMHO
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/4875962462.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/4865219438.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/4837447396.html If you want something a bit more out there.
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/4836972423.html Even ones like this that are cheap and would be fairly easy to rescue.

[DCaff300ZX]

status update:

Still no Z.

I went to look at a '90 last night. Red, manual, apparently it has "nismo" racing seats (I'm not a race seat expert so I do think know if those actually exist or not). The ad had ton's of pictures, and it seems as though the car has had a lot of work done to it. For $6700 it better have.

The girlfriend and I go up to see it. It's 40 below outside. We get there, the car is in this makeshift hut, blocked in with a motorcycle and another car with a ton of front end damage. About 16 inches of room on the drivers side to walk around. Can't get to the front or passenger side.

"So it runs...right?"

"Yeah but the battery is dead so it won't start..."

"...oh I see." I guess a weeks notice that I was coming was not sufficient to sort that out.

I get in and notice a bunch of wires everywhere. Wires for speakers, subs, wires for the deck that wasn't really installed, more like placed into the dash. Oh, and the kicker..

"What's this wire for? The one coming out of the glove box?"

"That's for the lights under the car! They have 12 colours, and they can dance to the music!"

(Heartburn begins)

At this point I am taking stock of all the crap that I'll have to remove.

The drivers seat was not hooked up properly so it was left side low, and the power adjustment was laying on the floor. The hazard switch popped off when I pushed it.

I get out and close the door, that didn't work properly either. It took a couple of tries. Armed with the VIN we left and I ordered a carfax.

2002: accident/damage
2003: accident right rear damage $958.
2009: accident left frontal and centre damage. $8950.00. <----!!!!!!

No wonder it has so much work into it. New paint, transmission, exhaust etc.

Junk.



The next one I have lined up to go see is another 90, 225000kms. 2+0. Automatic (yuck) with a bum transmission. He says it slips and won't go into 4th...but it comes with a new transmission. He wants 4k for it.

Holy crap!
Wow, if that is the type of choices you have PLEASE travel to get a decent Z, we have plenty around here in Washington State but I still traveled to California to get mine in order to avoid crap...and still got burned a little, eventually.
Take your time and find a REAL Z, none of the junk you wrote of here...PLEASE!

[Medic!]

I would love to go south to get one, but I wouldn't be able to get that much time off from work to make the trip there and back. The best I could do is go with that Ace offered, and then have the car shipped up here.

I inquired about another one the other day. 90, auto (bleh), cloth (bleh), and gold. The ad stated twice that it had 108000kms which is really low. They were asking $3750.

The seller was really helpful, sent a ton of pictures, and the vin as I requested. I dropped another $70cdn On the carfax, and find that the car was reported to have 128000kms in December of 1998!!

It had an accident on December 31, 2010, and as of September 2013 it has 304049kms!!! that's only 196000kms off what was advertised. Oops?

The joys of buying used cars! =/

[DCaff300ZX]

Wow, only a SMALL mileage "discrepancy" there!
Talk about hoping no one actually checks Carfax, I'm amazed someone would leave themselves in such a position although maybe they figure it's no worse than someone changing their mind...or hope a kid buys it.

[DCaff300ZX]

What area of Canada are you in? I see BC cars advertised down here all the time, and many/most are very good cars and seemingly decent prices...have you looked in that area?