1990 VS 1991. What are the differences?

[kb7709]

I'm not yet a Z32 owner, but plan to be in the very near future. I'm looking at a 1990 and a 1991 car, both are TT's. The '90 has 96k miles and the '91 has 110k. Both seem to be in very good condition considering the age. I have read some general statements that the '91 is a better car, but can't seem to construct a search that will produce any specific info as to the major differences. What are they?

[evildky]

the only difference I am aware of is some of the early 90 cars came without an airbag, this might have been on n/a's only I'm really not sure

[AZ-ZBum]

http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnet....html

[freakonaleash1187]

also, the 1990 Z's were know to have a few more electrical problems than later years. but since it has been 16 years, most if not all of the problems have been fixed so it shouldnt be too much of a worry.

[kb7709]

http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnet....html

That helps. Thanks guys!! Anybody else??

I'm going to touch and feel (hear and drive) both of them tomorrow. Well hopefully, I haven't heard back from the guy with the '90 yet to accept my offer to meet him, but hope he will. At least one of the current owners is making about an hour and a half trip to meet me halfway, so I can see and drive his car. With any luck I'll get to see them both and at least one of them will be good, in which case, I may be joining the ranks soon. Can't help but be a little excited!

[jEzTeR]

1990 didnt have the Nissan logo on the hood.

[nsrZ32]

Hope you get one of them, owning a Z32 is an amazing experience. 90's don't have problems that would be any different than 91's anymore. The issues were in very early production NA's in 89 as 90 year cars. Plus, the 90 is lighter Best of luck.

[kb7709]

Yes, just driving one that belongs to someone else is an amazing experience. I did drive the '91, it's a pretty decent, seems like anyway. The guy with the '90 was unable to make it. I'll be seeing his on Friday (hopefully). I was wondering if you guys think there would be much of a market here for a used Borla cat back exhaust. I've read they're nice, but it's a little loud for me. What would give the best flow/power gains etc., but not be quite as loud? I like to hear the car, but I also like to hear myself think. I know some people like that though. What would you think the used cat back Borla exhaust might be worth.

[nsrZ32]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the test drive. Hope friday works out for you to check out the 90. The borla exhaust could probably fetch you 250 bucks if its in good shape. As for quiet exhausts, check out the HKS sport, not sure if its still available. but it looked a lot like stock and was only slightly louder but allowed increased flow.

[freakonaleash1187]

good to hear you got to test drive it. if you do sell the borla exhaust, i would be semi-interested in it, depends on my funds. just dont jump on something you dont really want, wait to find one that you really do want.

[kb7709]

I think it's safe to say it's only a matter of time. It may or may not be one of these two, but I'm pretty sure it's going to happen. Just gotta find the right combination of price and condition. I'd love to buy "mint", but don't really want to pay for mint. And then (for me personally), it has to be white. Sort of limits the field a little. Thanks for the encouragement though. Oh yeah, nice car Jerry! Stay tuned.

Seen this??http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...%3AIT

[nsrZ32]

that car looks pretty good! white is the only way to go

[freakonaleash1187]

that car does look pretty good, but if i were to buy a car off of ebay, it would have to be close by so i could go check it out, i wouldnt want to buy a car before i check it out. and btw, blue is the only way to go.

[kb7709]

Neither would I. As luck would have it, I happen to be in Louisville, KY this week working. I've emailed the guy to try and see the car while I'm here. He's only about 30 miles away or so. Does look good doesn't it??? What are the differences in a Fairlady? Also, just curious why the 90's are 60 lbs lighter than 91's.

[evildky]

I think it's safe to say it's only a matter of time. It may or may not be one of these two, but I'm pretty sure it's going to happen. Just gotta find the right combination of price and condition. I'd love to buy "mint", but don't really want to pay for mint. And then (for me personally), it has to be white. Sort of limits the field a little. Thanks for the encouragement though. Oh yeah, nice car Jerry! Stay tuned.

Seen this??http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...%3AIT

first of all "fairlady" is what the Z series was named in japan and Mr. K was the one to start the Z name here in the states, there was a fairlady edition in 95-96 which I believe was just a badge package, the japanese models have always been called fairlady's and the jap motor is exactly the same as the us engine so don't listed to any bs about it being more powerful nissan didn't short us on the Z

now if this car had never been abused why has the engine been swapped? the engine was abused and/or neglected or it would still have the original engine! and the stage 3 only makes 400 hp at the crank and thats if everything is up to snuff, unless he's got a dyno sheet it's just a claim

and it doesn't cost $5200 to touch up parking lot dings, I'd be suspicious of damage, be sure to pull the centerpanel between the headlights off and look at the metal frame beside the headlights for signs of damage ( the center panle has to be removed to change the air filter and if it's a stage 3 you'll see a pop changer in there)

that being said, it does look like a well preserved high milage car, with continued maintenance it'll bring you years of joy

[freakonaleash1187]

the main difference between the JDM TT and the USDM TT is that the turbos are smaller on the JDM Z. although this makes for less power, it makes for faster spool up, so in the end they are about the same speed.

[nsrZ32]

Fairlady is just what the Z car is everywhere else in the world. And the 90's are lighter cause they don't have airbags and a lot of other junk. Go with a 90. And make sure you get a white one

[kb7709]

Alrighty then. The meeting is on with the guy who has the '90 for tomorrow. I've got my fingers crossed and am hoping it's a good one. I know it's got stainless steel exhaust, pop charger, ecu upgrade and a new clutch. Only negatives I know of are cloth interior (not necessarily a deal killer for me) and the front spoiler has a small crack. I am wanting to change the front anyway (thinking of a '99 spec, I really like those, or possibly Greedy urethane). There I go....getting WAY ahead of myself. Can you tell I'm anxious??

Seen this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...%3AIT

[evildky]

I gotta tell ya I think the cloth interior is a plus, if you race at all you will find the leather allows your to twist a bit in your seat which while racing is a bad thing, I think the cloth would be an upgrade while racing based on my own experiences

[NSR240sxe]

Cloth is a good thing....stock leather seats are so insanely heavy. They suck.

[kb7709]

Drove the '90 today. Unfortunately about half way to the meeting place, I ran into rain and it continued right through my inspection of the car. I probably don't have to tell anyone how may ways it's "against my religion" to look at a car in the rain.

Once I saw it, at least some of the reason I feel that way vaporized. The car is pearl white (no offense to pearl white Z32 owners intended), but that's not what I want. Also, I could see enough to know it needs paint. There is at least one ding in the psngr door and a crease in the rear quarter that couldn't be done by paintless repair and the hood and hatch were showing signs or faded clear coat. So.....a definite paint job. I was planning to do some body stuff to whatever I get anyway and I guess I could always paint it the plain white I want. Anyone know about what additional cost is usually involved in doing door jams and other nooks a crannys with a color change?

Also, is it just me or do cars just seem "tighter" when they're wet? The car did seem to be very tight. Basically no rattles or noises, stearing was very tight. Gears were a little notchy and difficult to hit and the shifter had more play in it than I'm used to. Other than that, the car was actually pretty good. The interior, though dirty, was in good shape and would take very little to put back into A1 condition. It seemed to run good although, due to the rain, both of us were leary of pushing it much. There was a little "whooping" sound he said was from the air return on the Turbos?? and said a lot of them do it, although I've never heard that before. The engine was relatively clean (had not been cleaned lately), with no signs of any leaking fluids etc. (best I could tell). No smoking or anything. Although I couldn't tell what kind it was, the exhaust sounded great. Not loud, but a very nice deep tone and the pipes from the cat back were stainless.

As it sits right now, this one is about $1000 cheaper than the '91 that only needs the spoiler repainted and has about 15k more miles on it than this one. On the otherhand, there will be costs involved in painting the front (either '99spec or Greedy's Wings West look alike) and the rear bumper (something along the lines of the Wings West) and probably some side skirts of some kind. I'm not sure painting the whole car would be that much more (I'm figuring maybe $1000 more)and everything would match perfectly and be freshly painted. Wow!!! A lot to think about. Anyone have any thoughts on any of this???

[kb7709]

I'm going to try and attach a pic of the '90. Anyone recoginze the exhaust by any stroke of amazing luck?? By the way, I think I actually prefer the cloth seats.

[jEzTeR]

IMO the pearl white is a great color. It grows on you the more you see it. In the sunlight it really looks great! Kinda classy.

[kb7709]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the test drive. Hope friday works out for you to check out the 90. The borla exhaust could probably fetch you 250 bucks if its in good shape. As for quiet exhausts, check out the HKS sport, not sure if its still available. but it looked a lot like stock and was only slightly louder but allowed increased flow.

Everything I'm reading says the "sport" designates that the exhaust is designed specifically for NA cars. Are there any other one's quieter than Borla with a nice deep tone and good flow? Can anyone ID the exhaust on the pearl white one pictured above? It has a perfect note IMO.

[freakonaleash1187]

it looks like the Greddy SP2 exhaust.

[kb7709]

Would that be likely to have a relatively quiet (not stock, but not really loud either) sound? I looked at them and it does look the same. Of course it's a pretty generic look. Any other different opinions? I really like the sound a lot.

[nsrZ32]

from that picture....without any better views I'd have to say greddy as well

its not an overly loud exhaust but has a nice deep tone

[kb7709]

Looking like the '90 is out and the '91 is in. I'm still negotiating price with the owner, but we're very close now and it's looking like we'll probably be able to meet on the price. I'll post some pics if I become the owner. Probably make a decision tomorrow. By the way, Jerry, what is the offset on your wheels.... that's the perfect "stance" IMO.

[kb7709]

And so it came to pass. Yesterday, I became the proud owner of a 1991 bright white 300ZX TT. Below are a few of the pics the owner sent me (before I ever actually saw or drove the car). It's only slightly modified per below. I think I'm going to REALLY like this car.

Ash Spec chip Pop ChargerBorla cat back exhaust (a little loud for me)RPS clutchBlitz Turbo Timer pillar mounted boost guage111k miles

The negatives:Crack in the windshield up top in the tinted area (won't fix any time soon)clutch booster is out (owner gave me a new one with the car and I pretty much got used to that yesterday, but will probably go ahead and fix it)skuff on the rear bumper. So far that's about it.

Edit: OK I didn't do very well on the pic size (cut them down too much). If you could see them they'd look pretty good. I'll try again at another time.
Modified by kb7709 at 6:26 AM 12/24/2005

[jEzTeR]

Nice car!

Yeah hook us up with some better pics when you can.