300zx values

[hazeyisrxllin]

Basically I have a issue in my twin turbo z I can't drive it at night my high beam is always on and my ic cluster won't light up so I'm thinking just swap my tt into my na the na body is in better shape anyway but my real question is if a z32 is a original # twin turbo z really worth more then a swaped z32

[hazeyisrxllin]

Is a orginal twin turbo worth more then a swap

[NolimitZ32]

Stock for stock, yes.

[Ace2cool]

A true TT is worth more on paper, yes, but you're talking pennies on the dollar difference.

Maybe if these become some wildly collectible thing that will matter.

[NolimitZ32]

To elaborate on you other thread (and please dont make two on the same subject) open market for almost any buyer an original tt is worth more, however if this is your fun car then I wouldnt worry about it because if its well done and well maintained then it wont really matter.

[wisniaPl]

Even moded they are worth more
Remember original cars with matching numbers are always worth more

[NolimitZ32]

^ This is not necessarily true, modded cars are quite a bit more niche then stock cars. If a general auto collector or someone chasing their teenage dream is more likely to buy an unmodded car than a modded one. Generally you see the trade on highly modified cars happen only with enthusiasts of a particular wallet size. Now it needs to be said that I am talking about heavy mods not some drop springs and an exhaust, I class lightly modded cars like that in the "stock" category as all those mods are easily undone.

[DCaff300ZX]

I agree.
I myself steered well clear of modded cars after looking at a pretty nice one early on, one that as time went by more and more issues were found.

Another thought is that if someone modifies their car beyond a certain extent, say 50 whp, then I think that we all can agree that they will use that extra power, and often.
More wear and tear at a higher performance level and more strain on modified parts, which may or may not be up to the task, and we haven't even hit the BIG TT "uh-oh" yet- chip tuning...bottom line is that the unmolested Z32 most likely will not have had that type of usage without showing it.

Quite honestly, although they love the car they eventually found with a little help on this site, Bob and his wife who just bought a beautiful Z32TT that was modified are spending a little money to back it off and surely would rather that car came OEM if it was possible.

Just a couple of other possible perspectives...

[hazeyisrxllin]

Reason I asked is because my twin turbo is having electrical problems and the stealership tried to tell me it's the main engine harness causing my problem and I think its bs and they wanted me to take it else were like it can be a couple wires shorted but that's no reason to replace a harness that parts and labor sum up to 2400 dollars so I rather pull the engine give it a new harness and put that motor trans and ecm in my na z with a blown engine since its body's in better shape

[evildky]

A true "C" code car is worth more than a swapped car period. These cars are not worth much anymore regardless unless you have some ultra low mile creampuff. If your body is trashed on the turbo car it has very little value anyhow. Unless you have a low mile cherry forget the value as it's slowly finding it's bottom. The harness on your N/A is interchangeable with the harness on the TT, so you could just swap the harness. You took a 20+ year old car to a dealership? Most likely it's the first Z32 the tech has seen unless you lucked out and found a tech that has actually been around a long time. One of the things that hurts the value of these cars is the cost of parts and labor, they use many low production and proprietary parts and they require twice to labor time to perform just about any task.

[hazeyisrxllin]

The only reason I took it there was because the other techs in my shop looked confused when we looking at the diagram and trying many diffrent fixes after 2 weeks I took to the nissan dealer it's a 30 second drive lol and said tech found a short in the main engine control room harness lol I think they were trying to scare me off lol I need a whole harness thats going to take 2400 in labor lol

[hazeyisrxllin]

That's dam near 20 labor rate hours I no me and other techs would love to pull close to 20 hours on one job

[DCaff300ZX]

I hear ya on the stealership hassles, I had them quote me $800+ to flush the brake fluid and bleed the system afterwards. I asked incredulously did the guy realize it's about a 2 hour job MAX, less with modern equipment and he repeated the price and hung up.

You really will want to locate a Z specialist for that type of work if you want to have it done, and as you said figure in doing a bunch of other things in that area of the engine/car that will be removed to get to the harness to keep the value of the time down and costs...that's the only way to keep your car's current value.
I faced this with my decision on my car- considering swapping everything into the NA- but in the end all that work for a swapped car with other issues to deal with on top of that made no sense and that doesn't consider the value drop either, so repairing the TT professionally was the only real choice..if it was doable.
Also, if you are a DIY guy I think that given the costs, doing the work yourself (replacing the engine harness) is the best way to go unless it is your only means of transportation.

[wisniaPl]

If you have good tt fix it....
Original number cars are always worth more.....proven many times
Thibk about like supra which value is rocked high
NA to turbo swaps are always worth thousands less than original turbo mkIV,even if they are the same, mod for mod perfect examples
You will always hear that"but this one is original turbo model not a swap" that means more $$
Same think applies to other cars

[NolimitZ32]

At the end of the day it depends on your buyer. IF future market value is what you are worried about than I would say that you are investing in the wrong car, as evil said, these cars are too hard to work on and too expensive to maintain for them to be worth anything decent unless you have a very low mileage collector car condition example.

[hazeyisrxllin]

Well I would say imma diy guy lol I'm still not all that experienced but I am in my 2nd year of being a professional auto tech im only 23 but honestly I'll probably keep my z in old age I figure it's best to build it now I'm young no kids and making decent money working for dodge as for the body for my tt idk it doesn't look like it's in horrible shape but it has been hit on the driver side and the frame may need a little straighting and the left rear quarter is pretty screwed I may just buy a jdm vg30dett with trans and ecm for my na and just take the pipe work and other parts needed for it to work off my tt my na it's motors blown maybe threw a rod idk because I bought it like that for 800 dollars interiors clean on both other then paint on the na it's body's in great shape I'm thinking of doing that so when I sell the tt it's still all orginal engine and trans plus then I'll only have to pull one engine opposed to pulling 2 lol

[hazeyisrxllin]

TT has 125k. Na has 177k
Tt has damage that estimates between 2000 to 4000 dollars and still Has the light issue
Na has 0 damage no electrical problems jus needs paint its a 2 + 2 but it needs a motor

[DCaff300ZX]

Just as a reference, swap costs easily go over $5K and are very involved, which as has been mentioned is the downfall of the car- high parts and maintenance costs versus car value even in good/reasonable condition.
The title will also be branded for either car, further reducing an already lower value so investment concerns for your scenario are negligible.
So the question becomes do-ability, and in your case it's high on your abilities end, but low on reality as the costs and time down will make this a tough project without a wad of $ to throw at it. I use my own situation as guidance here because I faced much the same having an NA with dead motor, and TT with serious body damage- I went with repairing the TT because it's the best solution from all angles, but it's cost a TON and I still have body work left to do.

[hazeyisrxllin]

Why would the sWap cost 5k if I have a donor tt ?

[DCaff300ZX]

Well yours may be less given you have both cars, but as you do the swap there are plenty of things that will need replacing/refreshing. Maybe you won't have the higher costs, but then again most of us who get into the moor end of things really have a hard time keeping it stock so maybe not...there are a lot of reasonable upgrades to do and doing some deep maintenance on the motor (seals, gaskets, sensors) is a really, REALLY good idea for a VG30DETT. Add in a fresh clutch/bits and motor mounts, etc., and you will be surprised at the cost.

[hazeyisrxllin]

Is a na clutch and twin turbo clutch the same ? I no trans is the same but na bell house and starter is a little smaller but if the clutch is the same the na has a brand new clutch in it so I won't need that lol gasket and seals you are right but as I get the new engine in I will probably sell my q45 and most likely my twin turbo if need be

[NolimitZ32]

Clutches are NOT the same, neither is the FW IIRC

[hazeyisrxllin]

I know about the flywheel but I wasn't sure about the clutch

[NolimitZ32]

A NA clutch wouldn't be able to handle even factory TT power levels for too long, you are better off getting a proper TT clutch on the first go around.

[hazeyisrxllin]

Oh ok cool I mite buy a jdm tt and rebuild it 1st I may be getting a part time job with this jdm shop in the area

[hazeyisrxllin]

is it easier to drop the engine with the z32 or is it easier to pull it with a hoist

[evildky]

If you have a lift it's way easier to drop the front subframe engine and trans together, if you do not, you drop the trans out the bottom and engine out the top. Also, a 2+2 is far less desirable. Financially you are better off just buying a good car, $5k buys a pretty nice TT, and maybe you can pay for it by sell your 2 problem cars.

[hazeyisrxllin]

I work in a shop I have access to a lift but idk if I have enough time to do it and make money smh