Buying a 1990 300zx TT

[cnipp3173]

I am going to look at a white 1990 300zx TT tomorrow the guy wants 1900 for it. He said it will not start to to bad injectors. He said he had this problem last time and the injectors fixed it. My question is, is this a good price what are the issues with this year and anything specific I should look for on the car?

Thanks

[nick1809]

depends on what you mean "wont start." that could mean a multitude of things from a dead battery, failed alternator, worn starter, timing could be off, injectors clogged, MASSIVE vaccuum leak, etc. i would go for it since they are EXCELLENT cars and would be a great project. hell, even if you part it you could make more money than you paid originally and scrap the frame for more money.

[Z31toZ32]

if its only the injectors, it could be a deal. those will run about 1k to replace. however, if its 2k, most likely its the tip of the iceberg. u usually get what you pay for.

[sydwyZ32]

I would watch out. my first na Z was 7K, and at the time back in 2005 that wasn't a bad deal... 500 miles later my engine went out. did a JDM swap and then had tons of electical issues which led to that 'new' motor blowing.... my point-Shortly after popping my second motor in less than 700 miles I found my Twin Turbo for 14K... and yeah it was a lot of money, but I didn't have major motor issues up until 2 weeks ago (100,000 hard miles later).

you def. get what you pay for... s*** going to happen, do you want to pay a little more and postpone your headache? the z32 is a great project car, but only if your pockets can handle it.

my question is, if he let the injectors get that bad, what else did he neglect on the car? I would request a record of maintnance if he has one.

[300ZXttZMAN]

I would watch out. my first na Z was 7K, and at the time back in 2005 that wasn't a bad deal... 500 miles later my engine went out. did a JDM swap and then had tons of electical issues which led to that 'new' motor blowing.... my point-Shortly after popping my second motor in less than 700 miles I found my Twin Turbo for 14K... and yeah it was a lot of money, but I didn't have major motor issues up until 2 weeks ago (100,000 hard miles later).

you def. get what you pay for... s*** going to happen, do you want to pay a little more and postpone your headache? the z32 is a great project car, but only if your pockets can handle it.

my question is, if he let the injectors get that bad, what else did he neglect on the car? I would request a record of maintnance if he has one.

I agree completely ^ (I am worried about the underlined also)

To add to what she said: Most of the time it is pretty unlikely for the car to not even start at all due to a bad injector now yes there are many other variables that could take place. For example it could have started with one injector and the guy just kept driving it and washed out the rings in the cylinder with the bad injector then more injectors failed ect.. We could all go on about this for days OP..

Think about it like this: A V6 engine should run but definatly run with a miss if 1 injector is out so that brings me to belive that either:
A. He neglected the crap out of the poor Z in order for it to get that bad for enough injectors to fail to where it wouldn't start. (like sydwyz32 said)
B. There are more problems and he is just giving a half a** guess of whats wrong..


Summary: Definatley be careful also think about this take notes on what the inspection sticker says that gives you an idea of how long its been sitting.
Also you need to be very observent in all aspects take a look at some connectors in the engine bay. Look at where the car is parked if its parked in grass look under it look for dead patches of grass from where maybe oil has killed the grass.. Or look to see if the grass is just not as healthy as the rest of the grass in the yard due to the car blocking the sun from hitting it.. If the car is on the concrete look for oil..

Also it would be a good idea to check timing.. *If possible do a compression test (compression test would be great could either give you good news or bad news it would clear up a lot of fuzy questions)*


(Keep in mind there are plenty of other things that could be wrong and plenty of other advice I just dont have time to type it all..)

Good Luck! Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions..

[nick1809]

if its only the injectors, it could be a deal. those will run about 1k to replace. however, if its 2k, most likely its the tip of the iceberg. u usually get what you pay for.

i only paid 270 for mine. brand new OEM set. if you look in the right spots, you will find GREAT deals for our cars.

[jaredta1a]

i really really doubt its bad injectors, like stated above, I drove my first z home with 2 bad injectors... if it was bad injectors you could start it on starting fluid, but that doesnt tell you injectors it just tells you fuel system and you gotta narrow it down... Tell him you will buy it pending a compression test then freshen up the engine and diag and fix it, if its got good compression and it looks halfway decent its worth every bit of what he is asking