Looking for advice on buying 300zx

[Shades1]

Hello all!

Let me first say I've done quite a bit of research and have waited a while to be able to own a 300zx. Previous cars include LT1 Trans AM, LS1 Trans AM, 2.0T MKV GTI, Hawkeye STI. All modded, doing most of the work myself.

I am currently looking at a 1995 TT 300zx. The body is in very good condition with 110k miles on the car. The motor was just rebuilt along with the turbos.
Mods are as followed:
New
Rebuilt Engine
All engine gaskets
Rebuilt Turbos
Timing belt and all timing components
Resurfaced flywheel
Brake pads
E85 Fuel lines
Wiring Harness plugs
Ngk iridium Spark plugs
All fluids are new (coolant, oil, powersteering, transmission fluid)
94 dual synchro Trans
Has had all deletes performed to make it easier to work on.

New (aftermarket)
Walbro 485 fuel pump
Mishimoto radiator
Nismo 740cc injectors
Godspeed intercoolers
SZ High 5 clutch
Bilet Unorthodox Underdrive crank pulley
Unorthodox Overdrive water pump pulley
Seilin dual MAF translator
JWT dual intakes with velocity stacks
Z1 intake elbows
Z1 intake pipes
Greddy boost controller
Z1 2.5" Downpipes
Z1 test pipes
Apexi b0mber single exhaust
Stillen boost hoses
4.10 rear end gears

He has all receipts including ones with rebuilds. All work was done a reputable Z shop locally.

I drove 3 hours to look at the car last weekend. Towards the end of the meet he casually drops a bombshell on me; the car is a NA with a TT swap (done at shop).

My question and concerns are:

• Should I walk away?
  What should I look for?
  Anything on the NA I should be concerned about as far as power? It puts down 400/450 rwhp
  Will I most likely have trouble down the line? (Yes, very vague unpredictable question)

I plan to have the car inspected prior to purchase for any major issues and hidden CEL's, not at the shop at which the build was done of course.
I am absolutely in love with the car otherwise, the body is in great condition, all mods are what I would have done +/- some brands, front fascia is what I would of chose, interior is in decent condition. I know how hard it is to find one of these cars, let alone a 20 year old car in decent condition, especially where I am (midwest).

[nissanfreak12]

How much is he looking for? If he is looking for 10k +, walk away. The main question is how much are you willing to spend? I had a swapped Z TT, it was a very reliable car, but I also spent 5k+ getting it that way. The guy I sold it to, well he is still very much enjoying it.

Couple things come to my attention;

Rebuilt turbos? Were they rebuilt or was the CHRA replaced? If rebuilt, chances they will not last that long. Do some research on this.

Gaskets? Was is a cheap kit or an OEM kit.

Timing belt? Same thing as gasket. Yes, these make a HUGE difference. Cheap never last long.

Engine? Was this a JDM or USDM? Yes, it makes a difference. JDM Can and more than likely have a lot of problems, unless certain things were changed, like the oil pan, oil pump, etc.

Does it have a new wiring harness or is it the old crusty one? If it is old, chances are this is where you will have issues down the road.


All in all, think of it this way you can have cheap, fast, reliable. You can only pick two. A lot will depend on how you drive it. If you beat on it you will have issues down the road. The occasional romping, you should be ok. But just remember it is a 20+ year old car. If its a good price and you really like it, you have the money and know how to work on cars, why not. Just remember, these cars can get very expensive, so have some extra money off to the side just in case.

[Shades1]

How much is he looking for? If he is looking for 10k +, walk away. The main question is how much are you willing to spend? I had a swapped Z TT, it was a very reliable car, but I also spent 5k+ getting it that way. The guy I sold it to, well he is still very much enjoying it.

Couple things come to my attention;

Rebuilt turbos? Were they rebuilt or was the CHRA replaced? If rebuilt, chances they will not last that long. Do some research on this.

Gaskets? Was is a cheap kit or an OEM kit.

Timing belt? Same thing as gasket. Yes, these make a HUGE difference. Cheap never last long.

Engine? Was this a JDM or USDM? Yes, it makes a difference. JDM Can and more than likely have a lot of problems, unless certain things were changed, like the oil pan, oil pump, etc.

Does it have a new wiring harness or is it the old crusty one? If it is old, chances are this is where you will have issues down the road.


All in all, think of it this way you can have cheap, fast, reliable. You can only pick two. A lot will depend on how you drive it. If you beat on it you will have issues down the road. The occasional romping, you should be ok. But just remember it is a 20+ year old car. If its a good price and you really like it, you have the money and know how to work on cars, why not. Just remember, these cars can get very expensive, so have some extra money off to the side just in case.

Thanks for the reply, very helpful.

Quick question; why would rebuilt turbos be an issue vs CHRA??
I have to call the shop and ask all these questions and more because the guy who had it done doesn't know specifics. I believe he told them what he was looking for in a car and they chose the parts and did the work.
I'm trying to find out:
Water pump done?
Miles on engine prior to swap
What kind of "rebuilt" was done on both engine and turbo's
Timing Belt - OEM???
Used wiring harness or new?
Engine > JDM or USDM.
Any major problems during swap or build (hoping their honest with me)
If this guys invoice really matches the work they did on his car. It's more of an invoice rather than a receipt.

Then I'll talk him down about 1.5k and have another import shop take a look at it before buying it and take a nice long test drive. Dont think there is much else I can do.
Comparing Autotrader.com/Ebay/Craigslist he is asking quite a bit. I found a slightly modded black TT with 70k miles for 12k in CA. I think the guy wants to make up for all the work he put into the car but doesn't realize modifications can only add so much value, you never get your money back and at the end of the day it's an NA with a TT swap.

[z.Leinbach]

If you can just try and find a unmolested TT car preferably OBD1. This will be a good spot to start as you don't have to fiddle around with the endless headache of either founding a swap or getting into someone else's headache. Untouched TT's are few and far between but can be found heard a bout a guy where I am that found one for 7k an had -100k on the ticker. But keep in mind that's the current market, as I have seen a Z31 forsake an hour an half away for 8100ish and there was a Z32 like 20mins away around the same miles as mine 138120~ for close to the same.