Looking to buy a Z, looking for some advice...

[facesmelt]

Alright, my name is Dan and I'm looking to join the Z community. I am looking for a TT that already has some tasteful things done to it, including any power mods that could get it to somewhere around 350whp at least. But I mostly just want something clean with REASONABLE mileage, that has been taken care of and looks good to me.

I had already posted and gotten through some info about one Z that I am looking at specifically.

Here goes:

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3037323658.html

What do you guys think about this? The kid who owns it is a bit full of himself to say 600+ HP... That build might make 400-450 with good dyno tune. At least, that's what I think.

I'm planning on buying this car within the next week or so. Seems a bit pricey, but I could always give him a lower offer? I was thinking like $6-7000 ish.

I took a ride in it once and my friend test drove it, we both confirmed that it wasn't pulling as quickly as it should at all. Felt like it might have 250whp MAX. I'm hoping it is just a boost leak somewhere and I could get some money off the price with something that is potentially a pretty inexpensive fix. Boost came in WAY late, peaking around 4500-5000K and didn't go as high as he said it would (said it was tuned for 21 lbs but it probably didn't go above stock)

If i could get any good opinions on it, I would appreciate it. I'm gonna have another Z owner come with me tomorrow to check it out again.

Thanks
-Dan

it wont make 600 even on race gas but it does look like someone put a good bit of work into it, also that front end is not JDM that's the Twin Z version 1 which is no longer available afaik. before pulling the trigger id get it compression and leakdown tested at the least, its a bit of a gamble buying a vehicle with an apparent problem and not knowing what exactly it is, you may end up dropping 7k on a car that needs rings or a head gasket. That being said, if it is indeed a boostleak or some other small issue 7k is a good deal for this one, it needs some love in the tail department but overall it looks pretty good.

Yeah I know the power claims are complete bullsh*t, but that's not why I was interested in the car in the first place. But still, with the amount of work put into it, I see potential for a good 400whp with enough boost.

I mean, I definitely value your opinion and am grateful for the advice. I've heard of a compression test, but never heard of a leakdown test. How would I go about having this done on someone else's car though? Wouldn't I need to bring it to a mechanic's shop?

Thanks for the info on that front bumper, I knew it wasn't a Z34 style whatsoever (Or "JDM" for that matter) but I couldn't find exactly what it was. I'm just happy it's really not TOO riced out. You can't tell in the pictures but in some decent daylight you can definitely see that the front and rear bumper were not paint matched that well. I've heard the white is particularly hard to match though.

Also I'm not a fan of some of the things he has done to the exterior. Luckily, those are not actual aftermarket taillights, and it is just an overlay with the OEM stock taillights underneath.

One other thing that hasn't been sitting well with me is that it seems to me like he wants to get rid of it pretty quickly. He is so lenient on the price. He started at $11,000 and dropped to $9,000 the next month, and I know for certain he will let it go for around $7,000.

I've run the Carfax and in all 22 years of this car's existence there really isn't a hiccup that's been reported wrong in it's history, which definitely makes me feel at least a small amount better.

I'm hoping to enter as a new member to the Z family, I'm just treading lightly for the time being. All your help is appreciated.

Thanks
-Dan

Welcome Dan!^

When you buy your Z make sure you make an intro thread!

I will be sure to do so just as soon as the title enters my hands, thanks for the welcoming words!

A leakdown is done by removing the spark plug, setting the cylinder to TDC and pumping it full of air using a leakdown gauge set to see if there is significant pressure loss, this will tell you the general condition of the rings/HG/Valves as well as point to where the problem is if there is one and yes unless you have a leakdown gauge and air compressor handy you will need to take it to a shop. Remeber carfax only reports what was reported to the authorities or insurance. Your best bet is to A) find a reputable shop that knows Z32s and pay them to inspect it or find a knowledgeable Z32 owner or enthusiast in your area and offer him/her some pizza and beer, money, women. . . . men, sexual favors, or whatever else he or she is down for to go with you to inspect the Z thoroughly. If you fill out your location and other pertinent info we may be able to point you to a forum member that may be able and willing to help.

P.S. be weary of any car with an SAFC, piggybacks like this one alter timing when making changes to the fuel, this sometimes causes detonation and pre-ignition problems which ultimately results in spun bearings, bent rods, or cooked pistons. (all of these will show their ugly head on a proper leakdown test.

Alright well it turns out he can't even meet up today. And now his parents "have to think about it".

I guess when I return from vacation, I will have to make an appointment for a shop to do a proper leak down or compression test to make sure everything is in good order.

Is there any possibility of me getting a good confirmation that everything is all good compression-wise, if I end up NOT getting the compression/leakdown test?

Like is there any symptoms or things I can look for that can confirm it without having to go through the extensive test?

I spoke to two local mechanics and they've said that a test like that for one of these cars is actually pretty involved because of the massive engine bay clutter and that it could be cost up to $150 (1.5 hours labor) just to get this thing checked. It's not that I wouldn't spend the money to make sure everything is sound with the car. But if it DOES end up having bad results, that's going to be almost $200 (Compression Test + Carfax) I've spent to check up on this car and I won't even be buying it at that point.

I hope I don't come off as someone looking to skip corners, but it just seems like it has a potential to be very expensive and get me no where.

EDIT: Okay I've realized that I'm in some ways thread-jacking here, is there any place where questions like this would be more appropriate? Sorry, I just don't know my way around these forums just yet and really needed some quick information.

Thanks
-Dan

Dan, make a new thread, itroduce yourself and continue this convo in there. for the time being took at it this way, you spend $200 (which sounds a bit high but not outrageous for a compression and leakdown) on the front end, find out that the rings are cooked or a ringland is broken and walk away, you are $200 out of pocket. OR you don't spend $200 buy the car and within a few months your car is going through oil like a hillbilly through a meth stash and you end up getting the test anyway, spending the $200 to confirm that you now have to spend in the neighborhood of $2000 for a rebuild. $200 is very cheap to keep from making a $7000 mistake.

hey dan welcome to NICO. first I would run as far away from that car as fast as possible.

1 the front bumber doesnt have turn indicators so its not legal and you would need to get a front bumber with the turn signals
2 the interior is horrible IMHO
3 unknown issues with the car that can cost you lots of money and head aches
4 the sells sounds like a kid to "need parents approval "

keep looking man and reading about this car everyday on NICO . and thank me later.

now this is a TTZ that you should look into getting

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/3129177842.html

Okay so I've read through all of this and have kept in contact with the kid selling the Z I originally posted about. It's actually a little more complicated than it seems on paper.

First off, yes he is a "kid". He isn't really into cars and just comes from a family with some money so he bought the Z with a lot of work done to it and was probably overwhelmed with just how in depth maintaining one of these cars could be so now he wants to get rid of it. Before this car, he had a brand new Scion TC which I have heard he ended up totalling and then a brand new Eclipse which I have no idea what happened to. But in the end, he is only 19 years old. But I am also only 21 years old.

Now this all leaves me at a disadvantage in some ways. Because since he isn't knowledgeable, he doesn't know anything about what is wrong and can't really answer any of my questions well. It's annoying.

Getting to the other points that Rager made...

1 the front bumber doesnt have turn indicators so its not legal and you would need to get a front bumber with the turn signals : Yes this is true, but that is the least of my worries as that is really pretty easy to fix. Whether I trade back to a stock bumper or just find some way to mount signals on this one.

2 the interior is horrible IMHO: To each his own, I personally never liked the all red interior that these can come with and think that this one is at least slightly better looking and tolerable to say the least.

3 unknown issues with the car that can cost you lots of money and head aches This is what's got me. And that's why I cam looking for advice. I'm now pretty heart-set on determining whether or not this car really has a serious problem or not. Because it will be a deal breaker for me. If it doesn't hold compression or has any serious engine problems, then I won't even bother offering less to make up for the funds needed to fix it, I don't need that headache now and I'm not looking for a project. But if it doesn't have any problems aside from the seemingly obvious boost leak, I think I found a steal honestly and would love to own it.

now this is a TTZ that you should look into getting

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/3129177842.html[/quote]

It's not that I don't realize that there are nicer Z's out there. It's that we are talking about a car that I could possibly be obtaining for literally half that price. Even if I wanted to, I don't actually have the money right now to purchase that other Z, as gorgeous as it is. Believe me, I've looked into some others, but my funds come up short so this one seems to be where I am sitting.

And here is where the situation actually gets difficult:

I have $6000 in the bank right now.

I have two cars sitting in my driveway, I need to get rid of one of them to justify buying the Z.

I have my DD 1995 nissan altima that I picked up for 200 dollars and is honestly not worth much more for me to sell.

I have my Jeep which has about $4000 in suspension work/tires/wheels and is really where I'm looking to make some money towards my next car.

This kid actually WANTS the Jeep. AndI bought the Jeep as a COMPLETE steal for $1500 over a year ago. But I'm not too sure how much it is worth now anyway.

The kid is willing to trade that Z for the Jeep + $3000 on my side.

I am having trouble selling the Jeep for any cash amount that would equate to me being able to buy this car for this much. Because it really an enthusiasts car. Since it's big, it could be inconvenient and since the paint is a kinda shoddy in some areas, it's not clean enough for someone to justify buying it as a DD road car unless they REALLY were into that lifted scene.


Few more questions/points to get to:

1. I see that some people pointed out that it wasn't originally a TT. Does that really affect the price at all? I mean it's a JDM TT engine in the end along with the transmission. Would you think that would hurt me on the re-sale side of this, down the road?

2. What price would you pay for it, if everything turns out fine with the compression/leakdown tests?


Thanks for any help you could offer, I realize this is an EXTREMELY long read!
-Dan

[Rager]

ok so you made your into thread, and you read everyone advice. So this is what you need to do , keep reading and learning and learning and learning. if you really want to own a Z whether its a TT or NA. you have to look for the best one you get get for you budget. like many will say its a very expensive are to own and maintain so think about that. you want to get a strong running car with up to date maintenance like the 60/120k . if you cant do that yourself and it hasnt been done your looking at almost 1500 bucks right off the bat, for the timing belt and everything that goes with it. i had to have it done because i didnt know any better or i could have gotten 1500 of what i paid. but it was worth it for piece of mine. i got it done at a nissan dealer ship.

so keep looking on CL and auto trader and post up whats near you and we will help out as much as possible , like I posted before , that 93 TTZ is a very nice example for the price .

GL

oh and it took me almost 2 years to find one that I was willing to spend the money on it and was an NA lol but I learned alot over the last 5 plus years reading this site and others multiple times a day. now when I go look for a tt i know what to look for

[WhiTTe Z]

don't pay a dime more than 7k for that thing

[facesmelt]

ok so you made your into thread, and you read everyone advice. So this is what you need to do , keep reading and learning and learning and learning. if you really want to own a Z whether its a TT or NA. you have to look for the best one you get get for you budget. like many will say its a very expensive are to own and maintain so think about that. you want to get a strong running car with up to date maintenance like the 60/120k . if you cant do that yourself and it hasnt been done your looking at almost 1500 bucks right off the bat, for the timing belt and everything that goes with it. i had to have it done because i didnt know any better or i could have gotten 1500 of what i paid. but it was worth it for piece of mine. i got it done at a nissan dealer ship.

so keep looking on CL and auto trader and post up whats near you and we will help out as much as possible , like I posted before , that 93 TTZ is a very nice example for the price .

GL

oh and it took me almost 2 years to find one that I was willing to spend the money on it and was an NA lol but I learned alot over the last 5 plus years reading this site and others multiple times a day. now when I go look for a tt i know what to look for

Yeah, I'm actually friends with a few Nissan technicians and help out at my friend's shop every once in a while so I have access to all of his tools whenever I want. And even though I've heard these cars are very inconvenient to work on, I could save myself a lot of money on things like that. Which is why I am more worried about the big problems that will cost a lot of money and can be unavoidable. I plan on redo-ing a lot of maintenance that this kid probably hasn't kept up on at at all.

I've been in the car and seen it drive around alot, it honestly doesn't scream that it has any problems at all really. It looks better in person, aside from the wheels which I would be replacing immediately.

P.S. I'm sure you will see when you come back into the thread, I edited the top post EXTREMELY extensively. If you would like to get through that reading and touch on those points now that I have included more information on the situation.

Thanks
-Dan

[facesmelt]

don't pay a dime more than 7k for that thing

That seems to be what I'm hearing. But the thing that makes my situation more difficult is the entire thing going on with the trade, which I included information on in the original post.

My Jeep + $3000 for this thing.

Technically it's just $4500 out of my pocket. But the kid is also getting the value he wants (or at least he seems to think) since, I had gotten a steal for my Jeep and he would probably have to pay more than I did anyway to get the same vehicle.

But I totally respect your opinion on what the price should be. It's only helping me anyway.

Thanks
-Dan

[Rager]

that actually doesnt seem like a bad deal 4500. it gives you a little cash to play if you need it. I understand that the one i posted was a little more than you where looking to spend. and had a lot of mods. why not look for a complete stock TT in the 7k range?

all im saying is that even though you have access to tools and mechanics and you think you maybe getting a good deal there is alot that can go wrong.

for example. you said that it didnt feel like the car was pulling very hard. yes it could be a boost leak which would be an easy repair, but lets say one of the turbos is fried for what ever reason. DYK it requires the engine to be pulled to replace the turbo? and since you are pulling the motor and replacing one turbo you might as well replace/rebuild both? there goes your 3k you saved , you know what Im saying? no trying to scare you just want to inform

[Rager]

oh and just for who whos and ring dings, post up some other Zs in your area from CL or auto trader thats in your price range

[facesmelt]

that actually doesnt seem like a bad deal 4500. it gives you a little cash to play if you need it. I understand that the one i posted was a little more than you where looking to spend. and had a lot of mods. why not look for a complete stock TT in the 7k range?

all im saying is that even though you have access to tools and mechanics and you think you maybe getting a good deal there is alot that can go wrong.

for example. you said that it didnt feel like the car was pulling very hard. yes it could be a boost leak which would be an easy repair, but lets say one of the turbos is fried for what ever reason. DYK it requires the engine to be pulled to replace the turbo? and since you are pulling the motor and replacing one turbo you might as well replace/rebuild both? there goes your 3k you saved , you know what Im saying? no trying to scare you just want to inform

I do realize that, but is there anyway to confirm what the problem is specifically? If I find a boost leak, won't that confirm that the turbo is not likely the problem of the lack of power? And then if the compression is all right, I feel like I'm golden.

I realize you're not trying to scare me, but TECHNICALLY that could literally happen to ANY car ever. It could even happen to that black car, turbo seals could be going, compression could be on it's way out... Things like that. Right?

oh and just for who whos and ring dings, post up some other Zs in your area from CL or auto trader thats in your price range

I'll get looking, I remember seeing a few decent ones last week when I was looking.

But here's one thing that is really limiting me here:

I will either have to wait until my Jeep sells (And what if it won't end up selling for enough that would let me buy one more expensive than this one at all? Because I don't really know what it is worth) which has been moving VERY slowly, with VERY little bites. That is the convenience of this deal, I get rid of it and get the Z for relatively cheap on top of it.

OR

I could trade it away for another one, which is probably HIGHLY unlikely and is why I am looking into this trade.

Remember, I am not looking to just buy another car. I am looking to get rid of one beforehand as well.

Thanks
-Dan

[Rager]

I do realize that, but is there anyway to confirm what the problem is specifically? If I find a boost leak, won't that confirm that the turbo is not likely the problem of the lack of power? And then if the compression is all right, I feel like I'm golden.

there are others here that can guid you through car when it comes to the mechanics of it all .

I realize you're not trying to scare me, but TECHNICALLY that could literally happen to ANY car ever. It could even happen to that black car, turbo seals could be going, compression could be on it's way out... Things like that. Right?

yes it could happen to that car or other car but that black Z "come across" very well maintained an cared for and that goes along way with the Z

^

[facesmelt]

Here is my mathematical justification for the entire deal.

Right now let's say I have $5000 to spend, and the Jeep.

If I go through with the trade I lose the Jeep and spend $3000, that leaves another $2000 saved to play around with.

If I can sell the Jeep for $3000 (Double what I paid for it) I would then have a total of $8000 to spend ($3000 +$5000).

So I could spend $6000 if I wanted to make sure I had at least $2000 saved to play around with, like in the trade situation.

So to me, I am only paying $6000 for this car (AT MOST! And technically only $4500 out of my pocket) and that's only if I can sell the Jeep at DOUBLE what I paid for it over a year ago. Now it would be a different story if I could sell it for more... But what do you guys think?

Right now I am in the process of trying to sell it for more actually, I listed the Jeep on Craiglist for $5000 or best offer and haven't really been getting interest. If I were to keep dropping it until I sold it, I have a feeling I might end up really close to that $3000 mark. Which would make this trade MORE than worth it.

I mean, if I didn't have the Jeep right now and instead had $3000 cash where it sat, I would definitely buy this Z for $6000. Right?

Hopefully that's not too confusing, it makes sense to me. Haha

Thanks
-Dan

[Rager]

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/3134080647.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3048787235.html

[facesmelt]

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/3134080647.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3048787235.html

First one is a definitely project car, not really my cup of tea. Also I always find it really fishy when someone just does an entire "perfect full rebuild" but sells it a few thousand miles later. I've never gotten that, it's almost proving that something actually went wrong. If a new engine/transmission/rebuild doesn't have at least a dozen thousand miles on it before someone wants to get rid of it, I'm not interested.

Also for both of them, red isn't really my color.

The second one also has a similar deal going on. He "just replaced the turbos" and everything in there, along with timing belt, tires, etc. Why is he selling it then? He isn't making more money after dumping all that money into it. not to mention I would then have to spend the money to upgrade it to the level of some of the other Z's myself. I do like the low original mileage though and I really like the black leather interior. But in any case, it is quite a bit outside of my budget.

But thanks for the help anyway. I haven't quite gotten around to checking through craigslist since I'm in the middle of packing for vacation.

Thanks
-Dan

[facesmelt]

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brx/cto/3124092480.html - Bit expensive, but definitely pretty clean and well maintained it would seem.

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3007718263.html - Not bad, also a bit above my budget right now.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/cto/3129484368.html - Closer to a price that I could spend sometime soon.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3137609145.html - Not many pictures but it's the cheapest of the cleaner ones I found.

[localz32]

the last ones you posted are worth takng a look at the first z just looks to supecious

[nissanfreak12]

If you have 6k in the bank, save your money and read up on these cars like it was stated above. The right one will come around. Do not jump on the first one that comes around. Look in the classifieds for other members selling their car on tt.net and projectz, and this site. These cars are expensive to maintain and to own. 350whp is a LOT of hp for these cars and if you just get one and not used to that kind of power, you will wrap it around a pole.

I will tell you they are extremely fun to drive. Your best bet is to find an unmolested TT and build it up. You will appreciate a lot more than just buying one already built. You ca do what you want, but do your homework on these cars.


Welcome!!!!!!

[WhiTTe Z]

Honestly the first one is sketchy and the kid is obviously an idiot from his description in the listing. The car was definitely molested/beaten on, and probably has a few problems. That being said, you could make about $1000 selling some of the junk that comes with it that you don't need (not including the wheels).

It's really up to you are you willing to take the gamble. At the very least, do a fuel pressure test and boost leak test, and compression test before buying to see where you're at.

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3007718263.html
^^This one looks like a winner. Go check this out ASAP, offer him 7k. Looks exactly like mine did when I bought it, similar miles too, and hey, it took me two years to finally get it running right but that was due to my own ignorance. All it really had wrong was a bad fuel pump and a boost leak which took me forever to track due to misguidance by a "reputable" z mechanic.

Honestly I am not being biased because it looks like mine, this is a nice looking stock Z. and as someone else stated, stock is the way to go, doing upgrades as you go along/can afford them over a period of time will be a great experience and will make you love your car more.

[WhiTTe Z]

PS same goes for the 4th one you posted.

[localz32]

or wait a little more save up and buy a evo or s2k you can find one for 10k

[bartZ32tt]

or wait a little more save up and buy a evo or s2k you can find one for 10k

[localz32]

or wait a little more save up and buy a evo or s2k you can find one for 10k

haha i love 300s but they are getting old and a s2k would be more reliable and cheaper to maintain

[WhiTTe Z]

[/quote]
haha i love 300s but they are getting old and a s2k would be more reliable and cheaper to maintain[/quote]


Yeah and a lot slower.

And good luck finding a decent used Evo for under $15k

[nissanfreak12]

or wait a little more save up and buy a evo or s2k you can find one for 10k

Somebody wants to join the bandwagon of snotty rich kids......

s2k are fun, but feel like a civic till vtec kicks in at 7k

Evo's are still just lancers to me, cant get past that, even if they are AWD and fast, still a lancer to me.

To each their own.

[Afi]

OP, good luck with your Z search and whichever you do buy, make sure the interior is nice . I can't stand to see 300 with rough/beaten interior. Over time, that single criteria has become way more to me than NA vs TT for example. And listen to the advices given by fellow members, as I'm learning right now, even a "perfectly" running Z still hurts the pockets to maintain.

[300ZXttZMAN]

The reason why most are weary when it comes to buying a TT swapped car is because its a very expensive process to swap it.

So what tends to happen is that some people may become lazy or short on funds which results in shortcuts being taken which will do nothing but hurt you in the long run.

Also JDM engines have a bad rep with the Z32 community as you can see here: jdm-engine-experiences-noobs-read-t530009.html

As rager said earlier just read read read. I know its annoying to have people tell you that but I promise you that you can learn alot just by reading.

Start by reading some of the articles on this page.

Also watch this video IMHO its got some great info for new and upcoming Z32 enthusiast.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-UzW6G-11c[/youtube]

If you still have questions feel free to post!!