NA 300zx maintenance?

[CarlW]

Hey guys I'm 17 years old and want to get a 300zx. I've narrowed it down to an NA to make maintenance a little cheaper. My main concern though is, how much would maintaining this car cost? My budget for a z32 is $3500. For that price could I get a trouble less na? Also, I do know working on a z32 is a pain and labor will be through the roof, but I have a backyard mechanic who I think may be able to help me out a ton if the z needs work.

Of course being in high school this car will be daily driven. Can an NA be daily driven? Personal experience would be preferred.

[DCaff300ZX]

Welcome Carl!
You're making a risky choice, but one I understand and went the same path myself as a kid with my Big Block Mustang. It sounds like you're pretty "Up" on the Z32 scenario, at least on the surface but be ready to learn a LOT, and be ready to have to do things in ways and at a certain higher level of detail, and perhaps different than you know- the Z32 has it's ways.

As for cost of the car itself, a good solid NA should run about $5-6K depending upon miles and a TT is about $8K-10K same scenario, so a $3,500 NA Z32 is probably a little on the risky side because it will be hard to expect the $1,500 120K maintenance and other things like injectors/harness and cooling system to have been serviced correctly recently given those costs, and the value of the car...basically you will/may have to do those things yourself, and the faster the better if they have not been done and the car used a lot. There will be things to undo and update, and the costs of tires and other things are higher because of the OEM ratings and level of quality of parts used.

As for maintenance I'd say you should easily have $1,500 set aside (same amount as value of car is best actually, up to $5K) for maintenance parts, and be ready for tires/exhaust and perhaps cooling fan assembly, and/or radiator if cooling problems exist. BTW, try to get the least miles on the car possible and less than 150K, and avoid cars with cooling problems as this can be a problem on several levels and by NO MEANS get a JDM motor swapped car (newer JDM import engine into older car) as this is a recipe for disaster.
Focus on the engine first, then drivetrain and then body as your preferences given your cash on hand, planning interior and looks upgrades later so that you get the best CAR to work with, and not a pretty disaster. LOTS of pretty disasters for sale right now all over the nation, not so many solid cars as they aren't being sold for that reason.

Lastly, ask away here with any further questions and by all means do your research, and use the stickies at the top of our page here as there is a LOT of good info there to get started and also deal with your Z32.
Good Luck!

[marcyprojects]

Good luck with your plan. I drive my 90 with 167k about 4 days a week, 40-50 miles a day. Ill just give you the same advice I gave someone else on here a while back. Dont let those high price tags fool you. Your 3500 could do you just fine to get a strong running car depending on how many are availible in your area. Most Z32 out here listed for $5k are really worth 3-4k, sellers just eager to make a huge profit that is unrealistic in todays market for a 20 year old car. Find an owner who is serious about selling, be firm, and make a reasonable offer based on your budget. May not get the car right then but your $3500 offer will weigh heavy on them when they see nobody else has inquired. As far as matinence goes just be prepared for some minor leaks that could turn bad if you dont address them, and some interior restoration may be in order depending on how particular you are. Those parts are becoming more rare and more expensive as a result.

[DCaff300ZX]

Good luck with your plan. I drive my 90 with 167k about 4 days a week, 40-50 miles a day. Ill just give you the same advice I gave someone else on here a while back. Dont let those high price tags fool you. Your 3500 could do you just fine to get a strong running car depending on how many are availible in your area. Most Z32 out here listed for $5k are really worth 3-4k, sellers just eager to make a huge profit that is unrealistic in todays market for a 20 year old car. Find an owner who is serious about selling, be firm, and make a reasonable offer based on your budget. May not get the car right then but your $3500 offer will weigh heavy on them when they see nobody else has inquired. As far as matinence goes just be prepared for some minor leaks that could turn bad if you dont address them, and some interior restoration may be in order depending on how particular you are. Those parts are becoming more rare and more expensive as a result.

To be fair the above is true, I spoke more towards an overall and long term cost structure that does get adjusted for user input to be sure. A parts section junkie and/or guy who knows a lot of Car Guys might also get enough help doing his projects to make it work as well.
But the car IS finicky and lower-end work will usually find it's way into a problem due to age and cheap parts tolerances while some of the parts that should be upgraded for best results such as injectors and harness are best done correctly and are costly.

[Leavell119]

I did the exact route your describing.. got a 94 NA for under 2 grand.. He actually traded me the car and 500 for my autocross Jetta... Funny I know.. Anyway, you can basically just EXPECT to do the 120k Service work. Your most likely going to buy a car that has some oil leaks. I had to do EVERYTHING from the front main seal, all the timing seals, and valve covers, all the way to the oil pan gasket itself. They were ALL BAD. On top of that, As they said above^.. New radiator, water pump, and all cooling lines. AND you should also expect to do the coolant line delete MOD listed in these forums as this will prevent you from having a smoking car..(the coolant lines supply cooling to the plenum/throttle boddies and over time start leaking directly above and then falling onto your exhaust manifolds)... After all that, you also may be doing motor mounts, several bushings in the suspension and I personally had a bad rack and pinion. Sadly this is kinda to be expected of ANYYYY car you buy with this many years on it. If you have any questions let me know as I did the exact route mentioned above and am currently DAILY DRIVING a perttyyyyy Fairlady Z.

[90NACam]

Well carl I am in the same position.
I turned 17 last month and have loved zs for the past few years. I did some light research into the same matters you are probably concerned with and was lucky enough to find a good deal. I came across a 1990 N/A with 127k on it in overall good condition, no leaks, good electrics etc, overheats under heavy workload and decent body for $1500. I was saving up my money until I could buy a totally solid one but this was too good to pass up. Living in the bay area, there is a huge used car market so it was bound to happen. As much as I am tempted to lower and paint asap, I know I must adress my 120k services and cooling upgrades and everything first. I could have bought a clean civic or carolla to not worry about and dd, but I chose to go with a car I'm passionate about. In my first month of ownership, I have no regrets.

[Ace2cool]

Maintenance maintenance maintenance. No point in having a pretty car that doesn't run.

Sounds like you've got that concept though. Welcome to the forums.

[NissanZDreamer]

2 months before I turned 18 about 5 months ago I got a Black Nissan 300Zx 2+2 NA with 132,982 miles that was only $1000! I was LUCKY to find a 300Zx under a Mustang category on my local Craigslist. Brought her back home spent $3,000 on her to fix her up well get her running again and here we are! The chance of finding a 300Zx for $3,500 and you don't have to do much but spend less than $1,000 is a 1 in a million. So you'll need a bout $6,500 for an NA that is decent and money to fix issues.

[z32guy415]

Well carl I am in the same position.
I turned 17 last month and have loved zs for the past few years. I did some light research into the same matters you are probably concerned with and was lucky enough to find a good deal. I came across a 1990 N/A with 127k on it in overall good condition, no leaks, good electrics etc, overheats under heavy workload and decent body for $1500. I was saving up my money until I could buy a totally solid one but this was too good to pass up. Living in the bay area, there is a huge used car market so it was bound to happen. As much as I am tempted to lower and paint asap, I know I must adress my 120k services and cooling upgrades and everything first. I could have bought a clean civic or carolla to not worry about and dd, but I chose to go with a car I'm passionate about. In my first month of ownership, I have no regrets.

Im from the bay area as well (currently not living there anymore) and managed to get my 95 LP2 NA for 2900 with 151k on it. Its a great car, but maintenance is a pain in the a$$ but worth it once it is done.

and are you a part of BayZA, bro??