should i buy this car? need advice

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LeeVanCleef
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Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2023 4:53 pm
Car: ???

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just found my favorite car of all time for sale. the Nissan z32 fair-lady z twin turbo. this is a 1995 car with about 90k miles. its a jdm import so its RHD. the car is 18,000 dollars before tax and licensing and all that stuff. my concerns are as follows. is this overpriced for this car? ive also read and know from previous experience from Subaru's that turbos typically only last 100k or so depending on how they were treated. im afraid that i will need to replace both turbos pretty much right after i buy this car. and since timing components are due for replacement at 120k might as well do those at the same time. all that would add quite a bit to the total cost of the car. this is my first time looking at a jdm sports car and i don't know if the price is fair for what im getting. the car looks immaculate no rust, perfect paint and bone stock. is this a good idea or am i getting ripped off? in my state the only other example of this car ive seen is 40k with a similar amount of miles but its the LHD USDM version. im not sure why the Japanese version would be so much cheaper i always thought that jdm cars were pricey compared to the US equivalent. but anyway any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance!


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AZhitman
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Hi Lee -

I'd pass on that. Unless you can inspect the car, my guess is there is actually some unseen corrosion (Japan is an island, and everything rusts there). Don't compare this to a $40k car you saw somewhere, as that is an anomaly. They've climbed in value, but not that far - remember, asking price is not selling price.

Timing components on the Z32 are a big job, and will be due right away. Also, if you're shopping for a collector vehicle, you're going to need to search nationally. You may not find what you're looking for in your state, but maybe you live someplace with very few Z32s.

Pricing on that car, if it's as described, is not grossly out of line. However, if you're not doing the work, plan on another $3k in maintenance and repairs right away.


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