Virgin 300ZX potential owner. Need advice

[jwyatt8171]

I need some advice please.
I found a 91 300ZX TT 2+0 for sale with 9500 miles. Its a project car, with some great upsides to the car. Its the YellowGlow color(i like it).

History:
The car was bought new 91, and wrecked in 94 with 3600 miles on the car. The original owner refused to let the insurance repair the car. It was then sold to a salvage yard. The owner that has the car now is a body/paint guy. He says he replaced the back half of the car with a new rear clip. From the back of the doors to the rear bumper. Painted and enjoyed the car for a while. Then had a small accident on the front of the vehicle. He repaired and repainted again, but this time life happened. He is building his business, and this project has sat with new paint on it for 6 years(outside uncovered). The paint still looks good, and once prepped will look great i think.
Some basics have to be installed on the car to finish it. Door handles, trim pieces, interior parts and such. Its pretty much together, but will require 30-50hrs to finish(probably turn into 100+ LOL) The owner has stated he will repaint a couple of spots (spoiler at the corners is a bit messed up, and one scratch on the front of the bumper) He will buff and have the car ready to be assembled with the purchase.
It will need new tires, and brakes. Possibly a new clutch. Timing belt for age. All fluids will need to be drained and refilled. other misc items as well as some upgrades if i get or keep this car.
Im not particularly looking for a 300ZX. Ive been looking for a small sports car with low miles and fun to drive with the perk of potential to increase in value over the next few years. Its hard to find such a car in my price range. The low mileage cars go high, and the high mileage cars look like big projects, and will not really increase in value.
First things first. What kind of project am i getting into here? Are these cars "novice" mechanic friendly? Will this be a descent winter project?
Second. Am i missing anything I should look at or potential to have issues with?
Third. Value. Being super low mileage car, but has history. The title shows clear, no salvage history(according to the owner). Carfax shows a "TOTAL LOSS VEHICLE" comment. Attached is the carfax history.

Any help is appreciated.

Carfax:

[kobrah]

Im not a Z expert, but I do work at a new car dealership and know a bit about titling...if your buying that car, you cannot be concerned with the value if its a salvage/rebuilt/total loss vehicle. Its worth practically nothing compared to what a car without those brands would be worth. And if its on the carfax, it pretty much has to be branded on the title..so I would check that out. The mileage doesnt matter at all on a car like that either, because there is no way of verifying that it hasnt been tampered with if it was a total loss vehicle. So just to answer your questions about value, its pretty much only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, as are many other things. Dont look at it as an investment is all im saying, you might find it hard to sell if you ever decide to get rid of it so you have to weigh the options of is it worth putting a significant amount of money into, because your pretty much just throwing that money away.

[ThisIsSparTTa]

That is not a car you want to get into based on your description. You're going to need WAY more parts than you're estimating because every piece of rubber on that car is now shot after sitting. You're going to need to know how to put those parts together. Just because an engine is low mileage doesn't make it ideal. The injectors are probably dead ($$$), as well as bunch of other fun stuff. That car is going to be a huge time and money pit. If this is your first Z and you're not mechanically inclined, I would stay way far away from it. You could easily dump $2-3k+ into it in the drop of a hat, and still not have it proper. To answer your question, these cars are far from beginner friendly. However, there are lots of helpful guides and people on the internet. It's just going to be a nightmare trying to get your feet wet on a project this complex.

Find yourself a decent running one. Trust me, there will still be plenty of time and money that will still need to go into it. That would be starting in the shallow end of the pool...you're talking about jumping into the middle of the ocean with this car.

[jwyatt8171]

I appreciate the feedback.
So, is there a price that this could be tempting? Or should I run far far away?

I'm thinking of a lowball offer, but I'm scared he would accept it, then I would be like "now what?"

Any other opinions?

[Z-owned]

I'm thinking of a lowball offer, but I'm scared he would accept it, then I would be like "now what?"

Any other opinions?

It sounds like you don't even want it so why offer anything? Personally from past experience with a rebuilt car I will never own one again.

[DCaff300ZX]

I appreciate the feedback.
So, is there a price that this could be tempting? Or should I run far far away?

I'm thinking of a lowball offer, but I'm scared he would accept it, then I would be like "now what?"

Any other opinions?

From what you've written, for you this is not the car in any way, shape, or form. That car is a Z enthusiasts' project car, a guy who already has one (or two or more!) and wants one that's solid to put parts he has into it. MUCH time and expertise needed here to even consider doing for most people, and in your case having someone do it for $ will clean you out.

So forget about any lowball offer, and keep looking either for a clean, well-maintained Z or some other sports car in the genre. FYI, a clean, well-maintained TT is probably a $7K (auto trans) to $10K (5-spd) car, and as mentioned STILL will need probably a few hundred dumped into it to get it up to snuff.

[ThisIsSparTTa]

I appreciate the feedback.
So, is there a price that this could be tempting? Or should I run far far away?

I'm thinking of a lowball offer, but I'm scared he would accept it, then I would be like "now what?"

Any other opinions?

Even if it was free, by the time you get through dumping money into it, you probably could have just bought a half decent version and saved yourself the massive headaches. What DCaff said is spot on. You should walk away from this. It doesn't sound right for where you're at.