Want a 300ZX TT

[300ZXWannaBe]

Hi guys. I have recently decided that I want to purchase a 300ZX Twin Turbo in the near future. So I do not currently own one. I have a lot of questions about this car. Now it won't be 2 or 3 years at best before I'll have enough money to buy one though. Let me start off with why I like the 300ZX so much. 1. It puts down a lot of power for only a 3.0L. Yes I know it has 2 turbos on it, but if I get a '96, it has a 5.4s 0-60 time. That's impressive in my opinion. 2. They are fairly easy to mod (I think) which can give them a lot more power. 3. They come in a manual. 4. They have that classic JDM look to them. 5. T-tops. I could go on, but you guys own one, so it's nothing new to you haha. Now some questions I have. Some of the ones I see for sale on craigslist have like a total engine rebuild at like 70,000 miles. Is this preventative maintenance, or do the the motors actually start dying that early? Are there any problems the 300ZX's are notorious for? What is the cheapest/best mod that gives you the most power? I just want to know what I will be getting into. Thanks guys!

[DCaff300ZX]

Welcome!
Some good reading while you save $ can be had in the stickies at the top of the page, which cover pretty much the basics of the Z32 including modifications and maintenance and goes into some detail for many things you mentioned.
Maintenance and upkeep are very important to the car, and lapses in certain areas combined with the age of the vehicle often combine for premature engine issues that some decide are not worth repair and they replace the engine, while others suffer from people who do not understand the engine and car well and modify it incorrectly, or simply beat it to death due to a relative cheaper cost than many sports cars of it's capabilities. The car is hard to work on compared to many cars and the parts expensive, service work also is expensive due to the complexity of the motor and some non-friendly architecture (intake plenum).
The most notorious areas of concern are the electrical connectors, and cooling issues from waterpump failure or more often people who use electric fans and do not replace the OEM fan clutch. Other concerns are the turbos that can go bad due to age and carrier bushing failures as well as seal failures. They also have vacuum issues at times as well as idle conditions, which usually all stem from connector corrosion and poor/needed maintenance.
You WILL need to have a Z32 mechanic available to you, as most other shops will screw up your car and bank account and that includes Nissan. Use them only for OEM parts, and even then if possible buy OEM online from one of our vendors here or someone else.
PLENTY more to learn for you, which can be done reading the build threads, daily posts, and in the tech section!
Good Luck!

[NolimitZ32]

Welcome, the one thing I have to say which sadly you are absolutely worng about is the easy to mod part, these cars are some of the biggest PITAs on earth to work on.

[300ZXWannaBe]

Oh, based on the pictures and videos online I saw, it seemed like they looked fairly easy to mod. My bad. It does sound like they have a lot of problems. So if I buy one, I'll want to purchase one with all these repairs/maintanence issues completed?

[DCaff300ZX]

Yes, buying a Z32 with a lot of maintenance done is a good thing, but will add cost to the car that you may be able to do yourself. The best bet is to get one with the 120K service recently (year or less) done and any obvious items such as brakes and tires up to date and a good service record, then be ready for the usual issues of corrosion of connectors and a few other things for '93 and earlier (injectors- ethanol) as she gets used.
Modding is NOT easy at all and costly, with the need for costly ECU help with anything past simple bolt-ons. These cars really are more of a labor of love than most other cars of it's generation, due to the complexity and capabilities of the platform given the time it was made- WELL worth the effort IMO, but NOT easy in any way really.

[300ZXWannaBe]

Do you think they will get any cheaper over the next few years, or do you think they'll bounce back the other way? If all the normal issues and engine service performed, will the car then last to about 200k miles? I probably sound like a huge noob right now. And in your opinion, what would be the best year 300ZX TT to get? I saw the '96's were pushing about 300 horsepower, but didn't have variable cam timing.

[NolimitZ32]

1. If you want a nice, well taken care of Z32TT don't expect to pay less than 8k
2. Looking at my crystal ball tells me nothing, so understanding how the niche market for cars such as these works I would say that getting a pristine example will never get cheaper.
3. All years EXCEPT the 96 had VTC and since they were OBD1 are much easier to tune (a lot more aftermarket). The 96 actually made less power than all the previous years so technically its the worst NOT the best. Best years of the TT would be a 94/95. You get VTC and much better aftermarket support.
4. Read this: everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-z32-t508376.html

[DCaff300ZX]

Right now the '90's Japanese car market has been trying to push prices upwards at least in my area, but truly there still are enough well-priced Z32's available (read: need costly maintenance) to keep the price down for those aware and able to get that all done within their budget. Hopefully we are able to make you aware that with all of the model differences and such, that buying a '94 or '95 TT is the best possible route and to get one with about 90K on it, with 120K service done within the past year or less. This should cost you about 10K +/-, and be the best you can do before you then go have fun with it with mods or more maintenance/restoration.
And, definitely read up on the link NoLimit posted and the other stickies at the top of the Z32 page- they cover most everything a new Z32 owner should know going in.