Which car would you buy? 3 options z32TT $16k vs $8k

[Absolomb]

My z32 hunt is down to the wire. And I have options and I need to decide now.

$16k- 1990 z32. 4 year old paint. BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION. BRAND NEW OEM TURBOS. New clutch. REBUILD 130Kmi engine bored 1mm over (have receipts) and practically everything else replaced. The seller is a NISSAN GT-R SPECIALIST. I have receipts for the rebuild, and thousands in parts from the tiniest things to injectors, exhaust, timing belt kit. Literally everything. The guy is currently holding it for me.

However I have some cheaper options and was wondering if they're worth considering because of the large price difference. They both claim new or rebuilt turbo's with CHRA. New clutch. The ebay listing claims rebuilt engine. Craigslist says motor from z1 motorsports but have no further details on it. The only on craigslist is the only one I can see in person and i think its the least "reliable" listing though the guy does say he's a mechanic

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1990-Nissan-300 ... 2798485720


https://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/6080848706.html

[NolimitZ32]

If someone can't produce traceable evidence of claims than its up to you whether to believe them. There are too many variables in all this. I would say go with your gut or better yet find a Z specialist in your area and ask them or pay them for a PPI.

[Absolomb]

If someone can't produce traceable evidence of claims than its up to you whether to believe them. There are too many variables in all this. I would say go with your gut or better yet find a Z specialist in your area and ask them or pay them for a PPI.

Would you pay $16k for a completely, absolutely sorted z with literally everything possible replaced?

[NolimitZ32]

Would I? No. Unless it was a sub 30k miles all original deep purple metallic TT. I wouldn't pay $2k for a perfectly sorted car because I would tear it apart and do things my way regardless so to me most Zs on the market have no value beyond that of the chassis and interior. Really you could do everything mentioned to an average condition car (selling for $4-5k) with $11k in maintenance and upgrades with exception of a quality paint-job, and if what your potential buy had was a respray and not a full on resto paint-job than its not worth much. In the end it all depends on what its worth to you, are you willing to go through the hassle of finding a decent candidate and then a decent shop and paying someone to do all the work, and so on.

[DCaff300ZX]

Total agreement here- I can call myself a mechanic because I have replaced so many things on my two Z32's, but it's not completely accurate as I make my living elsewhere and definitely can't be viewed as value-increasing except to me. OEM paint vs respray is also a huge value factor, not necessarily something I agree with but it is what it is- a cost factor that is up to the buyer to determine where he stands there.
Basically to me, factory OEM perfect paint and no accidents, etc. means the buyer is looking more at the resale value, while a great driver car can be had for far less by accepting quality, OEM-level repairs...complete with actual receipts and not claims. Probably a $5-10K value range added there on top of the car's KBB value for that "survivor".
So as NoLimit suggested, you'll mostly find guys here who go the "find a decent clean basic car and build to suit" rather than playing the "low-mileage survivor" game, too many variables and value assessments I don't agree with, or find value in for my intended use of the car...and basically the same decision you need to make for YOUR Z32-to-be.

Looked at the two links and wow- I'd avoid both cars unless you are OK with the necessary front body and surely internal repairs to the white one. The white one looks decent except for blow off valves and not the recircs, and I spy a TwinZ front bumper at least so this car is a very modified vehicle, and would take a similarly-inclined and experienced new owner, or Z specialist on call.
The purple/gold one looks like one from an outfit I saw in videos years ago, a sketchy outfit in N.Carolina I'd be very leery of. The chameleon paint is the final killer IMO, that car is for a kid. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
So that leaves option #1 which sounds very good except for the bloated price, guy wants his mod money back which most people do not do. So beat on him and if he gets down to around $11K MAYBE then I'd talk more about buying...but then again myself I'd never buy such a car as outlined above.
Good Luck!

Edit-
I'll throw this in, my own history with my Z's.
Both cars bought OEM stock with ALL receipts and OEM brochures, etc.- 112K '90 SWhite NA/AT and 124K '93 CRP TT/MT. $4.5K NA and $8.8K TT. Both VERY clean and neat, no repairs needed at all.
NA went 5+ years with no issues except tires/brakes/oil, until injectors began going and AT also. New injectors/harness and MT swap, then eventually powertrix suspension to replace the worn OEM made it last to 235K miles, and a rod bearing failure made it the TT's parts car.
TT went only 1+ before turbo seized, plus other corrosion issues which eventually uncovered that the PO HAD actually done some shady work which ruined the turbo, and forced me to go on to my Plan B- full build. Probably $20K in the car now, needs $5K+ more to finish.
So this should show you what is in store for you even when/if you do your homework, and look only for the best possible car and accepting no less- still a bucket of potential problems and repairs to a 23+ year old car.