I was just wondering how good of a car the z31 is to buy nowadays. I understand they can be only as good as their previous owner kept them but Im thinking more about things like maintenance and parts availability. I've always really liked the older Z's like the 240z, 280z, Z31s and Z32s but they don't really seem like the most viable car for me to own. Other than very basic maintenance things (oil changes, tune ups, maybe belts.), I don't really know how to work on cars really in depth. Now I was really wondering how hard the z31's are to work on, especially compared to the z32's with the dohc v6, and are parts fairly easy to find? Also what about modifying? Im probably opening up myself to ridicule now but I know I'm going to want to modify whatever I get. I know the old sohc v6 has been around for a LONG time and has been in many different vehicles throughout the years but I just rarely ever see any Z's on the road, so I'm curious as to how maintenance or modifying would work out. I'm pretty set on wanting to own one, I was just curious as to what I would be in for.

There's a newly thriving aftermarket for them, and normally they are quite reliable, with only a few common and cheap to fix issues...

They are much much easier to work on than the z32, I think most people would say it's a great car to learn on, especially by jumping in head first...

As long as you get a good body with minimal rust (there's a few important places to check), everything else mechanical is cheaply available at junkyards, either from maxima, pathfinder, or other nissan that used the parts

Where should I look for rust? I've never gone to look at a car myself where I would have to be checking everything out so I'm just curious. Also, could you elaborate on some other things like the rear suspension and general engine maintenance? To my understanding the rear suspension is a little bit of a problem, but not the worst thing in the world. Something about the bushings and camber? And what about the engine? I know you said they are much easier than the z32 but I'm just thinking about maintenance. One of the things on the z32's I read a lot of people complaining about was that to fix anything on the engine you had to take damn near the whole front end apart. Like the timing belt for example, I read that that's one of the hardest things to do on the DOHC. I'm assuming that since the SOHC is the predecessor that it has a belt as well? By the way thanks for your help.

The value of unmolested Z31s has been on the rise lately.

Book value on my 86 with 68k is currently at $4600 as a #3 car.

The Z31 is a good, long lasting dependable car. If you get a turbo they have loads of power potential for cheap! they are a lot cheaper to own maintain and modify than the Z32. They have nearly as much power potential. They are a LOT easier to maintain and modify than the Z32. The only job on the Z32 thats easier than the Z31 is radiator replacement. The z31 radiator lays at an angle inside the bumper cover which has to be removed for radiator replacement. Upgrading one turbo is half the cost of upgrading 2.

So what I gather from all of you, and other things I've read, is that they are decent first cars to learn how to work on, not too hard to find parts, and not as problematic as the z32. That's great because while they aren't the most common cars in my area, there are some decent ones for decent prices.(ex- 5 speed with 160k, old body but doesn't look bad by any means, for 3500.) much better than the s13s,s14s in my area. Now here is one more stupid question for you; What about body kits? I know, I know, you're probably thinking, what a dumbass kid doesn't he know body kits wont help performance a bit? I know a body kit does nothing but make a car look better (when it's done modestly IMO), and I think the cars look okay stock but they look damn good with minor body kits. Now I've been searching google the last couple of days trying to find something, but I haven't found much of anything. Not only are the kits few and far between but a couple of them look like the camaros from the same time period. Sounds weird but they do. I realize that all of the body and exterior stuff should be set aside until the car is in decent enough condition, but it is still something I think about. Any suggestions?

Here are some good ones:






I actually looked up the what one and the guy said he used a FC Type-1 body kit built for an rx7. Are there other kits not made specifically for the z31 that could fit? I understand that you could probably get any kit to fit on with a lot of work but Im talking about install with minimal customization so to speak.

The blue/black kit on the bottom is probably what I would go with since I actually know where to buy it but still.

This is the one that I think looks like a mid 80s camaro


What do you guys think?

Edit* I meant to say the "white one", not "what" one, towards the bottom of the page.

In addition to the radiator, the other thing that some might be considered difficult (or at least aggravating since you have to do it over and over) on the Z is changing the oil filter. It's probably nothing really special for a V6, but I always found there was a trick to it. The problem is the drain plug in the oil pan is accessible without having to jack or ramp the car, but to get to the filter from below you would have to, and I'm way too lazy for that. You have to do it by feel, but you can manage to remove and replace the filter from the top. I prefer to get the ones with a nut on the back as sometimes they are hard to remove this way. It a very minor complaint, lol.

Also, going back to the rear suspension, from what I understand, these cars are relatively hard to lower due to that suspension design. IIRC, the lower you drop the rear the more the camber goes out of wack and you can't fix it without fabbing some custom linkages or some other creative solution.

In general they are pretty reliable and fun cars with a lot of potential, the only downside would be a few "interesting" 80's technologies that make things a little more complicated than they need to be (vacuum controlled HVAC, etc), and that some parts are near impossible to find except off junkyard cars (see previous comment). The prices on these though all depends on condition. I have seen these cars sell for $1000 to $11,000. For $3500, I would expect lower mileage (160k is fair) no major problems with the exterior or interior (no or very minor bodywork needed) and no show-stopping mechanical issues (should be all functional).

the rear spoiler on the black one is exactly what I am looking for. Time to hit the web