Hello all I've been the proud owner of a lightly modded '02 Nissan 200sx s15 for some time now. However, due to a new business, i'm thinking of buying an '89 -91 300zx (max $12,000) to earn some extra cash. Hopefully with the new business i'll be able to buy a 350z within then next year or 2. :zlove: Anyways, i've heard a few rumours that 300's are really expensive to maintain due to limited room in the engine bay. So i thought i'd get some advice from the experts here.. Does anyone have any good pointers to look out for when choosing my next baby? Will an NRMA/RACV inspection be sufficient? Is there much difference in reliability between the NA and turbo models? Any advice would be much MUCH appreciated.. Ever since seeing the Z in Kill Bill i fell in love hehe. That plus the targa top feature in summer have made me choose the Z.. It's either that or a Honda Civic.. hm.
NRMA inspection will go something like this... *Opens Bonnet* NRMA GUY: OOOHHHH....SHIT HEY - WHERE ARE THE TURBOs? YOU: I DUNNO... NRMA GUY: WELL I CAN'T SEE ANY... IS THAT BAD? You need to get some local pro's to help you out, now I am sure there are plenty of guys willing to, but you have to fill out your details - so that we know which state you are in.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS jeese, bit of a hard decission there, civic, or z??????????????? i think you know which one were backing up here. however, i'm also pretty new to the scene, but, i can say that the twin turbo is alot of fun, you can pump out some serious horsepower with them. in regards to the engine, yeah it is abit of a tight fit, but i think thats a good thing, but thats just me, i don't like opening a hood and seeing gaping open space. as a good mate told me, there awesome cars, once you get the kickups ironed out, but every car has its fare share of hickups. anyways, best of luck ash
Sorry i'm in Sydney.. just updated my profile. And hehe ofcourse i'd prefer the Z anyday too, but i'd have to go the Civic if the Z will cost me an arm and a leg to maintain. Are there any good pro's in Syd you guys know of? I just need some asurance when buying a car more than 10yrs old..
Start by reading through the tech section.....>> In particular the section about buying a Zed. That should give you a good grounding to start from.
No worries Mate you need assurance when buying any car, and for zeds you have come to the right place! When you have found a car you want to check out throw a post up requesting some help from members - you'll probably get a couple of guys close by willing to help out. Secondly zeds are only expensive to maintain if you are really really ignorant - the more you learn the better off you are - you can then do some of the work yourself. Another good thing about this forum is members are really good when it comes to helping each other out - and there are plenty of people who owns a zed on a budget. But you've done the right thing, you have come to the best source of free help and advice, and to be honest the place for advice on zeds straight up. I recently bought a zed and I spent months researching before hand - I think I have read nearly every tech article and asked heaps of questions (always do a search to see if it has been covered before). The best thing to do is learn as much as you can before buying one and then pick the rest up as you go. Congrats with your soon to be decision to buy a zed!
Although the Z32 was far advanced for it's time you must remember the year model you are targeting is getting around that vintage where it may start to get costly to maintain and repair, especially if you are not mechanically minded to do the labour yourself. A 100K service may cost you anywhere up to $2000 to have the work completed by a mechanic. Just rememeber we belong to an awesome forum of Zed enthusiasts who will almost bend over backwards to assist you with any delema you may have. The Twin Turbo 300ZX is a Sports Car built for One in a Thousand and as such, people own them simply for the sheer thrill of owning such a unique ride.
Thanks for all the feedback guys.. The tech section on this site is really really useful, and i've also got some info from searching the forums (the search function is a little buggy though, can't see past the first page of results)! I'm still wondering if there's any "Z-experienced" places in Syd that could actually inspect the vehicle, instead of paying $200 for a stupid NRMA dude.. :unsure:
Bullet >>>> LOL... go to UAS for a pre-purchase inspection, OR at very least, get Caz1 [Woolongong area], to help you out. Caz is a Zed-fanatic and if she [Caroline] doesn't know the answers, she knows the ppl who do! BTW:What suburb are you in?
thanks mate i'll probably go UAS.. I never knew they did pre-purchase inspections. Caz sounds a bit far away from me.. unfortunately i'm in the Parramatta area. I'm still not getting the bullet thing..! :LOL:
To understand the "Bullet" reference.....>> You really need to have seen the stupid arguement that erupted over a discussion of getting work done at UAS. Subtle warning. That was not an invitation for anyone to revisit that arguement......or start another.
Civic vs Zed I have both of 'em. Both nice. I love my Civic because: 1. noone will key it 2. its discreet 3. I can get 200km out of it just by f*rting into the tank 4. insurance costs almost nothing 5. cheap to maintain 6. can park it anywhere 7. it has done 200,000km and has yet to have one single thing go wrong. I love my Zed because, well, it's so bloody nice.
imma2r if u had to choose one which would it be? you've just made my decision a little bit harder.. :wacko:
I was hoping you wouldn't ask me that (long, long response follows) I'm sure I will get shot down for this but all this is in my own opinion. I have had the Civic for 9 years now and it is one of those sh`tty '92 Civic Breezes. i.e. 1.3 L carby. 55 whopping kws. Fully electric-nothing. But mate, they handle nice for a hatch back. At 200,000km it runs smoother than my '92 Zed which has supposedly 75,000km on the clock. Then again, I have owned the Civic for most of its life whereas the Zed has question marks allover its history. Jumping between the 2, the Civic feels like it has done barely 30,000km. I kid you not. The Zed however feels like it has done 200,000km. Maybe it is because it is a big performance car and they naturally feel a little rougher (note that I am not mechanically minded at all - up until I got my Zed 6 mths ago, I didn't know how to change a flat). The Zed has an amazing seating position. But I feel tired after sitting in it too long. Everything feels more heavy in the Zed. Brake pedal, clutch pedal, gear shift - everything except the steering. Go from the Zed to the Civic and the Civic feels like a kid's toy. Also, the Zed just feels a helluva lot older than the Honda, despite their common age. The Zed is fast. I love the targa roof - u get the best of both worlds. Effortless highway cruising. Looks so much more brawny. I walk past my own Z parked by the side of the road and I sometimes actually do a double take! But if my Zed got written off tomorrow, I would be happy to go back to my sh`tty $3k Civic. Conclusion? There is no doubt I like the Zed more overall. If I could go back, I still would have bought my Zed. I hope that this rambling has somehow helped in your decision making. What Civic do you have in mind?
RE: Parramatta... hey that's so close to Caz. Do you get lost often, Rob??? I wouldn't like to be dragged by the "Family Jewels" for that journey. :LOL::LOL:
