300zx Opinions

thornz · Post by **thornz** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:24 pm

Hey guys, after any opinions good or bad on twin turbo 300zx's?
What are they like to run? I realise that if any major work needs doing to them they are expensive due to having such a large engine and cramped engine bay. I have my MR2 turbo as my toy, but am looking at upgrading to a nice GT sports car for everyday and long distance driving.

I know this is a toyota forum, but hoping to get some unbiased opinion from non Nissan nuts.

Trls250s · Post by **Trls250s** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:28 pm

Has a short wheel base for how wide it is (giant square) if you like skids it has a tendancy to go round and round.

But they are retardedly fast.

deaf_rattle · Post by **deaf_rattle** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:28 pm

id buy one, i would make sure i had enough money for a 1uz or nissan v8 conversion though.

very nice cars, just a pain to work on.

jakesae101 · Post by **jakesae101** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:33 pm

i could think of nicer fast crusers v8 bmws 740i mate had one went verry well 4.4l v8 and its crused well and you get a luxobarge but guess that doesnt fall in to the gt sports car but they are quick

thornz · Post by **thornz** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:36 pm

Had though about older beemers or even a merc, but would rather stick to a jappa due to parts etc. The other ones I considered were, Soarers (not a fan of there looks), Supras (love em but exspensive), and GTOs (whale). Always loved the look of 300's, and they are relatively cheap for what they are, would be looking at a twin turbo, not worried wether its auto or manual.

Twolitre · Post by **Twolitre** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:53 pm

Apparently the wiring harness suffers quite badly due to the heat in the engine bay and if nissan parts are as expensive as I've heard they are then this may cause baldness in the future :cry:

They make good track cars too apparently and are very popular in Australia as well as the US.
I'd imagine they suck the gas like nothing else but try reading some articles on autospeed for some unbiased opinions.

sero_mon · Post by **sero_mon** » Sat May 02, 2009 12:31 am

a mates had one for about 3 years now, but it was only on the road for the first 6 months lol. it was a lemon to start with and he ended up getting 2 bad second hand motors for it. he recently got one reconditioned then decided to paint the car before putting it all back together, so its still off the road. apparently they have weak diffs too.

B1NZ · Post by **B1NZ** » Sat May 02, 2009 8:36 am

thornz wrote: Supras (love em but exspensive),l.

This doesn't seem expensive to me:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =214883827

1997 Manual Turbo Supra for $12K

I cant believe how cheap these are these days - alot of car for a small amount of money

scottyj · Post by **scottyj** » Sat May 02, 2009 9:41 am

Morgan's (from MR2OC) girlfriend has one. You should talk to him cos I think he has worked on it a few times and has probably driven it too.

strx7 · Post by **strx7** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:03 am

Supra over a 300zx anyday.
PITA to work on, Love cooking engine wiring looms.

If you haven't driven a JZA80, i suggest to take one for a drive, even a non turbo auto will rock your world for its Gran Turismoness and Supercar-like ride

thornz · Post by **thornz** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:24 am

B1NZ wrote:
thornz wrote: Supras (love em but exspensive),l.

This doesn't seem expensive to me:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =214883827

1997 Manual Turbo Supra for $12K I cant believe how cheap these are these days - alot of car for a small amount of money

Yeah I have seen that one, but its a bit out of my price range, and I don't wanna take out a bank loan as tempting as it would be.

Does anyone know if its possible to get mechanical warranties for older cars?

BlakeNZ · Post by **BlakeNZ** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:43 am

I drive a soarer, but my mate has owned 2 300zx cars, and i have worked on the 2nd one for quite a while. engine in, engine out, trans in and out, diff in/out. loom out/in with a new one.
there are a few tricks to keeping heat out of the engine bay, which are quite effective, which i will share if you buy one one. the auto and manual trans are both strong. the rear diff(on the manual at least) is huge and very strong. Axles are big too.
it is important you buy one that has been well maintained.
and you will always come second to the TT soarers with the same mods as you, despite the soarers having a smaller motor and being 100kg heavier. this has been proven on many occasions. However, the zed is better through the corners/ windy roads. forget the rear seat on a zed- it's small. the hatch is shallow, but quite large.
some argue that the longer wheelbase of the 2+2 zed gives a better ride than the 2 seater.and is less likely to do a 180.
hope this helps.

Post by **Mr Revhead** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:50 am

mechanical and suspension parts would be cheaper and easier to get for most models of merc/BMW than a 300zx

if you have ab SW20 for the weekends, wouldnt you like something with some more room for the weeks?

Leon · Post by **Leon** » Sat May 02, 2009 11:40 am

I have heard mechanics say remarkably rude and negative things about having to work on the Z cars.

rollaholic · Post by **rollaholic** » Sat May 02, 2009 12:51 pm

try changing a headlight bulb on one some time

Eddy1612 · Post by **Eddy1612** » Sat May 02, 2009 4:13 pm

the thing with 300zxs is that you have to buy the right one first time. If you dont then you will have to spend money on it til the cows come home.

So if you find a decent priced one in really good condition then i would say buy it if you want it.

petrolhead · Post by **petrolhead** » Sat May 02, 2009 5:50 pm

Ask on the zed forum about them. My brother has one and it is a really nice car. It makes 247kw at the wheels with basic mods as well , but yes they can be a c&*nt to work on. And the driveline is pretty bloody strong in the tt and the n/a.

Looonie · Post by **Looonie** » Sat May 02, 2009 9:50 pm

strx7 wrote:Supra over a 300zx anyday.
PITA to work on, Love cooking engine wiring looms.

If you haven't driven a JZA80, i suggest to take one for a drive, even a non turbo auto will rock your world for its Gran Turismoness and Supercar-like ride

I've driven a manual NA MKIV and a manual TT MKIV. Although admittedly not hard in either and not for long distances... I didn't think it was that "fantastic"... My JZX91 seems to handle awesomely compared to MKIII supras... just needs power, manual and lsd

Out of curiosity though... have you compared a JZX100 to a MKIV supra? Either turbo auto or turbo manual (like for like)? I sometimes wonder which would be the better car... the JZX seems like a more sporting chassis and is used more for track events (drifting and grip)... and is also stupidly cheaper than the supra...

offensive · Post by **offensive** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:19 pm

theyre not used in the super gt series like supras

holden_fan2005 · Post by **holden_fan2005** » Sat May 02, 2009 11:01 pm

We have a Z race car in the build and the best thing the previous owner was to set it up for a s/b chevy. He owns a tt Z which has a bit of power but even he said they aren't that easy to work on (he owns a workshop and hes bloody clued up on Nissan stuff) so I'd suggest a Z for a more 'mechanical' person :lol:

IMO the auto ones seem so much slower than a manual one.

Another thing he said that the rear end is strong but a bit brittle. Its going to be fun putting 400-500 hp through the race car :lol: