Guest

to my girlfriend in the next month or so, and uying a 300ZX. This way I get the new wheels and keep the Max in the family. My question is, any tips on buying the 300? Best places to look? Online searches? I looked online for one and saw some ridiculous prices for 300's with like 180,000 miles. Thanks for the help guys...

WoodEar

best deal i saw was on autotrader, a '96(last year) low mileage twinturbo Z was going for $26k.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

printed in summer 99 that outlined everything to look for on a 300z (and an RX7 and some other car). See you if can lay hands on that issue... there did seem to be some very specific things to look for...

FAST4EN

check http://www.classifieds2000.com it's a pretty good one to look for the zzz's

justinmc

iTrader: (8)

First stop.. http://www.twinturbo.net
Second stop.. that article tim mentioned.. very helpful I am sure..
Some general advice.. if your going for a NA car.. the prices should be typically lower (think $5-8K for a 100-150+K mile 90-93 or so).. TT cars.. MUCH MUCH higher.. unless someone is A.) being realistic and fair in pricing
B.) the car has had the **** run out of it and is on its last legs
C.) see B.) only insert the fact that its not obvious and the owner is trying to dump it quick..
A friend of the family (my lil bros friend more than anything) has always like the Z32's.. got a hell of a deal on a 90NA 2+2 from a kid (first mistake) in his church.. the kids parents were making him sell it because of too many tickets/insurance problems and some other stuff (ding ding hint #2). The kid had also shelled the motor a couple months prior and it needed a new engine (strike 3.. your out!).. so he worked a deal the kids parents paid to have a new engine installed (used with a verified 50K miles.. at least he got the paper work for that).. and he bought the car for $5K.. not bad right?.. wrong.. so he sets about touching it all up (ding in driver fender.. has it replaced and painted up).. looking nice.. so then the clutch goes.. replacement needed (strike four.. aren't you out already?) typical repair item.. except the Z tranny is a PITA to change clutches on (not like a porsche 944.. but close .)soo he shells out $600 for that (not bad really.. but for a RWD car thats pretty steep).. then with the new clutch in the mechanic test driving picks up a vib.. hmmm wasn't as pronouced before the clutch.. so he figures at least a U-Joint and sends the kid to a local japanese import specialist (wheww.. first good thing he's done.. shoulda got it looked over there BEFORE he bought it).. I don't know the whole story from there.. but come to find out.. the driveshaft was kinda fubared (not just a U joint) so shop replaced it with a one piece (which is much more reliable) and it also had a failing rear diff bearing... and some other crap with the rear.. so he ended up with a totally rebuilt rear end as well and some other suspension fixes (nickel and dime stuff that had been needed for a loooonnnngggg time.. you know the stuff people neglect when they have a car they can't afford to service and don't maintain).. so grand total on all that work incluing labor was a tad over $2K.. so with the fender work and clutch he's sunk another $3K in it.. oh and I carfaxed it the other day for fun.. 7 previous owners!!!.. ouch.. things to look for when buying a used Z..
1) a good japanese sports car repair shop thats familiar with Z's..
2) carfax history
3) as much paper work/history on the car as possible including as much repair work history as possible (if I owned a car like that.. I'd keep every damn reciept for every nut and bolt I ever bought for it.. when selling later it can either be your best friend or worst enemy.. same way when buying....
good luck my friend.. Z's are beautiful fun cars.. but they can be expensive to service.. which is usually where they get neglected... I've always wanted an old 280 turbo to play with..

kratz74

I've seen them for faire prices in the midwest. People here just don't like to pay over $20k for a used car (and I'm one of em). I've seen 93-95 300z TT for under 20k with between 30-50k miles in midwest.

jacob

But don't get a '96 - less power and almost no mods due to OBD-II equipment. I almost bought a TTZ twice, the first was a clapped out piece of trash (like most of them) and the second - well the owner decided not to sell it after I had everything arranged. I have found that most of the TT cars have been trashed. It's too bad. Oh - there is a super clean black n/a slicktop 5spd for sale here in my area. It's listed on classifieds2000 as well. Pretty cool and kind of rare.

-Jacob

Guest

I already stumbled on twinturbo, about 6 months ago. That is what renewed my interest in buying the car. A habit that my dad instilled, that EVERYONE should do before buying a car , is having a mechanic look the entire car over before purchase. I use this "mechanic on wheels" called cardoc. They look at every last nut and bolt and rate the condition of the car. My mom did this on a Grand Cherokee that she was buying from a dealership, and he found a crack in the front axle, that the dealership "forgot" to mention. My mom also got new tires, pads, engine re-sealed, and a nice discount, just b/c we had cardoc check the thing out. I am begining my serious looking now b/c I don't plan on actually puurchasing till like mid January. Anyway....let it begin.