74-Roadster

The specific car is a one owner (Lady Doctor no less) never wrecked non-turbo 2+2 with 76,000 miles. Claims to be very well maintained by the same shop since new after warranty ran out.

I'm stoked about this car. My wife who thought we were going to get a 2000 Grand Cherokee Limited is a little miffed. But we just bought her a brand new 2002 Honda Accord EX, V6. So she doesn't have a whole lot of bargaining power.

Any thoughts? What should I look at? The only thing I remember hearing was an issue with these cars were rotor warpage.

How can I get a copy of the Dealer Service History? Id that what shows up on a carfax report?

:seeya

e3pres

A friend of mine has a 300Z 2-seater non-turbo. Even though it's non-turbo, it is still very high maintanence.

battsup

Ok if your looking at the 300zx because you want a 4seater then you should look elsewhere cause if you havent noticed theres no way anyone over 5 is fitting back there, however the extra 6 inches does make the car look nice in my oppinion. I would strongly advize against buying a cherokee, we have a 92 and 2 of my uncles had 2002's and they sold them within a year because they were so dang noisy. the road noise is so bad it is hard to have a conversation at times, which can be a plus or minus depending on wat type of mood the spouse is in :lol: . but i reccomend you buy a twin turbo 300zx you know you want that extra 80hp

Clink69

Very few cars require more maintenance than the Cherokee. I can attest to this.. breaks every 10K, eats rotors, calipers, tires. Very noisy car.

300Z sounds cool, probably high maintenance though. Consumer reports will help for older cars.

1971Ultra

I actually work with someone who has a non-turbo, I think it is a 1990/91. She has put some $$$$ into lately. Coincidentally, it is for-sale for around $6500.

73 LS-4

Probably wouldn't do it. Nissan is about as bad as chrysler as far as electrical corrosion goes on it's terminals and they are a bear to work on as well. I worked on one of these a few months ago for a misfire problem,had a dead miss on one cylinder and a partial miss on the other both caused by corrosion on the injector harnesses (common with Nissan), boy that wasa pain cleaning all those out on that, but it fixed it. I'm not always the best source on what's a good car and what's not, remember I only see them when they are doing something bad, but I can normally tell you the common problems (eg. crank sensors on 4.0L Jeeps).

:cheers:
Pat Kunz

'79ProwlerOrange

I love 300Zs of that body style. very :cool: but i think they are fairly high upkeep. Nissan is a great motor company though. you can get 300 hp from that N/A 6. but if it for the wife... :lol:

Shark Racer

I'll race my friend's NA coupe and tell ya how it goes. :)

The engine is neat, dual throttle bodies and all that. I think they're a good option for people who are looking for backup fun for the 'vette.

Don't know anything about the maintenance, though. I know they're just fun cars.

-Steve

Marks69BB

I replied to your other post in OT.

Recoil

i have 90 300z for 8 yrs, 2 seater, w/160,000 miles on still run as hard as day i bought. i have say beside all it usual problems it still a fun car. i enjoy drive it everyday very solid car. it's still one of best japanese sportcars. here are some of the usual problems they have

-high maintance "sometimes just wear and tear"
-alternator "water form puddles kill it's at bottom of engine like the 350z too bad idea"
-parts aren't cheap
-never pass emissions half the engine pass and the other doesn't, i know no one that pass
-not a easy car to fix what ever you fix you petty much disassemble the whole like water pump to change it you must remove the rad, all the belts timing cover and timing belt not as easy as it sounds and the alternator you better at it as time passes lol

but still very very good car if get one get 2 seater a 2+2 is just station wagon

tersian

I think I have a magic Grand Cherokee Laredo, it's a 1994 with the V8 and the only problems I've had with it in 168,000 miles is fuel pump, 3 motor mounts broke, the water pump went, the tranny is now shot, and there's a little surface rust. Overall, it hasn't been that bad. The motor runs real strong and the road noise isn't as bad as my brand new Mustang GT.

sammyb

My college buddy had a '92 2-seater (when it was new, and I was in college.) I have also raced against them...so here's my take:

1) The non-turbos, especially the 2+2 models aren't particularly fast...in fact the 2+2s are fairly slow, because they are quite heavy. In comparison, the turbo 2-seaters are quite quick, and with $2K in upgrades they'll absolutely scream. I had a modded 300Z Turbo kill me in an autocross one event.
2) Due to the packaging of the engine, they are quite a pain to work on. There's very little to room in the bay.
3) Nissan has a bad reputation for dealer service, and the 300Zs are prone to electrical gremlins.

They are pretty cars, but the 2+2 models have never been a favorite of collectors or the used market. If you need to put kids in the back, there are many better sporty cars in which to throw the kids. If you want a sports car, there are dozens of better sports cars than the 2+2.

Critics never liked the 2+2 because it was too slow, long and heavy to be a good sports car, and too small to be a family car. Everyone always liked the 2 seater, because it was a capable GT and sports car -- it was only noted for being too expensive in a time when Americans stopped buying sports coupes.

BeachinVette

Try to buy an American car. Get an F body or something. As much as I get lured to look at foriegn cars I won't buy one. We need to take care of jobs in this country, Our Goverment sure is not. It may sound small "its just one car" But I see a lot of Non- American cars on the road. I have been to many countries in this world and they are NOT buying American. JMHO.

Alwyn678

I ha a 91 Very High Maintenance and EXPENSIVE to work on get a C-4 instead


[Modified by Alwyn678, 9:05 AM 2/12/2003]

Alwyn678

I love mine as well it has well over 120k wth NO problems

flood

Too slow.

Get an Fbody. :cheers:

Michael Tucker

"she doesn't have a whole lot of bargaining power."

i sent her a copy of this link :D

if you are stuck on getting a car go with a 98 or 99 f-body . i had a 2000 ta that would bark the tires at 82 mph when it shifted into 3rd (auto) and it was stock.

as for your stolen car i only have bad news. we recover two or three stripped ones every other day here in sa. :sad:
Mike

Gotta Fix my '76

Hmmm...where to start.

When I was 16 I bought my first '86 280ZX Nissan, and I loved it...easy to work on but b/c I live at the beach it had quite alot of body rust problems and I gave it to my uncle after buying a 300ZX '90 (first year body style) non-turbo. It was a great car, and I still see it on the road to this day as a daily driver. I ride to work beside it sometimes...pretty fun, the now owner doesn't know me, but the car looks just as good. It was a great car, and I had it for 7 years and the only thing I had replaced was the water pump and a new clutch and rebuilt Bose Sound System. I would say keep your eyes on the A/C as I've heard alot of them begin to go bad. Mine overall was a great car. Sporty, fairly fast, FUN and it has T-tops as well. No headlight actuators to worry about and the engine ran pretty good with care. (not high maintenance) If the one your looking at only has 76,000 miles on it, then your in good shape. Mine had 90,000 and was running strong. I'd say go for it, b/c it's probably never seen hard driven days, though it may have run low on oil a few times :lol: :yesnod:

I'm now the proud owner of a Nissan Xterra as my daily driver (please don't :U ), and in fact the Vette is my first domestic car..and it's alot of work (but thats my fault)...Shoot if I had my choice as a daily driver I'd definitely choose the 300Z or 350Z to drive, but I have to have something to lug around all of my band gear, and something to carry the Kayak and surfboard on...it wouldn't look so good on top of the Z :)

Go For It!!

:auto:

74-Roadster

Thanks for all of the replies! Here's my take on some of the comments:

I'd love a two seater, but with one little boy and hoping for another baby soon, gotta have 4 seats. So the same thing applies to a C4, a two seater just won't work. Even though those back seats are small in the Z, an 8 year old will still fit fine.

As for an F body, no offense, but I don't like the looks and they are a dime a dozen on the road, that's why the Z makes me drool, I'll only see a couple of them each week.

And the buy American thing . . . well, IMO, America needs to build better cars and then they'll sell themselves. My father-in-law works for GM and he sees the actual quality every day. American cars have gotten a lot better, but they still have a way to go IMO. As for trucks, most people buy Chevy or Ford, some even Dodge now. Why, because american trucks are a lot better than the foreign competition. For the most part, the best product will win out. What pisses me off is the imports get in this country easily compared to our what it cost for our exports to get in another country. If we were on a level playing field, American cars would do much better in Europe.

I have a list of thing to look for when I check out a Z. Probably the best thing I can do if I'm ready to negotiate is take for an emissions check and see if it will pass. Last night I found that to be an issue on several Z websites.

Thanks again!!!! Gotta get this stolen car behind us so I can get back to my Vette. My AC parts are here!!!! :cool:

Later,

Glenn :cheers: :cheers:

ndirishr1

My thoughts? Look for the "MADE IN USA" label!