What do you guys think of the 1990 Nissan 300zx? Should I buy this over the mazda 3?

should you get a japanese turbo fairlady successor instead of some shitty FF hatch?

yes.

Don'the listen to this guy. ANY engine work is going too cost an arm and a leg because it's impossible to access anything, doing the work yourself is an act of masochism.
They're not nice cars to work on.

Mazda 3s are reliable and easy to work on, they're pretty bland though. If you don't have a dd I would suggest getting the Mazda 3. If you do, there are better sports cars than a 300zx.

Pre-94 has fuel injector issues, no passenger SRS if you care about that, and belts on the door. The belt on door thing isn't that bad, just gets annoying.

Engine bay is cramped, and will be expensive to work on even if you do it by yourself.

The NA engine is good for giving economy cars the runaround, the TT engine can be built to 500+ HP and take it easily on stock internals. Both engines had forged internals.

Most common point of failure is the timing belt. If you're purchasing one make sure you know it's been done or plan to do it yourself. For a n00b it's gonna take like 2 days. For a seasoned Z32 mechanic it'll take 6 hours. It only needs to be done every 60k miles, they sell 60k and 120k kits. Buy the 120k kit, then the 60k, then the 120k again.

PCV system is also faulty, it'll draw oil into your intake and burn it off when you take high g right turns.

Other than that, it's worth all the trouble, even for an NA. Extremely fun car, and super good looking too.

t. 1994 300zx owner

also, ew didn't realize I did leddit spacing.

Are you interested in pulling the engine and doing a major overhaul before you ever drive it? No? Then don't buy one.

This

Yes, let's all drive boring econoboxes because "they are easier to do maintenance on". Enjoy your dull life.

buy a mazda 3. the z32 300zx is in stock form the worst loosest term of the word "sports car" the only way to turn it into sports car is a v8.

because its too fat and too heavy. it needed a bigger engine it didnt get. you can swap in a VH45 (V8 from infinity Q45) or a LS1

>pistons are cast??

not, forged internals, forged crank
They're good for 500whp on stock internals, 600 and above is where you should start considering replacing the innards. The VG30 series of motors is genuinely retard strong

Or you can, you know, turn up the boost a bit on the stock engine and it will be "bigger".

Heavy compared to what else that has 300hp factory?

Pistons are cast. Crank is forged, rods might be, even if they aren't the are very strong.

But pistons are cast, and a weak point for higher boost applications.

Completely incorrect about the HP. They hit 500+ whp all day on stock blocks. 600+ it's time to build. The rest of your post is mostly true.

Also never buy the NA op. It will never be fast without 1k shot of nitrous.

Are you saying the vg30dett will make 500hp on stock turbos? My memory tells me the stock turbos couldn't push more than 400hp. I had one in the late 90s. Internals became questionable much pass 500hp. Sure you will find blocks that handled it, but would you warranty it, put your name on it.

Concerning my post I don't really consider 500 hp to be extremely high.

There are forged kits now. If anyone is claiming 500bhp on stock internals or turbos is a liar.

In 2015.

n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29669

Heres a stock motor with a single turbo doing over 700whp
youtube.com/watch?v=QpDGfB2MQRU

Here's a mild turbo on a stock block doing 540whp.

Here's a stock turbo and engine doing 494whp
youtube.com/watch?v=W0RPuIANuZ0

youtube.com/watch?v=3hORu2FzEnI

For a change of pace, here's a bolt on only, stock turbo/block Z running 11's.
youtube.com/watch?v=NC5xMZBpUPE

I think we get the point. The point being: I need one. Anything to look out for when buying one?

Yes, I've told you all in this post. L2R.
Ask about injectors if it's pre-94, make sure he's replaced them recently OR converted to new style. Make sure timing belt is done on time. That's pretty much it.

I should have clarified. I meant more like rare/ desirable colors, options, etc.. What kind of prices would I be looking at for a clean daily driver?

Cherry Red Pearl is one of the most desirable paints on a Z32. Don't worry about the paint though, as long as it's in good condition it doesn't matter. The paint colors on them aren't as important because the owners are more concerned about keeping the damn things running.

As far as options go most models with T-Tops will come with a power drivers seat. Some will come in leather, not sure what year that was made available. Z32 T-Tops weren't known to leak excessively, but still good to make sure. Some came as slicktops, meaning no T-Tops and just a roof. Chassis will obviously be a little stiffer, and you'll save a little weight. These did not come TT from factory, though. Slicktops are usually the basest of the base, but imo good cars for track duty since they're the most bare bones.

Pricing wise, a good running TT should run you $7k-8k. A shit one $4k-5k. An NA one will usually run you about $4k-5k for a well kept example, and $2k-3k for a beat up one.
I'd recommend an NA as a daily driver, less things to go wrong.

Hmm crp is desirable? Seems to be one of the ugliest and most common.

I like the pale yellow some of the earlier cars came in.