Hello all

 

I'm not a 300zx owner at the moment, but I'm thinking about one for my next car. At the moment I'm driving a 2.2 VTEC Prelude, and have had it for around 18 months. It's fantastic, and a great balance between being fun and practical, and very good as a daily driver.

 

However, I'll probably be faced with a wife wanting babies in a few years, so my time with sporty coupes is limited and I'd like to try one other before the family car era beings...

 

I'll be looking for a sporty coupe with upwards of 250bhp. I'm considering a modified 200sx, but for the money, I've realised I could get a non modded 300zx with more power.

 

I also think the 300zx looks great. I'd be looking for a 2+2 UK TT version. I'll be lurking the forum for a while trying to get a feel for the car and get used to the issues etc.

 

Cheers

Tom

What's your budget?

I also have a Prelude 2.2 vtec, lovely car!

Hi Tom,

 

Welcome to the club! :)

 

Firstly there's a few variants that you may not be aware of:

 

2+2 Long Wheel Base (LWB) NA + TT Targa (the most common and the only available for UK spec) You'll find it's easily noticable from outside as it has the petrol cap behind the rear left hand wheel

 

2 Seater Short Wheel Base (SWB) NA/TT Targa (As above but with the petrol cap in front of the rear wheel and 6 inches shorter and 100kg lighter

 

 

Then there's a 2 seater SWB with no targas nicknamed the "slicktop" which weighs another 50kg less so handles better and is the ultimate combo for someone looking for a drivers car. These only came from japan and were limited to 2 seater:

 

 

Then finally even rarer is the convertible 2 seater

 

 

So a few different ones to look at. You'll pick up a 2+2 cheapest, uk spec in good condition would be more, SWB targa a little more, Slicktop even more and the convertible would be your most expensive option.

 

Have a look in the for sale section as there's quite a few good bargains on here at the moment.

 

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=75

 

Best of luck and anything else you need to know drop a message on the board and i'm sure someone can help! :)

 

Cheers,

Nick

Edited October 20, 201015 yr by bantambunny

Hi, and thanks for the welcome!

 

I'll be interested to read about peoples views on the NA v TT models. My inclination is towards the TT, as the power/weight ratio of the NA model wouldn't be much better than my Prelude (a lot more torque though).

 

I do associate Turbo cars with being a bit more tempremental though...

Janus, how does your Lude compare to your NA 300zx?

If you want a uk car then they only came as tt's so no point considering an na. However there is certainly more choice with Japanese cars although these days it's hard to say which would be in better condition espeically if the jap car has been in the country a while.

For what they are the 300zx is very reliable as long as it is looked after, generally speaking you get what you pay for with these cars. Remember that when new they cost 30-35k back in 1990 so that's more like 60-70 at today's values. Just because they are and worth relativly little doesn't mean they cost very little to run. What I'm trying to say is keep a reserve fund available for it! then you'll get addicted and spend every penny you have on it! Good luck in the search. :-)

This should be of use to you....

 

Buyers Guide

 

HTH

Dave

Welcome mate, you have come to the right place, lots of helpfull people here dude. Also lots of nice examples come up for sale here as well.

 

I live near Oxford also (Didcot), so if you want to meet up sometime and go for a spin, or have a look under the bonnet then just let me know mate I'd be happy to pass on what little knowledge i have on these babies.

 

but to echo what Quavey said - they are very cheap for what they are - BUT you will need to look after her and a little pot of "emergency" cash might not be a bad idea.

 

What sort of budget have you set yourself?

My fund would probably be about a grand on top of what I get for my Lude when I sell it - so in the region of 2.5-3k.

welcome to the club and good luck with your search. you should be able to get a decent Z for that price range.

My fund would probably be about a grand on top of what I get for my Lude when I sell it - so in the region of 2.5-3k.

 

Well to be honest with you you will find loads in that price range, but do try and get a good example, as the more you skimp in the first place, the more you will regret it down the IMO.

 

Like i said bud I'm only just down the road, so any help or assistance just let me know.

I've had both NA and TT and my own personal opinion was the NA was better. No need to rev it to get the power and they sound better without the turbos in the way of the exhaust.

 

I loved the none turbo torquey power delivery so much i ended up putting a 6.3 litre chevy V8 in mine :)

 

This is my first short wheel base and although i haven't had the opportunity to drive it much with tweaking the V8 engine and suspension i live the smaller cabin and the sharp handling. The LWB is more of a grand tourer than an out and out sports car.

Well to be honest with you you will find loads in that price range, but do try and get a good example, as the more you skimp in the first place, the more you will regret it down the IMO.

 

Like i said bud I'm only just down the road, so any help or assistance just let me know.

 

Cheers mate!

 

Friendly place :)

Well to be honest with you you will find loads in that price range, but do try and get a good example, as the more you skimp in the first place, the more you will regret it down the IMO.

 

Like i said bud I'm only just down the road, so any help or assistance just let me know.

 

Cheers mate!

 

Friendly place :)

 

TBH I'd not really considered the 300zx for my next car until someone on the Lude forum posted a thread about his, and then I got looking at them and was blown away at how cheap they are for the spec.

What you want is a Jap spec manual TT LWB...

 

Probably in black..

 

With retro Jap wheels...

 

Blacked out windows...

 

OK, you guessed it.

 

Good luck with the hunt. Spend as much as you can to get a ggod one in the first place, which will hopefully save you money in the long run. If you can, look at one with a club member - there's so much potential for crippling costs that it really helps if you know what to look for.

 

Best of luck

Janus, how does your Lude compare to your NA 300zx?

 

Its much more practical than my SWB n/a slicktop! MY zed is faster though, and to be honest, my Zed is 100 times better looking lol!

 

Its much more practical than my SWB n/a slicktop! MY zed is faster though, and to be honest, my Zed is 100 times better looking lol!

 

 

Yeah, that is a pretty example - i love the front lip and the wheels. :bow:

Welcome to the club mate and just one piece of advice buy the best you can afford with no issues that way you will enjoy driving your zed not cursing it:)

Welcome to the forum mate :D

Welcome to the forum!

I too am an ex Prelude owner (Had 5 of them lol) and if i was to lose my Z today, i'd have another Prelude in a heartbeat.

 

My advice is that if you want a Z it can be just as practical with the right options.

 

I chose an N/A as the car is my Daily Driver and didn't want the unreliability of Turbos smoking/breaking etc.

 

Also, with me being a DJ, i needed a car with enough room to get my full kit in so i chose the LWB. Plenty of room in there for my full kit so i'm sure a baby seat would be no problem.

 

Plus, in my opinion, the LWB is far better looking than the SWB. Just looks like a squised up version lol.

I too am an ex Prelude owner (Had 5 of them lol) and if i was to lose my Z today, i'd have another Prelude in a heartbeat.

 

My advice is that if you want a Z it can be just as practical with the right options.

 

I chose an N/A as the car is my Daily Driver and didn't want the unreliability of Turbos smoking/breaking etc.

 

Also, with me being a DJ, i needed a car with enough room to get my full kit in so i chose the LWB. Plenty of room in there for my full kit so i'm sure a baby seat would be no problem.

 

Plus, in my opinion, the LWB is far better looking than the SWB. Just looks like a squised up version lol.

 

 

Thanks for those thoughts. Yeah, I'd be looking at the LWB 2+2 for sure, I need something that can take some luggage in the boot and have room for my dog and the occasional cramped passenger in the back. Agree with you about appearances too - the SWB looks too squat to my eyes.

 

So it's only really the slightly lower mpg that would make the 300zx less practical, (assuming it's reliable - my Honda has never missed a beat).

 

The only thing I'd question is how much of a performance upgrade would the NA be over a 2.2 Lude? My Lude is about 195bhp, but only weight 1300Kg, the NA 300zx has got 30hp over that, but also weighs a bit more. How do you find it to drive compared to your Ludes?

to be honest i find it quicker than my Ludes. Saying that, i really loved the prelude as an overall car but the Z just feels more like a Sports car than an executive coupe.

I too am an ex Prelude owner (Had 5 of them lol) and if i was to lose my Z today, i'd have another Prelude in a heartbeat.

 

My advice is that if you want a Z it can be just as practical with the right options.

 

I chose an N/A as the car is my Daily Driver and didn't want the unreliability of Turbos smoking/breaking etc.

 

Also, with me being a DJ, i needed a car with enough room to get my full kit in so i chose the LWB. Plenty of room in there for my full kit so i'm sure a baby seat would be no problem.

 

Plus, in my opinion, the LWB is far better looking than the SWB. Just looks like a squised up version lol.

 

Pfft! sports cars only have 2 seat in my humble opinion! :thumbup:

Pfft! sports cars only have 2 seat in my humble opinion! :thumbup:

 

I have a 2+2 and i am afraid i have to agree with Jane here - i think the SWB actually sits just right, nice and stubby.

 

BUT..... i also have to say that the back seats have come in use, and you can get quite a lot of stuff in the back either with the back seats down, or just using them as storage space.

Thanks for those thoughts.

 

The only thing I'd question is how much of a performance upgrade would the NA be over a 2.2 Lude? My Lude is about 195bhp, but only weight 1300Kg, the NA 300zx has got 30hp over that, but also weighs a bit more. How do you find it to drive compared to your Ludes?

 

OK, your 'Lube has 150bhp/ton

 

A typical N/A would have about 153bhp/ton

 

On that basis, there's very little in it. However, if you add lb/ft into the equation you're gonna find in gear acceleration much superior - especially as honda engines are not renowned for their low-end torque!

 

If you don't let the doom-mongerers (sorry peeps) lead you down the N/A route and choose a proper man's car instead - A.K.A the Zed TT, then things start to look at lot more impressive..

 

Typical TT will be about 190 bhp/ton and will have monster torque (think double what your 'Lube has).

 

If you really need to scratch that itch befor the day comes where you have to hang up your sportscar keys for the MPV keys instead, then i suggest you go out with a bang and something you'll remember!

 

The TT is like a drunk nymphomaniac, whereas...

 

the N/A is a sober nun...:lol: