I've only just started to consider a 300ZX TT as my next car, after previously thinking it would be way too expensive.

 

So I was looking on the Autotrader website and I was surprised to see not only that you can get a (probably) decent '93-'94 ZX TT for around £8000, but also the tidy looking '90 models were going for about £6000-£6500.

 

Does this mean that is I bought a '93-'94 car today I could sell it on in three years for only £1500-£2000 less that I bought it for? I must be missing something, surely???

 

I also got a surprise when I looked at insurance. According to elephant.co.uk it will only cost me around £750 (I'm 27 with full ncb). Does this equate with other drivers?

 

I hope this *is* all true. If so, I may just end up getting one of these stunning cars! :P

 

Cheers,

 

Asmo.

 

As, I doubt that very much mate. Although a pukka example is fetching some green you will suffer large depreciation in a 3 year period! Running costs on these cars is comparable to a Porch or a Ferrari. Nissan Main dealer charge anywhere between 40 and 60 squid an hour to work on them, not to mention that they don't know one end of the car from the other!

 

Be careful, 300's are an excellent buy if you get a good one...but can be your worst automotive nightmare if you get a lemon!

 

However, if you are seriously considering it there are loads of peeps on this forum that know more than a little about the 300ZX and most will even offer to look over anything you may be considering.

 

Later

 

Tim

;-)

 

Yes but the running costs can be HUGE which is probably why they seem to be dropping in price at the moment.

15mpg around town and 25 on the motorway is quite normal, so expect 200 miles on £50.00 worth of fuel. Parts are silly prices from Nissan - some minor components cost a fortune and hours to fit as there's no room in the engine bay.

Apart from that you get a stunning car loaded with extras that'll do 185mph with a few tweeks and the restrictor removed!

I am seriously begining to think it would be cheaper to trade it in for a 911.

Chris a 911 may be cheaper after the initial cost and so long as nothing goes tits up running should be cheap...but then a sorted 300ZX could shoot past you on the motorway and the 911 would be unable to catch it! (until it breaks down)

Trev

Nahhhhh! I looked at 928's and 911's...you have to pay 10K upwards before you even get into a decent example. Porches fetch some serious wonga and to be honest the reason why I was looking at a 928 is the interior is nicer than a 911. F**k me, 911's interiors are blander than a Skoda Rapid! LMAO!

 

Have you ever listened to a 911 ticking over, they remind me of my old mans VW Camper Van...LOL! And yes, I am speaking from experience...have been in an older 2.7i Targa which had a recon engine in it and kept overheating(plus they're air cooled...dodgy straight away!) and a Carrera2 which was rapid but didn't really impress me in a non-cheesey grin sorta way! Had a bigger grin the 1st time I went out in a Renault 5GT Turbo and a Peugeout 1.9 GTi, not to mention my mate at the age of 19 having a BMW 325i which was a storming motor in its day!

 

Trust me when I say that OPC's charge a damn sight more than 60 an hour, Merc main dealer charge 64 pound an hour for my car so you can imagine?!?!?!?!?!!??

 

300ZX = cheap to buy, has the super car performance, running costs are high but nothing like say an NSX, Porch or Ferrari...ask Hairsey about his TreVoR? I rest my case!

 

Tim

;-)

 

Damn, you're starting to put me off now!

What about the 300ZX specialists, as opposed to the Nissan main dealer? Aren't they supposed to be lots cheaper?

 

And I thought the 300's were supposed to be reliable?

 

What do you reckon a good '93 model would cost to buy now, and what would it be worth in 3 years?

 

 

What about the 300ZX specialists, as opposed to the Nissan main dealer? Aren't they supposed to be lots cheaper?

Yep, to a certain extent i.e hourly rates of about £30 per hr, non nissan branded parts etc. The main cost seems to be when the specialists have to use nissan branded parts which aint cheap.

 

And I thought the 300's were supposed to be reliable?

As reliable as any 280+Bhp 160+Mph 4 wheel steering Twin turbo monster can be! So long as they have been looked after everything should be okay. The only things most of us are paying for is replacing old parts that are about 10 years old, fixing problems that have occurred due to lacking maintainance in the past etc. There are things that will fail in time i.e heater matrix, Hicas ball joints, turbo seals, turbos and other stuff. If you budget for the repairs you should be okay so long as you dont get a lemon

 

What do you reckon a good '93 model would cost to buy now, and what would it be worth in 3 years?

hmmmm...not sure as they vary between UK and import spec, as to future value, Z cars have always had a following of owners and people interested in buying, if nissan release the 350Z in 2002 who can say what that will do. It may create some demand for all things Z!

 

Oi Timmy "ask Hairsey about his TreVoR?" you make me sound like Hairseys gimp who lives in a box under the stairs!

Later

Trev

(Nobodys gimp!)

 

[This message has been edited by Trey (edited 24-08-2001).]

Asmo, Lets face it !

If you realy want a 300zx u'll get one,what ever any one says, other wise u'll never know what its like to drive.

You could always get yourself a decent NA.

Less grunt I know... but then less to go wrong (as well as better fuel economy and still enough excitement to put a smile on your face)

I've never regretted buying mine.. and although I'm now upgrading to a tt... I wouldn't have done so if I wasn't planning to spend about 8k customising it.

At the end of the day they are not cheap cars to run...simple as that. you can buy one for hot hatch money but remember they are big expensive sports cars.

 

 

 

------------------

I wouldn't want to put anyone off getting one of these cars, just warn of the potential costs.

If you have a bit of cash going spare get one.

A nice Z can look as good as any supercar.

I don't regret getting mine. Turns heads and gets people shouting at you as you drive past - not many cars get that kind of response.

I've not had a car overtake me in a year and a half - enough said.

Oh my god you guyZ talk some shit sometimes (No offence )

 

These cars only go wrong if you either buy a bad example or modify them wrongly. If the car has been looked after in the right way and not had any daft mods they are a treat People seem to forget that these cars are around 10 years old now and they've been putting out 300bhp for ALL that time!!! There's bound to be the odd thing that goes wrong but on the whole they are a damn sight more reliable than any other 10 year old car on the road.....

 

Asmo, the insurance sounds about right and the prices you have quoted seem in about the right bracket. I can't see the price dropping much further than it has fallen so far.

 

The best thing you can do when you're looking at one of these cars is to take somebody from this forum with you who knows what to look for. Where abouts are you?

 

CheerZ for now,

 

Andy

Asmo,

I spend my time between the isle of wight and Lincolnshite. If you need another pair of (fairly educated) eyes gimme a shout.

I'll happily spend all Sunday looking at Zeds with you m8.

RegardZ

Glen

 

LMFAO! Trev, sorry geeZer, didn't mean for it to sound that way!

 

Duffman Hoffman, yep, that's exactly the point I was trying to make! I bought a perfectly decent example, FNSH blah de blahhhhhhh! Only initial signs wrong were a slightly rough tickover and a stalling problem. Now that on any used car wouldn't suggest that the engine was Phuket would it? I rest my case!

 

As all have said, be careful, they are a an older car so to speak and when you see what these looneys are doing at TRAX think carefully about buying a car that has been a) highly modded over its life and b) been cained round a track once a year for ten years with possible oil starvation to boot! Which incidently, Nissan knew about in the design process of the car and my car already has a past bill for 2.4K's worth of engine work as a result!

 

Tim

;-)

 

Nissan dealers will screw you every time! My Auntie bought a year old 100NX and had some problems with it starting or something...need to ask her exactly what the problems were...anyway, she took it to her local Nissan dealer! "you need a new engine bay wiring loom love!" seems this is the first thing that all Nissan Main dealers pull on yer!

 

Told her that mice had knackered it! Chewed throught the wiring or whatever. She had it done!

 

Strange that! Coz that was an L reg. so this is going back a few years. When I took my car to Abergele Nissan they did a consult test which showed fuck all to be wrong and then proceeded to recommend that I have the wiring loom changed. Part costs about 300+vat but 3 days labour to change...total about 1200 quid...Hmmmmmmm...daylight robbery I suspect!

 

But then that's Nelson's! LMAO!

 

Hi,

The depreciation/running costs on a Z will still be less than that of your average new hatchback, which will lose thousands as soon as you drive it out of the showroom!

I kept my NA for a year and sold it for only £100 less than I paid for it! OK so I put a new exhaust system on it costing £*%$, but it's still low depreciation.

My previous Z31 only lost £900 in depreciation in the 5 years I owned it!Apart from a few upgrades, regular servicing, mot work and fuel!(same for any car)

that was it!

JEZ

I do think you buy a 300ZX because you love it. It is a car to keep and enjoy. Than if you ever change mind and you decide to sell it....sell it for whatever you can get (the more the better of course) without thinking how much you paid for it....just think the fun you had in it!!!!

 

[This message has been edited by ManicTT (edited 25-08-2001).]

Hi,

Just been surfing the Autotrader site (can't sleep!), looking at Porche 928's and 944's.They are both very cheap now!The 928 looks an especially good bargain, considering the performance...if you can get a good one!

Another car I used to fancy, was an Opel Monza GSE auto...now available for peanuts!

JEZ

Hi I had an Opel Monza GSE about11 years ago they were some car then, funny I used to get the "What is it question" 3.0 litre straight six fule injection in a two door coupe body and digital dashboard + fuel computor and wicked Recaro seats ooohhh lovely I went all over Europe in it and loved every minute of....aaaahh those were the days J+eff TT

if like me you never intend buying a new car then a 300 is a good choice even if you buy a shitter its still gonna cost you less to buy and fix than a brand new vectra or mondeo.....where else are you gonna get a supercar and lets face it ten years ago it was for under 6 grand......the only downer to this fairy tale is aftermarket main dealers who will ensure that 300 parts prices will never come down and the sericing will not only be as dear as it was ten years ago but will also get dearer year on year

As has been mentioned above (!), I can personally vouch for that fact that although the Z is not a cheap car to run, it is not in super-car territory by any means when it comes to servicing. Anything from Porsche, Ferrari, TVR (ouch), etc is going to cost a lot more to maintain.

 

On the other hand, in my own experience of TVR and through a mate who was a Porsche mechanic, you do get seriously thorough work for your money.

 

From the cars I've owned myself I would say that having my Z serviced by SE (i.e. a non main dealer but specialist) cost about the same as my BMW 325i and also my Alfas.

 

The big plus of the Z is how cheap it is get serious power out of.

 

I know it's expensive sometimes but take my word for it - they're not THAT expensive !

 

D

 

Just to second what everyone else has said.. Lol..

 

I've only had mine for.. Ooh just over a week now..

 

Bodywork wise it's in great nick, drivers seat is a bit.. shafted and the auto box has some problems (uh oh), aircon is waaay low on freon.. But..

 

I paid.. Hmm.. shall I tell you? OK Not a lot! For this car, and when I nail it - it brings one huge f*ck off smile to my face every time (apart from when it drops out of Drive.. Lol)..

 

As Bob said, if I have to spend 3k on it to get it up to A1 spec, I'll still have only spent 5k on a gorgeous car.. (Um.. that let the cat out of the bag then as to what I paid for it )..

 

One word of advice though - if you're gonna buy one like mine, you had better be a good home mechanic (I've already spent every evening for a week on the car!)

 

Az

And something else to add

 

There aren't many other cars where you'll come out of the supermarket every time to find someone or other walking all round your car looking at every little detail - trying to work out what the hell it is, and get comments like "Just admiring your car" as they scuttle off all embarassed when you come back (Or, the proximity detector goes off! LOL)

Wow! Thanks for all the responses folks! I especially appreciate the offers to look over any Z's for sale - cheers!

 

It's very encouraging to know that there are so many real enthusiasts for the 300. I bet if I bought one from one of you guys it would be a good 'un!

 

One thing that is making me want one more is the fact that I keep looking for them on the road, so I can point it out to my girlfriend, and I haven't seen a single one yet! Just a load of Vectras and Fords etc.

 

I don't know exactly when I'll take the plunge and get one - I'll probably have to buy a house first I just can't stop imagining turning up somewhere in a bright red Z with the targa roof off.....ahhhh....

 

I'm still not sure what I'll do. My head is telling me to get a 200SX (my origional idea) as it will be newer and (presumably) cheaper to run.

 

But 300ZX TT's are just so amazing! They make the poor 200SX look a bit, well, plain.

 

[This message has been edited by Asmo (edited 28-08-2001).]