I had the AD for the 944 S on my wall, the one that showed all the parts that were different from the standard 944. Loved that car.
Still, I'd go 300ZX TT. It was an amazing car then and I think it would have more potential for a dual-use car.
I had the AD for the 944 S on my wall, the one that showed all the parts that were different from the standard 944. Loved that car.
Still, I'd go 300ZX TT. It was an amazing car then and I think it would have more potential for a dual-use car.
It’s looking like it will be really hard to find a 951 within my price range and that will probably make my decision for me. I’m not in any rush to buy something so hopefully I can stay patient and find a clean 300zx/951. Time will tell.
Until then it’s just research phase. Figuring out what might be the best path for each build. Any build ideas or inspiration is appreciated!
Of all the 90s sports coupes to come out of Japan to the US the 300ZX is the least appreciated and way undervalued. It doesn't make it a great investment opportunity, but it is one heck of a car for the price. Yes nice 951s are way out of reach these days unless you are willing to spend a lot. Supra and FD RX7s are worse though.
the 300ZX is the least appreciated and way undervalued.
Not on BaT! RNM at ~10k for na cars. Turbos selling at 25k etc. I admit I havent driven a turbo model but I've driven na's and I don't think an na is functionally worth 10k from the driving experience. They're cool cars but once you're approaching double the cost of a cheap 350z with maybe 2/3rds the performance it is a tough sell in my mind.
Agree
300zx values have caught up BAT is great example
3000gt are probably undervalued
Everything on BAT is overvalued. Im sure people just spend more than normal for a car for the simple fact that its on BAT!
I don't see values on BAT as real world, it's more like "how much could it be worth if I could start a bidding war between people who like to buy cars sight unseen for more than the next guy because everyone is watching"
There’s probably a dozen cars that are better to spend 15k on, but that’s not really the point. I want something I like. In fact there’s cars I really like that are way more useless and expensive.
I’m just trying to find the biggest money pit I can afford.
80sFast, where are you located? I ask because I saw an add for what looked like a nice 951 for $6k
In reply to octavious :
Northern, Michigan. Do you have a link?
irish44j said:AnthonyGS said:In the 944 world there are two prices unaffordable and cheap. Any cheap 944 is generally a disaster not worth owning. For 944 turbo models, this is more true and more costly.
You can get 996s for what a nice 944 turbo costs, and it looks like a 911 because it is one. You can also get a clean 350z for that price.
If you buy a basketcase 944, expect tons of downtime and enough minor repairs to rebuild most of the systems in the car.
IDK if I agree. My 924S (which is, for all intents and purposes, an early 944 with an '88 944 engine) was $1000 on craigslist and I probably have about $3k into it. It runs well (I did a partial engine rebuild and refreshed everything), has entirely new suspension, working AC, new Boxster seats, and a "good" and complete interior. Everything on the car works except the rear defrost (since I"m too lazy to fix it since it's not my winter car). I did all that over a winter (the car had been sitting for two years). It's N/A but not difficult to work on. Guess it depends if you want to do some work ont he car or if you want "turnkey ready to go."
The one big upside with the 924/944 = galvanized body. So even at 30 years old, you're not gonna have to deal with rust (except maybe the battery tray). I'm not sure how rust-prone the z32 is, but I've owned enough Nissans and other Japanese cars to know that "there will be rust" unless it was a garage queen.
This. I paid $2300 for mine, and while it's far from perfect, it was a running, rust-free, complete car when I bought it. I won't go through my whole build thread with the stuff I've done, but I've managed to take care of all of it's major needs while dealing with a busy life and motivation that comes and goes. I will say, though, that the 85.5 and up does have some more expensive bits than the earlier cars, particularly in the suspension. Prices do seem to be quite a bit higher than they were for the E30.
I’m expecting a project with either vehicle to some extent, but I would like to get something I can drive from the get go. The general plan is to have something I can drive from May-October and work on November-April.
With that in mind is 15k a realistic budget for either car? Looking on autotrader and such I think it is, but maybe I’m wrong.
Where would everyone suggest looking for a car?
There is a decent looking white z32tt on bat with no reserve. For the 951 check the PCA classifieds.
I've owned both and am a big Z fan, but really the 951 is the easy winner here if you can do the timing belt yourself. Parts for the Porsche are surprisingly cheap and it just feels better. The added bonus is that pricing for these is on the way up, where the Z is kind of flat at the moment. You could drive the 951 for a few years and probably get all of your money back including what you spent on maintenance. I bought mine at the bottom of the curve, dropped a few thousand on it getting the maintenance up to date and ended up getting more than what I had in it. And that was 10 years ago. They've gone up a lot since then and are continuing to climb quickly.
The 300 is definitely quick, but in a more sterile sort of way. Steering feel is not as good and it drives like a "larger" car than the Porsche. Maintenance should be less, but parts are a bit more expensive for many items. They are definitely good looking cars though.
In reply to racerdave600 :
How do they compare day-to-day? Either stand out as a better DD or road trip car?
pimpm3 said:There is a decent looking white z32tt on bat with no reserve. For the 951 check the PCA classifieds.
Thanks for the PCA tip! Seems there’s some 951s in my price range there.
80sFast said:In reply to racerdave600 :
How do they compare day-to-day? Either stand out as a better DD or road trip car?
I always preferred the 951 as it was a bit roomier. Ride was great and it was incredibly stable well into triple digit speeds. The Nissan was good also, and it may depend on what you find, but I always thought the Porsche was just a bit better car all around. Not that the 300 is a bad car at all, just my preference from time spent. You may want to drive both and see which speaks to you.
In reply to racerdave600 :
I’ll be doing some test drives in each platform but it’s great to hear others feedback. With cars of this age I think it will be difficult for me to decipher what’s actually the car and what’s due to age and neglect. Maybe I should start poking around to see what’s around me for Porsche/Nissan clubs. I would imagine examples in a club would be more indicative of what each platform offers.
Another avenue to help give you an impression of each car and a better look and feel of the inside of each is look up The Smoking Tire YouTube channel. Matt Farrah has done a few episodes on different 300zx builds and at least one Porsche 944.
In reply to clutchsmoke :
Done and done! I also liked the reviews by Everday Driver.
The white TT on BAT sold for $10,600, no records.
Nmna but...
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-porsche-944-turbo-72/
I used to have a z32 2+2 na 5spd, was never impressed by anything besides the looks. I liked my sc300 5spd a lot more, and once it was boosted it was no comparison.
dj said:
I used to have a z32 2+2 na 5spd, was never impressed by anything besides the looks. I liked my sc300 5spd a lot more, and once it was boosted it was no comparison
wow thanks for that. I had a 98 sc300 for 4 years and a 99 sc400 for 2 years.
If the 300zx 2+2 wasn’t better than the sc300, you just saved me a purchase !
In reply to dj :
That’s about perfect for me, but I need to wait until summer to buy anything. It’s great to see that my budgets not completely out of touch with reality.
The SCs are cool but I like the styling of the 944/300zx a lot better. Plus I think either one in turbo trim would be more of a performance car.
Summer time the price doubles. By NOW.
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