Learn me 80's 300zx's

Am I wise to even take this leap. I'm looking for something to play around with. Do a little autocross. Give me the ups and downs. This is the one I'm looking at:

85 300ZX

From what I understand, they're a fantastic little chassis saddled with a tremendously meh motor.

I'm not really looking for big power. I just want to have a little fun in a car I don't have to worry about driving every day. I had been looking at a AE86 too.

jlm_photo wrote: I'm not really looking for big power. I just want to have a little fun in a car I don't have to worry about driving every day. I had been looking at a AE86 too.

Me, I'd take the hachi. But I'm a fanboy, and I miss mine.

the hachi has been sitting for quite a while...at least 3 years. how much trouble is that going to be to get going again (considering it was still running when they left it sitting)?

Depends... likely the fuel is crap, hopefully it didn't gum up the lines. That'd definitely be my biggest concern.

That's what I'm afraid of. There is a 5ft pine tree growing beside it, so it has been sitting a while. I don't even know if it is a Manual trans or not. I'd hope so.

A VG30E may not be as zingy as a 4A-GE, but the power to weight ratio between a Z31 and an AE86 have gotta be close. Furthermore, the Nissan would be plenty reliable. Not to mention what a haggard piece of crap a sub $1500 GT-S is likely to be.

I've owned an '85 GT-S and an '88 Z31. They're both good, but the fun for the dollar/best value today would be the Nissan.

Yeah, this AE86 is a SR5 too...not a GT-S. Any word on how bad the Ttops were in 300zx's?

There are so many better cars for the money than an SR-5 corolla I don't know where to begin.

My t-tops leaked 13 years ago when I had the car. Thing is, you knew how much they were going to leak at any given time based on how much rain they were exposed to. And it was never terrible. Compared to my '88 Acura Legends' sunroof, which would somehow pool half a gallon of moisture and store it until the first time I tried to drive the car and then dump it all in my lap at once.

An FB or FC RX-7 will be cheaper and faster than both with 100% less leakage. Just saying...

belteshazzar wrote: There are so many better cars for the money than an SR-5 corolla I don't know where to begin.

That is what I figured. Mechanically, how hard is it to work on a '85 300zx?

Being a huge fan of Z31s and having had one in high school and college (I had an '88 n/a from '98-'02) and put A LOT of miles on it, something like 65k miles.

Fun car, not too quick, HEAVY. My car had Eibach springs, Koni's, ST bars and poly bushings, 240sx throttle body and a few other things I can't think of right now.

I'd say the biggest negative would be the digital climate control and dash (mine went out in '99, so we rigged a switch under the dash to turn on the compressor after the in dash unit failed).

That and the HORRENDOUS squat/negative camber issues on the rear. Be prepared for frequent rotation and tires that still don't last long.

Then again, this was in the hands of a 16-19 year old male, YMMV.

What are the biggest things I need to look for on a car that has been sitting for a year? And what are the obvious problems that crop up on Z31's?

nothing that isn't obvious.

This one is a bit cheaper and I have talked to the guy. I can go look at if you want it is Kentucky though.

http://bgky.craigslist.org/cto/2102885806.html

If you're considering a non-turbo Z31, maybe look at an S13 240SX instead. I enjoyed my Z31 turbo about as much as my 12v S13.

In reply to belteshazzar:

I had the same thing happen to me in my '88 Accord. Rained really good the night before and the temperature was around 40-45 degrees. I had parked in my steep driveway. Sunroof had never leaked before this day. Everything was going great until the first time I needed to apply the brakes. Next thing I know COLD water is dumping all over me.

If you want to autocross, you should replace all the rubber components with poly bushings on the suspension. Firming up the suspension will alleviate the camber issues, especially if you don't lower the car with aftermarket springs.

Car is not to hard to work on, but there is very little aftermarket support for these vehicles. I'm on a two year restoration project on mine and I've replaced just about everything on the powertrain & suspension.

Look at other z31's, that ones a POS.

I've seen turbo Z31s go for the $1500 range, and that's really what you want if you want a Z31. That motor loves boost. Very strong too, and opened up they sound NASTY.

Look into S13's as well. I LOVE mine. With just a VLSD and coilovers and GOOD tires it makes a great autocrosser. 2600-2700lbs so its decently light. The Z31's are in the 3000-3300lb range depending on options and year. They can be gutted pretty easy and loose lots of that weight I hear.

I'm looking for an S12 or a Z31 for my next car. Gotta stay RWD....

But If your looking to have fun, Z31's are tossable. I rode in a friends at a local autox and it was surprising how he hustled it.

~Alex

I'm actually just waiting for this ebay ad to end. I'm hoping he just wants to remove it from the yard. I'd like to give 350-400. I have just started saving for an autocross car so that is all I have. I gotta be doing autoX every month before I hit 30. Pitiful ain't it... How difficult is a heater core replacement in Z31s?

Is this weird or what? Thursday night at work I saw a mid '80s ZX outside our restaurant and thought it looked like a decent car...for being 25 years old. Then the owner came out and turned the ignition key. Wow, that poor car sputtered to life, and continued sputtering. I used to own a 280Z, and they are nice enough cars (the lack of a 5th gear is it's downfall) tho the non-powered steering is a real bicep builder. That 300ZX sounded like it was being run on kerosene. Yes, these cars will squat and dive when you get on and off the brakes and gas....but that can be alleviated somewhat when you renew the suspension. There are also a lot of folks selling parts that can "perk up" the stock performance of most years of the Z-car.

If it were me? I'd look for a 5 speed equipped 280Z, or barring that, a POST 1985 ZX as that was the first year for the V6 in a Z.

Just looked at the auction...I guess for LESS than $1K you can't go too wrong, but boy, does that car look kind of scary, like it's been sitting awhile. "New" hood and windshield, but still sitting on 3 wheels for photos?

integraguy wrote: Just looked at the auction...I guess for LESS than $1K you can't go too wrong, but boy, does that car look kind of scary, like it's been sitting awhile. "New" hood and windshield, but still sitting on 3 wheels for photos?

The one I posted in the craigslist ad seems a much better deal.

My father went from a 260z to a 300.. styling was subjective (I liked it) but the digidash needed to go. Rust was his car's big issue. It was all over and growing. Radiator was also a serious Pain to replace as it lays down in the car's nose behind the bumper