hey /o/, i'm curious about cars but i never drove one for long, and i still don't have my license so all i've done is practice hunting on local listings like a pleb.so with that in mind, i've read the sticky and i've been wondering if this car i found is a nice catch.
it's a 1987 Nissan 300ZX Coupe
seller has it at $3,500.00 canadian. it has 102,000km which i figure isn't too bad, but i don't know what type of servicing this car needs. i usually just go by whether a car has over 175k so i apologize if i'm wrong.
here's what he wrote
>no rust,new clutch,new windshield,new timing belts,new transmission seal,all new fluids,digital dash
thoughts? will post some additional pics.
i like the way it has no reall dirt to it too.
That's not bad. Is it a turbo or non turbo? I would go for it either way, but non turbos are slow. You can always turbo them later if you want and go pretty fast.
I'm not sure why the Z31 isn't on the sticky.
>>13826553
>I'm not sure why the Z31 isn't on the sticky.
Checklist for owning a Nissan
>are you Mexican?
>are you black?
>do you know nothing of cars?
>do you not maintain your vehicle?
If you've answered yes to at least two of these you can own a Nissan
>>13826553
i just found it going off a forum i got while googling bang for buck RWD manual cars. it was this or an e30 and the two one was automatic while the other had 300k on the odometer.
i think this is NA but i might be mistaken.
Well if it was a turbo, had the original wheels, and receipts for the work he listed (timming belt) then that would be a fair price... maybe even a good price. But the car appears to pack a turbo.. so it's about 1000 bucks overpriced.
>>13826564
the only one i could check off that is i'm black. realistically i wouldn't buy a car until i have my own garage and servicing tools, so i'm not sure where you're going with this. is it that they are reliable? i mean that would be a plus in itself even if you're maintaining them right?
i'd be using this to get to work and university in the summer while using the bus in the winter. i dislike the summer heat in those things.
what's the handling like on these anyway? i haven't done real research other than specs.
>>13826594
That guy is just a dumb ass.
>>13826583
That's about 2500 usd, not a good price but not bad for the condition. I say it is reasonable even if it is non-turbo. It appears to be non-turbo, because it would say turbo on the valve cover, and on 87s it should have a turbo decal on the side skirt.
Worth it for the aesthetics alone senpai
>>13826577
I can confirm its n/a by the plate on top of the engine.
My friend has the turbo version, managed an 8 second 0-60 time so that can probably give you an idea of how it will do. But the handling is surprisingly good for the year. My friend is on shitty tires and he's probably pulling close to 0.8 - 0.85 g's around sharp corners. A little bit of push understeer, but that means it's stable in the corners. Some decent tires and that'll go up.
I'd go for it if you're okay with driving it in the snow. (Unless you have another car as a winter beater)
>also all these amerifats that don't know how shit the Canadian dollar is right now saying its overpriced.
>>13826655
yeah i wasn't really sure. because of salt roads i just don't feel comfortable taking it out that time of the year. also, the fact that it's NA seems like a plus to me, mainly because i hear building up boost takes time for older cars.
>>13826621
Yeah, the phone put 'pack a turbo' instead of 'lack a turbo' the turbo would have labeling on the rear deck, intake and a bunch of other places, it was the 80s..
As far as questions about reliability and handling. Both are pretty good. Nissans were stout as fuck at the time. If it's been maintained it should be very reliable. Handling isn't bad at all as well.
>>13826613
Not so great stock. They were designed to be a GT car, and comfort was valued over handling. That means a few things
Springs and shocks are soft from the factory. Easy fix. SS versions had very good springs, better than any aftermarket ones. If you can find them get them, unless you want coil overs.
The rear suspension has a lot of squat. Good for comfort and drag racing, not so good for handling. This can be helped by lowering it and stiffer springs. But then you run into the problem of camber, which gains excessively on the semi rear trailing arm suspension. You can either "slot" the suspension or put in some aftermarket links to control camber. The rear suspension is similar to the S12 Silvia, which people have done a lot to that suspension which should work on the Z31. If you want to go all out, you can swap an S13/S14/Z32 multilink in the rear. The front suspension is okay, basically the same thing as the S13.
Another problem is the dimensions. The car only has a 90" wheelbase, which is pretty short. It has a lot of overhang too, which causes problems over course. The cars weight distribution is 50-50, but it also has a very high polar moment of inertia like the S13. This should make the car drift well, but it has a short wheelbase. Along with the rear suspension which is just all fucky at the limit, the car can be unpredictable at the limit. The car is also on the heavy side, but too bad. I think the lightest ones were around 2900lbs, the heaviest ones were around 3300lbs.
On the plus side of handling, the chassis is decently stiff (probably on par or better than an S13 hatch) and turbo models came with the only clutch type R200 LSD. If you want a good handling car I would hold out for an S13 or get an FC, but a Z31 is a decent middle ground between something like that and a MK3 Supra or Third Gen F-Body. You can make Z31s go pretty fast for not much money.
>pre-00s anything as a DD in Canada
No and no. There's only 4 months out of the year when it would be safe to drive without worrying about rust.
As a summer car, go for it and get a Cavalier as a winter beater.
VG30E is a solid engine, keep oil in it, and it won't quit on you. Don't expect much of any power from mods. Intakes on the vg30 sucks, heads flow like shit. Best gains and improvement to the car is a set of headers and exhaust. Vg30 sounds real mean. Headers will be a bitch as the exhaust studs don't like to come out.
John Wolf Technology carries some parts for the z31, not sure who still makes headers. You can also get the ecu retuned.
>>13826690
I forgot to mention, the cars are sexy as fuck too. Super underrated on the looks department. If you want to go fast, look good, have something decently obscure and handle good enough, the Z31 is perfect.
>>13826536
Does it have the digital dash? If not do not buy it
>>13826536
>new clutch
>new windshield
Kekekek
>>13826705
The best way to make a VG30E fast is to turbo it, but you can make a decent amount of hp from a n/a one. Gut the intake manifold, headers, straight pipe and an ecu tune should give some decent gains. 80s cars and especially the Z31 were pretty restrictive in those points, the tune and intake will probably give the best gains from those. After that, the next big gains would be building the head. Get a really hot cam regrind, adjustable cam gears, do some major head porting, a good valve job, and valve springs to raise the redline. That should get some good gains. I forgot to mention, you could also use the VG33E block and VH45 pistons (?) to make it a 3.4l. All of that should get you into the mid to high 200s I bet.
I would just turbo the n/a block though. Lots of power for way cheaper. It isn't as hard as it seems, and even the n/a engine can take good power. If you start getting some detonation get some forged pistons, not too expensive and it will be bullet proof up until some stupid amount of power.
>>13826690
>>13826709
dang thanks for that insight. you really know your stuff, which makes me feel bad for not doing enough homework.
I'm not sure if i would replace the rear with a multilink. what kind of process is "slotting"? and i once heard that recutting the springs can equate to getting stiffer ones, but that seems drastic even for me. when you talk about high polar moment of inertia are you referring to the center of gravity being higher, or is that unrelated? and lastly, im like 6ft4. will i have space issues?
>>13826536
I want one of these things so bad. Does the digital version also come with the voice system installed?
>>13826564
>Some Corvette fag probably got BTFO in a Corvette vs GTR thread so he posts this copy pasta everywhere to feel better
>>13826655
They are slow I can attest, I wanted to buy one two months ago (Ep3 guy here), they're so sexy but so high maintenance. I've changed my pursuit to e30s now but every time I found one it's just rusted to shit
>>13826825
OP here. hold up you're saying the e30 is less maintenance than this? i thought it was the reverse. oh man now i can't trust myself anymore.
>>13826764
>I'm not sure if i would replace the rear with a multilink. what kind of process is "slotting"?
You can read both of them on z31performance. Slotting is much easier and free if you have the tools but still will have the inherent problems of the semi-rear trailing arm suspension. Lots of info on why semi-rear trailing arms are bad, you can look it up yourself. It isn't an easy swap, but people make some decently cheap parts that make it a pretty much bolt on affair.
>and i once heard that recutting the springs can equate to getting stiffer ones,
This is true, but very hard to do right. I don't know all about it, but if you do it wrong you will have a worse handling car and probably fuck up your suspension. I would just save up for a decent set of springs (like $200 new, used even cheaper) or you could spend a little extra and get Ground control coilovers. For mostly street car though, some decent springs and shocks will do.
>when you talk about high polar moment of inertia are you referring to the center of gravity being higher, or is that unrelated
Polar moment of inertia is if the weight is on the ends of the car, or the center. High polar moment is on the ends of the car, which is good for drifting and getting the rear end out. It can also lead to the car being twitchy, and is bad for grip. Some people say it is more predictable, that is because on a low polar moment car the car will grip the road longer, and lose traction with less warning.
Space shouldn't be a big issue.
If you want the car to handle good enough for the street and maybe some drift, autocross and track events, I would start with springs and shocks, an LSD, strut bars, good wheels and tires, and a good alignment. That should handle pretty well
>>13826815
>says the mexican
>>13826564
Are you faster than a Corvette?
If you answer yes to this question you can own a Nissan
>>13826850
Both are pretty low maintenance, for a 30 year old car. It really depends on how the car was taken care of. The Z31 is pretty bullet proof, the only problems is the timing belt needs to be changed every 60k miles, the engine bay is a mess of wires, and there are a lot of electrics for old cars. Not really a big deal. E30s depending on the model have much more complicated engines, at least any of the good ones do. More expensive parts too.
>>13826874
are coilovers just adjustable shocks and springs?
>>13826894
top kek
>>13826740
Did you even read the post?
>>13826894
>corvette over heats.
It's faster to walk bruh
>>13826850
My friend blew his n/a engine but he drives like a Shitcunt (like flooring/redlining a cold engine with 240,000 Kms on it and is 30+ years old with unknown oil brand in it). Maintenence is piss easy on the na engine though. Spark plugs are a bit of a bitch if I remember right, but all the wiring is right in front of you and pretty simple. We had to modify his old engine wiring harness to make it work with the turbo engine, and it was pretty simple.
Basically I helped him through an engine swap and it really wasn't that hard. Hardest Part was trying not to snap old bolts, but everything is pretty easy to work on for the most part. Also, if you ever have to drop the oil pan for whatever reason, you can't because there's a crossbeam right under it. Just FYI because we got the entire top of the engine apart, with plans on taking the oil pan off and just rebuilding it with the block still in the car, and realized we needed an engine hoist.
>>13826983
I missed that part
>>13826929
Pretty much
Also image related, (the plate on the top was from his old n/a engine)
seems like a solid deal, i wish i had the cash to buy it
OP if you're talking about this ad http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/ottawa/1987-nissan-300zx-coupe-2-door/1057210906?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
then RUN
Shit reeks of "I've been in a horrible accident and I'm not going to tell you LOOK AT ALL THIS NEW STUFF"
>>13826874
>>13826709
>honestly recommending base z31
We just had a thread
>>13794802
Fucking idiot
It's trash
>>13829710
>trusting a thread over the rest of the internet
autism
is the rear suspension able to take coilovers?
>>13831118
It sucks and is bad
>>13831248
you have nothing to back that up. it can produce plenty of power if ported right.
>>13831251
I have most of 4chan.
Seriously , you recommended it to me over a Del Sol all those threads ago. I regret nothing nore. It's a slow gas guzzling hunk of shit.
>>13826553
The turbos are not fast at all, 8-9 seconds for 0-60.
Not that it matters, you don't need to be in a fast car to enjoy driving.
>>13831866
0 - 60 is more like mid 7s for the turbo. 8 seconds is about the n/a time. 1/4 mile is like high 14s for the turbo, low 16s for the n/a. Not very fast, but they can be made to be fast very easily. With a 2 or 3 grand you could probably run 12s or even faster.
>>13831242
yes
>>13829710
Your either the OP of that thread or a dumbass who believes everything on /o/
>>13826536
>>13826740
Don't listen to this guy, the digital dash was very picky and will generally not work anymore. A ton of people swap them for manual clusters because of this.
>>13826778
All 84-86s do
