Bought a 300zx

04 Apr 2017

I recently decided to find a project car to work on. Something that would be fun, but cheap enough that I didn’t feel bad about tearing it apart. I decided to buy an N/A 300zx. Since this is my first project car, I didn’t want to shell out $20k for a TT only to find I didn’t have the time to work on the car or didn’t enjoy the process that much. I wanted to buy a running car that didn’t require much body work for under $5k. In a year or 2, if I decide that I’m having fun and want something faster, I don’t mind spending more money on a TT or LS swap then. On the other hand, if I end up losing interest, I have a fairly easy exit. Anyways, here it is!

Why the 300zx? I love the car. It’s an incredibly good looking car and not just by 90s standards. It still holds its own today. I’ve wanted one since I first saw one in person, back in high school. It’s also one of the cheapest ways to get one of the iconic Japanese sports/GT cars from the 90s. Also I have a huge soft spot for Nissans.

I found a Z that mostly hit the things I was looking for. Most important: there was not much rust and it was under $5k! Rust has been a huge problem with other Z’s I’ve seen. However, there was quite a bit of bad though:

• it wouldn’t got into 1st gear and sometimes 3rd
• owner had no idea when timing belt was changed
• tires were shitty old and bald - need replacement ASAP
• speedo intermittantly stops working (found this out after purchase)
• high idle which can be erradic when the throttle is first closed
• exhaust is falling apart and is way too loud
• driver seat has a giant rip in it
• suspension needs a lot of love - the car feels like there is a mattress between the car and the road

However, I felt that these were all problems I could tackle!