Buying: What do I look out for when buying a 300zx (or what should I have looked out for)?

Other sections of this article contain information about maintenance items on the car. You don't have to do everything at once but they will all bite you in the arse at some stage if they aren't done eventually. I have to reiterate here that if the car had been as well maintained as Porsches tend to be then most of these wouldn't need doing. It is not knowing how the car was treated that makes these essential. Some of the items will also assist performance. And even Porsches aren't immune from requiring maintenance similar to these items. Dealers won't be too happy if you walk round with this list in your hand but remember that it is your money you are spending not theirs (at least until you decide to buy and come up with your list of necessary repairs).

Typical car price correct as at October 2001 ­ you will see a lot of cars around the NZD 12 to 13K mark. They will be average condition only and will be 1989-1991 models. I have seen mobile cars down to about 8K but the word tatty comes to mind. A really good 1991-1993 could go for maybe 15-18K. I haven't seen models much newer than that so have no idea of price. I did hear of a ChCh dealer selling a 1997 model but don't know price. A well prepared car can go for more than the above figures ­ remember that if you buy a car and then do all the maintenance and performance upgrades then it might have been better to have paid more initially with these things done. How well they were done and whether the car had been flogged afterwards is up to you to judge. In Australia you can double the price because of their import conditions and various taxes compounded by their much harder compliancing rules in case you were wondering.

Do your best to drive somebody else's Z so that you have something to compare it against.

-Engine and Mechanical

Look for things like how well it idles, does it miss when accelerating, does it accelerate cleanly up to 7000rpm, what is the oil pressure like ­ about 6Kg/cm2 or 85psi when cold dropping to about 1.5Kg/cm2 or 20-25psi when hot (using Redline synthetic oil), does the boost gauge rise to the correct value ­ just under the 3rd division corresponding to 500mm/Hg or 9.5psi (note that unfortunately the 300zx's boost and oil pressure gauges are notoriously inaccurate. If the boost gauge shows more like 700mm/Hg then you have boost jets fitted and the car has been modded), is it blowing smoke, remove the oil filler and see if the oil inside the engine looks clear or if there is any sludge buildup on the valvegear, do any of the rubber hoses on the engine look cracked, how does the gearbox feel ­ it should change cleanly and quietly, inspect the exhaust for holes ­ almost everybody will be up for mufflers within a year or so, look for oil leaks between the engine and gearbox indicating seal leaks, get a compression test if possible, look for coolant leaks, does the battery look original because if it does then you will need a new one soon

-Body

look for shut lines on the doors and bonnet and the general fit of the front spoiler ­ the way the bonnet fits is a very good indication of past problems, check if there is a dark grey band across the foglights ­ if this band isn't there and the whole spoiler is the same colour then it has probably been resprayed, there are several weld lines under the bonnet and along the sides of the car ­ check to see if these look cracked or less than original, check the weld lines that run the full length under the car on both sides ­ this tells if the car has been bottomed on traffic bumps, cracked paint or touchups under the front of the spoiler indicate carelessness with parking, check there are no paint bubbles on the rear spoiler, badly faded trim suggests a life spent in the open, make sure that all the engine splashguards are present (there should be 2).

-Interior

Are the interior mats (4), boot cover(1) and targa top bags(2) present, is the jack and tool kit still there (my car came with a lightweight aluminium jack which fits the boot perfectly but every other one I have seen has been steel), look for the dash having lifted by the front vents ­ it looks awful but it can be repaired, feel the tightness of the instrument pods to the left and right of the instrument display ­ they shouldn't feel loose, does the AC work, squeaks and rattles in the vehicle indicate a hard life (my vehicle doesn't squeak or rattle apart from a couple of known problem areas but it took a while to find them all), check that the drivers seat will move in all directions, wear on the seat bolster and bottom where it gets compressed as you get in and out of the car is a good indicator of mileage.

-Suspension and Brakes

Check the cars suspension bushes ­ any unusual feeling could be caused by faulty or ruined rubber components ­ common ones to fail are the tension rod bushes (unevenness in braking 1 per side), engine mounts (2) and central gearbox mount (1), upper link bushes (4 per side), and I am sure there are other things. Check brake feel ­ 300zx brakes are barely adequate for serious driving and will need upgrading but before this is done make sure that they will stop you for normal driving.

There are several self tests that can be run on the car although the Consult unit (see below) also runs these tests. Running these tests will require some knowledge of the vehicle beforehand.

Anything found should be fixed BEFORE you pay any money and BEFORE you drive it off the lot. Seriously consider buying any warranty offered ­ you will most likely need it. Get it for as long a period as you can. Assume that the car has been clocked unless you have proof otherwise. This affects some things in the next point below. (I found half the speedo screws in the glovebox after I got my car home).

Feel free to get the vehicle AA checked but feedback from others has suggested that their mechanics aren't too familiar with some of the more technical features of the 300zx. The vehicles which come into NZ are often not the best examples. They tend to go to places like Australia because their buyers tend to pay more for them in Japan. Therefore we tend to see less well preserved examples which have quite likely been poorly maintained and poorly repaired if they have been in a smash. But there are some good ones out there so keep looking. You will pay top dollar for them.

The NA's seem to be in better condition since the original owners were probably more into looks than performance.

Pay for a "Consult" check from Nissan, this plugs into your ZX and will communicate with the many sensors around and in the car, it is usually the cost of one hours labour, but can save you money if you are buying from a dealer ­ make them fix any problems. If you are having any problems later it can also be an option to get this test done. It can indicate particular problem areas immediately without the guessing that many mechanics do. This list might look daunting but remember the same type of list could be drawn up for any other performance car. To keep this in perspective I heard of a Ferrari owner who forked out $30,000 for a new front guard and other bits in the same area. This buys you an entire car plus a 5 year budget (if the performance bug doesn't bite too hard) and gives you the same type of performance