Why I Like the Z32

[Gio]

I joined the ZX Club yonks ago as a wanna-be refugee from MGs. (Altho I still like MGs... I wanted something a little better / reliable / different.)

I nearly chose a couple of MGCs / MGB GT V8s.

Then I discovered the 240zs, the club and the rest is history.

Thanks to the J import craze, I found a 300ZX (the first pic I ever saw was in the mag for sale ads) took a test drive and then threw money at the dealer to get the keys to this vision of beauty (ok - her vital statistics were / are the largest I ever got to grips with. This counts a lot&#33<img src="http://www.zclub.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

In order to kick off some friendly banter and debate on this thread, I found a quote which (although from an American pov) is a pretty good summary of why I like them.

What do you feel?

nighty-night

Gio

"The Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo develops 6bhp more than the Honda NSX and reaches 60mph in 0.1 second less. It's half the cost of the NSX, half as ugly as the Toyota Supra and half as techno-brash as the Mitsubishi 3000GT. Everybody should have one"

quoted from

last letter webpage

PS - perhaps I should add "Ferrari performance for Nissan bills"

<g>

 

[zedhead260]

Hmmm, not so sure about them being half as techno-brash as the 3000GT. I recently broke a 300ZXTT 2+2 and it amazed me how much stuff is crammed in under that bonnet.....and behind the wings.....and behind the dash. It was all looking a bit scarey at first, it didn't seem to matter how many 10mm bolts I undone in the engine bay (and believe me there was a full bucket load at the end of it all) nothing seemed to come apart. It was the amount of plumbing in there, think about it - twin turbo, twin intercooled, coolant radiator, air con' radiator, oil cooler, power steering, rear wheel steering, brake lines, fuel lines - not to mention the 4 looms !! And you couldn't just go hacking through it, all this stuff is worth dosh and has to be carefully removed. Bloody hell, even the seat was attached by a cable and I think I found 5 computer units in places I didn't think cars had places.
Personally I prefere the two seater in N/A spec, it has much nicer proportions and does without that odd feeling HICAS at the rear.
3000GT - don't like it
NSX - could think of better looking mid-engined cars
Supra - like it without all the body-kit add ons, they should junk the rear seats though.

 

[pgr]

I spent quite a long time reviewing the 'usual suspects' before I bought my 300ZX. Its a UK TT.

First criteria - it HAD to be a rear wheel driver. It had to have about 300 bhp. It had to have a reputation for reliability. It had to have proven driver appeal.

Of the varioius Jap cars, this one met all three. One of the USA motor mags endorsed repeatedly the driver appeal. Without cats the 280 bhp nudges comfortably up to 300. And the general crack on engineering prowess was that Nissan (as usual) had over-engineered the car.

So yes, the complexity does frighten me from time to time - but I just have to place my confidence in Nissan engineering! Well, the Sylvia 6 cyl block could take over 1000bhp - and I have no intention of chipping my 300.

peter
edinburgh

 

[amoklis]

hi guys.
i'm currentley looking for a uk spec z32 at about the 5k mark.
i would be greatful if some one can email me if you come across one? also i have never had one of these before, so any advise on what look for when i'm buying will be a great help.
thanks in advance!
al

 

[Gio]

Amoklis - Hi. There is a whole bunch of stuff on the web. The two suggestions I always come up with are

1) join this club - there's a lot of stuff including ads and tech tips from the tech secretaries and other members

2) the www.300zx.co.uk site has links to good tech stuff including buyers guides. Oops I 've just noticed, so do we at Zcklub links

Have fun - I'm enjoying mine a lot!

Cheers

Gio

 

[Gio]

Yes, the complexity frightens me too. (But then I got nervous looking under the bonnet of my Mk3 Midget).

Under bonnet is very cramped - true story: I had to go to one of the party conferences last year and security was v high. Every car got checked under bonnet and in the boot. I got stopped and a very polite bloke in blue serge (big bloke with suspicious lump under his jacket) asked me to open the bonnet. So I did.

He said - blimey, not much room for anything else in there is there? And waved me thru! So it does have advantages.

If I was halfway competent, I would have had an earlier Z and spanner it myself. But I'm not - which is a perfect excuse to go for a 300ZX TT as they can be looked after by my local dealer!

Cheers all

Gio

 

[nIx]

Pick up my first one on monday, very much looking forward to it...

arrived at mine via bizarre criteria, needed something near enough to convertible.. very fast, good handling.. and capable of having well... some room <img src="http://www.zclub.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

Anyway, after decided the Saab 9-3 Viggen was gorgeous, and quick.. but with a £25k second hand price tag on the convertibles.. the ZX emerged, £5500 worth of sheer bloody punch... very very happy... probably won't sleep over the weekend... it's like xmas..

and yes... I really *am* this pathetic!

Thanks to all who post here for giving me the knowledge to steer clear of the wrecks...

 

[JEZ 280ZX]

Hi,
&nbsp;If you don't need the TT power, there's always the normally aspirated Jap model, which puts out 230 bhp as standard.
I used to own one of these cars, and you get all the looks, a lot of the speed and less complexity than the TT car.
With the cats removed, you get a wonderful exhaust note too! I'd reccomend them, especially in manual form! <img src="http://www.zclub.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>
JEZ

 

[Mr.F]

I'm more than happy to endorse Jez's praise of the normally aspirated 300ZX Z32. Not one for absolute power freaks, but such a tight and "chuckable" car compared to the majority of slightly soggy TTs that I get to drive. Manual gearbox is a must - wouldn't consider an auto. Mine is short wheel base, manual, has no targa (adds to stiff chassis feel) and, of course, no nasty HICAS.
There is some mild tuning gear available - they respond well to the usual air flow and exhaust mods (beware of taking away all the back pressure on a N/A - horrible noise, reduced performance and bad vibrations). I have yet to fit the exhaust headers which allegedly give 20+bhp alone. A lightened flywheel adds to the instant throttle response.
All in all, a very sensible, cheap to run, reliable everyday car - but will never be as quick as a modified TT (will give a standard TT a run for the money, due to less weight and low diff ratio).

 

[JEZ 280ZX]

Yes,
&nbsp; &nbsp;You do get a vibration at about 2.5K revs if you fit big bore catless exhausts.You soon learn to drive around this problem to a certain extent, though.
When I bought my manual NA, it had already had the cats removed, but I still found it to be one of the most responsive NA Z32s that I had tried.Perhaps it was just a good example!
Here's some pics of the car last year..
http://members.aol.com/JEZ300Z/fairlady-jez.html
JEZ <img src="http://www.zclub.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

 

[Mr.F]

Following on from the discussion of N/A Z32s - see my recent for sale item......