Is it worth it?

Prelewd

04-08-2005, 03:11 PM

1990 NISSAN 300ZX, v6, 5 spd, ps, pb, p/mirrors, p/windows, lthr, Twin Turbo T-Tops 158k HKS exhst Red lthr int has rdtr leak needs injtrs&air reg, $5000 OBO

What kind of work and money would be spent on making this car work right? I have heard the injectors are a bit tough to get to, but how about the air regulator? The radiator leak shouldn't be too much of a problem, just seal or replace..

158k seems like old for a TT.. Upon a test drive, is there anything I should consider?

I can work on anything, but not where I'm currently at. I need to know if a 160k Z32 is going to be reliable transportation..

Overall, do you think this car is worth it? I bet I can talk him down a little, but is 4500 even worth it?

neogenesis

04-08-2005, 05:29 PM

I'd take it.

k3smostwanted

04-08-2005, 06:46 PM

$4500 is well worth it beings its a TT...

air regulator - pretty cheap part but a pain in the ass to change but definitely doable and not hard. just a pain...

radiator leak - replace or reseal or new hose.

injectors - try finding someone that just upgraded their stock injectors and pick them up used for fairly cheap...pain in the ass getting the upper plenum off but once thats off, its home sailing.

overall...much less then another $1000 worth of parts perhaps, depends on how good of a shopper you are. quite a few hours with a wrench and if thats the only things wrong with it. you will hvae yourself a very nice car.

other things worth mentioning...stock turbos usually dont last much beyond 150k so if it is still running on the stockers look to be replacing those in the near future. make sure the car was not ran with no coolant since it is leaking... cause for a blown headgasket or warped head.

overall, good luck...test drive and tell us things that you noticed.

and it sounds like a good buy but if you need it to depend on solely, thats a whole other ball game. when you start getting up in miles like that...its not exactly the engine giving up or the transmission going out. its sensors, hoses, and wiring problems that start to pop up...making it really crappy to depend on. thats with any car but with the heat and stress caused by this performance V6 twin turbocharged motor putting out makes things not last as long.

Prelewd

04-08-2005, 08:00 PM

k3smostwanted

04-08-2005, 09:41 PM

Thanks k3, that helps quite a bit.

I know it's probably not going to have the reliability that my prelude does.. I flog the shit out of that car everytime I drive it and have only had to replace the oil filter housing gasket.

Sensors and hoses don't really worry me too much, but the wiring does. I have enough resources where i'm at to take care of the majority of the problems if they arise though..

I know that if I buy the car, I wont have enough saved up yet to swap or upgrade turbos. That's a big piece of useful information right there.

Really, I don't even have the money to buy it, but I'm considering sticking a for sale sign on my prelude due to it's relative lack of quickness.

I just wanted to ask you guys, since you've been driving them for awhile. What can I expect? I really would like to hear from the TT owners.. (not discounting you n/a guys though)

It'd be nice to have a TT 300 parked next to my 240..

honestly, if you really have your heart set on a 300zxTT...i would keep saving your money and get a nice in the future. sounds like yuo need a daily driver and a prelude fits that perfect. getting two "project" cars is not means for an easy road...trust me, i have traveled it and i ended up figuring out that when you get project cars its nice to have a back up daily driver.

anyways, good luck. test drive it and tell us what you think!!!

ExTrEmEDrIfT

04-08-2005, 10:07 PM

that sounds like a fairly good price.. now if the car was taken care of then it should last a long time ..

Broke_as_****

04-09-2005, 06:25 PM

Prelewd

04-09-2005, 09:51 PM

For $4500 you could have to replace the engine and still be at half the going rate for Twin Turbos. I would say buy it.

Reliablity wise, if you take it to the track then I wouldn't try to depend on it to be your daily driver. If you're not going to go crazy with it then sure, it should be fine. Any problems it might have at 160,000 that will put it out of commission would probably put it out of commission even if it only had 16,000 on it.

And FYI, I have a set of 90-94 fuel injectors and a pair of stock turbos (with less than 15,000 miles on them) that are looking for a new home.

I don't think I'd be taking the car to the track at all.. Just a street car. I just like to flog my car on the street sometimes.. What do you want for the set of injectors?

I finally got ahold of the guy today and he said that the required maintenance has been done to it. Water pump, timing belt, fluids, etc.. He just ran out of cash to fix the air regulator, fuel injectors and radiator. I'm guessing all of the work has been done in the last 1k miles because that's all the miles he's put on it since he's had it.

The title is clean. The front bumper has a small spiderweb crack on it. There's a bra on it right now. There's also a 2-3 inch tear in the front driver's seat. The interior is red, exterior is white.

He said he'd go down to 4500.. I'm just so concerned with the reliability of the car. I might hold out til summertime comes to think about purchasing the car, and might also get a loan so I can have my prelude as backup. It just seems like such a good deal..

DeleriousZ

04-09-2005, 09:54 PM

if you're really dancing around it, not sure what to do, take it to a mechanic and see what they have to say... if there's a Z specialist in your area, that'd be the best, but if not, take it to a good knowledgeable mechanic and get his/her opinion, sometimes it's well worth the inspection fee...

k3smostwanted

04-10-2005, 03:00 AM

I don't think I'd be taking the car to the track at all.. Just a street car. I just like to flog my car on the street sometimes.. What do you want for the set of injectors?

I finally got ahold of the guy today and he said that the required maintenance has been done to it. Water pump, timing belt, fluids, etc.. He just ran out of cash to fix the air regulator, fuel injectors and radiator. I'm guessing all of the work has been done in the last 1k miles because that's all the miles he's put on it since he's had it.

The title is clean. The front bumper has a small spiderweb crack on it. There's a bra on it right now. There's also a 2-3 inch tear in the front driver's seat. The interior is red, exterior is white.

He said he'd go down to 4500.. I'm just so concerned with the reliability of the car. I might hold out til summertime comes to think about purchasing the car, and might also get a loan so I can have my prelude as backup. It just seems like such a good deal..

if everything is paid for i would try getting a loan and keeping the prelude as a daily driver. but thats my opinion...not saying the TT isnt reliable when it gets up there in mileage...just saying it is a Twin Turbo and it does have quite a bit of miles. you see what i am saying???

but hey, sounds liked a deal and like broke said...you would have to spend alot of money to make it what the going rate on TT's are. you could probably replace everythign with newer parts, including the engine and transmission, and still coem up short of what you would regularly pay for a good condition TT.

Prelewd

04-10-2005, 01:29 PM

if everything is paid for i would try getting a loan and keeping the prelude as a daily driver. but thats my opinion...not saying the TT isnt reliable when it gets up there in mileage...just saying it is a Twin Turbo and it does have quite a bit of miles. you see what i am saying???

but hey, sounds liked a deal and like broke said...you would have to spend alot of money to make it what the going rate on TT's are. you could probably replace everythign with newer parts, including the engine and transmission, and still coem up short of what you would regularly pay for a good condition TT.

The loan is exactly what I was thinking.. I would just have to get a job or more web design work. :p

I was thinking buy it, replace everything that needs fixing, and sell it for a profit.. After that, I could save up for something more of what I want from a 300zx..

I'm going to do some research on loans. I have a cosigner, I just need to know what the monthly payments would be. All in all, it sounds like a great deal though. I'm going to try to test drive it next weekend. I'll keep you guys posted.

My name is Barrett by the way. You all seem like a good group.

k3smostwanted

04-10-2005, 01:46 PM

The loan is exactly what I was thinking.. I would just have to get a job or more web design work. :p

I was thinking buy it, replace everything that needs fixing, and sell it for a profit.. After that, I could save up for something more of what I want from a 300zx..

I'm going to do some research on loans. I have a cosigner, I just need to know what the monthly payments would be. All in all, it sounds like a great deal though. I'm going to try to test drive it next weekend. I'll keep you guys posted.

My name is Barrett by the way. You all seem like a good group.

well, just to give you an idea...the loan will have alot to do on how many years they will let you pay on it for or how many you want to.

ball park ideas:

-my buddy took out a $2000 loan over 2 years...his payments were just over $100 a month. i dont know his interest rate but it was right around $400 he ended up paying.
-i took out a loan for $10500 over 5 years and my payment is $220 a month and my interest rate is 7.5% so i will end paying a little over $13000 total.

so i figure they will give you a 3 or 4 year loan if you qualify and your payments will be between $150-$175 a month. this is just me playing around with numbers in my head.

Prelewd

04-10-2005, 03:03 PM

well, just to give you an idea...the loan will have alot to do on how many years they will let you pay on it for or how many you want to.

ball park ideas:

-my buddy took out a $2000 loan over 2 years...his payments were just over $100 a month. i dont know his interest rate but it was right around $400 he ended up paying.
-i took out a loan for $10500 over 5 years and my payment is $220 a month and my interest rate is 7.5% so i will end paying a little over $13000 total.

so i figure they will give you a 3 or 4 year loan if you qualify and your payments will be between $150-$175 a month. this is just me playing around with numbers in my head.

Are there penalties for paying off the loan early? I mean, my minimum payments would be about what you quoted, but if I paid over the minimum, I could have the loan knocked out quicker, saving money on interest.

I'm going to talk to my mom, who is a bookkeeper, about the loan situation and see what she has to say.

Again, any conditions to the car I should check out upon test drive besides the aforementioned? Thanks again you guys, for the help.

k3smostwanted

04-10-2005, 04:09 PM

Are there penalties for paying off the loan early? I mean, my minimum payments would be about what you quoted, but if I paid over the minimum, I could have the loan knocked out quicker, saving money on interest.

I'm going to talk to my mom, who is a bookkeeper, about the loan situation and see what she has to say.

Again, any conditions to the car I should check out upon test drive besides the aforementioned? Thanks again you guys, for the help.

if you are really interested...there is nothing better for you to do then taking it to a qualified mechanic and paying the inspection fee. even better if you have a Z specialist in your area.

but like i said, you would have to spend alot more money on that car to make it equal what the going rate for a TT is.

now for the loan, there is definitely no penalty for paying more a month. thats actually what i am doing now.

you have a few choices when you want to pay more money...

you get a payment book when you take out a loan usually...they have as many payments in the book as you need to make.

-so if you double your payment you can send two payment cards. this will allow you not to pay it the next month or pay it the next month and be one month ahead.

-or lets say you dont have enough to double the payment...say your minimum payment is $150 and you want to pay $250...you would write a check for $250 and send one payment card. each time you do this, your minmum payment will go down because it is like putting a downpayment on the loan. so since you put an extra $100 in on the loan, your minimum monthly payment may go down a couple bucks. but if you keep doing this, you will notice that your minimum payment will shoot down and you will have your loan paid off in no time.

for example, my payment is $220...i have been writing a check for $300 because i dont have enough to double the payment. they send me a notice in the mail, telling me my minimum payment went down a couple dollars. no big deal to me...i still just keep paying what i can a month.

i hope the helps but your mom should be able to explain it real well to you...

Hodo

04-10-2005, 04:13 PM

Just a quick tip about the stock turbos.... you can have them rebuilt by a turbo shop for relatively cheaply. Mind you dont take them to a performance shop they will rape you, but if you go to a Diesel Turbo whole saler and rebuilder they ussually are pretty fair about their prices, thats what most the members who have turbo Zs do in my club. I think the rate is around here a performance shop said 400 dollars, but then a deisel shop did it for like 70 bucks..... HUGE difference.

Just a tip.

Hodo

04-10-2005, 04:14 PM

Oh yea take off the turbos off the your car..... and walk in with the turbos, dont tell them what its from or what its to. They dont need to know that.

Prelewd

04-10-2005, 04:55 PM

Alright.. well as an update, the funding is taken care of..

As it turns out, I'm gearing myself to fix this car and sell it afterwards a few months later. Aside from KBB and NADA Guides, are there any good references to see what a Z car is worth? Maybe a specialized one.

I might end up keeping the car if I like it, but the profit potential is good, especially since I'll have cars to drive once I sell it.

Hodo- I will check and see if there are any decent diesel turbo places to rebuild them around here. I think rebuilt turbos would be a good selling point for the car in the future. Why do I have the feeling I'm going to fall in love with this car though?

Again, thanks again for the help everyone. I'll keep you all updated.

Hodo

04-10-2005, 05:09 PM

Admit it you are in love with the Z you have been working on...... its the first step to recovery. You ARE a Z Addict.

k3smostwanted

04-10-2005, 06:26 PM

yeah but remember, with the Z, you have to pull the motor to remove the turbos. well the manual shows you how to but according to TT Z owners, its not going to happen without pulling the motor. just another heads up...

anyways, the profit is there but i think your gonna want to keep it after your done. :D

ExTrEmEDrIfT

04-10-2005, 10:49 PM

yes you might as well get the thought of selling it out of your head and start sinking all your money into the Z ......

yah so my GAS MILEAGE sucks hardcore in my car i have been going through so much gas lately .. no $$$ at the moment to fix it though lol

Broke_as_****

04-11-2005, 01:25 AM

Aside from KBB and NADA Guides, are there any good references to see what a Z car is worth? Maybe a specialized one.

If you are going to work on it, just buy a factory manual. Even if it costs you $175 thats a bargain for the help it provides.

Also as far as pulling the turbos and doing alot of repair work, if you are going to doing that anyway then I think it would just be easier to pull the motor and do it then drop it back in. A motor pull isn't THAT hard and I've found it's a damn site easier than trying to multi-joint-alien-arm your way into the back of the engine bay to replace an EGR valve or something. Be a good time to do any mild upgrading (ported exhaust manifolds, lightened flywheel, UD pulleys etc...). Given a $4500 car, $500 or so in repairs and $1500-$2000 invested in some wise upgrades, you would easily be putting out 350-375hp to the wheels. Then turn it around and sell it for twice what you have into it.

After you have some fun of course. :cool:

k3smostwanted

04-11-2005, 04:45 PM

If you are going to work on it, just buy a factory manual. Even if it costs you $175 thats a bargain for the help it provides.

yeah the manual is well worth $175 but you can find it for less than a $100 at TwinTurbo.net's classifieds or ultimatez.com

Prelewd

04-11-2005, 09:49 PM

If you are going to work on it, just buy a factory manual. Even if it costs you $175 thats a bargain for the help it provides.

Also as far as pulling the turbos and doing alot of repair work, if you are going to doing that anyway then I think it would just be easier to pull the motor and do it then drop it back in. A motor pull isn't THAT hard and I've found it's a damn site easier than trying to multi-joint-alien-arm your way into the back of the engine bay to replace an EGR valve or something. Be a good time to do any mild upgrading (ported exhaust manifolds, lightened flywheel, UD pulleys etc...). Given a $4500 car, $500 or so in repairs and $1500-$2000 invested in some wise upgrades, you would easily be putting out 350-375hp to the wheels. Then turn it around and sell it for twice what you have into it.

After you have some fun of course. :cool:

You really think I could get $10-14,000 out of a 158k mile ZX?

k3smostwanted

04-11-2005, 10:22 PM

You really think I could get $10-14,000 out of a 158k mile ZX?

probably has alot to do with the modifcations and how good the body and interior are in....

Broke_as_****

04-12-2005, 12:16 AM

You really think I could get $10-14,000 out of a 158k mile ZX?

I think so yes, but consult autotrader.com for more information on going prices.

Zgringo

04-12-2005, 01:18 AM

Broke & K3, I think your both right. I wouldn't consider selling my Street legal Z for less than $30,000. I've got $3,500-4,000 just in the transmission and TC.

Broke_as_****

04-12-2005, 01:20 AM

Broke & K3, I think your both right. I wouldn't consider selling my Street legal Z for less than $30,000. I've got $3,500-4,000 just in the transmission and TC.

Don't you mean you wouldn't sell it for less than about 10,000,000 pesos?

Zgringo

04-12-2005, 03:01 AM

Don't you mean you wouldn't sell it for less than about 10,000,000 pesos?

At 11 peso's to 1 dollar it would be 330,000 peso's, but we use dollars down here also.

domesticdisturbans

04-12-2005, 10:28 AM

extremedrift what kind of gas millage do you guys get on average ?
what you consider bad
~shawn~

Prelewd

04-12-2005, 05:19 PM

I think so yes, but consult autotrader.com for more information on going prices.

In my area, it says that I can probably get around $7-10 thousand for one; profit either way. Planning on test driving the car on saturday. Can't wait. Thanks again for the help guys..

ExTrEmEDrIfT

04-12-2005, 10:37 PM

umm well considering my odometer does not work i dont know what kind of mileage i get but i know my distances i drive and im gunna say its less than 10 mpg or at 10mpg but i severely need a rebuild on my car

Prelewd

04-14-2005, 11:19 AM

k3smostwanted

04-14-2005, 05:05 PM

Just out of curiosity.. what kind of negative effects will the bad air regulator and injectors have on the cars performance. I just don't want to mistake these problems for something else when I go drive it.

Also, does cracking an egg in the radiator work to help seal up leaks temporarily?

air regulator might cause it to not idle correctly, not start or slow start...

injectors can cause anything you sense is wrong with the engine...idle, wanting to die, studder, rev's slow, no or slow, just lack of HP...

i have never heard anything about that egg thing...sounds pretty far fetched though. they do make radiator sealent that sometimes works depending on the leak.

EDIT: wait a minute, i just thought about that. if you crack an egg in your radiator, wont you just end up with scrambled eggs clogging your engine??? :eek7:

Prelewd

04-14-2005, 07:38 PM

air regulator might cause it to not idle correctly, not start or slow start...

injectors can cause anything you sense is wrong with the engine...idle, wanting to die, studder, rev's slow, no or slow, just lack of HP...

i have never heard anything about that egg thing...sounds pretty far fetched though. they do make radiator sealent that sometimes works depending on the leak.

EDIT: wait a minute, i just thought about that. if you crack an egg in your radiator, wont you just end up with scrambled eggs clogging your engine??? :eek7:

Thanks again for the info..

They did the egg in the radiator trick on american hotrod.. Coddington builds some nice cars, so who am I to argue? I don't really know how it works, I just want to know if it works before I go make a coolant omelette.

k3smostwanted

04-14-2005, 08:56 PM

Thanks again for the info..

They did the egg in the radiator trick on american hotrod.. Coddington builds some nice cars, so who am I to argue? I don't really know how it works, I just want to know if it works before I go make a coolant omelette.

i dont know...i wouldnt do it but whatever. i have never heard of it. just buy some radiator sealer.

ExTrEmEDrIfT

04-14-2005, 10:05 PM

yah the also did the egg thing on mythbusters andyes it does work tempoarily

Prelewd

04-17-2005, 09:43 PM

As an update:

I went home to look at the car this weekend, but the guy that has the car wasn't answering his phone. Keep in mind that this is not the guy selling the car, just the guy that stores it. The seller moved, and that's why he's selling the car. The seller did send me some photos though:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/prelewd/Preston300zx/DSC02330.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/prelewd/Preston300zx/DSC02329.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/prelewd/Preston300zx/DSC02328.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/prelewd/Preston300zx/DSC02327.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/prelewd/Preston300zx/DSC02326.jpg

First thing to come off is going to be that damn bra.. What do you guys think?

ExTrEmEDrIfT

04-17-2005, 09:57 PM

i like it looks real clean....how much is he asking for it??

DeleriousZ

04-17-2005, 10:02 PM

looks pretty good... really not a big fan of that red interior tho.. and i agree that bra has to go...

ExTrEmEDrIfT

04-17-2005, 10:11 PM

lol yah im not to fond of the red interior but great buy will looks betta without tha bra i agree lol

k3smostwanted

04-17-2005, 11:18 PM

ewww...red interior!! :lol:

looks good man, now go see how it runs and then come back to us.

Prelewd

04-18-2005, 12:59 AM

Yea.. the red interior looks like someone from the 80's exploded inside, but I can handle that.. If I were to keep it, i'd be looking for a ton of stock black interior components to replace all the shitty red.

Hodo

04-19-2005, 12:30 PM

Anyone else notice the headlights look blue? Are they HID, or the J-spec lights?

Prelewd

04-19-2005, 03:59 PM

Anyone else notice the headlights look blue? Are they HID, or the J-spec lights?

I noticed that too.. I thought he might have put some aftermarket bulb or something into them. I'll ask when i call him again..

k3smostwanted

04-19-2005, 04:04 PM

Anyone else notice the headlights look blue? Are they HID, or the J-spec lights?

i think someone put an aftermarket bulb or painted the housing blue. the J-specs are just projector headlights, not different colors.
anyways, why did they do it to the brights???

Prelewd

04-25-2005, 12:39 AM

DeleriousZ

04-25-2005, 12:44 AM

holy fuck dude, next time you're there slap that guy for me.... no zed EVER deserves to be thrashed like that... :crying::chair::slap:

Prelewd

04-25-2005, 03:28 AM

holy fuck dude, next time you're there slap that guy for me.... no zed EVER deserves to be thrashed like that... :crying::chair::slap:

well.. the guy that is selling it didn't do it. the 16 year old that owned it before him did all the damage.. i guess the kid had a couple more after that too. the guy that is selling it bought it as a project.

Just curious to know what you guys think it is worth? I'm seriously considering asking him 2500 for it.

By the way, it's not drivable. I started it up and the engine ran fine for about 3 mins then lost a cylinder. Basically, i'd want to install a JDM motor if i bought the car. But if that's the case, I might as well find a blown up n/a and just do the conversion while saving on insurance.. Is it worth 2500?

Broke_as_****

04-25-2005, 03:47 AM

Well even if the owner wasn't going to maintain it you think he could have at least PUT THE ****IN RIMS ON THE RIGHT WAY.

That's in pretty rough shape overall. Nothing that smacks of impending doom and massive failure but does need quite a bit of minor repair work, mostly cosmetic from the looks of it. If he did the mechanical repairs/replacements like he said, if the engine and drive train are still in good shape and if you were going to replace the torn up, eye sore interior anyway then it might still be worth it, if you can get the price down a bit more. Given the abuse the rest of it has endured, it does given one pause because as we all know, it's pretty hard to diagnose a mechanical engine problem from looking at the motor. Definately need to test drive that one. A good long test drive.

EDIT: Well since you posted before I did here's what I think of your post: For $2500 it might be worth it. Especially if you luck out and the engine and drive train are in somewhat good condition and the dropped cylinder is nothing more than the aforementioned bad injectors. Figure that no matter what you do it's going to run you a few thousand in repairs. Fortunately, you can find a JDM motor fairly cheap, $1500-$2000 dollars for a good condition TT engine. So if you get it for $2500, pay $2000 for a new motor and $1500 for assorted other repairs, you get a mechanically viable Twin Turbo that looks like crap for $6000. Spend some money replacing the interior with stock black parts (not really that expensive if you can find some people selling theirs, try the twinturbo.net classified section) and you got a fast 20 foot car (looks great from 20 feet away but don't get too close).

I would still probably buy it if I was in a sound finicial situation. However I am the guy who bought the car that blew up on the drive home.

2ND EDIT: Oh and about swapping a blown NA. There were alot more differences between the two than just the motor. I haven't really looked into the matter but from the sounds of it, it is about ten times easier jsut to start with a turbo car.

k3smostwanted

04-25-2005, 03:50 PM

id pay $2500 for it. start with a TT, it is alwyas easier than making a swap with the N/A.

i think its well worth $2500. spend $5000 on a new motor and paint job. lay some new carpet and put some aftermarket seats in. then you will be well under the going price for TT's.

Prelewd

05-01-2005, 07:00 PM

Just as an update, I offered him 3k on it and he said he could probably get more for it. I basically told him good luck...

He has my number..

k3smostwanted

05-01-2005, 08:26 PM

Just as an update, I offered him 3k on it and he said he could probably get more for it. I basically told him good luck...

He has my number..

well good luck...i hope no one snatches it from under you.

ExTrEmEDrIfT

05-04-2005, 11:51 PM

hmm i alsop noticed another thing ...

what sticker is that on teh top center of the windshield is that a metallica symbol lol ??

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