Would you Trade a 1999 Intrigue fir a 300ZX

[Rolm]

Here in Canada the average price for a 1999 Inrigue GL is around $3500. I have an oppertunity to trade my Intrigue for a nice 1992 300ZX dual turbo 5-speed stick, What you think

[LittleHoov]

Depends on what you need out of a car and where your priorities in a car lie.

I know in Canada you folks have winter at some point, not year round but at some point. In winter driving, Id rather have a moderately powerful FWD vehicle than one with more power and RWD.

Do you do a lot of people hauling? Or gear hauling? Ever plan on having a family? The Intrigue is good for those sort of things, and based on the few ive seen, a 300ZX is not.

From a performance standpoint, its obvious which one is better but lets leave that alone.

The Intrigue has a reputation for being a good reliable vehicle, lets face it, there arent that many common problems, and what few there are are pretty easy to fix and cheap compared to a lot of other cars. Im not familiar with the 300 that much, but does it have that same reliable reputation? Or is it just going to be a big money pit?

Safety is another concern, the W-body chassis is well built and can take some heavy hits, ive seen/heard some horrible wreck stories involving W-body vehicles and the occupants of the vehicle always seem to fair well compared to others. The 300 is a smaller,lighter vehicle, perhaps not so much designed to keep your family safe, but to go fast. If you have a fast car, you tend to drive fast more often, and the chances of an accident increase. If I had a choice between being in an accident with an Intrigue and a 300ZX, all things being equal, id choose the Intrigue.

I was faced with a somewhat similar decision recently, in that I probably couldve come up with about 1000 bucks or so and traded my Intrigue for a 96 Firebird. I chose not too because I need something that gets good gas mileage, and that can get around in the winter time. I also tend to haul people from time to time. So I chose not too.

Just dont get in any big hurry, and do some research beforehand and make sure you arent trading your car for a money pit on wheels

EDIT: After actually doing some research instead of speculating, the 300ZX really only weighs about 200 pounds less than an Intrigue, weight doesnt determine how safe a vehicle is, but does seem to make a difference sometimes. Also the 300ZX is only rated to get 23-24 mpg hwy. The Intrigue is rated higher, and is capable of getting MUCH higher. Im not saying the 300 isnt but ive seen 3800 owners get well into the low 30s for gas mileage, and the 3.5 is capable of getting even higher. A friend of mine with an Aurora has gotten into the 40s on long runs at 55-60 mph and I myself have gotten well into the 30s when cruising at 65mph. Granted, thats not what I usually get, because I dont always drive on the highway and I have a heavy foot. But I think your foot will only get heavier if you have 300hp attached to it, with a clutch

[dtownfb]

I would stick with the Intrigue not unless this is a second vehicle. You are basically trading a 8 year old vehicle for a 15 year old vehicle. REliability is no longer a factor. YOu are dealing with how well each vehicle was manitained. In a 15 year old vehicle, anything can go due to age or mileage or in your case, weather.

If this is going to be a fun vehicle for you, go for it. The 300 is probably still fun to drive.

[Jimmy Olsen]

It would depend upon the condition of the 300 zx. If it was really in great condition, garage kept, clean engine compartment, and solid interior, I would probably do the trade. If the 300zx had plenty of miles with "wear and tear" showing I would stay away.