I had an idea and I'm not even drunk (should I make good financial decisions?)

"Frosted" (frostedbuns) 07/12/2014 at 16:12 • Filed to: None

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So I've owned my Cube for about a month now. And it's a good daily driver. But that's all its ever gonna be. And so I would like to have a weekend toy with some power that I can modify a bit and have fun with. Now my father absolutely loves the Cube. He has a 2010 xB now but would rather have the Cube. I've been eyeing up some Nissan 300zx's lately and, while I cannot afford a decent one currently, I'm not too far away from one. Should I save all my pennies to buy a 300 and then trade my father so he can have my Cube and I'd take his Scion? Is that a good idea. I've been looking into parts to boost the horsepowers but there really isn't any performance aftermarket available for the Cube. Oddly since it's just a Versa S underneath. Basically, should I buy a 300zx to satisfy my go fast needs? Any Z owners here, how are your insurance rates?

Have my Cube I guess:

JGrabowMSt > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 16:21

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300ZXs are a massive PITA to work on. NA models are hard enough, TT ones are worse. I have a friend with one, and its plenty fast, plenty fun, but goes to someone else for work because you just cant get to anything.

GhostZ > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 16:59

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What's your budget and what's your speed goals?

There's a few 300ZX owners around here who can chime in about maintenance and reliability.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 17:11

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Having owned a cube, I can attest to how unfun they are. That's the reason I ended up getting rid of mine. I equated it to driving a sofa.

That being said, they are incredibly useful vehicles, especially if you take the back seat out. If you father likes the cube, and you can do a swap that makes financial sense to you, seems silly not to do so to get the xB and a fun car on the side.

Frosted > GhostZ 07/12/2014 at 17:12

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Budget is really just buying a part when I have enough for it. Powerwise- I would like the Cube to put out 30 more than it does now, so about 150. Not really a whole lot but the parts to make it happen just don't seem to exist. Hence why I'm now considering a Z as my fun car. One that hasn't been molested, which surprisingly doesn't seem to be too rare, but the prices can be through the roof. Saw a couple on eBay for 10-15 grand.

samssun > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 17:12

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300zx owner here. Bought mine in college, have enjoyed it the past half dozen years, but wouldn't recommend it to someone who has to save for it. If you buy a car like a 300zx it should be a very clean (expensive) one, not one you find a deal on.

It's a fun car, it's not one of the "mainstream" performance cars, and it has lots of aftermarket performance parts. But it's also relatively heavy, complicated, and not mainstream enough for the aftermarket to be cheap.

There's a good chance you'd spend your upgrade money replacing silly crap, and that you'd resent its old car issues. An E36/46 M3 or 350Z would give you comparable performance from something much newer and better supported...less "unique" but their availability is what makes them affordable. If I wanted turbos, I'd be looking at a B5 S4 (though wary of maintenance).

GhostZ > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 17:17

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If you want a manual twin turbo, yeah, it's going to get expensive.

But, if you're okay with the more reliable non-turbo model, they're considerably less so and generally far less abused. Keep in mind, even as non-turbos, they're still 3200lb cars with 230HP, making them plenty fast and fun for the average driver. The turbo models also have 4 wheel steering to bother with and some other systems that may go out at that age.

You should be able to pick up an unmolested, non-turbo 300ZX in decent shape for ~$6000 or less.

Also, they're one of the WORST cars for mechanics to work on. Just FYI. No room inside the engine bay whatsoever.

Frosted > samssun 07/12/2014 at 17:21

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Good call on the 350z, looks like decent ones are going for anywhere from 5-10k with newer ones still at 15-20. What gen 300 do you own? My neighbor has an older (1980s era 300zx) that hasn't been too unreliable. Having a car like that, I'd probably want to keep it as close to stock/OEM as possible and stock power seems plenty for someone like me who just wants to cruise every now and again. But then the old car part might be too much for someone with limited mechanical knowledge to handle.

Frosted > GhostZ 07/12/2014 at 17:31

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My brother had 2 Z cars in his day, a twin turbo that ran once and then both turbos blew, it sat at a shop for a month before being sold off. And an NA 300 that was....perfectly fine. That kinda makes me lean towards the NA model there, plus the NA one, Id imagine, is a LITTLE bit easier to work on. Though I may hold off and go for a 350z as an older one can't be THAT much more expensive.

GhostZ > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 17:36

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The older 350z are also notorious for transmission, differential, and engine problems. I'm not sure how severe or common, but they seem to be common complaints, especially if transmission fluid isn't replaced regularly. Nissan fixed most of it by the later years, but if you go for a 350z, 2005+ is probably much more safe.

But yeah, the N/A 300ZXs take abuse much better, as the engine is about the same as that in a Maxima.

Frosted > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 07/12/2014 at 17:39

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Sadly the xB for Cube trade would be straight up since both cars retailed for the same price (10 grand). But my father would get the features he wants and I'd get a DD with the power I want while still keeping the running costs down enough to be able to save for a more sporty fun car.

Dsscats > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 19:03

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I have a 300ZX! The only thing that's gone wrong is the transmission (The whole damn thing), but mine's an auto. Other than that, no problems for 3000 miles. Any other questions?

Dsscats > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 19:04

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Mine is a Z32, btw. Not sure about his. The Z31s are kinda crap

samssun > Frosted 07/12/2014 at 19:42

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Up to 89 was the Z31, boxy and single turbo. 90-96 (99 in Japan) was the Z32, twin turbo. I have a 93 NA. The 5 speed and t-tops are fun, as is winding it out to 7500 (aftermarket ecu). Didn't mention insurance but mine is dirt cheap since it's worth so little.

My Z hasn't been too much trouble, but anything you have to do is a pain and it has the gripes of a 20 year old car. That's what would keep me from recommending it to my college self or someone who didn't have time and cash or a daily driver.

They sold a million 350Zs and then the 370 came out, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one in decent shape for cheap. Solid performance plus a whole different era in terms of reliability is what makes me think of it first.