80's Z Cars

"Scary__goongala!" (corymagee)
02/25/2014 at 15:53 • Filed to: None

Enlighten me Oppo. Handling, reliability, difficulty to work on? I didn't realize they were V6's and not I6 cars. I found this one by me. Makes me wish summer was here so I could buy a car already.

http://reading.craigslist.org/cto/4302507437…

DISCUSSION (13)

GhostZ > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 15:56

280ZX: (1978-1983) Handles great. Extremely reliable. Great drag coefficient. That I6 is one of the most simple, reliable, hard-to-kill motors ever put in a sports car. Turbo model had the most powerful engine and highest top speed of any car built in Japan. L28ET engines were too powerful for Japan, so only the US got them.

300ZX Z31: (1984-1989) Handles great. Pretty reliable. Amazing drag coefficient. These did come with a V6, the VG30E. The Turbo model had the most powerful engine and highest top speed of any car built in Japan. Again.

What do you want to know? Ask away.

EDIT: For clarification, by "handles great" I mean both of those cars make the respective Corvettes of the era weep, and in terms of acceleration and cornering, the Turbo models were on par with an 80s Ferrari Testarossa. They weren't as pretty or as comfortable, but they were just as fast.

Scary__goongala! > GhostZ
02/25/2014 at 16:02

Are there any common probelms that arise with the turbo variants at higher miles? Ive heard the 90'+ 300zx cars be hard to work on. I didn't know if these were the same. How available are stock and aftermarket parts?

GhostZ > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 16:09

90+ 300ZX (Z32, the chassis code) is a COMPLETELY different car from the Z31 300ZX (1984-1989) which is a COMPLETELY different car from the S130 (1978-1983). No parts are shared in-between them .

The Z32 is only difficult to work on because the engine bay is extremely cramped. It has a parallel turbo system and no room, making it one of the worst cars to try and maneuver inside.

The Z31 (1984-1989) is better. hey used a single turbo with no intercooler, and a larger engine bay, so they have a lot more room.

The S130 is extremely, and I mean, extremely, easy to work on. Plenty of room, everything is plain as day, and it shared an engine with the original S30 (1969-1977) and almost every Nissan at the time so there were literally millions of the non-turbo engines built and put into Nissan cars.

Stock parts can be tricky, but there's enough of them in Junkyards (Nissan made at least 330,000 S130s, and at least 270,000 Z31s). There are quite a lot of aftermarket parts for the Z32 and S30, but the Z31 remains somewhat unloved.

The Turbo variants had no intercooler, and were heavily detuned for reliability. The S130 was known to make 200,000 miles easily, but not so sure about the Z31, but it will make it to 150,000 miles. Either way, those cars tend to succumb to rust long before engine problems. That being said, almost all of the engine parts of the non-turbo Z31 are shared with the Maxima, Pathfinder, and Hardbody Truck of that era, so the parts are still plentiful. The turbo equipment (an old Garret T4, and a T3/T4 hybrid on later years I think) is pretty old, so many people choose to get an NA Z31 (which had higher compression) and add a modern turbo kit on top of it.

You also want to check if that Z31 came with a Limited Slip Differential. Some did, some didn't.

With an intercooler, exhaust, and cranking the boost up, you can get about 250-275 HP out of a Turbo Z31. With a new turbo, injectors, and manifold, you can get at least 300.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 16:13

pretty.

GhostZ > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 16:13

Also, there's a huge community around these cars and you'll never be at a loss of finding new information.

Here's a list of solutions to pretty much every problem that comes up on a Z31: http://www.xenonz31.com/issues.html

GhostZ > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 16:18

Notes on that particular car:

1. Check the T-tops for leaks. This is common.

2. That has to be illegal window tinting.

3. Check the trim level. GL or GLL cars have a digital dash, with a warning voice. Make sure this is working, because it is VERY VERY COMMON for the digital dash to go out.

Scary__goongala! > GhostZ
02/25/2014 at 16:20

Okay, very good info to know. I am mostly interested in Z31's anyway. The prices I see compared to condition seem to be pretty fair for them. I was mostly worried if the engine would begin to smoke or expensive turbo parts would need replacing at higher miles. Their overall design is really growing on me.

GhostZ > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 16:22

It's hard to tell, that particular car could have been driven hard and might conk out in 1000 miles. You'll have to check for all the usual signs of a poorly driven car (sagging suspension, loose steering, smoke out of the back, etc.). If it's been driven well most of its life, it should be fine.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 16:28

They were available with a straight six in Japan. The 200ZR trim level had a RB20DET.

Scary__goongala! > GhostZ
02/25/2014 at 18:09

thanks for the knowledge, really starting to consider one of these over an overpriced e30

GhostZ > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 18:25

They're highly underrated cars.

Also of note, the Z31 uses a Borg Warning T-5 transmission, meaning that you can swap gear ratios with the many cars (Mustang Corvette, RX-7, Camaro) that used that same transmission for cheap.

bob and john > Scary__goongala!
02/25/2014 at 23:53

the only experience i have with this is some douche in my neighboor hood that bought one, put 20's (chrome bruh) and a subwoofer tht shook the rust off the car.

Scary__goongala! > bob and john
02/26/2014 at 08:50

well I wont be that guy.