1985 300zx as daily driver?

[Cutlass372]

Hey, I found a 1985 300zx 2 seater turbo online and was wondering if the car would make a good daily driver. It has 92k miles on it and seems to be in decent condition (havent inspected it in person). I was just wonding if these cars make good daily drivers cause im looking for a car to commute to college next year. Also, are these cars decently upgradeable? I would assume they are cause i could always get a larger turbo and such. I am basically looking for something to get me from home 2 school and still be able to have fun. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

[ScoobyNubieToo!]

Most important thing to look for is rust. Thise models are notrious for rusting right out from under you! Also if you do buy it, take the vin to Nissan dealer and have them run it to see if the injector recall was ever done on the car....if not, then you just scored yourself some brand new injectors for free!

[Cutlass372]

What does everyone think a reasonable price is to spend on one of these?

[ScoobyNubieToo!]

about $1500-$3500 depending on mechanical and physical condition

[Intercooled T]

$1500 tops...these are not collector cars and a dime a dozen

[ScoobyNubieToo!]

What does everyone think a reasonable price is to spend on one of these?

about $1500-$3500 depending on mechanical and physical condition

$1500 tops...these are not collector cars and a dime a dozen

Offer this guy $1500 for his 300ZX Turbo and see what he says...... :lol:
http://www.tristatetuners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34622

[Intercooled T]

is it a nice car? yes.

will he/she get anything near what they think it's worth? probably not.

[doug]

Offer this guy $1500 for his 300ZX Turbo and see what he says...... :lol:
http://www.tristatetuners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34622

Thanks for the support, but mine is definitely worth more than 1500 :)

[i like rice]

the engines and transmissions are pretty solid on the Z31s. I prefer the styling of the 87-89 over the early model Z31s, though.

[Cutlass372]

Lol. I may have actually changed my mind to a 94-97 Miata MX-5. They seem to be a good drivers car and I think it would be a blast to drive around. Anyone know anything about these? I'm not looking to spend alot on a car 5k is max and even that is pushing it. What do you think?

[i like rice]

I own two - what do you want to know? lol

[Cutlass372]

Mmm is it what im looking for lol? Will I be content driving the car everyday to college (dont mind the size, nor 2 seats). I know turbochargers are available for them so they are somewhat upgradable. I am basically looking for a good daily driver that I can have fun with while not spending alot of money. 5k max so I just want to know all of the options i have before setting my mind to one thing. As for the miatas, what should I know lol. Fill me in.

[i like rice]

cons:
- plastic rear window, though upgradeable to glass. plastic will fog up with age if not polished often or if you don't unzip the rear window when you fold it down
- not much trunk space so when you go shopping you have to plan accordingly. trips to Costco will limit what you buy. want to buy that 42" plasma? call a friend with a real car
- not much torque so you'll be shifting often but luckily the transmission is the 2nd best around, second only to the S2000
- not good for anyone taller than 6'1"
- blind spot with the top up but it's a small car so you can use your side mirrors
- no clearcoat so paint fades if not polished every 2 months (if not garaged kept). if garaged and out of the sun, you can go 4-5 months
- very sensitive to alignment, spring/shock, wheel offset changes. if you lower it, you'll want to cut the bumpstops or buy aftermarket upper pillowball mounts for more suspension travel
- short gearing so get use to driving around 3800-4000 rpm on long trips

pros:
- huge aftermarket support
- parts are plentiful and cheap, though Miata owners like to charge you more than what a used part is worth. stock parts are cheap, also
- easy to work on
- go with a 90-94 for OBDI if you want to go forced induction. 94s come with the 1.8L so it'll have more torque and a stiffer chassis
- parallel parking is a piece of cake
- you'll need snow tires in the winter; find one with an LSD
- friend will call you gay until you toast them on the back roads
- 50/50 balance, you won't find a better handling car until you drive a Porsche Boxster S. Steering feedback is best in sub $45k price range

[i like rice]

forgot to mention, the Miata community is one of the most active I've ever seen. Tons of local events - drives/barbeques/tech days/detail days

You'll never be bored on a weekend from May through October. It's almost guaranteed that one of the local clubs (Del Val, LVMOC, PACE) will have an event every weekend. Drives through the Poconos, Pagoda, Jersey shore, Chesapeake Bay, crab runs, etc.

[Cutlass372]

Wow... quick with good info. I think if i was to get one it would definatly be a 94+ cause of the 1.8 and i could still add a turbo to it. I dont think cargo space would be a big deal, plus if I needed to move anything larger my father has a truck. I think the miata would be alot of fun, but i just wish it came with some more power stock. I probably would lower it and mess with the suspension as well, yet its probably already pretty good. Just add a DIY 1.8 turbo kit and go? Any other cars you think would be a good choice for this price? Also the car would probably stay stock for alittle while, could I still have fun?

[i like rice]

The car is more fun stock imo, I just hated the wheel gap. my 97 had SPAX 16 way adjustable coilovers, Brainstorm adjustable sway bars, adjustable heim joint sway bar end links, 4 point roll bar, stock subframe braces, Brainstorm rear subframe brace, GReddy FSTB, GReddy front subframe brace.. I ended up disconnecting the sway bars and ditching the race suspension for TEIN S Tech springs with KYB AGX shocks. Even with the aftermarket springs & shocks, I think the car was more tossable when it was stock.

you won't need more power - the car weighs ~ 2250 lbs and it'll carry momentum through the turns. The engine is rev happy so it'll pull from 4k to 7k without much complaint.

I can't think of any other inexpensive car that would offer the fun factor you'd get from a Miata. I can't stand FWD cars but if I had to buy a FWD car in your price range, I'd look at a 94-96 Integra GSR.

[Cutlass372]

Im not a big fan of FWD either and i dont think handling is so much of a concern. Im sure I can just throw a nice set of wheels and tires, lower it and be happy. A used turbo kit seems to be around 2k which isnt so bad and I could make a decent increase in horsepower. I think its now just a matter of finding one thats in good condition for a good price.

[Cutlass372]

http://www.cs.neu.edu/home/seanl/images/miata.jpg

Something along these lines would be awesome.