anyone owns/owned a 300zx fairlady?

Soldato
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ive driven one a bit in the past and thought it handled and sounded lovely. thinking of buying one, really like the idea of them.

just wanted to know your experiance and opinions
 
Soldato
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how thirsty is thirsty? mid 20mpg is normal for me, is this thing going to shock me?

have you had one before? when i drove one it was not heavy/ponderous
 
Soldato
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Matt82 said:
how thirsty is thirsty? mid 20mpg is normal for me, is this thing going to shock me?

You might just get mid-20's on a very gentle run... I would say yes, it probably will shock you.

have you had one before? when i drove one it was not heavy/ponderous

No...but I know a man who has. He loves it, but the running costs have been crucifying him recently.

The kerb weight is something like 1580kg, which is pretty damn heavy in my book. I guess they aren't that bad for handling, but it's a car that feels happier on straight bits of road where you can really use the power IMO.
 
Soldato
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your MR2 is mid 1300kgs etc hence i think high 1500s isnt terrible

the standard one i drove was nimble, their looks have a certain appeal to me and i really think a car should have 6cyls or more.

suppose i should trawl the fanboy sites to see what common probs they have lol
 
Soldato
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in the fat camp :( don't bother unless it's the turbo version. N/A is a bloater without power to match :(

Apparently engine bay is very cramped and they are a PITA to work on. I do like the look of them though, but the worry that they'd self combust has steered me away in the past.
 
Man of Honour
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Re the weight, the 300zx is about on par with the other Jap GT cars it competed with at the time, like the Supra and Mitsi GTO. They all have pretty similar weights bar the RX7, which is 1280kg for the regular version, 1250kg for the Type-R (the one I have).
 
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they are heavy yes, but weight isnt the be all and end all of handling. I could mention something about the M5 beemer being a bloater with great handling but i think my point is made. Not that im saying it will handle like an elise or anything, and they are getting on now, so the suspension is shot on a lot of them, new shocks, springs, bushes and maybe whiteline ARB's will make a big difference.
Power wise, its reasonably common for these cars to be running in safety boost (7psi and retarded ignition) without the owner knowing. This will make the car a LOT slower, my advice is to test drive a few to get an idea what a good one is like.

Biggest weakness on these cars are the autoboxes, if you have an auto it will almost certainly fail, aftermarket ATF coolers help, but they still blow up.
Check theres no blue smoke from the exhausts, smoking on boost can be indicative of failing PCV valves, or failing turbo's, or of course failing rings. If theres blue smoke after a good while of idling (10 mins or so) then the turbo seals are almost certainly shot.

What they say is right, if the turbo's give out then its an engine-out job to replace them. They are known to last 150k or more with good servicing though.

edit - just for good measure, here's a pic of mine :)

zsig5ib.jpg


edit2 - as for the fuel consumption, they are thirsty if you have a heavy right foot but what do you expect, quite reasonable on a run though, 30mpg is possible. Expect an average of about 20mpg maybe a bit less.
 
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Do the turbos require gaskets changing at any point and I would presume the turbos would need removing for at least the main turbo - manifold one. Can the car really do 150K without the engine needing to come out for this at least once?

Also, arnt Mr2's mid 1200's?
 
Soldato
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Clarkey said:
they are heavy yes, but weight isnt the be all and end all of handling. I could mention something about the M5 beemer being a bloater with great handling but i think my point is made. Not that im saying it will handle like an elise or anything, and they are getting on now, so the suspension is shot on a lot of them, new shocks, springs, bushes and maybe whiteline ARB's will make a big difference.
Power wise, its reasonably common for these cars to be running in safety boost (7psi and retarded ignition) without the owner knowing. This will make the car a LOT slower, my advice is to test drive a few to get an idea what a good one is like.

Biggest weakness on these cars are the autoboxes, if you have an auto it will almost certainly fail, aftermarket ATF coolers help, but they still blow up.
Check theres no blue smoke from the exhausts, smoking on boost can be indicative of failing PCV valves, or failing turbo's, or of course failing rings. If theres blue smoke after a good while of idling (10 mins or so) then the turbo seals are almost certainly shot.

What they say is right, if the turbo's give out then its an engine-out job to replace them. They are known to last 150k or more with good servicing though.

edit - just for good measure, here's a pic of mine :)

zsig5ib.jpg


edit2 - as for the fuel consumption, they are thirsty if you have a heavy right foot but what do you expect, quite reasonable on a run though, 30mpg is possible. Expect an average of about 20mpg maybe a bit less.

i know theyre not modern, but the look of your white one with x-spokes make me moist.

i would only ever go for a manual, do they have LSD as standard?

i might check the owners club site. there may be a bargain on there for me
 
Soldato
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Nissan S14a ***!! Owned the S13 but the S14a would probably suit your tastes better. Cheaper than the 300ZX, same performance (perhaps quicker with small mods), RWD with LSD and look great. Plus they won't cost you a fortune to maintain. I was looking at a 300zx a while back but after reading a lot about them I decided I couldn't afford the upkeep. :( Lovely car but consider the S14a too. :)

200sxontheroadX010.jpg
 
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