1986 Nissan 300ZX Reviews - Page 2 of 7

I bought the car from an elderly couple who owned it since they purchased it from the dealership new in 1986. It sat for about 5 years in their garage when I bought it from them. I ran it pretty hard for the first few months and the timing belt broke and blew the engine. Which was my fault. I put it in the shop and put a brand new JDM Street racing engine in it. Since then I have had no problems with it as far as performance goes.

I love the fact that it sits low to the ground and turns on a dime. It drives very smooth and is a comfortable ride for it being the age it is. The seats are comfortable and all the gadgets in the seat still work fine. I love my 300ZX and it is a wonderful car project. It has a lot of potential for upgrades and fixing up.

I bought the car from an old mechanic after seeing an old fixable Mustang in his backyard from the road. He said it wasn't for sale and recommended the 300ZX he had, saying it was in great condition.

After paying for the car, I found out a laundry list of problems:

Motor mounts were shot. New ones cost $205.

Clutch went bad. OEM replacement cost $80.

Transmission mount was shot. The only place I could find a replacement at was a dealer. $120.

Shocks and struts are bottoming out and need replacement. Will cost approx. $125 (Thank God for my employee discount at the car parts store!!)

Car is starting to stutter from a stop after warming up. Needs new fuel pressure regulator and/or new fuel pump. I'll find out if a new regulator will fix the problem in 2 days.

T-Bar roof leaks slightly. That's just because the seals are old and cracking, which is understandable for a 20+ year old car.

Water pump started leaking so I had to replace it, and went ahead and also replaced the timing belt.

After the water pump was replaced, the extra pressure caused a weak spot in the radiator to fail, so I had to replace the radiator and radiator hoses and put in a new Fail-Safe thermostat to be safe. $150.

Radio antenna was broken off so I never had great reception.

Car handles beyond exceptional when equipped with wider profile tires and rims, but still, it's a small car and common sense must be used to keep from flipping. You're still not going to be able to do a donut at 100mph!!

Interior is exceptional. Great sounding stereo system, especially for being stock (just waiting for those to fail for an excuse to install Jensen speakers). I don't at all mind listening to 80's-era music in this car since it's so cool!!

Comfortable seats, lots of leg room, easy shifting, 2-seaters ARE better!

I've got a great car that I'm fixing up to be even better along the way. I can't wait to eliminate the front nose-piece and have a vertical grille!!

The air conditioning is not working, but I will attempt to charge the compressor myself.

The leather on the drivers seat is worn badly. The passenger seat is in excellent condition. The back support air bladders are not working. I will for now use a seat cover.

Any part that is plastic is broken, possibly by the previous owner leaving it out in direct sun and heat. I am having trouble finding original manufacture interior replacement parts.

The valve cover gaskets are blown. It will be an easy fix.

The right side of the digital panel is not working. I expected this. I will have to run diagnostics.

The is some body damage on the drivers side. This I am told by the previous owner was a result of his angry wife. This is priceless. The damages will be a little costly, but it needs paint any how.

My mother had this same model back in the late 1980's. I got to drive it and loved the way the car handled.

This car is quick and handles very well.

This will be the car for me.

I love this car!