1988 Nissan 300ZX NA 3.0 litre from North America

Summary:

Fun reliable sports car that I feel privileged to own

Faults:

Replaced, all belts and hoses, timing belt, and shocks at 70,000 miles.

General Comments:

Bought my car in pretty much mint condition, did general maintenance and the car runs perfect.

Car is very nice, fast as I need it to be, looks graceful and quick, but I can still fit all kinds of gear in the hatch.

Handles very well in the city and the acceleration allows for any move needed to get ahead in traffic.

I want to reiterate that my 300ZX was purchased in mint condition, but I have never had a more reliable and fun car to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th November, 2003

1988 Nissan 300ZX 2+2 Targa 3.0 V6 non-turbo from Netherlands

Summary:

A great classic sports car

Faults:

Battery and front tyres replaced at purchase (free of charge).

Alternator went at 123500km. (repair bill 230 Euro's)

Minor electrical problems like a non functioning interior light, volt meter and an on/off cruise control.

Muffler needs replacement.

General Comments:

The car is very comfortable for an '88 sports car.

Paint work and interior are almost like new.

Performance and road holding are beyond expectations. Gti's and smaller BMW's are easily beaten. However, be careful with the throttle on wet roads!

Parts (and repairs) are unfortunately (very) expensive and difficult to obtain.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th January, 2002

1988 Nissan 300ZX GS 2+2 3.0L 165HP from North America

Summary:

A beautiful and fun used car to own

Faults:

The headliner from the back half of my car no longer sticks and is constantly blocking my rear view.

The gas gauge seems to move too fast, seemingly indicating that it is consuming gas at a faster rate than what it really does.

The power seats no longer work to move the seat forward or backward.

Getting gas is always a pain as the gas release lever is on the same handle as the trunk release, so I have to toggle the level both up and down until I can get the trunk to close properly.

General Comments:

According to my research, the gas mileage is about 25 miles per gallon (mostly highway miles) when using cruise control and overdrive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd November, 2001

1988 Nissan 300ZX 3.0 V6 normal aspiration from North America

Summary:

Nissan V6, the most reliable engine ever made!

Faults:

Driver's window motor barely works.

Brakes squeal when in reverse and stopping in reverse.

Oil gauge is broken.

Digital temperature - always at extremes.

General Comments:

I did regular maintenance when I bought the car. Belts, brakes, exhaust.

Outside of some minor interior flaws, the car sounds and runs beautifully.

Hugs corners, great pickup, great sound capability.

Best car I've owned!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th October, 2001

30th Jul 2010, 15:55

Um I thought these cars had in-line 6 cyl engines??

2nd Dec 2010, 01:10

Nope. You are mistaken. They do have a V6. The Z31 body (1988) came with a 3.0 L VG30E V6 naturally aspired engine, which produced 165 hp, or the turbocharged 3.0 L VG30ET V6 with 205 hp.

All this sounds great, but yet weak when the Z32 body style, which was sold in the U.S. from 1990-1996, had an available twin turbo engine that produced 300 hp!

The race-only versions of the 300zx won many races, including; 1986 Trans Am series, 1994 24 Hours of Daytona, and also another '94 win in GTS-1 class at 24 Hours of LeMans. Because of this, the International Motor Sports Association declared that the twin turbo would become illegal for future races.

The 300zx also holds the E/BMS land speed record, in the 1991 Bonneville Speed Trials, of 260.84 mph!

Got all this info, plus more from Wikipedia.org. Thanks Wiki! Hope some of this stuff helps anybody looking to buy a 300zx.

In reply to 30th Jul 2010, 15:55

18th Nov 2011, 19:51

The inline 6 engines were used in the older Z cars (240, 260, 280), but when the 300ZX was released, Nissan equipped it with a 3.0 V6. However, Toyota did in fact continued to equip their sports car (Supra) with an inline 6 engine even into the mid to late 90's. The 300ZX & Supra are the best examples of Japanese sports cars from the 80's, but there really wasn't much competition coming from Japan back then, except for the Mazda RX7 and the Mitsubishi Starion, which both had interesting motors, with the RX7 having a small high revving rotary, & the Starion with its turbo 2.6 4 cyl.

- Mike