1995 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo from North America - Comments

The rear wheel steering actuation motor burned out after 3 years and 90,000km. Repair was covered by warranty.

The car went through a new set of front brake pads every 20-25,000km roughly.

Starter motor died during the 6th year (around 170,000km) and cost me about US $750 to replace (including labor).

Mufflers (2 of them) had to be replaced twice, at 70,000km and at 160,000km.

AC compressor died at 140,000 and cost US $1,400 to replace.

All 4 wheel bearings were replaced at 160,000km costing a total of US $1,100 including labor.

ABS controller died at 155,000km. It cost US $980 to replace (including labor)

In addition to the above, the interior lamp/horn fuse used to blow chronically every time I touched the horn. That was address by replacing the horn switch contacts in the steering wheel (covered under warranty)

This was one great car to own and drive, especially when taking it's performance into consideration. Hardly any cars could keep up with it in terms of power, handling, reliability and style.

However it was costly to own. Insurance was expensive, it burned premium unleaded as if I owned an oil field, and parts were relatively expensive.

Overall I would say it was a very rewarding car to own. I could hardly fault it for anything.

If you're from north america, like your car's listed right now, then why do you list everything in KM, why not miles, or both?

Maybe he's from Canada or Mexico, countries where they use the metric system?

Yes I am from Canada indeed.

Sorry for the first comment.

Not all of us in the United States are so ignorant.

I agree with the post above, and also apologize for that naive comment. I am from the US and as big a patriot as they come. But, I am also a scientist, and thouroughly familiar with the metric system and its utility, as is everyone else here who works with units and technical calulations. Do not listen to that airhead a few comments ago. Nice review.

Did the car need so many brake pads because you were tempted to drive the car hard or is it poor materials?

I've had some very powerful cars, 300+ HP, but then I drive gently on the brakes.

Regarding the issue of brake pads, a friend of mine used to replace his brake pads in a naturally aspirated 1993 300ZX about once every 15,000km. The 300ZX, regardless of its power, is a relatively heavy car, so it eats at brake pads quicker than lighter sports cars. But you are right though, the main factor in brake pad longevity is driving style. According to the dealer, I was one of the better drivers in that sense - since I needed new pads less often than other drivers.

These days, I live in the middle east and I got myself a small sports hatch (Renault Sport Clio 172). It is not nearly as fast as the 300ZX was, but I find it far more involving to drive vs. the Z.

The Z had so much technology that lots of driver involvement was replaced by computer decisions. This technological overkill is what ultimately drove the cost of the Z through the roof and led to its demise. But I hear that Nissan got it right in the new 350Z. I guess I will call a Nissan dealer for a test drive - although for now, I am quite happy with my Clio. It burns about half as much fuel as my old 300Z and in some funny sort of way, it actually excites me more to drive.

Do you still have the 300zx turbo I'm planning to get one, but not sure what year its best for me to get??? if you could tell me a good year for it.

I have sold my 300ZX Twin Turbo - and managed to get for it (Canadian Dollars) $ 24,000.00 - which is not bad considering the relatively high mileage.

It is highly arguable which 300ZX turbo is the one to go for. If you are located in North America, then you are probably aware that the car was sold there "officially" from 1990 till 1996. Some people imported a few more cars in 97 & 98 directly from NISMO. These unofficial imports are to be avoided as they don't have a warranty and are very difficult to insure - plus they cannot be registered in Canada (no daytime running lights) or California (not CARB compliant). I do not know about other states.

As for the "proper" cars, the biggest change between 90-94 and 95-96 models was that the rear wheel steering on the older models was hydraulic, while on the newer ones, it is electric. I have driven both and I feel that the electric system responds better.

Further, some of the cars sold in 89 as 90 models had only 280HP instead of the full 300. On the other hand, some of the NISMO cars imported as 97-98 models had 398HP right out of the box, due to different ECU programming, higher flow exhausts and induction systems (however, there might be as little as 4-6 such cars imported into the USA that remain on the road today - all of these NISMO cars are rumored to be yellow).

If it was MY money being spent, I would try to find a 95 car. Avoid the red ones (too common) and try to find a black one (the rarest) or a silver one (the most desirable). Also, when you go to look at a car, check for uneven wear at the rear tires (a sign that the rear wheel steering has either stopped working or is about to stop) The 96 cars broke down more often that usual according to several people I spoke to on the issue. Also, the 94 cars seemingly had some problems. A friend of mine purchased a 90 model in 98, and crashed it (total loss) in early 99 about 8 months later. Nothing ever went wrong with his car except for warped brake rotors due to over-zealous driving.

If you cannot find a 95 car, try looking for a 90 car - as long it was cared for properly. These are very reliable cars considering the performance potential. The only car of similar performance (of the era) that was more reliable is the Supra - but the Supra is UGLY.

One guy asks a question and some SENSITIVE types jump down his throat. Chill.

I'm looking around for a '95 or maybe '94 300ZX Twin Turbo. Some people I know have warned me about the high costs of labor/parts and warned me that the turbo might go out and it would cost me an arm and a leg to get it replaced. Are they pretty reliable in your experience? Some of my friends have kind of made me a little nervous about it because it's one thing if the parts/labor cost a lot and it's reliable, but if it's not reliable - then I will be financially doomed and it won't be worth it. :)

Thanks for your experience and all - it is helpful and I appreciate it.

I am close to buying a silver 95 Nissan 300ZX non-turbo, it has 150 k miles. Is this a good idea?