RE: Nissan 300ZX: Spotted
Thursday 14th December 2017
Nissan's 300ZX is the oft overlooked and frequently maligned Japanese sports coupe of the 1990s. Spare a thought for it, though; not only did it have to live in the shadow of its big brother, the R32 GT-R, but it had to go toe-to-toe with JDM rivals like the Mazda RX-7 and Toyota Supra as well.
It entered into a fiercely competitive market, then, necessitating the need to make a stronger-than-usual case for itself in order to convince potential buyers it was worthy of their hard earned cash. So, what did it offer? Well, in this guise, its opening gambit was a twin-turbo V6 putting out 300hp - the same as a Ferrari 348 - and 283lb ft of torque. It had a five-speed manual 'box too, and a lot of tech for the time. A technologically advanced Nissan that takes on Ferraris for a fraction of the price... who'd have thought it?
So despite being frequently overlooked among a remarkable field - more of which than is normal went on to attain legendary status - the 300ZX probably deserves more consideration than it is given. When viewed in isolation, it was an excellent car for its day.
Nissan 300ZX: Spotted
A twin-turbo blast from the recent past...
It wasn't just good on paper though. Contemporary reviews stated that the 300ZX felt "crisp and secure" in corners, thanks to its multi-link suspension setup and HICAS four-wheel steering. So good was it, in fact, that in a 1991 MotorTrend handling test, the 300ZX Turbo came second out of 10 competitors, finishing behind only the Honda NSX and besting the Mazda MX-5, Toyota MR2 and Porsche 944 among others.
But what about now? Well, while GT-R and Supra prices climb ever skywards, the 300ZX represents increasingly good value for money.
Whether today's Spotted falls into that category is up to you to decide, but with just 47,000 miles on the clock it seems to be in very good condition indeed. The leather interior looks good as new, as do the paintwork and wheels. The clean, once-futuristic looks have always appealed to these eyes too, and a targa top will never go out of style. It'll likely take quite an enthusiastic... enthusiast to part with the best part of £15,000, but whoever does will be left with one of the picks of a halcyon era in Japanese car design.
SPECIFICATION - NISSAN 300ZX
Engine: 2,960cc, twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 304@6,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 283@3,600rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1992
Recorded mileage: 47,000 miles
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £14,950
See the original ad here.
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Discussion
That belongs/belonged to a mate of mine, he has had it for years, it's a nice original example, he works in motorsport so it's been looked after properly.
15 grand seems a lot of money but looking at some of the other stuff out there, maybe not, original, unmodified turbo manuals are thin on the ground, you are sorted if you want big wings, daft lights, massive wheels, flip paint, shonky body kits and non turbo autos but this combo is fairly rare nowadays.
Think we get used to certain prices for certain cars and think it will always be the case, I still see RS 2000s as four grans worth like in the early nineties.
These got a bit of an image problem with the dreadful mods that got done, they looked a bit much as standard at the time, everything else has got bigger and flasher in the meantime so an original actually looks quite dainty and self effacing nowadays, shorn of the tat they are a belting looking car, front looks a bit like a bullet train.
15 grand seems a lot of money but looking at some of the other stuff out there, maybe not, original, unmodified turbo manuals are thin on the ground, you are sorted if you want big wings, daft lights, massive wheels, flip paint, shonky body kits and non turbo autos but this combo is fairly rare nowadays.
Think we get used to certain prices for certain cars and think it will always be the case, I still see RS 2000s as four grans worth like in the early nineties.
These got a bit of an image problem with the dreadful mods that got done, they looked a bit much as standard at the time, everything else has got bigger and flasher in the meantime so an original actually looks quite dainty and self effacing nowadays, shorn of the tat they are a belting looking car, front looks a bit like a bullet train.
Edited by J4CKO on Thursday 14th December 07:53
I watch the market for used nineties Jap stuff closely as I want to start collecting a few more next year.
Prices have been rocketing over the past two years and as Jacko says, it is very difficult to find cars that haven't been butchered by tasteless modifiers.
It may be pretty strong money but I bet this will be gone within a week or two.
Prices have been rocketing over the past two years and as Jacko says, it is very difficult to find cars that haven't been butchered by tasteless modifiers.
It may be pretty strong money but I bet this will be gone within a week or two.
James Junior said:
I watch the market for used nineties Jap stuff closely as I want to start collecting a few more next year.
Prices have been rocketing over the past two years and as Jacko says, it is very difficult to find cars that haven't been butchered by tasteless modifiers.
It may be pretty strong money but I bet this will be gone within a week or two.
These were pretty much the class leader until the last of the Supras took over, at about K-reg? iircPrices have been rocketing over the past two years and as Jacko says, it is very difficult to find cars that haven't been butchered by tasteless modifiers.
It may be pretty strong money but I bet this will be gone within a week or two.
s m said:
These were pretty much the class leader until the last of the Supras took over, at about K-reg? iirc
Yes exactly. I remember reading somewhere that it won awards almost every year of it's lifecycle in the US from one of their biggest car mags. I imagine it wasn't up against such stiff competition that side of the pond mind you.Funny how it seems to be perceived as an 'also-ran' in the UK and seems doomed to forever live in the shadow of the MK4 Supra.
I must confess that I would prefer a Supra TT to a 300ZX, but if prices for the former keep climbing I might have to plump for a SWB TT Z instead. Cannot imagine it being too much of a compromise.
I think people put the GTR as some way higher in the pecking order, not sure what the price differential was when new (dont think it was massive) but the main thing is that they were different cars with different markets, the 300ZX in the UK, when new was bought by wealthy older blokes in the main, then they got cheap and fell into the hands of the modding scene, an original manual turbo on standard wheels is a rare thing.
Also, I bet that this is actually rarer now than Skyline GTR's, just depends which you want, though to be fair, the rest all seem to be sub 10k.
Also, I bet that this is actually rarer now than Skyline GTR's, just depends which you want, though to be fair, the rest all seem to be sub 10k.
There seems to be a weird developing trend in these "Spotted / YKYWT" articles, whereby PistonHeads copywriters attempt to convince us, the seemingly gullible reader, that the Classifieds section is rammed full of expensive cars that are somehow "worth it".
What then follows is an outpouring of "At that price you're having a laugh"-type comments, often with genuine examples of better-value alternatives offered as evidence.
Come off it guys, if you really want to direct us to your Classifieds then highlight something that looks good value and actually makes us want to buy it.
Admittedly at the other end of the scale is "Shed of the Week", which generally hits the spot and often surprises people by shedding (no pun intended) light on how cheap some genuinely desirable stuff has become. The comments on a Friday morning generally follow the "Wow, didn't realise these were £xxxx now, if only it were nearer / I needed one "etc.
Shedding rules, it appears.
What then follows is an outpouring of "At that price you're having a laugh"-type comments, often with genuine examples of better-value alternatives offered as evidence.
Come off it guys, if you really want to direct us to your Classifieds then highlight something that looks good value and actually makes us want to buy it.
Admittedly at the other end of the scale is "Shed of the Week", which generally hits the spot and often surprises people by shedding (no pun intended) light on how cheap some genuinely desirable stuff has become. The comments on a Friday morning generally follow the "Wow, didn't realise these were £xxxx now, if only it were nearer / I needed one "etc.
Shedding rules, it appears.
I was really keen to get a 300zx a couple of years ago but the amount of rot-boxes I saw was unbelievable. The sills rot because the drainage from the targa roof goes down to an exit point in the sills which of course gets blocked up so the sills end up full of water. I ended up getting a Celica GT4 which has been a stunning car and very happy.
I would say these are less a sports coupe and more of a GT car like most of the later Nissan Z cars. The turbo engine is an utter nightmare to work on, it literally fills the entire space no chance of getting access to anything without serious time put in to remove stuff first.
£15k for this? No way. Minter TTs were going for £5k-£7k max 2 years ago, if you go on the bay now you can see a couple of almost identical cars, lower mileage, stunning looking condition, at £8k and £9k respectively.
They are certainly appreciating, but you have been utterly robbed if you pay £15k for this car.
I would say these are less a sports coupe and more of a GT car like most of the later Nissan Z cars. The turbo engine is an utter nightmare to work on, it literally fills the entire space no chance of getting access to anything without serious time put in to remove stuff first.
£15k for this? No way. Minter TTs were going for £5k-£7k max 2 years ago, if you go on the bay now you can see a couple of almost identical cars, lower mileage, stunning looking condition, at £8k and £9k respectively.
They are certainly appreciating, but you have been utterly robbed if you pay £15k for this car.
Turbobanana said:
What then follows is an outpouring of "At that price you're having a laugh"-type comments, often with genuine examples of better-value alternatives offered as evidence.
Most of the time the supposed better-value examples are either non-existent in the market (ten grand immaculate R33 GTR) or fanciful long-shots like a quarter million-mile 911.
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