What car to buy?

[d3c0y]

Obviously the cars are going to be relatively stock for this to even be relevant.

 

 

These are lap times around Tsukuba and i couldnt find an R33 but i would say it would be pretty damn close.

 

 

 

[table][tr][td]Nissan 300ZX[/t]1:13.01[/color][table][tr][td]Nissan Skyline GTS-T R32[/t]1:13.40[/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table]

[Stivva]

Wouldn't the 33 be considerably heavier?

[Agno]

An R33 weighs about 50kg more in GTS-T trim in comparison but has 26kW extra (stock) plus more torque from the 2.5 vs a 2.0l

 

I dare say an R33 would be noticably quicker than an R32 in stock form

[positivetennis]

Hi Stivva, I have owned all of these cars at least twice. Firstly I think that if you were prepared to pay a little more, say around $7k - 8K you will more than likely pick up a much better prospect. You really need to thoroughly check out every car and then see which one makes you feel the best. Be particularly vigilant in checking the history of the car, service records and proof of kilometres travelled. Anybody advertising one of these cars with low kilometres without genuine proof should be treated with caution.

All of these cars are now old and have their issues which will be costly. Here's how I see each model:

 

1. 280zx: If you find an excellent example, these cars will still be very reliable. The styling is very unique compared to anything on the road today, however performance wont be as good as some of the later models and the seats will feel soggy. Rust and fuel injectors were problematic 20 years ago and the metal around you seems very thin.

 

2. z31: Most comfortable zed I owned and despite what many say, has very upmarket styling. The big issue I had with these was that it always had things go wrong with them including, dead turbos, leaking injectors (fire risk), failed crank angle sensors, transmissions and engine mounts, hard to work on, have to remove the front of the car to remove the radiator. If you really wanted one of these, you need to get the best available.

 

3. Z32: I had 2 Australian versions and while they were more reliable than the z31, you always had the fear that if something went you were up for big money. Oil leaks coming from cam seal (usually leaking from front right of the car) and rear main seal are expensive. These cars have excellent steering, but being na I always felt they sounded rorty with some vibration coming through the cabin while at the same time feeling quite slow. When they were new the styling looked great, but now I seem to like them least as they look quite wide.

 

In the end it will come down to what feels right to you, and what is the best car available to buy at the time you are looking. With each car being old anyway I would be inclined to go with the 280zx as I feel comfortable with its simplicity, and I like its styling, and would only consider the other two if they were immaculate low kilometre examples (Less than 160k). Hope this helps