What do you guys think the z31?

[luvemfast]

Hey you cant talk like that on this forum! You will offend all the Z31 members!!

Or are they not as sensitive as 280ZX owners??  LOL

*runs on to oval*

fight

fight

fight

fight 

[RB30X]

I think as a first car, pain in the arse. as a hobby car/project.... pain in the arse...

 

Quote of the year so far 

[260DET]

Actually a two seater Z31 would do me fine as a project track car. Easy enough to get a lot of weight out of, VG30DET would drop straight in so I've heard, reasonably stiff chassis and good aero.

 

Might be a bit of a challenge for your average S30 owner though who thinks that a Weber carb is high tech and that three of them is triple high tech 

[d3c0y]

Maybe we just cant work out why Nissan went for a "high tech" trailing arm rear suspension in a newer model

 

With the current price of Z32s why wouldnt you just buy one of them if you are set on a 300ZX track car? Wayyy in front of a Z31

[positivetennis]

As a daily driver, I would take the z31 over an s30 2+2 especially if there are children on board. The z31 would be a safer, quieter, more modern and more comfortable option. Saying that I would also agree with most of the sentiments posted regarding the z31. Having owned 3 of them (85 non turbo, 86 turbo and 87 turbo) back in the early 90's, I would only have one now if there was a one owner car with genuine low kms with a full history. It would have to be pretty immaculate, otherwise I would be concerned that you will be having to constantly fix things up.

 

Funny thing about these cars is while the non turbo models (1984-1985) would seem to be easier to maintain than the later 1985-86 turbo and 1987-1989 Californian turbos (Called californian because the styling was done in San Diego), the later models were improved in various ways.

 

The main problems that I had with the non turbo 1984-85 models (And this was in the early to mid 90's which I bought with 50k's and kept for 8 years with 260k's when i sold it) include:

 

* Air flow meter failure 80k

* Crank angle sensor  120k

* Injector cooler not turning off  160k

* Fuel injector leaks 250k

* Transmission and engine mount failure 180k

* Air condition failure 180k

* Bonnet and hatch strut failure 160k

* Seats falling apart  180k

* Brake master cylinder failure  220k

* Pop up headlights malfunction 240k

* Rear hatch blind splitting 160k

 

So, you will pay for owning one of these!

 

On the plus side the engines are quite robust and the interior is still OK for today, its almost the roomiest zed I've tried. The styling looks nice. Just remember to look for a car with genuine history and in immaculate condition otherwise something later and simpler for this price range.

[luvemfast]

All I know is. Dads is beautiful to drive.

That is all

[260DET]

Maybe we just cant work out why Nissan went for a "high tech" trailing arm rear suspension in a newer model

 

With the current price of Z32s why wouldnt you just buy one of them if you are set on a 300ZX track car? Wayyy in front of a Z31

 

1. Semi trailing arm suspension, same as BMW used very successfully and have used again recently in that Z4 or whatever it is coupe.

 

2. Any engine you can put in a Z32 can be put in a Z31 which is a substantially lighter car. Z32 suspension is not that great either, I'm sure that tweaked Z31 suspension would be better.

 

I already have a great 280ZX track car and have built and run a 260Z track car, honestly cannot understand why there is not at least some interest in the Z31 although the two seater solid roof model would be better.

 

 

[Mr Camouflage]

(Called californian because the styling was done in San Diego),

 

I dont believe it was, and can find no credible evidence to suggest that NDA were responsible for the re-design.

 

http://www.nissanusa.com/about/corporate-info/nissan-in-north-america.html

Nissan Design America

Nissan Design America, (NDA) is a world-renowned design studio located in San Diego California ... designers at NDA create vehicles specifically for the North America market. Nissan designers are responsible for the creation of the Altima, Maxima, Xterra, and Frontier, as well as the 350Z.

 

I think this is another one of those Z myths. No one in the USA referrer to the Z31 "Californian" as a "Californian". If it was designed there, I think that it would common knowledge and people would referrer to it as such.

 

Happy to be proven wrong, if someone has some Nissan documentation to prove otherwise

 

 

[DatPilot]

I must say, I have seen/driven a few GOOD examples of the Z31 models, just they are few and far between, but go VERY nice. Perfect fro crusing up the coast etc. Its just sad as things get neglected and break, the list keeps adding up and it no longer seems liek a sane decision to spend $5000 on a $2000 car that isnt as special as a 240z or similarIf I found a gunmetal grey 200ZR (cali) Hard Top (stiffer chassis) I'd seriously consider it!

 

You never know, in 5 to 10 years they'll be the next 280zx (remember a few years ago you couldnt GIVE away a 280zx, no one wanted them except for the L28)

 

Oh and I did have a VG30DET with a Z32 5 speed sitting in my project, pretty much bolted in... its all the OTHER wiring and fiddle farting around to get it going made be pack it up and sell off.

[ric240z]

I've got a 50thae z31 which I turbocharged and a gunmetal grey z31. My first cars and they are great cruisers. Air con, pwr windows,cruise control and targa tops. These cars in a turbo are a must and fantastic.

However if you don't know anything about cars do not buy one.. My 2 cents

[positivetennis]

Another way of looking at this topic is to consider the "value for money" equation. In this regard, the z31 is pretty good value for money for a zed car if you get a good example. You have to way up what's important to you. Compared to other makes and models you may well have a different view but if you are particularly interested in zed cars only, then z31 is one of the more affordable models.

If you are looking for attributes such as reliability, economy, safety and modern conveniences, you could probably recommend that a young lady look at something near new. For the price of around 14k you could probably get a 2008 Lancer from Manheim Fowles Auctions. If you want something larger a 2008 Mitsubishi 380 is good buying as well at 13k. Any young person breaking down in the middle of night on a busy street is not a pleasant situation to be in.

One of the other things I've thought about since my previous post and others is the issue of maintenance costs. Lately as I've been looking at 260z's and 280zx's I have found it very hard to find an s30 without a rust problems and even then the asking price is above 10k. Then when you compare the 280zx to the z31,  the z31 feels much more modern and safe inside. While the 300zx could be costly to maintain mechanically the older zeds will be more costly when you decide to cut out rust. I've gone to see quite a few and there are many shiny cars freshly repainted hiding rust to varying degrees. A good magnet is handy.Some rust you can live with, others are a structural worry.

The other thing in the z31's favour is that when they were new, they were pretty expensive, were bought by well to do individuals who pampered these cars and being less sporty than a z32, rx7 or supra were maybe gently driven. The trick is to find one that has been looked after like this, and yes, they are out there, you just have to been patient because they are now 28 years old (1984).

Hope this helps, and good luck in finding a car.

 

[260DET]

Z31 two seaster tin top Californian with an LSx NA engine, bigger brakes and tweaked suspension, I'd be happy to punt that around a circuit any day. And beat most S30's and Datsun sports cars, even with a partially incapacitated driver

[positivetennis]

Today I drove a 1988 Californian Australian model in an auto. All i can say that its definately better than anything made between 84 and 87 in the 300zx range. Wider and lower profile tyres make this car more stable and it has a better exhaust note. One of Nissans good efforts. I am seriously considering this car as well. Performance is on about par with a VS Commodore so the fear is the age and complexity of these cars,  particularly the turbo, engine mounts and crank angle sensor units and the kays travelled (180). I was wondering how good the the j-spec versions of this car are, can anyone comment, particularly as a 2 seater slicktop. Also if you buy a japanese import is the seat travel shorter, I am tall and in the past when I've tried Japanese versions, they have seemed smaller than Australian versions. if you wanted to get one from Japan which importer in Sydney would you prefer to deal with?

[Lynton]

 

At around 220,000Kms heat under the bonnet and age go together....... causing brittle vacuum lines, leaky fuel injector seals, brittle electronic connection clips, brake master cylinder starts to leak.......... really nothing that can't be overcome with familiarity once you own one of these cars.

 

Service history is mandatory for belt and water pump maintenance, worst expense is the AFM see how many times on service history these have been replaced obviously if frequent changeovers stay clear. Engine is rock solid otherwise, turbo seems to last forever, any smell of fuel under the bonnet rectify immediately.

 

Leather faced seats become brittle and crack and will need repair, AM/FM radio often ends up with dry solder joints and stops working, if aircond blowing hot air you have leaky vacuum lines somewhere, rear tyre wear on the inside tread can require a good wheel alignment or saggy suspension and don't use directional tyres on the car or it will track undulations and curvature on the roads. Rear tail gate leaks water on opening hatch after rain and leaks onto the tools under the carpet and the hatch auto release cable which will rust and break if you don't keep it libricated so watch out. Auto is not robust and it is never happy in its match of gearing and engine performance but nice on o/drive.

Enclosed pics of cars I sold the red one in 2001 my son still owns his champagne car. Lynton