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1990s Nissan 300 z x as daily driver ?

roundhouse

roundhouse

Red Skull
Joined
Aug 7, 2020
Messages
44
Kinda looking for a car to replace the 2010 mini cooper that Mrs Roundhouse has been driving for tha last few years .

I just don’t have a good feeling about the mini lasting too much longer .

But I know nothing about the Nissan 300
How difficult it is to work on etc .

The mini is a giant pain in the ass to work on .
IMG_8224.jpeg
 
Assuming non-turbo, the engine is the VG30DE, which is a dual cam version of VG30E that was in 80's and 90's pickups and pathfinders and later turned in to the VG33E in the xterra and frontier. Same bottom end, just different heads and stuff.

Keep up with timing belts (either 60k or 105k, depending on the year) and it's a pretty bullet proof engine.

It'll get way ****tier mileage compared to the mini.
 
Looking at non turbo ones

We got
Two turbo cars in the fleet , 2010 mini and 88 Mitsubishi conquest .
Both of are always have a problem

The mitsu is fun when it runs right ,
It pulls like a V8 since it’s a three liter four cylinder with a small turbo .

But it’s got problems too in this thread
roundhouse

Post in thread 'Bent spark plug tips ?'

Ummduh said:
I've had a couple do that, it was always after completely missing the tune up. But this is far from stock stuff and on e85. Usually when i go to bend them back the strap is very soft too. The last time was after accidentally adding 7 degrees when I thought I had it setup to pull 7 degrees.
Click to expand...
Thought it might be pre ignition but nothings been changed



If I could talk the wife into a fox body mustang I’d be all
About that since they are easy to
Work on
 
I prefer Z31s but Z32s are ok. At this point it is cheaper to buy a 350z though. And a 350z would be more fun than a N/A Z32. You can get Z32 as 2+2 but all 2+2 are N/A from the factory.

Z32 even as a 2 seater has way more room than a 350z. 350z is probably about as fast as a stock Turbo. 350z is will handle better. Also 350z has timing chain and is still new enough to get parts for easily.
 
roundhouse said:
Looking at non turbo ones

We got
Two turbo cars in the fleet , 2010 mini and 88 Mitsubishi conquest .
Both of are always have a problem

The mitsu is fun when it runs right ,
It pulls like a V8 since it’s a three liter four cylinder with a small turbo .

But it’s got problems too in this thread
roundhouse

Post in thread 'Bent spark plug tips ?'

Ummduh said:
I've had a couple do that, it was always after completely missing the tune up. But this is far from stock stuff and on e85. Usually when i go to bend them back the strap is very soft too. The last time was after accidentally adding 7 degrees when I thought I had it setup to pull 7 degrees.
Click to expand...
Thought it might be pre ignition but nothings been changed



If I could talk the wife into a fox body mustang I’d be all
About that since they are easy to
Work on
Click to expand...
Buy my fox body Lincoln

Better than a mustang, just as easy to work on, cheaper price

$2.5k? $2k ? Cold A/C, runs, currently used as my dad's run about

1000004927.jpg
 
Provience said:
Buy my fox body Lincoln

Better than a mustang, just as easy to work on, cheaper price

$2.5k? $2k ? Cold A/C, runs, currently used as my dad's run about

1000004927.jpg
Click to expand...
That thing is :smokin:
I’d be interested if it was closer
 
You're saying I need to see if you're still in a selling mood when I do my end of the year Tejas trip?

Provience said:
Buy my fox body Lincoln

Better than a mustang, just as easy to work on, cheaper price

$2.5k? $2k ? Cold A/C, runs, currently used as my dad's run about

1000004927.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Just get a NB2 Miata. Super reliable and fun to drive and extremely easy to work on.

Motor swaps are simple. Start in the morning and drive it to lunch.
 
Kyle said:
Just get a NB2 Miata. Super reliable and fun to drive and extremely easy to work on.

Motor swaps are simple. Start in the morning and drive it to lunch.
Click to expand...
Yeah that’s in the list of possible replacements for
The Cooper

As is a late 90s Nissan 240 SX hatchback.

She almost bought one of those new , and wound up getting the Eagle Talon version of the Mitsubishi Eclipse .

Drove it for years till she got
Pregnant and it got replaced by a 92 Jeep Cherokee for
A family truckster
 
Worked with a guy that daily'd a non turbo from Pickerington to Hilliard, OH every day for a few years. It was 13 years ago, so it wasn't quite as old, but was still a relatively old car. It was a non-turbo, low mileage, cream puff, he inherited from his aunt if I remember correctly.

I don't recall him having any major issues. He eventually wound up in a Nissan Leaf lease to save on fuel and stop putting miles on it.
 
Bought it

I wasn’t really expecting her to like it , but she drove it and wanted it , said it reminded her of the eagle talon she bought new , but bigger and faster and more comfortable .

Seems like a solid car ,
180k on it

Didn’t blow any smoke in the exhaust or have any blow by when I removed the oil filler cap while it was running .

Still has the origional Jack and spare .
Cloth interior but it’s pristine .
IMG_1381.jpeg
IMG_8246.jpeg
IMG_8247.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Nice! Way better car than any DSM. Nissan did a better job on the 2+2 Z32s than any of their other 2+2s.

I would say if there is no history I would change the timing belt and everything else in there while you are at it if it hasn’t been done in the last 6years or 60,000 miles.

Good thing it is a 5 speed an automatic would be miserable.
 
KungFooMASTA said:
Nice! Way better car than any DSM. Nissan did a better job on the 2+2 Z32s than any of their other 2+2s.

I would say if there is no history I would change the timing belt and everything else in there while you are at it if it hasn’t been done in the last 6years or 60,000 miles.

Good thing it is a 5 speed an automatic would be miserable.
Click to expand...
She refuses to drive an automatic
 
Back when I first started going to Branson Z Fest most of us Z31 owners did not like most of the Z32 owners. They were the rich mommy/daddy money kids. The Z32 Bruhs. Now going to Zfest those types are the 370z kids. Just new enough to not be cheap. The 350z are now the cheap ones to get. When I was first going the Z31s were the cheap ones. Now there are not many Nice Z31 or Z32s left so those nicer ones bring more money than I ever have seen and seem to keep going up.

Gone are the days of buying sub $1000 Z cars that dont even have much wrong with them.
 
Looks a lot better than all the ones I looked at.

“Hey do you think you can fix this?”

It’s all half torn apart in their garage

no.

Something about exposed windings inside the injectors, ethanol fuel eats the copper. I don’t know. That may have only been the turbo models though.
 
Thatg9659 said:
Looks a lot better than all the ones I looked at.

“Hey do you think you can fix this?”

It’s all half torn apart in their garage

no.

Something about exposed windings inside the injectors, ethanol fuel eats the copper. I don’t know. That may have only been the turbo models though.
Click to expand...
I did not want a turbo

We have a turbo Mini Cooper and a turbo Mitsubishi Starion and they are both very high maintenance cars .


I think we paid too much but it was super clean , and the wife liked it , it’s gonna be her daily driver once we get new tires and new fluid in the transmission and axle , new tires , check the rubber hoses etc.
 
roundhouse said:
The mitsu is fun when it runs right ,
It pulls like a V8 since it’s a three liter four cylinder with a small turbo .
Click to expand...

Unless you did a swap or bored the hell out of it, that engine is a 2.6l four. I had a 1985 Starion ESI, with a bleeder valve in the wastegate actuator line. Beat up on a lot of GT mustangs and Z28's.
 
Roc Doc said:
Unless you did a swap or bored the hell out of it, that engine is a 2.6l four. I had a 1985 Starion ESI, with a bleeder valve in the wastegate actuator line. Beat up on a lot of GT mustangs and Z28's.
Click to expand...
Yeah I think I posted the wrong size earlier
 
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