1987 300zx Owner-To-Be

Hey there... I'm considering 300zx 1987 needs some work (paint, tuneup, tires)as expected nothing major I hope. Stock car NA 5sp friend current owner says security system drains battery and some kind of problem with air conditioner vents. No OEM stereo, cheap one installed. asking 2000. Before paying price I decided to drop a line here to see reaction and comments. Always loved these cars brother had two in the past 78 79 one with v8 no longer has them. My backgrond sport car last one 1996 avenger se and current ranger 01 xlt 2wd need toy for spare time. Neighboor has 90-96 cannot afford at this time maybe future. want to work on car little by little, Can I have some advice as far as where to start or what to look in the car before buying. Comments advice welcome thanks Owner-to-be

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This is a good guide on what to look for on a Z31 (84-89 300ZX). Also check out the FAQ pages there - the best site for these cars!

These are great cars, but have a limited market. Don't expect to be able to fix it up and sell it for a very high price. But that's ok, they are so much fun to drive. These are "real" cars with rear wheel drive.

If you want to go fast - get a turbo model (you can also change a NA to turbo fairly cheap, but requires work). Clean turbo models take a little more time to find.

A common problem is vacuum leaks that can cause the AC problem that you mention (could also be more to it).

Make a list of whats wrong with it and add up the cost to fix it up and see if it makes sense to you.

Be patient when shopping for a Z. Good ones become available all the time so don't settle for something that will be a major headache.

Good Luck, steve