marooned

Are they really as unreliable as I've read? I've heard of things like the turbos going after only 60k miles and that they cost over 2 grand just to rebuild. Timing belt costing 500 bucks and while you're in there a host of other things should be replaced as well. I was thinking of trading in the S2 for one but from what I've read up on them, they sound a lot less reliable than my 944 has been. Having put over 8 grand in less than a year, I consider this to be excessive. Any info on the topic would be greatly appreciated.

P.S I apologize for the lack of P car content, I just noticed a little while back that several list members have owned these cars. Thanks

Devildog2067

Are they twin turbos like the 911TTs, or are they (seems more likely since they're Japanese cars) sequential twins? Sequential twin turbos have ridiculously complicated underhood plumbing. I can see why they'd be expensive to work on.

Also, 300s are so heavy. If you want a GT car, why don't you buy a nice 928?

marooned

Not sure about the Turbo part, I think they may be sequential though. I don't want a GT car per say. I just want a car that is more reliable than what I've got, and can be made to go fast if their is such a thing :/

Devildog2067

Sure is. It's called the 2002 BMW M5. Even has a real backseat. Yours for only $75,000...

marooned

Yeah I've dreamt of owning one.. not an M5 but an M3. Maybe that would be the best thing to do. I think I rushed into getting my S2 and I don't want to rush into another car

scular

The 300z TT is an awsome car, but the engine bay is so packed to change a pcv valve it takes about 1 hour. The parts are comparable to the Porsches, in price. They like any other car are reliable until you start modding and racing them, or you just get stuck with a lemmon.

My choice if I were you and had the money would be to keep your car and get another car to use a daily driver or racer.

Robby

300ZX TT's are heavy- that's my only gripe. I've ridden in several though, and they are pretty nice, and can be made really fast. They have that all wheel steering too, which some like and some don't. BTW, the 928's weigh about the same as the 300's. The 928's are generally around 3650lbs when referring to S4's, GT's, etc- I'm not sure about the older one's, but they can't be too much lighter...

Ethan

You sure they have all wheel steering? Ive never seen that. I didnt think they did, unlike the stealths, and 3000GTs.

Steve Cooper

double post, oops

Steve Cooper

A pair of close firends, motorcycle buddies that I ride with in the Santa Cruz mountains have 300ZX Twin Turbos. Like the 951, these cars have a lot of horswepower for the money. But according to one of the buds, performance mods are pretty expensive compared to what we see. And a full exhaust is pretty much the first requirement to get more power out of the system.

We popped open hoods last Wednesday night after a few adult beverages and compared. The plumbing, the access, the user serviceability on the ZX TT is non-existent. Changing plugs is a multi hour chore. The air filter requires as many panels to be removed as it would take in my 951 to pull the intercooler. Oil changes are a dealer affair.

I think if working in the engine doesn't matter to you, these cars are powerful, have lots of options and I personally think they look good. And they do have all wheel steering.

But they don't work for me. Too tight in the engine, too tight in the seat. My 6'4" 205 lbs frame doesn't cut it in the 300ZXX cockpit.

Cheers,

Wachuko

Completely agree with Steve Cooper's comments.

Turbos are not sequential, there is one for each bank of cylinders with separate intercoolers.

No space anywhere to even stick your hand in. Repairs are expensive and there a lot of lemons out there due to people making modifications to the car and running into problems that are very hard to diagnose.

But I still like the car and miss mine.

Ahmet

The turbos on a 300zx twin turbo are not sequential, they're parallel turbos, similar to 911tts'.

I think an S2 (944) could be very reliable, and I also think $8k on an 8v 944 in one year is outrageous, regardless of what you spent the money on. I've had my 944 (84) for over 3 years, and 65k miles and I don't have anywhere near 8k in repairs. They can be cheap and reliable, if you start with the right car, and do the maintenance.
Ahmet

Luke

The "super Hicus" (all wheel steering) was an option on the late generation 300z cars. I read most of them dont want that option. To fussy to maintain. That's a strong motor though! There are a couple guys on the 300z.uk board that make 500 wheel hp on stock bottom ends!

marooned

Ahmet, the 8k was for my S2. I think I had really poor luck though. I had to put in a clutch right away, one of my camshafts went and so on and so forth. I was expecting a certain amount of work to be done on the car but not what I had to do..

stupenal

there was a magazine publication article (either C&D or R&T) that compared the 89 951 with the 1990 300zx TT. With the same drivers, they said that the performance was pretty much the same since the hp/weight ratio is very close. Handling was the same too. Big difference is that the new car price was advantageous towards the 300zx. Also, reliability and durability was not tested (cuz they were new of course!). I think Ribs has the scanned article on his website. Pretty interesting read.