Couple of points. The Super HICAS rear steering was used to stabilise the car under cornering to balance out understeer and oversteer. Its the same rear axle as the R32 GTRs. The rear wheels only rotate a degree or two, so doesn't reduce turning circle. They are known for being quite complex to work on (have driven quite a few and owned two of them), and that is true. Very little space in the engine bay, and have a very complex induction system prone to vacuum system leaks, causing rough running. They came in several different body types, the 2+2 LWB (per the one tested here) a 2 seater SWB, with and without the T-top and SWB full convertible. In addition they also came with a normally aspirated engine as well as the twin Turbo (depending on the spec) but were never sold in the UK. The UK market models had a number of other changes over the Japanese or US market models. I drove the 300GT, the Supra, the RX-7 and the 300ZX extensively and I have to say the best was the RX-7 (but very fragile). The 300GT was a cruiser, four wheel drive and very heavy. Between the 300ZX and the Supra I preferred the 300ZX (just). Massively under-rated car overall.
2+2s are gross. 🤮 I had a 1991 5 speed NA coupe, black with peanut butter guts. Dropped in Eibachs, KYBs all around, twin turbo sway bars, on 17x7.5s. I still dream about it.
The best looking Nissan Z car ever made. Just stunning. Even 30+ years on. If they were to start building these again with minor changes and modern upgrades, it would still sell. A car ahead of its time. Oh, and this was not a competitor to Ferrari. Porsche 944 maybe, Mazda RX 7, Mitsubishi 3000gt, Mustang and Camaro here in the States.
I own a 1990 300zxtt black/black leather interior 2-seater. This car is fun to drive without going to extremes. Quite comfortable and gets more thumbs up recently. people are starting to recognize how unique this car is. bonus is how reliable it has been considering it will soon be 35years old. i am glad you like it
Hey Jack! As someone who has owned a few of these as well as many other JDM classics, I feel qualified to say that despite their flaws, the Z32’s have stood up extremely well. They’re playful, easy to work on by modern standards, well made, and comfortable. What made them undesirable to most was the fact that the engines are apparently “difficult to work on.” By 1989 standards, they definitely were - compare a D-Series Honda Inline 4 with a VG30DETT and it’s night and day torture. But by today’s standards, they’re no harder to work on than a base BMW E90 N-Series engine. What made them bad was bad owners who repaired them with poor repairs, cheap parts (for what would be a £60,000 car in todays money) and a lack of technical understanding for how they were made and engineered. Overall, I rate the Z32 10/10 personally. Such a beautiful, underrated sports car.
Twenty years ago I owned a 300 ZX TT 2 seater imported from Japan. Only cost £5000. It had custom suspension springs. Had a firm ride but because it was Japanese quality the feel was tight and not a rattling box of parts. Acceleration was amazing. Deaccelerating with standard brakes was not great. I had Falken 451 tyres fitted which made a huge difference to handling which was never wobbly. I loved every minute I owned it. A wonderful cruiser. Up until the moment one of the turbos blew. I have not driven a lot of cars but my 300 ZX TT was a fair lady. Which was its name in Japan.
Never in a million years was the 300ZX a wannabe Ferrari. Its competitors were the Supra, GTO and so on. Great car and it's never been pretending to be something it's not.
Agree. They were competing against the local competition, who were all making a giant leap forwards. I had a 1jz JZA70 which blew me away for an “old” car. People do need to remember that these are not sports cars but GT cars, with enough power to close the gap on sportier competition.
Still own my 93 TTZ. I remember seeing several of these everyday in CA even in late 00s. Now almost impossible to spot one. I see alone or two a year. Love this thing!
I loved these when they came out! Much quicker than they felt but I couldn't give you any 0-60 times or top speed quotes, what I do remember is that compared to my 2nd gen Supra it was infinitely more comfortable, as well as stable feeling. It was an instant confidence builder of a car and even with 300hp and the stock exhaust it sounded the business! Great review Jack, thanks as always for your efforts, and for the gentleman who lent you this car!! How goes the Pantera?!?
Just what I came here to say. From what I heard, the 4ws is not very reliable either, but it's hard to say since almost everyone just delete it even before it has a chance to fail.
I had one for 7 years. One if the very best cars I had. Very reliable indeed. It had the two tiny turbos replaced with one large diameter turbo. Manual gearbox too which only about 10% of them had. 360hp on a rolling road. In the early 90's living in rural NZ you could drive fast. I would buy one again now. They are very well made inside and outside. You can sharpen up the steering response by a wheel alignment variation. The brakes need upgrading they are 1800kg and really need wider wheels and bigger brakes. So good on a long trip!! The engines are very tunable 700hp and more.
Interior boring cause grey and black? These are the same idiots praising German cars that have the most boring interior ever with just everything plain black. 🤦🏻♂️
I agree completely. I don't get why 90s Japanese cars have such a bad rep for their interiors when they're far more pleasant than all the modern German nonsense
Because those so called journalists are racists and they suffer from this disease called superiority complex. A Japanese car 20 times better will always be picked on fire all sorts of things, while a leaky, unreliable German one will be presented as a gift to the mankind. They get so overexcited about an Aston or Jaguar as if they are about to collapse! This Nissan is a beautiful car inside and out. Very futuristic too.
Hard to believe motoring journos were that impressed by a bit of wood in a Mercedes. That said, interiors from that time were nice - check out a Jag from that time.
Loved my 300ZX, the looks, the technology, the roof but not the repair costs. The tail tried to overtake me sometimes when I put power down in sharp bends/roundabouts. The review is pretty spot on and I really should have kept it as it's appreciated in value since.
I never owned one, but a friend did back in the day. We took a road trip across most of the US in his new car and it was superb. Again, compared to the little countries in Europe, the US and Canada cry out for cars that can do a thousand miles per day if desired without breaking down, overheating, etc. This filled that bill and was very, very comfortable for long distances.
@@AutoAndChill Here in Texas, larger than France, it's big pickups that dominate car sales. Hard to see around, hard to park, but people feel boss driving them. Massive waste of resources; Trump supporters love them.
These are so, soooooo underrated! I had one 18-20 years ago. A Japanese grey import in fantastic condition......blue with blue leather. Mine also came with the fabric on the doors and lower dash. For me, the only downside was mine was an auto....the 4-speed really hampered the fun factor. For me, this was the best looking of the Japanese coupes (Mk4 Supra, Mitsubishi 3000 GT, Mazda RX7). I have a theory that because these didn't feature in the Fast and Furious franchise, they were soon deemed not as desirable, so the fell by the wayside. I can't recall seeing one on the road for years, although there was one quite close to where I live up on jackstands for almost a year, looking very sorry for itself before that disappeared too! Great to see one being reviewed though, thank you!
One of the best features I love about this era of car is the swooping dash. Just look at how that centre consol comes down toward the gear gaiter. If you look at the Honda NSX the same design concept. Beautiful.
In your retrospective you missed a car. Between the 280Z and the 300ZX there was the 280ZX. They are often confused, but they were very different cars. The 280Z was a continuation of the original S30 chassis but with the bigger and heavier 2.8 litre motor and which continued the option available from the 260Z of being available in a 2 seater and a 2+2 seater version. The two seater 280Z was actually a very good car as was small and nimble with more power. However export versions were predominately 2+2 which was not as good, at least in terms of being a purpose built sports car. A 2 seater 280Z was a very good car which had better interior quality and whose extra power more than compensated for the slight increase in weight The 280ZX was a new second generation with the only thing carried over being the 5 speed transmission. This however was aimed at a more upmarket sector and the addition of the "X" to the name signified "Luxury". In Japan it was available as a 2 seater and a 2+2 but for export markets was predominately the fatter heavier 2+2 version. It was a real sword of Damocles car though as it was very popular in America and attracted a number of new buyers who loved it but also lost most of the goodwill from the lovers of the original who disliked its new GT focus as opposed to the rawness of the original. The 280ZX was popular car but it fundamentally changed the image and the subsequent 300ZX did nothing to bring back fans or the original S30 cars and of course it was up against the 944 range against which it was found wanting.
The 280ZX carried over the L-series inline six as well as the transmission, from the S30 series of cars, as well as the differential. The L28 is only marginally heavier than the L24 due to longer crank throws. Aside from that it was a completely new design. Even the rear suspension was based on the 810 (200B here in Australia, Maxima in USA) not the arguably superior first generation setup. The first 300ZX was based on the 280ZX albeit with a V6 in place of the I6. As an owner of a S30 260Z for over 25 years, and having driven both the 280ZX and 300ZX, they are a far inferior car dynamically, but far superior as a GT. I think the Z32 does a good job of being superior in both respects.
Interesting to see a Turbo in 2+2 configuration. The turbo was only available in the US as a strict 2 seater. The 2+2 was actually a stretched chassis, having a longer wheelbase than the 2 seater. The car was a twin turbo, but they are both the same turbo size, attached to one bank of cylinders each. So it's not a sequential system with a smaller and larger turbo like that of the contemporary Rx-7 or Supra. Both turbos should come on at the same time.
I thought it was the opposite ? I only ever saw 2 seaters as non turbo versions (unless they were swaped), and all came from the US. And 2+2 came as both, at least in Europe (but we never got the 2 seater version here). The holy grail being a US 2 seater swaped with a turbo engine/GB, iirc it's around 100kg lighter.
I think VG30 is an underrated engine. Many Nissan engines of that era were probably the best. The vg30dett, rb26/25, CA18 ... all iron block aluminum head design, square / oversquare, liked boost. And that soft chassis feel / turn in could be corrected with the boat load of aftermarket support for not much money. Z32 was a great car and worth the money as a modern classic.
I suppose engines are so bad now because no real development is being done, they're just being phased out so no one is bothering to make them reliable or economical any more. We've gone backwards.
I had the non-turbo 300ZX from 1992. It really was one of my favorite cars, so much so, that I ended up buying the 350z track version when that came out. I would love to purchase these cars again, for sentimental reasons, but it's nearly impossible to find one that hasn't been modified and ruined. At least here in the States. Great video, Jack. Thanks for always getting the interesting cars. ✌️
No puzzle, over engineered, difficult to service and expensive to build. Also the Supra was the comp... BUT.....One of the coolest cars and looks ever. one of my favorites. Awesome stuff brother!
The 240, 260 & 280 were all good models: in fact, they were only slight variations of the original 240z It was actually the 280zX (and later models) which became a boulevard cruiser or a "Japanese Buick"
Sadly, I've never driven a 240 but I currently have a '77 280Z in maligned 2+2 form and it's a blast to drive. Maybe I'm only comparing it to the modern cars, which tend to be sterile and boring. Maybe a 240Z would dwarf it for fun but it's hard to see it being that much more of a raw or sporty experience.
Great review - If I had the garage space I'd certanly consider a 300ZX, styling and interior sweeter than the 350/370Z. R.E. Comparisons - In 1990 the Mk4 Supra was not yet available, top Toyota in the UK would have been the MK3 Supra Turbo. That put out 230hp - so the 300ZX would have been a big step up in power.
Greaat video! Love that car! I think its worth noting that these cars have a twin turbo setup, and that means both turbos work at the same time, as opposed to the sequential setup that you described.
I can answer with my experience as a ‘90s kid. When I was at uni, one of the professors had a black 300ZX Turbo, another one had a Maserati 4.24V saloon. We can argue that the ZX was better in every way, but every time the Maserati V6 roared to life, everyone turned their head and looked at the plush white leather and walnut interior and that trident grille. The Maser screamed Italian old school emotions, the ZX was just a soulless speed machine.
When I bought my 1998 Nissan 240SX off the showroom floor, there was a 300ZX. The ZX had a $34,000 MSRP. My 240 had a $24,000 MSRP. $24,000 I could not afford. It was on sale for $17,998. Nissan did a great job with the cloth interiors. I wish mfg's brought back the good cloth.
A friend owns a 1989 300ZX, it's been sitting for 6 mths due to a leaking fuel line, problem is no one wants to touch it because they are very difficult to work on, their lack of "love" is mostly down to their under bonnet access difficulty. The 240Z was much loved and one of the reasons for that was its simplicity, it was very easy to work on, the 300ZX is the opposite. Friends car also has a faulty heater core, it would cost almost more than the car is worth to replace it so the hoses are sealed at the engine and its not much fun in the winter.
I’ve always loved these, from every angle. One of the few cars that has great headlights, great taillights, a great side profile, a cool roof that opens up and a classy, functional interior. They did such a nice job on these. Look at how much light there is in that cabin, it’s an actual greenhouse; what a nice place to be in daytime or night.
I have owned and driven many sports cars . STI, Porsche 911, BMW, but I have owned not one but a total of Three 300zx cars . My first Z was a 1996 NA , 5 speed . Drove itcto 166K mikes sold it in 2002 . Later I bought another 1996 300zx in 2009 , drove it upto 160k mikes and sold it in 2021. In 2023 , i got my third 300ZX, 1990 TT , 5 speed and it had 49k miles, plan to put another 100k miles with a lot of Smiles :)
I had one of these for 15 years - hugely under rated and IMO, a better looking and more exclusive car that the other obvious car in Nissan's stable that always overshadows it. A more engaging and precise drive also than the GTO and supremely comfortable. I drove it all over Europe and it was super reliable. Ownership of this took me to Z events all over the US and Europe. I even met the designer at a Z Convention in Dallas, one Toshio Yamashita who gave a wonderful presentation on his styling of the car. Sadly many were ruined with the most horrendous bodykits which always made the cars look worse than their beautiful origins. People are starting to restore these now and there are some nice, but still hard to find examples out there. Mild boost upgrades really transforms the power and response. HICAS does not operate at parking speed, it just has a great turning circle for the type of car it is. Ian Callum actually used the proportions of the 300zx as the inspiration for the beautiful DB7, something I was surprised but please to see during his presentation at the last Aston Martin Heritage Festival.
I remember seeing an ice blue 300 the first time I seen this model in 90. I just remember thinking how futuristic it looked and it was gorgeous! Then a buddy got one in period and I got to ride around in it. It got allot of attention that’s for sure. Then the Twin turbo came out and another buddy got a pearl white TT with gold BBS wheels and that would shut down the parking lot car meets every time! Love em!
I remember at the time thinking these were stunning to look at, I think they have aged very well, it still looks awesome. This one sounds lovely too. Brilliant review, thank you!
This car is an example of 1990s cars having such understated sleek styling. So much purer than anything out there now. I think higher door lines due to legislation these days are one of the reasons. The interior layout reminds me of the Honda NSX
The 300Z is the only Japanese car i've ever driven.Had taken my Thunderbird in for some engine and exhaust upgrades and needed a temp car to use whilst it was being worked on.As the shop was attached to a used car lot i had my choice of used cars to drive,i chose the 300Z they had on the lot.I'm 6'3" so it was snug but not too bad,but it was a brilliant car and i'm glad i had a chance with it.
This has always been my favorite JDM car, perhaps the RX-7 is my second, with all others not even making my list. I've had 2 of these and tried to wire money to a HK seller of a yellow 1999 R spec but they backed out 😢 I have a garage full of nearly $12k n NOS rare JDM Z32 parts. They are a nightmare to do major servicing on those, but easier once you've done it.
Miss mine, had forged pistons and rods, 18psi boost on bigger turbos, 400hp on the Dyno at Noble in chesterfield. Was a nice quick car at 320hp at 12psi At 18psi it was a rocket 🚀
In my early years, this was my dream car. I've always seen it as a long distance GT and never thought of comparing it to a Ferrari. I found its shape beautiful, a pinnacle of Japanese design. Meanwhile, this particular example is a bit watered down by its red paint, aftermarket wheels and that giant spoiler at its back. As far as I can remember, the standard one was much more discreet, improving rather than spoiling its shape.
Yet another car I owned when they were worth next to nothing, think I paid 3 grand for mine, an h reg in black. You were saying the 2nd turbo comes in at 4000 rpm but they weren't sequential turbos, it was 2 the same, one for each bank of the v6. Love the look of them and easy to bump the boost up a bit and make it a pretty quick car.
I borrowed my mates 300ZX for a couple of months about 10 years ago. What a machine. Super reliable, great performance, comfortable enough and an all round good car.
The interior "Sea of Black and Grey" is of course one of the ways that this DAILY USABLE, 300 Horse-POWER Sports-car - Managed to be SO Affordable and SO Pracrical !
Gorgeous. Doesn't really look like anything else. Always liked them. Be a brilliant GT. A really nice one here in NZ around $NZ30K, but very nice ones can be found for under 20K, so now I'm thinking..... :)
One of my all time favourites! What a car! Felt so bad when Hammond had one on Top Gear and didn't get the love it deserved. And how could they throw out that roof panel?!?! Thanks for yet another great car and video Jack. Greetings from the Netherlands
Having owned a Ferrari 308, Porsche 928 and the 300ZX I can honestly say the ZX was the easiest to drive and more comfortable than both the Porsche and Ferrari. Yes the other 2 were more powerful especially the 928 but I could drive the ZX for a 1000kms and feel refreshed. The other 2 I would need a chiropractor at the end of 1000kms. Have been thinking of getting another ZX recently and this video has spurred me on to find one.
I had one as a toy car when I was little, I received it as a gift..... By chance, it also was red 😄 It was a high quality one made in Hong-Kong, all in metal with very fine details. ..I absolutely loved it, unfortunately I never knew even the model name, all that it had proudly written on its bottom was "Nissan" When one day I lost it.... What a tragedy that was for me 😅 Now it's the first time in years I got reminded of it, what a joy to see it in real, and to find the model name 😊 ... My dream was not in vain.... I love it ... 😁
I had a 2+2 NA. Still miss that car. They are so good. Hard to work on, immpossible not to get bloody knuckles in that tightly packed engine bay. But once you get them sorted they are quite reliable, and after 200k miles, still tight as a drum.
Thanks for another great video. I get that the Z31 is "unloved" by the general public, but I have owned a few of them, did a LOT of driving in two of them, and they hold a special place in my heart. I never felt like any of them were "underpowered" but I think people of my generation have a different perspective on that. My '85 Turbo was undoubtedly the most fun but it demanded respect with its "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde" turbo boost delivery and wild camber changes from the rear suspension. I mean with a hack-saw and some plumbing parts you could make a T3/T4 turbo Z31 put down 12 second 1/4 mile times which was impressive for that time. I was not into drag racing but that car surprised plenty of people. Sure I did need to swap out three sets of rear tyres for every set of front but all of those carcasses died in the name of fun. I also remembering some maniac with a modded '84 Turbo being one of the absolutely fastest at Thunderhill ages ago. I test drove three US spec Z32TT's in the hopes of buying one but was never able to make that happen. It was very easy to see and feel that this was a completely different animal. I wish I would have had that experience but the costs and work involved (look up a timing belt job on a VG30DETT) were more than I could take at the time. The Z31, with all of its flaws, was a much simpler and more accessible device. I miss the days when I could find one lurking in the shadows, take it home for a couple hundred $$, rejuvenate it and sell it to fund the one that was more fun. I did that three times.
I've ALWAYS loved those 300ZX, they're a good looking car. Once whilst driving through Stevenage I even saw a dark metallic grey ZX with a full Veil side body kit (yeah, remember those?) and it looked MEAN! 😏👍 😎🇬🇧
I owned on of these (in black) and we absolutely loved it. It was, as you've said, very stable and a wonderful GT, if not a full out "sports car" - but sport"y" as all hell. I will say that as a home mechanic, the engine compartment was kind of a nightmare (you had to remove the upper intake manifold just to change the spark plugs) and doing anything with or around the turbos was NOT fun. What did mine in was a coolant leak that led to two blow head gaskets ... and then it sat for a while and the rocker panels rusted badly sitting on a concrete pad. It will always be, for me, one of the ones that "got away" 😓
Thanks Jack🙏🙏 , got some room in there to! It just had too many competitors at the time, without having the extra performance that would make it truly stand out.
I had a 240z Samurai in the late 80's. It had the triple Webber's, bigger cam exhaust etc, it was extremely quick, the induction sound from the carbs was amazing😂. It was a b**tasd to start on a cold morning, I had to spray WD-40 down the carbs. I put a starter button under the bonnet 😂😂. Black with Wolfrace wheels. Keep the vids coming Jack! I really enjoy your enthusiasm 😂😂 .
A buddy of mine in law school had a 300zx in '90 or '91 -- also red. I thought then and still think it is a totally awesome car! The seating was so low. A gorgeous shape. Power was amazing. I'm surprised #27 said the ride was soft. What I most remember about the car is that it had an almost rock hard suspension; I still remember thinking it rode like a buckboard. Thanks for the review!
Wonderful cars. Test drove the 300Z, not the more powerful ZX and the hi-cas steering was a different experience. At the time, very lust worthy. Pricey in today's dollars. Gorgeous and fresh design. These were gong for only $10K for a good example just a few years back,, no doubt twice that now at least.
Thanks for this video! Great assessment of one of the best looking cars of the 1990s. My metal work teacher made a 700 bhp turbocharged space frame dirt speedway racer 300ZX.
I sold those new in Seattle. they were fantastic cars. smooth and fast. easy to drive fast. the non turbo non ttop car was steal. very well built cars for the price range. and they were twin turbos. not sequential like on a rotary or an inline engine.
Never noticed you use the same road as Harry's Garage. Always loved the Z32, just missed buying one a few hours ago on Cars and Bids. As Tony would say... they're GREAT!
I bought one new while living in Switzerland , i was about 26/27 ,It was grey with leather , I remember driving on the motorway open top one summer and it wasnt until i stopped i could feel the sunburn on my forehead. I loved the switches and its look ,however i had to send it back twice to the dealer with brake shudder due to warped discs.. it was certainly not a sportscar but a good GT car.. i kept it for about 18 months.. lost a fortune and i remember no garage would take it as part ex for a NSX ! .. a couple of years later i did buy a NSX and the driving experience was like night and day.
The 300zx is such a great car, especially considering its age. Mine has the leather interior and the lower half is made of suede, which is a very nice touch.
Thank's for this one Jack. I personally always prefered these to their contemporaries, and particularly now, their GT car nature would make them a great usable modern classic...dream...one day. Cheers!
I'd love to test drive one of these. It basically picks up where my 91 Supra saw the writing on the wall. All the specs and features really make it feel like a smaller brother to a Mitsubishi 3000GT / GTO. The look of it really reminds me of a blend between Opel Calibra and a late Lotus Esprit.
Always loved these and crossed my mind to get one a few times. At first I really couldn’t have afforded to run one, even if I could have bought one. By the time I could afford one I figured they were probably too old and I went for something else….including an HR engined 350Z. The wheel and exhaust mods on that one look great and it’s a really special thing. Great vid.
In my opinion, this car was excellent in the looks department, wouldn't change a thing and I agree with you on the interior as well, AND T-Tops! it works.
I think these are massively overlooked. A family friend chose one of these to buy when he lived in Japan back in the very early Nineties. He still has it and bought it back to the UK where he now lives. Owned from new, but his is an auto with the same cloth interior as this one. Barely any miles driven in it as the thing has been off the road and garaged for donkeys years. Always thought they were really cool and a bit rare groove. Never driven one unfortunately.
You woulldn't know this (well, maybe) but the 300 Z was the subject of the greatest car commercial ever made. It featured a toy 300 Z being driven by a Ken-like doll racing around a house and stealing Barbie from Ken, all to the sound of Van Halen's cover of You Really Got Me. Personally I had a Plymouth Laser Turbo (same as the Mitsubishi Eclipse), as the Z was a bit pricey for me. That was a really good car.
Around 10 years ago I had both the ZX300 and GTO which were 1990/91 models and both naturally aspirated. I put them both up forsale and whichever one I was left with would be the one that I kept. The ZX romped away leaving me with the Mitsubishi. Kept that car for a few years before moving it on as it was getting ready for front and rear main crank oil seals, plus it was terribly thirsty. But a great fun car to drive and always got plenty of looks. Not particularly quick compared to modern cars, but definitely had some fun factor. It was also AWD with 4 wheel steer and an auto. Even today both cars don't look old fashioned, they have stood the test of time really well which is a testament to their design teams.
Couple of points. The Super HICAS rear steering was used to stabilise the car under cornering to balance out understeer and oversteer. Its the same rear axle as the R32 GTRs. The rear wheels only rotate a degree or two, so doesn't reduce turning circle. They are known for being quite complex to work on (have driven quite a few and owned two of them), and that is true. Very little space in the engine bay, and have a very complex induction system prone to vacuum system leaks, causing rough running. They came in several different body types, the 2+2 LWB (per the one tested here) a 2 seater SWB, with and without the T-top and SWB full convertible.
In addition they also came with a normally aspirated engine as well as the twin Turbo (depending on the spec) but were never sold in the UK.
The UK market models had a number of other changes over the Japanese or US market models.
I drove the 300GT, the Supra, the RX-7 and the 300ZX extensively and I have to say the best was the RX-7 (but very fragile). The 300GT was a cruiser, four wheel drive and very heavy. Between the 300ZX and the Supra I preferred the 300ZX (just).
Massively under-rated car overall.
2+2s are gross. 🤮 I had a 1991 5 speed NA coupe, black with peanut butter guts. Dropped in Eibachs, KYBs all around, twin turbo sway bars, on 17x7.5s. I still dream about it.
Ironic note on the NA not being sold in the UK, here in Australia ONLY the NA was sold. All Twin Turbos (of which I owned) here, are Japanese imports.
@@JoshJones-37334SWB certainly a lot more lively than the LWB but preferred the LWB on longer journeys. Both rusted Nissan style.
@@JoshJones-37334 diasgree i think the shortys are naff ....lwb tt with the wider rear wheels like i had was da bomb
@@martinparker9249 eat more limes
This is by far the most beautiful car Nissan has ever built!
About the price: in 1995 this car cost 100000 DM in Germany, which was really expensive.
Wow, danke für die Info. Wusste nicht, dass die so teuer waren.
@@Krezo200 Ich mußte auch Google fragen.
It was boring looking and very expensive for what it was.
You ever seen one with a Veilside body kit? Menacing! 😏👍 😎🇬🇧
Erm….any Vision Express branches down your way?
Probably one of my favourite Nissan’s ever made❤️
Silvia or 200 and 32 gtr..
@@gregorizi 200 sx was a fantastic car too✊🏻
Maybe you can find a decent road instead a melancholic countryside path in order to make real analysis
The best looking Nissan Z car ever made. Just stunning. Even 30+ years on. If they were to start building these again with minor changes and modern upgrades, it would still sell. A car ahead of its time. Oh, and this was not a competitor to Ferrari. Porsche 944 maybe, Mazda RX 7, Mitsubishi 3000gt, Mustang and Camaro here in the States.
Totally agree
From a time when Japan waived the rules and created so many fabulously stunning, world beating automotive icons.
Had to read that one twice. Waived the rules? xD
I own a 1990 300zxtt black/black leather interior 2-seater. This car is fun to drive without going to extremes. Quite comfortable and gets more thumbs up recently. people are starting to recognize how unique this car is. bonus is how reliable it has been considering it will soon be 35years old. i am glad you like it
I have a 1990 TT that I just got running recently and it’s a blast to drive
I had a 1990 300ZX, it was my daily driver for 16 years. Most comfortable car I’ve ever owned.
Hey Jack! As someone who has owned a few of these as well as many other JDM classics, I feel qualified to say that despite their flaws, the Z32’s have stood up extremely well. They’re playful, easy to work on by modern standards, well made, and comfortable.
What made them undesirable to most was the fact that the engines are apparently “difficult to work on.” By 1989 standards, they definitely were - compare a D-Series Honda Inline 4 with a VG30DETT and it’s night and day torture. But by today’s standards, they’re no harder to work on than a base BMW E90 N-Series engine.
What made them bad was bad owners who repaired them with poor repairs, cheap parts (for what would be a £60,000 car in todays money) and a lack of technical understanding for how they were made and engineered.
Overall, I rate the Z32 10/10 personally. Such a beautiful, underrated sports car.
Indeed. The Z32 was not intended to be a cheap car for cheap people.
Twenty years ago I owned a 300 ZX TT 2 seater imported from Japan. Only cost £5000. It had custom suspension springs. Had a firm ride but because it was Japanese quality the feel was tight and not a rattling box of parts. Acceleration was amazing. Deaccelerating with standard brakes was not great. I had Falken 451 tyres fitted which made a huge difference to handling which was never wobbly. I loved every minute I owned it. A wonderful cruiser. Up until the moment one of the turbos blew. I have not driven a lot of cars but my 300 ZX TT was a fair lady. Which was its name in Japan.
Ridley Scott made a great US ad for this. Wish they still made adverts and cars like they used to!
For me ZX is nissan's bmw 850, rear end still look futuristic
couldnt agree more :)
Never in a million years was the 300ZX a wannabe Ferrari. Its competitors were the Supra, GTO and so on. Great car and it's never been pretending to be something it's not.
I always thought 944/968 and RX-7 were its most obvious competitors.
I had a 968 and loved it, but I bet this Z is just as nice to drive and own.
Yes, you are right ; nor in styling nor in any other marketing attempt, Ferrari was a target.
In hindsight, it's probably more like the Japanese Jaguar.
Agree. They were competing against the local competition, who were all making a giant leap forwards. I had a 1jz JZA70 which blew me away for an “old” car.
People do need to remember that these are not sports cars but GT cars, with enough power to close the gap on sportier competition.
Nissan produced a factory turbo 300ZX that was as fast as a Ferrari 348. But it could be tuned to reliably produce *double *the Ferrari's power.
Still own my 93 TTZ. I remember seeing several of these everyday in CA even in late 00s. Now almost impossible to spot one. I see alone or two a year. Love this thing!
There’s a twin turbo z32 auto at the Stockton UPull-It lol. $5500 last month from what I remember
I loved these when they came out! Much quicker than they felt but I couldn't give you any 0-60 times or top speed quotes, what I do remember is that compared to my 2nd gen Supra it was infinitely more comfortable, as well as stable feeling. It was an instant confidence builder of a car and even with 300hp and the stock exhaust it sounded the business! Great review Jack, thanks as always for your efforts, and for the gentleman who lent you this car!! How goes the Pantera?!?
"The proof of the pudding is in the eating" is the original saying.
Great channel, never miss an episode. Keeps improving. Excellent.
6.00 I suppose you feel the start and built-up of the boost, the engine does not have sequential, but has a parallel turbo set up.
Yes. Jack needs more turbo experience. Boost starting to build at 2ish. Full boost at 4.😂
Just what I came here to say.
From what I heard, the 4ws is not very reliable either, but it's hard to say since almost everyone just delete it even before it has a chance to fail.
I had one for 7 years. One if the very best cars I had. Very reliable indeed. It had the two tiny turbos replaced with one large diameter turbo. Manual gearbox too which only about 10% of them had. 360hp on a rolling road. In the early 90's living in rural NZ you could drive fast. I would buy one again now. They are very well made inside and outside. You can sharpen up the steering response by a wheel alignment variation. The brakes need upgrading they are 1800kg and really need wider wheels and bigger brakes. So good on a long trip!! The engines are very tunable 700hp and more.
Sequential would of been better.
Interior boring cause grey and black? These are the same idiots praising German cars that have the most boring interior ever with just everything plain black. 🤦🏻♂️
I agree completely. I don't get why 90s Japanese cars have such a bad rep for their interiors when they're far more pleasant than all the modern German nonsense
Because those so called journalists are racists and they suffer from this disease called superiority complex.
A Japanese car 20 times better will always be picked on fire all sorts of things, while a leaky, unreliable German one will be presented as a gift to the mankind. They get so overexcited about an Aston or Jaguar as if they are about to collapse!
This Nissan is a beautiful car inside and out. Very futuristic too.
Hard to believe motoring journos were that impressed by a bit of wood in a Mercedes. That said, interiors from that time were nice - check out a Jag from that time.
idiots LOL
even a video about car interior lights up the comments
thank heavens for social media
Europeans have a bias against almost anything not European. Especially when it comes to cars.
Loved my 300ZX, the looks, the technology, the roof but not the repair costs. The tail tried to overtake me sometimes when I put power down in sharp bends/roundabouts. The review is pretty spot on and I really should have kept it as it's appreciated in value since.
You did quickly become my favorite UK car reviewer. Stick to the facts, very knowledgeable, no boastful, no "everything European is better". Bravo!!
I never owned one, but a friend did back in the day. We took a road trip across most of the US in his new car and it was superb. Again, compared to the little countries in Europe, the US and Canada cry out for cars that can do a thousand miles per day if desired without breaking down, overheating, etc. This filled that bill and was very, very comfortable for long distances.
Is the back seats usable for people or children to sit in?
Tempted to go there just to have an excuse to own a car bigger than the tiny city wagons we have here.
@@AutoAndChill Here in Texas, larger than France, it's big pickups that dominate car sales. Hard to see around, hard to park, but people feel boss driving them. Massive waste of resources; Trump supporters love them.
These are so, soooooo underrated! I had one 18-20 years ago. A Japanese grey import in fantastic condition......blue with blue leather. Mine also came with the fabric on the doors and lower dash. For me, the only downside was mine was an auto....the 4-speed really hampered the fun factor. For me, this was the best looking of the Japanese coupes (Mk4 Supra, Mitsubishi 3000 GT, Mazda RX7). I have a theory that because these didn't feature in the Fast and Furious franchise, they were soon deemed not as desirable, so the fell by the wayside. I can't recall seeing one on the road for years, although there was one quite close to where I live up on jackstands for almost a year, looking very sorry for itself before that disappeared too! Great to see one being reviewed though, thank you!
One of the best features I love about this era of car is the swooping dash. Just look at how that centre consol comes down toward the gear gaiter. If you look at the Honda NSX the same design concept. Beautiful.
In your retrospective you missed a car. Between the 280Z and the 300ZX there was the 280ZX. They are often confused, but they were very different cars.
The 280Z was a continuation of the original S30 chassis but with the bigger and heavier 2.8 litre motor and which continued the option available from the 260Z of being available in a 2 seater and a 2+2 seater version. The two seater 280Z was actually a very good car as was small and nimble with more power. However export versions were predominately 2+2 which was not as good, at least in terms of being a purpose built sports car. A 2 seater 280Z was a very good car which had better interior quality and whose extra power more than compensated for the slight increase in weight
The 280ZX was a new second generation with the only thing carried over being the 5 speed transmission. This however was aimed at a more upmarket sector and the addition of the "X" to the name signified "Luxury". In Japan it was available as a 2 seater and a 2+2 but for export markets was predominately the fatter heavier 2+2 version. It was a real sword of Damocles car though as it was very popular in America and attracted a number of new buyers who loved it but also lost most of the goodwill from the lovers of the original who disliked its new GT focus as opposed to the rawness of the original. The 280ZX was popular car but it fundamentally changed the image and the subsequent 300ZX did nothing to bring back fans or the original S30 cars and of course it was up against the 944 range against which it was found wanting.
The 280ZX carried over the L-series inline six as well as the transmission, from the S30 series of cars, as well as the differential. The L28 is only marginally heavier than the L24 due to longer crank throws. Aside from that it was a completely new design. Even the rear suspension was based on the 810 (200B here in Australia, Maxima in USA) not the arguably superior first generation setup. The first 300ZX was based on the 280ZX albeit with a V6 in place of the I6. As an owner of a S30 260Z for over 25 years, and having driven both the 280ZX and 300ZX, they are a far inferior car dynamically, but far superior as a GT.
I think the Z32 does a good job of being superior in both respects.
Interesting to see a Turbo in 2+2 configuration. The turbo was only available in the US as a strict 2 seater. The 2+2 was actually a stretched chassis, having a longer wheelbase than the 2 seater. The car was a twin turbo, but they are both the same turbo size, attached to one bank of cylinders each. So it's not a sequential system with a smaller and larger turbo like that of the contemporary Rx-7 or Supra. Both turbos should come on at the same time.
I thought it was the opposite ?
I only ever saw 2 seaters as non turbo versions (unless they were swaped), and all came from the US.
And 2+2 came as both, at least in Europe (but we never got the 2 seater version here).
The holy grail being a US 2 seater swaped with a turbo engine/GB, iirc it's around 100kg lighter.
@@pbe6965 Nope, in the US the turbos were only 2 seaters. Check out the US magazines.
And no convertible turbo cars or slick tops in the US either
I think VG30 is an underrated engine. Many Nissan engines of that era were probably the best. The vg30dett, rb26/25, CA18 ... all iron block aluminum head design, square / oversquare, liked boost. And that soft chassis feel / turn in could be corrected with the boat load of aftermarket support for not much money. Z32 was a great car and worth the money as a modern classic.
I suppose engines are so bad now because no real development is being done, they're just being phased out so no one is bothering to make them reliable or economical any more. We've gone backwards.
I had the non-turbo 300ZX from 1992. It really was one of my favorite cars, so much so, that I ended up buying the 350z track version when that came out. I would love to purchase these cars again, for sentimental reasons, but it's nearly impossible to find one that hasn't been modified and ruined. At least here in the States. Great video, Jack. Thanks for always getting the interesting cars. ✌️
Remember when these were introduced being driven around Millbrook bowl at indicated 165mph sitting in the back. Quite an experience.
“ZED’s dead baby!” Hahaha very good reference there Jack, and a great video, as per.
"It's not a motorcycle baby, it's a chopper"
@@jebediahgentry7029 Who's chopper is this?
😆😆😆 glad you enjoyed the reference dude!
I've had four of these; very smooth and easy to drive, loved the targa roof, thought it was a brilliant idea and I made good use of it
No puzzle, over engineered, difficult to service and expensive to build. Also the Supra was the comp... BUT.....One of the coolest cars and looks ever. one of my favorites. Awesome stuff brother!
The 240, 260 & 280 were all good models: in fact, they were only slight variations of the original 240z It was actually the 280zX (and later models) which became a boulevard cruiser or a "Japanese Buick"
Sadly, I've never driven a 240 but I currently have a '77 280Z in maligned 2+2 form and it's a blast to drive. Maybe I'm only comparing it to the modern cars, which tend to be sterile and boring. Maybe a 240Z would dwarf it for fun but it's hard to see it being that much more of a raw or sporty experience.
The list of competitors makes me yearn for that golden era of sports cars.
Japan and Nissan were building some great sportscars in the 90’s. I love them all! This red 300zx is a very nice example!
One of the best nissans ever made, and my favourite Z. Just bought one a few months ago as a weekender...love it.
A friend had one, he loved it, it would pass everything... except petrol stations!🤣
Haha
Great review - If I had the garage space I'd certanly consider a 300ZX, styling and interior sweeter than the 350/370Z. R.E. Comparisons - In 1990 the Mk4 Supra was not yet available, top Toyota in the UK would have been the MK3 Supra Turbo. That put out 230hp - so the 300ZX would have been a big step up in power.
Greaat video! Love that car! I think its worth noting that these cars have a twin turbo setup, and that means both turbos work at the same time, as opposed to the sequential setup that you described.
I don't think these were ever to be compared to a Ferrari, more a Porsche 968 - and at 15k great car! keep those videos coming
I can answer with my experience as a ‘90s kid. When I was at uni, one of the professors had a black 300ZX Turbo, another one had a Maserati 4.24V saloon. We can argue that the ZX was better in every way, but every time the Maserati V6 roared to life, everyone turned their head and looked at the plush white leather and walnut interior and that trident grille. The Maser screamed Italian old school emotions, the ZX was just a soulless speed machine.
When I bought my 1998 Nissan 240SX off the showroom floor, there was a 300ZX. The ZX had a $34,000 MSRP. My 240 had a $24,000 MSRP. $24,000 I could not afford. It was on sale for $17,998. Nissan did a great job with the cloth interiors. I wish mfg's brought back the good cloth.
Nissan's cloth interiors were the best of anyone's in that era. I miss that.
i have always had a soft spot for these. Nice review. Thanks.
A friend owns a 1989 300ZX, it's been sitting for 6 mths due to a leaking fuel line, problem is no one wants to touch it because they are very difficult to work on, their lack of "love" is mostly down to their under bonnet access difficulty. The 240Z was much loved and one of the reasons for that was its simplicity, it was very easy to work on, the 300ZX is the opposite. Friends car also has a faulty heater core, it would cost almost more than the car is worth to replace it so the hoses are sealed at the engine and its not much fun in the winter.
I’ve always loved these, from every angle. One of the few cars that has great headlights, great taillights, a great side profile, a cool roof that opens up and a classy, functional interior. They did such a nice job on these. Look at how much light there is in that cabin, it’s an actual greenhouse; what a nice place to be in daytime or night.
I used to own the short wheel base version of this. I should never have sold it. Was such an awesome car.
Same....
I have owned and driven many sports cars . STI, Porsche 911, BMW, but I have owned not one but a total of Three 300zx cars . My first Z was a 1996 NA , 5 speed . Drove itcto 166K mikes sold it in 2002 .
Later I bought another 1996 300zx in 2009 , drove it upto 160k mikes and sold it in 2021.
In 2023 , i got my third 300ZX, 1990 TT , 5 speed and it had 49k miles, plan to put another 100k miles with a lot of Smiles :)
I had one of these for 15 years - hugely under rated and IMO, a better looking and more exclusive car that the other obvious car in Nissan's stable that always overshadows it. A more engaging and precise drive also than the GTO and supremely comfortable. I drove it all over Europe and it was super reliable.
Ownership of this took me to Z events all over the US and Europe. I even met the designer at a Z Convention in Dallas, one Toshio Yamashita who gave a wonderful presentation on his styling of the car.
Sadly many were ruined with the most horrendous bodykits which always made the cars look worse than their beautiful origins. People are starting to restore these now and there are some nice, but still hard to find examples out there.
Mild boost upgrades really transforms the power and response.
HICAS does not operate at parking speed, it just has a great turning circle for the type of car it is.
Ian Callum actually used the proportions of the 300zx as the inspiration for the beautiful DB7, something I was surprised but please to see during his presentation at the last Aston Martin Heritage Festival.
This Nissan brought back sweet memories. It's a stunner, even now, it ages gracefully.
Never seen sheep walking and running backwards before! 11:48
lmao yea i saw that too
import aussie sheep no doubt....
Just noticed this too 😂
That's just the 300zx making everything else looks like it's going backwards 😂
obviously imported livestock from Australia....
I remember seeing an ice blue 300 the first time I seen this model in 90. I just remember thinking how futuristic it looked and it was gorgeous! Then a buddy got one in period and I got to ride around in it. It got allot of attention that’s for sure. Then the Twin turbo came out and another buddy got a pearl white TT with gold BBS wheels and that would shut down the parking lot car meets every time! Love em!
I remember at the time thinking these were stunning to look at, I think they have aged very well, it still looks awesome. This one sounds lovely too. Brilliant review, thank you!
This car is an example of 1990s cars having such understated sleek styling. So much purer than anything out there now. I think higher door lines due to legislation these days are one of the reasons. The interior layout reminds me of the Honda NSX
My dream car when growing up 300zx
The 300Z is the only Japanese car i've ever driven.Had taken my Thunderbird in for some engine and exhaust upgrades and needed a temp car to use whilst it was being worked on.As the shop was attached to a used car lot i had my choice of used cars to drive,i chose the 300Z they had on the lot.I'm 6'3" so it was snug but not too bad,but it was a brilliant car and i'm glad i had a chance with it.
This has always been my favorite JDM car, perhaps the RX-7 is my second, with all others not even making my list. I've had 2 of these and tried to wire money to a HK seller of a yellow 1999 R spec but they backed out 😢 I have a garage full of nearly $12k n NOS rare JDM Z32 parts. They are a nightmare to do major servicing on those, but easier once you've done it.
A legend on it's own making,still a sexy sports car
Miss mine, had forged pistons and rods, 18psi boost on bigger turbos, 400hp on the Dyno at Noble in chesterfield.
Was a nice quick car at 320hp at 12psi
At 18psi it was a rocket 🚀
In my early years, this was my dream car. I've always seen it as a long distance GT and never thought of comparing it to a Ferrari. I found its shape beautiful, a pinnacle of Japanese design. Meanwhile, this particular example is a bit watered down by its red paint, aftermarket wheels and that giant spoiler at its back. As far as I can remember, the standard one was much more discreet, improving rather than spoiling its shape.
Yet another car I owned when they were worth next to nothing, think I paid 3 grand for mine, an h reg in black.
You were saying the 2nd turbo comes in at 4000 rpm but they weren't sequential turbos, it was 2 the same, one for each bank of the v6. Love the look of them and easy to bump the boost up a bit and make it a pretty quick car.
Yes I thought they would be. Did it have variable valve timing that might explain the power change at higher revs. Seems a trait of vvt type engines.
I've always wanted one, or... (even newer 350Z?) I went for a Mazda at the time. I think they are amazing. No way on Earth would I feel disappointed.
Im currently restporing a red 1990 5spd. Awesome car.
I borrowed my mates 300ZX for a couple of months about 10 years ago. What a machine. Super reliable, great performance, comfortable enough and an all round good car.
I got the same wheels. came with my JDM Import to canada. Ive had mine for over 10 years and still love it.
The interior "Sea of Black and Grey" is of course one of the ways that this DAILY USABLE, 300 Horse-POWER Sports-car - Managed to be SO Affordable and SO Pracrical !
Gorgeous. Doesn't really look like anything else. Always liked them. Be a brilliant GT. A really nice one here in NZ around $NZ30K, but very nice ones can be found for under 20K, so now I'm thinking..... :)
One of my all time favourites!
What a car!
Felt so bad when Hammond had one on Top Gear and didn't get the love it deserved.
And how could they throw out that roof panel?!?!
Thanks for yet another great car and video Jack.
Greetings from the Netherlands
Having owned a Ferrari 308, Porsche 928 and the 300ZX I can honestly say the ZX was the easiest to drive and more comfortable than both the Porsche and Ferrari. Yes the other 2 were more powerful especially the 928 but I could drive the ZX for a 1000kms and feel refreshed. The other 2 I would need a chiropractor at the end of 1000kms. Have been thinking of getting another ZX recently and this video has spurred me on to find one.
I had one as a toy car when I was little, I received it as a gift..... By chance, it also was red 😄
It was a high quality one made in Hong-Kong, all in metal with very fine details.
..I absolutely loved it, unfortunately I never knew even the model name, all that it had proudly written on its bottom was "Nissan"
When one day I lost it.... What a tragedy that was for me 😅
Now it's the first time in years I got reminded of it, what a joy to see it in real, and to find the model name 😊
... My dream was not in vain.... I love it ... 😁
I had a 2+2 NA. Still miss that car. They are so good. Hard to work on, immpossible not to get bloody knuckles in that tightly packed engine bay. But once you get them sorted they are quite reliable, and after 200k miles, still tight as a drum.
Wanted one of these for years. As standard as possible. Stunning design even today.
Our cars in New Zealand normally also have righthand indicators, even my '22 German built Ford Focus
Thanks for another great video. I get that the Z31 is "unloved" by the general public, but I have owned a few of them, did a LOT of driving in two of them, and they hold a special place in my heart. I never felt like any of them were "underpowered" but I think people of my generation have a different perspective on that. My '85 Turbo was undoubtedly the most fun but it demanded respect with its "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde" turbo boost delivery and wild camber changes from the rear suspension. I mean with a hack-saw and some plumbing parts you could make a T3/T4 turbo Z31 put down 12 second 1/4 mile times which was impressive for that time. I was not into drag racing but that car surprised plenty of people. Sure I did need to swap out three sets of rear tyres for every set of front but all of those carcasses died in the name of fun. I also remembering some maniac with a modded '84 Turbo being one of the absolutely fastest at Thunderhill ages ago.
I test drove three US spec Z32TT's in the hopes of buying one but was never able to make that happen. It was very easy to see and feel that this was a completely different animal. I wish I would have had that experience but the costs and work involved (look up a timing belt job on a VG30DETT) were more than I could take at the time. The Z31, with all of its flaws, was a much simpler and more accessible device. I miss the days when I could find one lurking in the shadows, take it home for a couple hundred $$, rejuvenate it and sell it to fund the one that was more fun. I did that three times.
I've ALWAYS loved those 300ZX, they're a good looking car. Once whilst driving through Stevenage I even saw a dark metallic grey ZX with a full Veil side body kit (yeah, remember those?) and it looked MEAN! 😏👍 😎🇬🇧
Excellent solid engineering
Always absolutely loved the 300ZX. It looked like a spaceship when it came out, and still looks sensational today 👌
I lusted after the 300ZX TT as a kid and would still love to own one now. Beautiful car..
I owned on of these (in black) and we absolutely loved it. It was, as you've said, very stable and a wonderful GT, if not a full out "sports car" - but sport"y" as all hell. I will say that as a home mechanic, the engine compartment was kind of a nightmare (you had to remove the upper intake manifold just to change the spark plugs) and doing anything with or around the turbos was NOT fun.
What did mine in was a coolant leak that led to two blow head gaskets ... and then it sat for a while and the rocker panels rusted badly sitting on a concrete pad.
It will always be, for me, one of the ones that "got away" 😓
Thanks Jack🙏🙏 , got some room in there to! It just had too many competitors at the time, without having the extra performance that would make it truly stand out.
I had a 240z Samurai in the late 80's. It had the triple Webber's, bigger cam exhaust etc, it was extremely quick, the induction sound from the carbs was amazing😂. It was a b**tasd to start on a cold morning, I had to spray WD-40 down the carbs. I put a starter button under the bonnet 😂😂. Black with Wolfrace wheels. Keep the vids coming Jack! I really enjoy your enthusiasm 😂😂
.
A buddy of mine in law school had a 300zx in '90 or '91 -- also red. I thought then and still think it is a totally awesome car! The seating was so low. A gorgeous shape. Power was amazing. I'm surprised #27 said the ride was soft. What I most remember about the car is that it had an almost rock hard suspension; I still remember thinking it rode like a buckboard. Thanks for the review!
Wonderful cars. Test drove the 300Z, not the more powerful ZX and the hi-cas steering was a different experience. At the time, very lust worthy. Pricey in today's dollars. Gorgeous and fresh design. These were gong for only $10K for a good example just a few years back,, no doubt twice that now at least.
My new favourite car channel! Thanks for the great content mate. Have a top weekend!
Thanks for this video! Great assessment of one of the best looking cars of the 1990s. My metal work teacher made a 700 bhp turbocharged space frame dirt speedway racer 300ZX.
I sold those new in Seattle. they were fantastic cars. smooth and fast. easy to drive fast. the non turbo non ttop car was steal. very well built cars for the price range. and they were twin turbos. not sequential like on a rotary or an inline engine.
Mnay thanks for this - I've always really liked these and have also felt them totally under-rated. Great looking car really well engineered.
Never noticed you use the same road as Harry's Garage.
Always loved the Z32, just missed buying one a few hours ago on Cars and Bids.
As Tony would say... they're GREAT!
I bought one new while living in Switzerland , i was about 26/27 ,It was grey with leather , I remember driving on the motorway open top one summer and it wasnt until i stopped i could feel the sunburn on my forehead. I loved the switches and its look ,however i had to send it back twice to the dealer with brake shudder due to warped discs.. it was certainly not a sportscar but a good GT car.. i kept it for about 18 months.. lost a fortune and i remember no garage would take it as part ex for a NSX ! .. a couple of years later i did buy a NSX and the driving experience was like night and day.
Hmm I wonder how those rotors got warped? ;)
The 300zx is such a great car, especially considering its age. Mine has the leather interior and the lower half is made of suede, which is a very nice touch.
I used to detail grey imports in the mid 1990’s for a dealer in Cheshire. I always loved this car. Quality
Thank's for this one Jack. I personally always prefered these to their contemporaries, and particularly now, their GT car nature would make them a great usable modern classic...dream...one day. Cheers!
I'd love to test drive one of these. It basically picks up where my 91 Supra saw the writing on the wall. All the specs and features really make it feel like a smaller brother to a Mitsubishi 3000GT / GTO. The look of it really reminds me of a blend between Opel Calibra and a late Lotus Esprit.
Always loved these and crossed my mind to get one a few times. At first I really couldn’t have afforded to run one, even if I could have bought one. By the time I could afford one I figured they were probably too old and I went for something else….including an HR engined 350Z. The wheel and exhaust mods on that one look great and it’s a really special thing. Great vid.
In my opinion, this car was excellent in the looks department, wouldn't change a thing and I agree with you on the interior as well, AND T-Tops! it works.
That's such a cool looking machine. Lovely lines.
A mate had a 260Z. He loved it, looked like a spaceship.
I think these are massively overlooked. A family friend chose one of these to buy when he lived in Japan back in the very early Nineties. He still has it and bought it back to the UK where he now lives. Owned from new, but his is an auto with the same cloth interior as this one. Barely any miles driven in it as the thing has been off the road and garaged for donkeys years. Always thought they were really cool and a bit rare groove. Never driven one unfortunately.
As the owner of a twin turbo Z I can assure you there is a big following in the UK. US and Australia
Always liked the Z series offered great motoring for a decent price, an unsung hero for me. Great review too Jack many thanks.
The exterior of this car has stood the test of time pretty good
One of the best GT cars to come out of Japan, it still looks superb today 👌
You woulldn't know this (well, maybe) but the 300 Z was the subject of the greatest car commercial ever made. It featured a toy 300 Z being driven by a Ken-like doll racing around a house and stealing Barbie from Ken, all to the sound of Van Halen's cover of You Really Got Me. Personally I had a Plymouth Laser Turbo (same as the Mitsubishi Eclipse), as the Z was a bit pricey for me. That was a really good car.
Around 10 years ago I had both the ZX300 and GTO which were 1990/91 models and both naturally aspirated. I put them both up forsale and whichever one I was left with would be the one that I kept. The ZX romped away leaving me with the Mitsubishi. Kept that car for a few years before moving it on as it was getting ready for front and rear main crank oil seals, plus it was terribly thirsty. But a great fun car to drive and always got plenty of looks. Not particularly quick compared to modern cars, but definitely had some fun factor. It was also AWD with 4 wheel steer and an auto.
Even today both cars don't look old fashioned, they have stood the test of time really well which is a testament to their design teams.