Teach me about z31's

Ive always been a fan of nissan's z cars no matter what generation. I happen to come across a 1987 300zx turbo that just needs a new ecu for $625 that just so happens to be right across town from me. Only thing is I know diddly squat about the z31 chassis cars. Anything particular to look for on these? They said it was a california car so theres no rust on it so what to look for now? Thanks in advance!

I'm no Z expert, but the general vibe that I get about Z31s from the Z people I know is that they're a very good chassis saddled with very medicore engines.

Number 1 selling Z of all time. VG 30 engine is workhorse you are looking at turbo good choice has lsd in it. Aftermarket is not as strong as you would think. Good basicsport coupe do not bring a ton of money nice examples can still be had for under 3k like all z's rust is a issue

There isn't much aftermarket, at all. They are pretty heavy and probably the most luxo-barge-ish of any Z car released. Pretty difficult to work on, but not as bad as a Z32 turbo. Most I see have succumbed to rust, blown head gaskets, broken timing belts, or electrical problems - in that order. They have a terrible reputation as unreliable crapcan racers, which doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence. I've driven quite a few and have never been impressed, the rear suspension always feels sloppy. IMO the period Supra and even the Starion is probably a better car, though I do love the styling of the early Z31 turbos with the offset hood scoop.

Are you sure it just needs an ECU?

That aside, they are a bit heavy, but a good chassis with a pretty strong engine. Not much aftermarket for them, but good for 80's cruising and straight line speed.

IMHO I would buy pretty much anything else kinda sporty from the '80s. Kinda suck to work on, not that much fun to drive and not much to look at either.

Heavy, not much aftermarket, less than ideal rear suspension.........stay away from the electronic dash/cruise control cars.

Drivetrain was reliable and took an absurd amount of abuse for a 16-18 year old........think 32 outside, I start car and immediately go full throttle to redline anywhere I go engine completely cold. I owned it from 80k to 160k miles and it never left me stranded. I finally got rid of it because I couldn't afford to maintain it in college.

Everything but the drivetrain wasn't particularly reliable.

I find them gorgeous and as Z31maniac says, the drivetrains are very overbuilt and reliable.

I'd pay $625 for one with no rust and straight body no questions asked, screw what might be wrong with it.

WOOF.

I know that the Z34 is not 3 better than the Z31.

Speaking of which, i need a pair of hood vents off one of those things.

Swank Force One wrote: I find them gorgeous and as Z31maniac says, the drivetrains are very overbuilt and reliable. I'd pay $625 for one with no rust and straight body no questions asked, screw what might be wrong with it. WOOF.

I agree with you Swank, I like 'em.

They are definitely the low point of Z cars, in my personal opinion. The non-turbo ones are dog slow, but very reliable. It's (essentially) the same motor as Pathfinders and trucks of that era, as well as the Infiniti M30, and the Maxima has the FWD version. Not much fun to work on (ie, you've gotta remove the front end to replace the radiator), but I hear the turbo models have some potential. There's a guy on here that has a pretty cool one with the boost turned up and some Starion wheels, can't remember his name but I'm sure he'll chime in soon.

All this being said I would probably jump on it too if it the price is right. After all, you can always swap in an RB!

The M30 actually has a lot in common with the z31. sort of a few things in common with the s13 chassis too.

The rear suspension sucks and I actually knew someone who swapped a 240sx rear subframe under his because he couldn't get the stock suspension (which is what, trailing arms or something weird iirc) to handle decently.

aftermarket is limited, but if you swap everything over to 240sx spec than thats sort of moot. The engines are poop. the NA one completely underwhelms and is actually hard to pass with, the turbo one feels like what you thought the NA one might have felt like. lol.

Well sounds like they're just mediocre cars which kind of stinks because I too, think they're cool looking, especially this one in white with gold enki? meshies on it. I guess even though the ad says to be a rust free example the whole water in the ecu is kind of deterring me from it a bit.

http://greenbay.craigslist.org/cto/3566088707.html

I'd buy the E36 M3 out of that. The motors are most definitely not poop. 300whp is cake.

Haha thats where Im kind of at right now. Going to check it out as soon as he gets back to me.

If they don't know how to fix it, how could they possibly know what's really wrong with it?

I've heard of a tendency for the gearboxes to fail via the input shaft bearing. I grenaded the trans in an '86 n/a model that I owned many years ago. Probably due to me driving it like a complete moron; lots of power shifts and wheel hopping launches.

Neat little cars, kinda wish I still had mine.

pinchvalve wrote: I know that the Z34 is not 3 better than the Z31.

I am repulsed by the fact that I like the looks of that Z34. I feel dirty.