nissan 300zx twin tubo review

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nissan 300zx twin tubo review

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took this in exchange for my vr6 engined mk2 golf....thoughts thus far...

300 zx twin turbo

It’s 1989...you’re a Nissan zed car fan. You have watched as the once great range has ‘evolved’ further and further from the lean, lithe sportscar the 240z, stood by and observed as it has put on weight, its sharp edges became blurred as the 260z, it put on more middle aged spread as the 280zx and ultimately became a car for second division football managers and retired publicans in the z31 300zx of the eighties. It was sad to watch, like a fighter struggling to make the weight and moving up the divisions, becoming slower, less agile, less sharp, and more worryingly, not carrying power up with him until ultimately he becomes a gatekeeper, a fighter who is just there for the payday, has no intention of winning. The z31 300zx was no longer a competitor, it was roundly beaten by it Japanese counterparts and i doubt the boffins at Stuttgart even acknowledged its existence.

So you don’t hold out much hope for the zed car range. And when you read that the new zed car, the z32 300zx is set to challenge the Germans, never mind the domestic competition you take it with a pinch of salt. And then you pick up the latest edition of Car magazine and see them describe the new 300zx as a Japanese Porsche 928...what the fu.....?? you pour over the pictures, devour the spec, admire the styling. This car looks like a spaceship. Turbo power was big in the eighties and this baby has TWO blowers. Four wheel steering. The magazines are raving about this car. The gulf in ability between it and the hapless z31 is huge, this is more revolution than evolution. You smile. The zed car is back.

Since reading that article way back when, a 300zx twin turbo has been on my list...(DONT get me started on the list..please) it had to be a red one, it had to have black leather and it had to be a manual. And now i have one. So what is it like to meet one of your heroes, and live with it on a daily basis. Surprisingly easy is the answer. When this car came out it seemed like technological overkill, now, it just seems like a big, friendly, rumbustious character. It wakes up in the morning first time, every time, makes a big deep hi, how ya doin rumble thru its big twin stainless pipes and is as easy to drive as a micra. Light clutch, direct, accurate feelsome power steering, it has none of the histrionics that you would imagine a 22 year old 300hp supercoupe would have.

The driving position is spot on, the citroenesque pods on either side of the wheel are ergonomically superb to use an it is a nice, airy place to sit with the big glass targa panels in place, and it has about a million miles of headroom with them removed. And boy does the big car have some wallop. That’s the word to describe the power. Wallop. Negligible lag, foot down, spool up, wallop. I rarely have to rev much more that 4.5k such is the relaxed toquey nature of this amiable big bruiser. Sure the redline is up at 7k or something but it seems pointless to me, this car, a car I’ve always felt to be a technological tour de force is, in fact, nothing short of a good old fashioned muscle car. Spacious, comfortable, good looking...and did i mention the wallop...make that the WALLOP it’s got when you put the foot down?....yeah, i think i did.

And then something funny happens. you accept this car for what it is, you think you know it, you think you have it sussed. Then you look down at the speedo and realise that you are travelling along a much loved road about 10-15mph faster than you usually do. This old school muscle car has manners. It corners in a drama free fashion with little roll, it feels unflustered and untroubled, it just grips and goes thru on rails. I hate using clichés like that but hey, it’s the best way to describe the big car. It’s a muscle car with brains. A consummate gt car, a car you could jump in and crush a continent with. Unless it’s raining..or damp...or slippery...then it might try to kill you. Don’t get me wrong, it gives you plenty of warning, it doesn’t sneak up on you in the fashion of that other well known Japanese assassin, Kato, and frighten you senseless..no, it lets you know it might be thinking about killing you some time in the near future, its actually almost apologetic about this fact and just to prove it really is a big friendly old thing and it really doesn’t want to go down this route, it actually gives you the tools to stop it from doing so. But if you ignore the warning or don’t use the tools, the accurate steering, the progressive power delivery, it will kill you, of that i have no doubt.

So, what we have here is an iconic Japanese supercoupe. It’s the car that kicked off the zed cars revival. A car that took a stumbling broken down old laughing stock and jumped it straight to the top of the class. But you know what, essentially what we have here is a good ol’boy. It’s an intelligent redneck. Many Japanese cars are overstocked with technology and ability and understocked with personality. The big zed redresses that balance. It brains may come from Japan but its heart lies in the deep south. Its amiable rumble, easy charm and old fashioned manners are more Alabama than yokohama and i think that’s why these cars have such a cult following. The 300zx is Burt Reynolds with a degree in computing and electronics, but you know what, if you take him out for a drink, and boy can he drink, he is still Burt Reynolds....

yeehaaa
 
I adore this car, from the pic yours looks like a good'un :) It's one of those cars I saw a few years after it's launch in '89 and hoped to own one day. It's just a shame so many are ruined by people with absolutely no taste whatsoever or that automaticz seems to outnumber the manuals 2 to 1 though from memory a conversion doesn't cost the earth. For me, it'd have to be a swb manual TT and though red is good, I'd like a dark metallic. Anonymous I guess, but all the more surprising when you blast past something more modern :D
 
I did some porting and polishing on the heads of a 300ZX 'back in the day' for a guy I used to know, makes a great noise that engine at full chat (and pretty much anything in between).
Really liked that car, sort of thing that would be insanely good fun to own if you've got deep pockets. Always had a hankering for a 'Z' (240 or 260 in particular) but somehow my Italian car addiction has always got in the way!
Nice motor.
 
biggbn said:
You might not approve of mine then..it has a Stroesek kit which makes it look more aggressive and It's pretty low.... real headturner though

Actually I don't mind the Strosek kit but there's many other mods I've seen done to Zeds I just can't stand. Not really a fan of the quad round rear lights some people insist on putting on for example and some of the kits I've seen on other ones just don't do anything for them. Personal taste I guess though and each to their own. Something like this is almost my ideal, hell, right down to the alloys :laugh: ... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2849742.htm
 
biggbn said:
sold it on tuesday....it lives in sunny glasgow now, need a replacement soon haha

Shame you've got rid, though given how frequently you seem to change cars, I'm not surprised you're looking for a replacement :laugh: Obviously not your (now former) one, but always see a nice red one just past the Bridgeton area on one of the main roads whenever I head up to my sister's. Pretty straight looking too, not parked in the best area in the world though :p
 
biggbn said:
sold it on tuesday....it lives in sunny glasgow now, need a replacement soon haha

Hello chaps, I'm the (proud) new owner of the 300zx that inspired this superb write up from biggbn. I just stumbled across this forum and his write up when searching for 300zx related things online. His review made me chuckle because I can vouch for the accuracy of his write up after a short ownership so far......and because I also own a z31 and he slated them at the start of his review :unsure:

Anyway since I've registered with the forum in order to send him a PM about his his review, I thought I'd share some pictures of the z32 300zx that inspired the review and also some of the z31 that he slated.

Bear in mind when looking at these two cars that there is only a 12 month gap in manufacturing between the two examples in these photos - in fact the paperwork for these two 300zxs show them as both being first registered in 1989, one is an F reg and the other a G!

Apologies for the quality of some, new camera phone on the do to list.

z31 3.0 v6 non turbo - http://s1020.photobucket.com/albums/af324/z31300zx/z31/?albumview=slideshow

z32 3.0 v6 twin turbo - http://s1020.photobucket.com/albums/af324/z31300zx/z32tt/?albumview=slideshow
 
muppet42 said:
On the z31, did it ever do service for the Russians in some capacity? ;) Shall need to keep my eye (or indeed ear) out for the z32 if it's kicking about Paisley again, nice pics of each :)

I do love that reg and wish it was transferable to my other zed!
I work in paisley mon-fri but only take the 300zx is the sun is shining...so keep an eye out on the sunny days :grin:
 
BigRedZ said:
I do love that reg and wish it was transferable to my other zed!
I work in paisley mon-fri but only take the 300zx is the sun is shining...so keep an eye out on the sunny days :grin:

Just keep an eye on the car as I think Rob would 'move' the car if he could....
If your round by Asda then be very aware Rob lives very near....
 
Andi_F said:
Just keep an eye on the car as I think Rob would 'move' the car if he could....
If your round by Asda then be very aware Rob lives very near....

I did read somewhere Paisley's a Scottish car crime hot spot (which didn't surprise me), but I think I'd just draw the line at having a lingering glance. Even if the roof panels aren't in place :D
 
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