While a twin-turbocharged Nissan 300ZX is on many enthusiasts’ wish lists, finding a preserved Z32 generation Z-car in mothballed condition will also do nicely. This 1990 300ZX belonged to the seller’s father, and the car has been in storage since 1996 at the time of his passing. With under 45,000 original miles, this is likely one of the nicest Z32s left. Find it here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $24,900 and the option to submit a best offer.
The color combo is quite nice, with an ice blue exterior over what is said to be a navy blue interior. No photos of the cabin are provided, which is unfortunate as the seller notes his father kept protective coverings on the seats and the floor, leaving what you’d expect to be perfect seating surfaces. The exterior is largely unmarked, with clean lenses, bumpers, glass and twist-style alloy wheels.
However, all is not perfect inside the cabin, with the seller noting some very minor rodent damage and a lingering “..stale smell” from many years of sitting. Although I prefer the non-T-Top roof for its additional structural rigidity, this example is like many others with its removable roof panels. Fortunately, it appears to be in excellent condition, so hopefully they didn’t get removed too often.
The Z32 kicked off production in 1989, making this car likely one of the earliest examples on the market. This 300ZX presents a conundrum, because while it does have the benefit of having enough miles that you’re not afraid to use it, it looks like the body remains far too nice for casually parking at the local grocery chain. The seller also mentions the 300ZX will need a timing belt and water pump before you drive it too far and both replacement parts are included in the sale.
I do not follow 300ZX prices and am no expert at all, but this seems like crazy money for this car. I remember when they were new and there was a black convertible for sale I looked at. I was driving a 1979 Z28 so the salesman likely thought I was a tire kicker. He was right !
The Twin Turbos came with a spoiler on the back. Not sure this is a twin turbo. I have a 90 model twin turbo I’ve had for 19 yrs.
A friend bought one of these new in 1990. It was a 2+2 (he had kids at home at the time). He drove it for about 20 years and put over 230,000 miles on it. Needless to say, he loved that car.
I don’t know about the price, but I’d say these are very desirable cars for the build quality & performance. Nice find.
Well, it’s got Wisconsin plates, but looks ok. Normally, I’d run from anything from Wisconsin.( including the entire state itself, and I did) About as far as you can get from the original Z car, which I liked, this, not so much. No engine pics, but I remember these had like 400 hose clamps on the motor. Hope it doesn’t have a vacuum leak. Probably a fantastic car to drive, if it ran right, that is. Probably need new turbo’s right off the bat. Turbos don’t sit well.
Wisconsin has surely got to be much better to live in than it was. Unlike New York where between the weather, the salt, and the climate (figure that out) I mean the other climate that has gotten so bad over they years that is making us flee it just like California.
This price is way high for an NA even in perfect shape. If it were a factory TT he could come close. The blue is rare (I have the midnight blue with dark blue interior) but that still doesn’t push it up to mid twenties. $10-12k is more realistic today. Give it ten more years buddy.
But overall this one’s in great shape. Buyers of these early models should plan on swapping the injectors for newer ethanol friendly ones (several kits available), replacing the front calipers with the slightly larger later versions, as well as a serious once over on the engine harness and all its connectors which crumble over time and can cause misfires and reliability issues.
Low miles or not these can be had for little money.
They are just too boring of a car to drive.
Really? You sure? I’d think a car like this would be a blast to drive.
I bought one in Arizona and drove it back to Las Vegas.
I admit it was late at night so I wasn’t the most alert.
At one point it felt like I was driving my Ford Escort.
There is nothing special at all about the way this car drives. The Twin Turbo is a little different.
If yours was boring then there was something wrong with it. These are a blast to drive in any form. Of course the technology today has caught up with what Nissan did in 1990, but you can’t beat a v6, manual, with rear wheel drive and there are plenty of upgrades available if you want to improve things. Goes quick when you want to and can be a nice cruiser when you don’t.
Well I can tell you this car was my buddys dream car until he drove that one.
He scratched it off the list rather quickly. There was nothing special at all about this car in the fell or the acceleration or anything else.
“Price is firm”. He will wear it before some fool pays that money for that car. You could rebuild one from scratch for $25k. Remember, even the vaunted Twin Turbo only had 300 hp. Now, that was very stout in 1992, but for the obscene price, not so hot. What do these neophytes smoke? I’m betting a brother of a friend had a barber who’s wife’s neighbor said it was worth a lot of money. I notice he also has Dad’s ’79 for sale?
I run across the same situation every week or so. I sell records of the 50’s & 60’s. I have people call me all the time saying they have a lot of Old Records. How much are you paying for them? When I reply, they feel insulted. They respond with: Well they have to be worth more than That, They’re OLD!!! Simply being OLD does NOT make anything Valuable!!!!!!! As you all know, same with cars!!
As you know something is only worth what another is willing to pay … your right though some folk have high expectations!!
I collect those same records. Five years ago some cranksters got it into their heads my 4000 LPs had to be worth retirement money. Now I had a few true rarities, but the value was in my memories of the time I purchased them. I was gone for a week, they trashed my house and emptied the contents, stereo equipment, too. When I saw them after they had been caught, the only thing they had to say was that they were shocked at how little the record stores from SF to Seattle had given them. Stupid morons had my JBL Jubal woofers boxed in the trunk of the car and left the crystal tweeters and crossovers behind.
It will be interesting to see if it sells. I think the price is way too high too, especially with rodent damage, but lately I’ve been very off on that. People seem to be willing to pay more for stuff over the past year or two – property, cars, etc. So all he needs is the right buyer and he might get this. We’ll see.
The right sucker…I mean buyer !
I couldn’t agree more with you, Superdessucke. Watching and attending the auctions over the last couple years, I’m seeing cars sell for unbelievable numbers. I’ve seen many publications with articles about how classic cars, and future classic cars, are a much safer investment than most anything else. So people are diving in and buying these cars for the big payoff down the road, not to tinker, not for the joy of ownership. Many couldn’t care less about the cars themselves, and have no plans on driving and enjoying them, no passion for the cars themselves. It’s an investment that they’ll stick in temperature controlled storage, left to sit until it’s time to cash in.
What those people forget to tell the investors is that it costs a lot of money to keep the car in good enough condition in order to be able to sell it down the road.
I don’t think you need to pay storage or tune ups or tires every couple of years for stocks.
Miguel, With all due respect sir. When have any of us had a memorable experience driving around shares of a stock ? If one is in it for the money, you’re a dealer, lucky, a dreamer, or in this hobby for all the wrong reasons.
hhaleblian, I completely agree, but the high prices we all have to pay now are because investors think they can buy them now and make money later without thinking of how much it will cost them in the meantime to keep the car up.
I drive all of my cars and I will continue to do that.
Love these yahoo fleebayers! Or best offer but don’t make an offer because the price is firm! Tops it’s a 7K car sorry but I am from realsville.
That is about the right price.
I know where there are 3 of these for around 7,000 US, and the is in Mexico.
I bet you could find a ton more in the US with low miles and well cared for.
Quick! Somebody alert Disco Stu! I’m having visions of pinky rings and Rayon shirts unbuttoned to the waist. These seemed to be owned by disco douchebags who thought these were the ultimate babe magnet.
BOP Guy…………It really irritates me to see people like this who could care less about the car & only think of it as an investment! Grrrrrrrrr!
Whenever I see an ad like this on EBay, I figure that it’s a person who stumbled upon a car parked in a garage somewhere, snapped a few photos of the exterior and then put up an ad to scam someone.
Or maybe they lost the keys.
Or maybe they’re just lazy.
C’mon, you’re asking way more than it’s worth, regardless of the story, and you can’t be bothered to plug your nose and take a couple of pictures of the stinky interior?
I bought a twin turbo new in 1990. Regrettably sold it a few years later because of a divorce. Bought a immaculate 93 slick top in San Diego a couple years ago. Drove it 2000 miles back to Chicago. Averaged around 80mph, 22mpg, and nary a drip of oil. These are some of the best long mile high speed tourers on the planet for very little money. The design is timeless. I don’t consider it a sports car in terms of tossing it around like a Miata, but it is one helluva comfortable high speed tourer with no bad habits. After owning both versions, I prefer the normal breather over the tt drama. I know the market sides the other way, but I don’t care.
PRA So True, So True!!!!
Wow olddave, So sorry & sad to hear of your mishap. As a collector & dealer since the early 60’s, I’ve heard more than my share of people having their record collections And Classic Cars stolen. Very Sad!!! If you send me your email, we can connect & I can send you my Record Auctions. By the way, what do you have for a classic car? Email: ilovemy56@gmail.com Thanks, Richard in Idaho
I had a 5 speed t top N/A V6. Magnaflow mufflers. Pearl white with tan leather. A very good looking car. Handled great and quick enough. Really a high speed car, performance was really good in the higher speed ranges. Things were very tight under the hood, it was recommended to pull the engine to get to hard to reach hoses and fittings. Around here worn and neglected examples are very cheap. Currently an unloved car that just needs a lot of care that most low end buyers will never give it. Too bad. These cars had an incredibly designed suspension. These were also their own platform, not like the 350Z which shares it’s platform with other Nissans. These were built to a higher quality level than their 350Z replacements.