1986 Nissan 300ZX Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I have owned all years of the Z31 300zx. From 1984-1989. Each was perfect and they all ran for hundreds of thousands miles. The only maintenance pain is, it needs a new timing belt & tensioner every 50k Miles. Not a simple task for the novice. I never had to change a water pump. I Did change an AC compressor in one of them, and an alternator on another one. Not on all of them. On another one I did have to replace the Automatic Tranny @ 175k (with one from the Junk yard) which never failed after that. I did all my own Maintenance and except for one of them all the others were 5 speed stick shift. No turbos. All were 2+2s. I did have the free Dealer maintenance safety recall replace the injectors on one of them. This Dealer maint recall also changed the firing order in not a good way.Apr 30, 2020

The color,the color,the color, red boo hiss! Likes t tops good visibility allaround the std trans makes this turbo very fun to drive as i smoke mustangs,most v8s and the occasional tuner potatohead. Not to many minuses, other than standard mechanical issues not alot of shop or down time unless you buy a ground into ground z. I found this car broken and neglected, I drove it for 6months and sold it :( the person I sold it to abused it and was resold three times I have the opportunity to buy it back, once my girls back in the driveway she won't be leaving againJan 10, 2013

Hard to find parts. Overview a must drive for non z owners a turn of the key and smell of burned fuel,and a clutch drop as this machine winds through first gear,as you are pushed in deep in the seat,and second is a throw away, and you ask yourself this is a import? Note: I smash on mustangs and tuners w this base model car, turbo is yet unexplored territory.................. Zcon next year.......... Fingers crossed. :-D Sep 30, 2012

Fantasticly fun to own and drive. Its old but it wont show it. After 25 years of service its still so much fun to zip around in. T-Tops off shifting through the gears with the faint sound of the turbo spooling up. Its not too fast but its quick enough to have fun in. Most other cars with massive power need to be driven with a much higher since of responsibility. The active dampening of the suspension is well ahead of its time and fun to mess with. It has SO many advanced features that are beyond it's time. Feb 27, 2012

I have owned this car since the spring of 1985. It has been the best car I have ever owned. Nissan recalled it and did a valve job. I put one clutch in it and had it repainted once. I've done regular maintenance brakes and tire stuff. Currently getting new distributer cap. I have drove it every summer for 25 years. i owned it before I had house, wife , Kids and dogs and have managed to resist the pressures to sell it. I will never sell it. In fact it may outlast me! 350,000 KL and climbing!Aug 19, 2010

Performance is awesome for a car being almost as old as I am. I like that they under built this car leaving me all kinds of opportunity to mod. I have changed the digital dash coloring. It look's really good, I've started to acquire a taste for the body style but plan on putting a front fascia on to flatten it out more like a 87-89 front end. Picked this up for $1,200.Gas mileage is amazing for a turbo v-6. This car is a blast and handle's almost as good as my WRX did.Jul 14, 2010

Performance: So much can be done to these cars is sick! Great for beginners looking to learn how to work on cars. Plenty of car for new drivers and those looking to get their feet wet on track days and other events while keeping things inexpensive. Build quality: These cars are made to be worked on. That being said, it will likely get expensive always having someone else work on it for you. As long as general maintenance is kept up, there really aren't any major problems. Appearance: Finding one in excellent condition is difficult (more than a 20 year old car!) but the styling is very sporty, and it comes with a nice interior. Cost to Own: You can expect ~18 MPG in town and 23-25ish on the highway, not great but not really that terrible either. Parts are not too expensive and nothing major (generally speaking) goes wrong as long as simple routine maintenance is completed in a timely manner. You can pick one up anywhere between about $1500~ $3000. No more than 3k if it's stock usually. Fun Factor: An absolute BLAST to drive! For a production model car, this thing rocks. Buying, or engine swapping one to turbo (NA2T) is an excellent choice for getting the most "Bang for your buck" as this takes it to a little over 200hp. This is still not a high number by any means, but it still feels good when roll into the throttle and hear the turbo hiss as you tear down the highway.Mar 21, 2009

A Nissan 300ZX. A name car, a vehicle with a pedigree and one helluva powerful V6. Absolutely gorgeous and in great shape for a 1986. The engine has been rebuilt with 60,000mi on it and only minor mechanical malfunctions, like a busted AC/Defroster and the power steering pump needs replacing. Besides that, it is EXTREMELY fun to drive and it seems to favor the higher speeds. Getting it from 3rd to 4th to 5th gear on the highway is its home, and it does great on the open road. Love it. Absolutely love this car. It's a project vehicle to be sure, but it's well worth the minor problems and $2000 I paid for it. First up: upgrade the sound system, then take all of the other repairs as they come. Fantastic ride. It's a 300ZX Z31 5-speed.Nov 14, 2008

This car is amazing, it is my first car and would not trade it for anything else. Accelerates well, turns excellently, and brakes better then many new cars. I am getting the body repaired at the moment but once thats done, the car will look in great shape. I love the flippy headlights. RWD fun of course. great car, not great on gas. If your a person who loves the car they drive, buy a Z car.Sep 14, 2008

I bought this car cheap from a neighbor with 135k miles. The drivetrain was bulletproof and never left me stranded. I hated the whole 2 seater thing, that got old. It got pretty good gas mileage and was decently quick. It got rear ended when it had 175k miles. And the original A/C worked even then. Nissan builds great cars but I wouldn't buy another 300ZX because they are a royal pain in the ass to repair or maintian, costly as well. Jul 23, 2008