Another 300ZX review

Well, here we go.

I'm about to write a review on a car that is now as old as Moses, and has probably been given more criticism and applause than bible scholars ever thought about giving the old man from B.C. Even so, as the 300zx continues to age, I think it really means something that it still elicits so many comments and thoughts from so many enthusiasts. After all, it's at that odd point in automotive life when it's old enough to be really outdated, but not so old as to become a classic. Any compliments the car can receive at this point are due to honest and enduring goodness. And I really think the 300ZX has that.

I have owned two 300ZXs over the past three years. Both are (or at least "were") 1996 models and painted in the same Cobalt Green Pearl color. Now, to explain that "were" part. My first Z was used with 76,000 miles on it. It was unusual in that it was a slick top (as opposed to T tops) and had aftermarket leather in a black interior. I had been in love with the Z32 model since it was introduced when I was in fifth grade. After graduation from college, I tossed around the idea of buying one, but was afraid of the potential maintenance costs of an increasingly elderly car. I was finally pushed over the edge, though, when I test drove a used Z with over 200,000 miles on it. It ran great, and felt as tight as a banjo string. I finally decided that, if an example with over 200k could feel THAT good, surely a sub 100K example would last for years.

Now, fast forward to over a year later. I'm enjoying my slick top, green Z on a curvy Virginia backroad. I'm actually (for once) going at a pretty relaxed pace, when I exit through the other side of a blind curve. On the other side, there is (and I kid you not) a drunk man splayed out across the middle of the road, apparently half asleep. I brake hard, and skid into what I thought was a grassy wide spot beside the road's shoulder. Wrong. Next thing I know, I feel the car tilt sideways and forward, see the sides of a ravine over a creek, see sky, a cloud of shattering glass, and then, after the creek/ sky view flips a couple more times, find myself and the car in the lower limbs of a tree. Somehow, I just wrecked a car for the first time in my life. Somehow, that car just also happened to be the best automobile that I had owned to date. I was devastated. Credit me for removing one more of the very rare 1996 300ZXs from existence.
The accident was not ruled as my fault, so my insurance rates still remained reasonable enough for me to consider another sports car. I got a great deal on my first Z, so I actually ended up coming out ahead after my insurance totaled the car. I thought awhile about what to buy next. A WRX was really high on my "to have" list. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized how much I loved that Z. Here are a few reasons:

-Obviously, It is a reasonably safe car. I am glad it wasn't a T top model, though.

-The car sits really low, but jumping in and out aren't all that bad. And once you're seated, wow. This car is REALLY comfortable. I can drive 350 mile to see friends in Atlanta and get out of the seat feeling great.

-There's a lot of space in the hatch. My fiance and I can go on a week long trip and have plenty of room for our stuff.

-Even in the NA version, the engine is tons of fun to whip. It sounds fantastic from 4500 rpm to redline. I dare anyone to put it in third, run the car up to about six grand, let off the throttle, and not smile at the wail that ensues. No, it's not as fast or smooth as some of the VQ series motors that Nissan developed later, but it's still an absolute blast.

-The brakes are great. Big four piston calipers are up front. While they won’t quite send you flying into the dashboard, you can balance those binders right on the fine line where ABS will start to interact. I almost wish Nissan had just left ABS off. And you really have to work hard to make them fade.

-Unlike the fat and unreliable 3000GT non turbo, the Z car is rear wheel drive, with a limited slip differential to boot. And unlike the last generation Toyota Supra, used Zs are going for prices that are still in the realm of sanity.

-And finally, the Z looks absolutely fantastic. Here we are, over fifteen years after it's introduction, and the 300ZX is arguably one of the most modern looking cars on the road. I recall Robert Cumberford, design editor of "Automobile" magazine, once writing that he thought the 300zx was "one of the few Japanese designs that was without flaw."

After thinking long and hard, I decided that I wanted another Z. I came very close to getting a turbo this time, but knew that, with grad school coming up, I probably couldn't afford the extra maintenance and insurance. A turbo requires a full timing belt change and tuneup every 60K to the tune of about $900. Repairs on the non- turbo car aren't cheap, but they are relatively infrequent. You can run a naturally aspirated Z 105,000 miles before changing the timing belt, but a spark plug, accessory belt, and fluid change should be done at 65,000 miles. (It's not bad, I did mine myself.) My only real complaints are that second gear can be kind of fussy in very cold temperatures, and the transmission itself is kind of loud from the inside.

On the other hand, the above comments are very minor quibbles for any sort of true sports car. I feel like I have driven some pretty serious iron over the past few years, ranging from a 2004 Corvette Z06 to a 2004 Mustang Cobra to a Golf R32. Accelerative differences aside, its amazing how dynamically competent the Z feels after of getting out of those MUCH more expensive cars. That's why I drove all the way from Tennessee to Missouri to purchase a beautiful green on tan Z with just 36,000 mile on the odometer. This time I chose a Z with T tops (god forbid I roll this one) and factory leather. I am absolutely thrilled with it. Luck willing, I will continue to be thrilled for years to come.