Kelly Chiu

Do you need help with the assembly? I have some free time in the next weekend, PM me and I may come down to the LBC. Also if you are looking for a cheap car thats easy to work on, has working AC, non interference engine and just replaced timing belt, my Turbo Volvo is for sale. I am looking to getting a 1990+ 300zx as a daily driver/track car.

Legoland951

Kelly and Jeff, I got the garage done and am able to help some but do not have my tools in yet though it may be very soon before I can have it fully equipped including a 450 sqft additional building with a 2 post lift. BTW, a 1990 300zx looks cool but most likely will be outdone on the track by a 944 n/a due to its 928 like weight. A twin turbo is much more modifiable but if you think a 951 is hard to work on, try a 300zxtt. If you drop a screw anywhere in the engine compartment, I bet money less than 10 percent chance it will hit the ground.

Porsche-O-Phile

Yea sure - I may get it back together this week, but I know from bitter experience if it's not 100% back together by about 10pm Sunday night, it sits in the garage for another week. I just find myself not having the time during the week between work, running, studying for my exam, trying to clean up / organize our place, pursuing a few different side projects and a little bit of recreation. We'll see what happens - I really don't have THAT much to reassemble now - just all the hoses and crap at the front of the engine (air box, blah blah blah, so about 2 hours worth of work). And I have to replace that o-ring that started all this, but that's a 10-second fix.

Volvo ain't a bad car. . . I seriously wonder if I shouldn't just look at something new though. As much as I utterly despise the economics (or lack thereof) of new cars, the thought of a warranty is quite appealing right now.

Kelly Chiu

Yeah warranties are nice, but spending some serious cash (as in $5-9k) for a newer car makes the warranty not too appealing, at least thats what I look for in something that will get trashed with the rigors of commuting in LA traffic.

Awesome news about the garage Frank. As for the 300zx, I know its a porker, but its a learner car. I was leaning heavily towards a miata as a dailt driver/track car but it is too small. I fear getting run over by semis in a car that small. As for the maintenance of a daily driver, a twin turbo is probably not the way to go since there are two turbos, lots of heat and the engine bay looks super cramped. The NA is not much better but I think after messing around with a 951, it can't possibly be much harder.

pcarphanatik

As I am also in a similiar boat (looking at dropping the 951 for something more commuterish). I will pass along a small seed of wisdom.

Something my folks mentioned to me is that if you are a Triple A member, for an additional $6/mth, on a 10yr and newer vehicle AAA will cover you with "mechanical break-down" insurance. They own a 99' Chrysler 300M and when the AC completely borked they just paid a $250.00 deductible and Triple A covered the $2000.00 full replacement from the dealership. My father now calls purchasing the extended warranty with any new/used vehicle a BIG rip-off and he is one of those play it super-safe kinda guys.

Anyway...something to look into for you.

Porsche-O-Phile

On a 10-year and newer vehicle. . . Therein lies the problem - although it does open some options for considering certified pre-owned (CPO) or other "used" vehicles rather than a new one. That's good advice and I greatly appreciate your sharing. I figure something between 5-10 years old is about prime - it's already taken the worst depreciation hit (some other sucker has eaten it) and if you really want to, you can usually get them financed through a credit union. Older than 10 years is tricky. Also 5-10 years isn't too terribly old and you should have a good idea with a vehicle of that age whether it's going to be a nonstop string of headaches or a gem, such as when the owner says "yea, it's never given me a problem" and has the service records to back it.

I even briefly toyed with the idea of a lease, but the thought of paying money for a glorified rental car is just absolutely nauseating to me. No thanks on that. I'd at least like to know if I'm in tight shape come end-of-contract time I'll have a title in my hand. With a lease, you get nothing.

Anyway I do appreciate the input; maybe I'll look around some. I think I need to get the '51 back together and take it for a drive next weekend - it'll be her last chance to prove to me she wants to stay. If anything goes wrong, it's time to let 'er move on. I like the car (when it runs properly), but I've got bigger fish to fry with my (limited) free time than turn wrenches on a 20-year-old car.

After all, fun as they are - they're just cars. Material things. And material things are not worth getting attached to - it's basic economics. When people go anthropomorphizing or putting sentimental value into things, they get ripped off. No thanks here. It comes down to basic economy - it'll either get fixed and working right NOW and on a budget, or it's gone. I'll know soon enough which.

Legoland951

Kelly, the 300zx is more difficult to work on than the 944 due to all of the electronics and tiny engine bay. I bought a few of them in the early 90s including the twin turbo and believe it or not, its more difficult than a 951 by a decent amount. The 944 n/a is the better choice for commuter/learner car. Its cheap to buy, has a strong body, handle very well for the track, and easy to work on comparatively speaking. The only bad thing is labor cost lots but we got that completely covered and parts cost next to nothing because there is nothing you can break on that car we can't fix over a weekend including engine replacement. I have all the parts you will ever need as you know. A used 300zx will cost you around 5 to 8k let alone track modification. A totally race prepped 944 n/a will cost you around 5k so a partially prepped street car will be even less. I will help you with any 944 n/a project if you decide to get into one. I can find a $1.5k 85.5+ 944s that run and drive.

Porsche-O-Phile

Kelly you're shorter than I am and I fit fine in the Miata. . . It's tight, but pleasantly so, like flying a Mooney (if you've ever had the pleasure, you'll understand the comparison). I'm seriously thinking about ditching the 951, the bike and going out and snagging me a MX5. I saw the "new" turbo one at the LA Auto show last year and loved it. Prices ain't too bad now either and if I wait a couple months the dealers will be scrambling to push them out to get the Gen. 3 ones onto the lot. Say bye-bye to dinking around with these money pits forever and wasting my time on them. I think I don't care even if I DO eat some on depreciation - I'm that sick of every little thing in the world breaking on them and having every "little" repair that ought to be a five-minute job turn into a six hour job.

I think I'll still keep my n/a though. I love it too much. Plus what Frank said - they're actually reasonable to work on - aside from the clutch. Plus I don't need a track car since I never have time to get out there and I've better things to do with my money at this point.

Kelly Chiu

I promise not to hijack this thread anymore, although it keeps Jeff's ad bumped at the top. His 951 is pretty nice, the asking price isn't too bad for a car with a near-perfect interior and allot of new parts. Somebody will be a happy owner if they pull the trigger.

I can fit in miata just fine, a gen 1 with the 1.6L engine is only 3 grand for one in immaculate condition. I will be using this car as a replacement for the current Turbo Volvo. It will see allot of highway miles, so I will need something that gets decent gas mileage. My concerns with the miata is that it is pretty small, and may not be practical running large rolls of drawings around in. I am interested in the 300zx as its pretty big and heavier, making it slightly safer driving around in LA with semis and SUVs everywhere. This car will also not be a fully preppy race car, I am not that comitted yet, just something to take some DEs and maybe get a competition license.

I also must confess that I am a real picky in that this car MUST have working AC. Driving to Ontario every week, means that I need AC. Driving to events in Willowsprings means AC, I know its kinda girlie, but there is nothing worse for me that not being temperate while I drive. I would also like something japanese as it will be seeing allot of miles away from the track. I have narrowed the choices down to these :

Toyota MkII MR2
Mazda Gen. 1 Miata
Nissan Z32 300zx NA
Nissan S-13/S14 240sx

Are there any other rwd japanese cars that I have missed? A 240sx is nice, but they are being bought up by drifters driving up prices. The MR2 is like working on a fwd car with the rear fenders in the way, but I think I can manage. That leaves the miata and the 300zx. I like the miatas allot, but I fear getting hit by anything larger than a corolla. The 300zx has the best ergonomics of any japanese car I've seen, the engine bay is a bit tight, but it looks manageable... everything just involves removing the radiator to gain sufficient space.

As for having another 944 as a daily driver... I never really considered that, as the AC in my 951 has never been recharged, so it sees allot of evening action in the summer and usually driven in the mild winters in LA. But who knows, I haven't decided and will not make a purchase until winter, unless smoking deal is to be had.

Also Jeff, just remembered, if you are into the new miata, check out:

https://www.zoomzoomlive.com/

I am not sure if they have any slots left, but you get to autocross the new miata somewhere in LA.

josephsc

I was justing thinking.... it's my turn to bump the thread back up.

We only have a couple of months of heat left, right? You might feel a little different about the car once the summer passes and AC is no longer an issue....

Mongo

sorry to hear about your decision Jeff. However, whatever you think is better go with it. Wish I had the money to make the purchase. I know where to find a windshield for it cheap (may not have the antenna in it, but I can fix that by dropping an antenna behind the dash) and I can get that white paint fairly shiny in a few months Good luck on your sale. I'm sure it will go to someone who will take real good care of it.

luckett

Joe, this one is perfect for your collection...

josephsc

No temptations! I'm trying to reduce my collection of problem childs -- not add to them...