I know some people who are thinking of buying a Z32 come here interested in finding out more about what it takes to own one. Let me break down my last problem with my car - just got it out of the shop today so I have my details handy.

Issue was, hesitation, intermittant stalling, fuel smell, and rough idle. I provided the mechanic with no less than $1500 in parts to complete the tasks below - this is the labor and additional charges:

Replace 2 (two) Valve Timing Control Solenoids
$152 labor
50.52 part
48.26 part
$20.00 special handling surcharge

Timing belt replacement (ie. every 60k service)
$364.95 labor
15.69 fan belt
21.32 fan belt
19.04 belt kit
(I provided the timing belt myself - it would be additional otherwise)

Fuel Injector replacement (all 6) and wiring harness repair
$1064 labor
$8.33 Gasket Kit (looks like I missed one)
$20.00 special handling surcharge

Belt Tensioner (replaced with timing belt)
$161.99 Belt Tensioner
$16.00 special handling surcharge

$19.95 environmental fee.

Total bill for this repair, $2055.16 + about another $1500 in parts so roughly $3,600 to fix a rough idle problem which turned out to be a fouled fuel injector.

I submit this as evidence to back up the 'get the previous service records supporters' for anyone looking to buy a used Z32 (well, what other kind would there be...) GET THE PRIOR SERVICE RECORDS! If they dont' have them - WALK AWAY FROM THE CAR AND DON'T LOOK BACK! I don't know about you, but dropping $3,600 on the car after putting another $400 a month into it since January sure isn't cheap! Don't even let a dealer convince you to take it without them! Honestly - you'd be surprised how things like timing belts and fuel injectors just don't get covered under those 'extra' warranty's we buy sometimes. (Not always - but it hurts when it doesn't!)

My car is a slightly modded 1990 Nissan 300ZX NA with slightly over 130,000 miles on it. It's nothing extreme - and this is a typical repair you might see from neglect of a car by a previous owner. Folks, do yourself a favor and buy a known GOOD one! I love Z's and I'm willing ot spend the $$ to get mine done right - ask yourself if it's worth it.

Oh, and for the curious - did all this fix my problem? I'm not really believing it did - it's better but not where I think it should be.
:mad:

I wish there were more Z32's around me (or a club or something) that I could compare average performance with directly. That would be handy!

Alright - I have to give up my 'couple hours later' report. After giving my car a little highway time to settle it runs a lot better now and everything seems to have straightened out. I do believe that since I had so many fuel components replaced I either hadn't built up sufficient pressure or my ECU hadn't adapted to the new stuff yet (ie. being able to run again). I'm an honest guy and I didn't want to leave this open with a bad impression.

Initial performance and response was horrible, but after about 30 or so miles things are even better than before. I admit, I was wrong and I jumped the gun on my judgement. Not that it's so important per se, but I believe in maintaining at least some form of integrity when I can.
Thanks,
Wade
:)