Anybody owned Z32 300ZX and S2000?

Ok, just to get this out up front I may be nuts. I'm on a program.

I bought a Lexus GS430 for a daily driver a few years ago. Its been great. My head loves it. My heart really wonders why I am not driving a sports car everyday. I'm starting to give in to the voices that ask 'what if I replace it by getting an older Tacoma and a cheaper sports car?'

I think the cheap sports car would be a Z32 300ZX or an S2000. Anybody owned both? Are turbo Z32s as unreliable as I think? Convertible Z32s as bulletproof as a I hope?

I guess my question, hopefully to someone who has experience with both, is which one do you prefer and why? What do you learn after a few years of ownership that would not be obvious on a test drive?

Thanks for any help.

I guess I can help you out a bit...

I've owned both and to say, the difference between the two is obviously the force induction part. If I had to choose between the two, I'd take the S2000. As much as the Z32TT has power and aggressiveness on the streets, it's just not as fun as the s2k. The s2k out handles the Z in all places and I think the cool factor is better too. Although the Z has the more "classic" look and power, I'd chose the s2k over the Z. After owning a Nissan and now hondas, I think I'm more truly a Honda guy than anything else out there.

Z32s both convertible, hardtops, and t-tops are reliable except the fact that it's a b**** to work on the engine bay when you gotta do it yourself. Luckily for me there are a few places to take my car that have Z specialists in socal. Get a TT if you're gonna go for a Z32. You will not regret it...getting an NA Z and doing a conversion is just gonna waste your time if you're new to it. Might I also add, the Z32 will and can be bulletproof as long as you give some TLC.

The thing though about the two cars is that one's a monster on the highway an the other's a fun every day "go kart" kinda style car (ie: the s2k).

Here are a few pics. As you can tell I love the color black! Haha....




And the last pic...my house took place of the s2k. Reason why I kept the Z was because I put so much money into it I couldn't let it go and plus it was my first car.

striker525 said:

it's a b**** to work on the engine bay when you gotta do it yourself.

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+1 on this. Nissan engineers did some great work in this era, but it seems they assumed nothing would ever fail and need repairing. The first time you have to remove the plenum to replace a bad injector, you'll be in for a shock. $$$Hundreds required in unique, custom-sized/shaped hoses and gaskets, plus an entire weekend of fairly frustrating work. I think the timing belt took me longer on my buddy's Z than on my NSX, but at least there are no valves to adjust. I recall the parts were a good deal cheaper for the Z, and I did all the seals while I was in there.
Z struts are easier to replace.

Good question, and that's a great comparo between the 2. I've been wondering about the S2000 myself.

Different genre of cars. Even the n/a z32 was more expensive than the s2000 inflation adjusted. The TT was 20k more in 1990.

The z32 is reliable from the stand point the car is over engineered. The rear end and transmission can hold 600whp consistently. The stock turbo motor's bottom end can take 800whp. Stock motor is good for 600whp. Almost every z32 motor makes it 200k miles on stock internals.

I think the z32 handles and brakes much better than most people think. Most examples are 10-15 years old and not overly well maintained. A well maintained z32 handles 90% as well as the s2000 and is more stable at high speeds.

I haven't owned a n/a personally but I've driven them extensively. I think the convertable is a great car and I plan on making a pearl black TT convert within the next 3-5 years as a project.

But make no mistake, the z32 has its quirks. The pre 94 fuel injectors tend to start going out around 100-120k miles and you usually have to replace all 6. It's a lot* of work. Every 60k there is a fairly extensive maint. procedure (timing belt etc), there must be records for this. Parts are expensive and the turbo gets 15-18mpg. The n/a gets 18-22mpg. Not much worse than an s2000 though. The main difference is the overall feel, the z32 is torquey (even the n/a), more stable, and smoother. s2000 has a better gear box, slightly more percise handling/steering, etc.

sahtt said:

Different genre of cars. Even the n/a z32 was more expensive than the s2000 inflation adjusted. The TT was 20k more in 1990.

The z32 is reliable from the stand point the car is over engineered. The rear end and transmission can hold 600whp consistently. The stock turbo motor's bottom end can take 800whp. Stock motor is good for 600whp. Almost every z32 motor makes it 200k miles on stock internals.

I think the z32 handles and brakes much better than most people think. Most examples are 10-15 years old and not overly well maintained. A well maintained z32 handles 90% as well as the s2000 and is more stable at high speeds.

I haven't owned a n/a personally but I've driven them extensively. I think the convertable is a great car and I plan on making a pearl black TT convert within the next 3-5 years as a project.

But make no mistake, the z32 has its quirks. The pre 94 fuel injectors tend to start going out around 100-120k miles and you usually have to replace all 6. It's a lot* of work. Every 60k there is a fairly extensive maint. procedure (timing belt etc), there must be records for this. Parts are expensive and the turbo gets 15-18mpg. The n/a gets 18-22mpg. Not much worse than an s2000 though. The main difference is the overall feel, the z32 is torquey (even the n/a), more stable, and smoother. s2000 has a better gear box, slightly more percise handling/steering, etc.

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I may have one of the most outrageous Z32s in the world.
If you have your eye on a black convertable you might be interested in my black widebody. I designed, built, and painted it in my backyard. I didn't just buy the body pieces I made the parts from scatch. It won the Stillen Open House Car Show two years in a row, a best of show in 06 and the Steve Millen Personal Choice Award in 07. I also built my white Z32 but without the widebody. I've got a lot of pics of these cars and they have traveled to places like Death Valley,CA and Durango,CO. Here are a few, I hope you enjoy!





<a href="http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2500871570084140464CosxDU"><img src="http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/43397/2500871570084140464S600x600Q85.jpg" alt="IMG_7972"></a>






:smile:

yojack1 said:

I may have one of the most outrageous Z32s in the world.
If you have your eye on a black convertable you might be interested in my black widebody. I designed, built, and painted it in my backyard. I didn't just buy the body pieces I made the parts from scatch. It won the Stillen Open House Car Show two years in a row, a best of show in 06 and the Steve Millen Personal Choice Award in 07. I also built my white Z32 but without the widebody. I've got a lot of pics of these cars and they have traveled to places like Death Valley,CA and Durango,CO. Here are a few, I hope you enjoy!





<a href="http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2500871570084140464CosxDU"><img src="http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/43397/2500871570084140464S600x600Q85.jpg" alt="IMG_7972"></a>






:smile:

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You may be right. I usually don't prefer body modifications but it looks extremely well done. Besides replacing the back strip with a new black unit (above the tail lights) the car(s) look flawless. The z32 twin turbo is still one of my all time favorite cars and if I'm not mistaken that engine is still the highest torque output per unit of horsepower generated engine to ever come from Japan.

That strip (center brakelight) is painted met. red. I don't think there is anything left I can do except poor a boat load of cash into the engine and it's only got 55K original miles. Can't justify it anymore. Got other cars, a wife and four cats to support. Ha!
You do know your Z32s. I would sell my NSX before the Z.

I think there are only about 3500 verts, '93 -'95.

The Z32 twin turbo engines are bullet proof. Strong engine with lots of power going straight. Otherwise on the turns it's a little too heavy and has a lot of body roll. Z32TT is by far the best engine Nissan has produced next to the GTR (7x price). The interior of it is awesome and everything placed perfectly along with the heavy T-tops. I actually prefer it over my NSX interior.

As of convertibles, there great on sunny days. My convertible had a lot of light squeaky noises from the top. Besides the lack of power w/o T.T., I could not stand it and got rid of it. My advise get the Twins.

Here's 3 of 5 Z32's I've owned. All Twin Turbo except the convert.

NSX GT said:

The Z32 twin turbo engines are bullet proof. Strong engine with lots of power going straight. Otherwise on the turns it's a little too heavy and has a lot of body roll. Z32TT is by far the best engine Nissan has produced next to the GTR (7x price). The interior of it is awesome and everything placed perfectly along with the heavy T-tops. I actually prefer it over my NSX interior.

As of convertibles, there great on sunny days. My convertible had a lot of light squeaky noises from the top. Besides the lack of power w/o T.T., I could not stand it and got rid of it. My advise get the Twins.

Here's 3 of 5 Z32's I've owned. All Twin Turbo except the convert.

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Hey Gabe, I'll be seeing your old dark green twin turbo next weekend down in Bakersfield. Central Valley is doing a Pima Air Museum run out to Tucson I'll be going on. Stu really has that Z looking good. I will send you some pics. I sure wish I had the TT in my vert. :smile:

I think they're great cars. Besides the Supra, I don't think the other JDM "muscle" cars can really compare to the Z32tt in looks and power. The VR4 is a clutch eating pig and rotary never really made it very far. Not to say the rotary isn't a great engine, it just never really exploded.. Too hard to find someone to fix the rotary if you don't know how to do it yourself..

Anyways yeah, the vg30dett/tranny is very bullet proof. I drove my buddies for a summer. He beat the crap out of the car and the previous 2 owners did too. He changed the oil once in 8000 miles and the tranny fluid hadn't been changed in 2 years with DD it. The previous owners I knew for a fact launched it like 5 times a day (exaggeration). Car was still perfectly fine and drove very nicely.

I would personally take the S2k over the z32tt anyday. I feel more comfortable throwing the ap1/2 into a corner at 60 mph over the z32tt. The z32tt feels very very big, a lot bigger than it really is.. However I did like the power.

I love my s2000.

To make this decision super easy here is what you can do.Get together with some of the s2000 people in your area.Hopefully you might know 1 of them.Then just attend 1 of their group drives around the twisties,etc.The s2000s handling is just amazing.I was when I went on my 1st drive.The car just feels so stable.It is underpowered in low RPMs but makes up for it in fun to drive factor.

Gorgeous Z32s everyone. Thanks for the feedback to all.

yojack1 said:

Hey Gabe, I'll be seeing your old dark green twin turbo next weekend down in Bakersfield. Central Valley is doing a Pima Air Museum run out to Tucson I'll be going on. Stu really has that Z looking good. I will send you some pics. I sure wish I had the TT in my vert. :smile:

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Hey, I am in Tucson. When is this Z gong to be here? If it is this weekend (14-15) I'd love to see a nice example.

NSX GT said:

The Z32 twin turbo engines are bullet proof. Strong engine with lots of power going straight. Otherwise on the turns it's a little too heavy and has a lot of body roll. Z32TT is by far the best engine Nissan has produced next to the GTR (7x price). The interior of it is awesome and everything placed perfectly along with the heavy T-tops. I actually prefer it over my NSX interior.

As of convertibles, there great on sunny days. My convertible had a lot of light squeaky noises from the top. Besides the lack of power w/o T.T., I could not stand it and got rid of it. My advise get the Twins.

Here's 3 of 5 Z32's I've owned. All Twin Turbo except the convert.

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Great z's. I miss mine to this day.

When I was 15 in Telluride CO, I saw a red 1990 twin turbo stop a light. I read the "twin turbo" and immediately looked it up on the internet in the little 'business area' of the hotel. This is when having internet access was "special". The first site I found was www.zcar.com. I made the account zlover57, which now has 6 or 7 thousand posts to its credit in the technical forum. I decided that day I was going to buy one before I graduated highschool. I bought it about 2 weeks before the start of senior year.

My twin turbo didn't have too many miles but in sport mode it had very little body roll. I had good tires and TT wheels all around, but it's true the s2000 has less body roll overall; which is amazing for an open chassis car, truly remarkable indeed. It is a little rougher on the freeway though than the z32.

Great to see so many guys that didn't have problems. I had two Z32 TT's and man between the turbos going bad and leaky fuel injectors plus other the stuff they were black holes. My fuel economy was even with moderate driving awful with or w/o modes.

While exhaust and intake are great for extra hp believe me they suck up the gas. LOL I remember at one point even with CC and freeway driving I was getting 150-200 to a tank. And although the engine can take mods great the stock clutch is quick to go. I tried a couple of different grippier clutches and they were all to stiff to be used as DD.

They are still beautiful though and I stare whenever I see a 94+ as the raised spoiler was my favorite look. I would still have my last one if it hadn't been so problematic:frown:

Main handling difference was the weight as Z32 TT's are pretty heavy compared to S2K. I always left my Z in sport mode but couldn't get past all the weight. If your smitten though get one with the cloth seats and you'll be in heaven.

MJK said:

Gorgeous Z32s everyone. Thanks for the feedback to all.



Hey, I am in Tucson. When is this Z gong to be here? If it is this weekend (14-15) I'd love to see a nice example.

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Stu not only has Gabes (NSX GT) old green TT he has a '94 white TT also and a new G37 so I'm not sure what he is taking. :smile:

We'll be there on the March 21-22nd. I'll keep you posted.

Jack

sahtt said:

Great z's. I miss mine to this day.

When I was 15 in Telluride CO, I saw a red 1990 twin turbo stop a light. I read the "twin turbo" and immediately looked it up on the internet in the little 'business area' of the hotel. This is when having internet access was "special". The first site I found was www.zcar.com. I made the account zlover57, which now has 6 or 7 thousand posts to its credit in the technical forum. I decided that day I was going to buy one before I graduated highschool. I bought it about 2 weeks before the start of senior year.

My twin turbo didn't have too many miles but in sport mode it had very little body roll. I had good tires and TT wheels all around, but it's true the s2000 has less body roll overall; which is amazing for an open chassis car, truly remarkable indeed. It is a little rougher on the freeway though than the z32.

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Thats a lot of car and pretty expensive for a young guy in high school. Your lucky to have survived. Ha! :wink:

yojack1 said:

Stu not only has Gabes (NSX GT) old green TT he has a '94 white TT also and a new G37 so I'm not sure what he is taking. :smile:

We'll be there on the March 21-22nd. I'll keep you posted.

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Well crap, I will be in Orlando that weekend (Sebring). Please do let me know if you are going to be over this way any other time.

WINGZ said:

Great to see so many guys that didn't have problems. I had two Z32 TT's and man between the turbos going bad and leaky fuel injectors plus other the stuff they were black holes. My fuel economy was even with moderate driving awful with or w/o modes.

While exhaust and intake are great for extra hp believe me they suck up the gas. LOL I remember at one point even with CC and freeway driving I was getting 150-200 to a tank. And although the engine can take mods great the stock clutch is quick to go. I tried a couple of different grippier clutches and they were all to stiff to be used as DD.

They are still beautiful though and I stare whenever I see a 94+ as the raised spoiler was my favorite look. I would still have my last one if it hadn't been so problematic

Main handling difference was the weight as Z32 TT's are pretty heavy compared to S2K. I always left my Z in sport mode but couldn't get past all the weight. If your smitten though get one with the cloth seats and you'll be in heaven.

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So is it just the 90-93TTs that were problematic, or the 94-96TTs too? I am looking for daily driver millage queen, not a money pit. I don't mind doing regular maintenance (belts, hoses, plugs, brakes, filters, etc) but I don't want to rebuild engine/trans or get into any huge turbo repair bills. If it is just a matter of finding the right car, then I am game. Otherwise, it seems like I might want to stick with an N/A.

A couple more things I thought of: Any problems notable with T-tops or 'verts vs the standard coupe? 2+2 seats usable?

Thanks all.

I currently own a '93 Twin Turbo Z that's for sale and sold my S2000 around August of 08... They're completely different animals. I felt the S2000 was more on edge and more direct, whereas the Z32 was more of a highway cruiser. The Z32 is far more comfortable, has a nicer interior, and has huge amounts of torque. My TT with minor bolt ons managed to make 342 rwhp and 380 rwtq. They don't handle too terribly as I've autoX'ed mine for a few season and been to a track day or two in her, but the brakes to tend to fade after heavy use on the track if you don't have upgraded lines, pads, etc. The S2000 is a great car with a fantastic engine that's fun to drive, but on a daily basis, I would take the Z32 everytime... My S2K was my daily for 8 months and it was cool for a while, but eventually just got sort of tiresome.

As far as reliability goes, I owned a '90 NA Z32 for 5 years or so and never had any issues with it at all, and the same goes for my '93 TTZ that I currently own and have owned for 4 years. All she's needed are regular maint items, which is to be expected on a 1993, even though mine only has 51k miles. Just now is she giving me issues in that I have to replace a few injectors, but that's probably my own fault for trying a MINE's ECU + 110 octane at the track. 12.8 @ 100 mph... injector died 3/4 down the track!
Here's a couple pics of my Z32 and S2K: