At $18,500, Does This Custom-Bodied 1991 Nissan 300ZX 2+2 Add Up?
Today’s Nice Price or No Dice 300ZX 2+2 may not have a clean title, but there doesn’t look to be anything dirty about it otherwise. Let’s see if it’s priced to clean up.
In the 1948 Merrie Melodies cartoon, My Bunny Lies Over the Sea, Bugs Bunny goes to Scotland where, naturally, he ends up playing a round of golf. That’s one of the extremely limited examples of Rabbits and Golf going together. Being called a Golf everywhere else, the 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit convertible we considered yesterday is another. At $10,000, few of you found the classic convertible’s price to be anything to laugh about, and that gave the car a 70 percent No Dice loss.
When you consider the prices that Z cars are going for today — especially the ones originally sold under the Datsun brand — you have to wonder if there are any deals yet to be had. Often, choosing a lesser-desirable edition can help ease the financial burden of buying any classic. Additionally, you could opt for a car with other attributes that may negatively affect its broader attractiveness.
In the case of this 1991 300ZX, there are some things playing in its favor and a few that work against it. Let’s do the bad first. This is a non-turbo 2+2 model with an automatic transmission. That’s pretty much the antithesis of the two-seater twin-turbo with a stick that most enthusiasts would choose. Then there are the issues with the salvage title and the Testarossa tush body kit. Neither of those attributes is likely going to win friends or influence neighbors.
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Suck it up
Only 2.4 pounds, has a 60w motor for powerful suction, has a lithium battery that can store charge for up to 18 months, which means you can leave it in the car, and it even comes with different heads for different uses as well.
On the plus side, the car has a T-top roof, a 2-year fresh paint job, and according to the ad, has just received a tune-up, a new timing belt, and all new fluids. And to be honest, that body kit doesn’t look all that bad once you get used to it. Remember too that the later editions of Lamborghini’s Diablo used the 300ZX’s headlamps so with this car you’re almost getting two exotics for the price of one.
The seller says the tires are new all around which is good because those are some seriously wide meats. The ad notes that the car comes with vertical door hinges but that they are yet to be installed. I think it would be best to put those on eBay rather than on the car.
Inside, the car looks great, although the seller claims the leather on the seats to only be in “fair” condition. They look fine in the photos, as do the dash and all the plastics. An aftermarket head unit does stick out here but that’s just a minor annoyance.
Mileage is stated as 40,795, which seems suspiciously low. Then again, we have to consider that the car has all that custom work and that salvage title. Maybe it was off the road for a spell while being reborn and re-titled.
We may never know the car’s full history since we don’t get to see the VIN and I’m too lazy to contact the seller for the story. What we do know is that the price tag is set at $18,500 or best offer.
What would your best offer be? Would you go whole-hog and pay that $18,500 for this salvage title custom ZX? Or, would your best be something far less?
You decide!
San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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