That is the question.
Hey guys, long time lurker... and Finally decided on a Z to replace my 03 civic
I had an 88 300zx, and I need to revive my love with the Z line!

So heres the deal...
I live in Canada, and the price on used Z's is crazy...
I found an 03 Z (US car, base model)...
I know the owner... went through a midlife crisis, and babied the car from day 1.
It's got 31,000 MILES (not km's)

During the test drive, I checked the tires for wear... they're not quite a season old, so it was hard to tell... and from what I could see, the inside has been wearing well...
The windows are fine, the motors are quick, and no streaking..

HOWEVER...
There is the famous 3rd and 4th gear grinds... He said it happened to him once or twice... but it happened to me 3 times on this (cold) test drive..
The car is out of warranty, (due to being imported) and I've already set up an appointment to have the local Nissan dealer do a complete diagnostic run.

I told them about the problem... and they're saying its going to cost around 3500 with tax to install a new tranny...


The 03 Z's around here are selling for between 22-25 grand Canadian...
This guy is asking 18,900... but he has deep pockets...

Should I stay away from this 03 Z? (no warranty)
Or should I deal with him to replace the tranny to the 009, and have a clean Z in the garage...

Insight would be helpful!

 

Sorry for the off topic, but I am also looking for a Z and the "gear grind" issue is driving me nuts because some people say it's normal some say you need to replace tranny.

 

As long as the car is in good shape, thats a pretty good deal. And if you can afford to get a new tranny (make sure its an 06+), you'll be good to go.

 

OliverH22 ... it is NOT normal... DO NOT let the seller try to convince you this is a normal issue...
The gear grind is one of the, if not the most common issues in early model Z's...
(From reading on here of course :P)

Edit on post... I plan to deal with him for the tranny...
3500$ installed is pretty steep...

But I plan on offering 20k, with that nice new tranny

 

So that means, some people have the gear grind and some dont?

If the gear grinds comes from bad synchros, why does the whole tranny have to be swapped for a new one for the problem to be resolved? (This could either be a very stupid n00b question or a good question)

 

How did the buy work out?

 

Oh not too good.

 

lawl.