If I were you, I would try to go with the 1992 model if at all possible.
Nissan issued a technical service bulletin regarding an intake valve problem
with the 1990 and 1991 models. If the owner does experience this problem, it
can cause a very rough low speed idle. This can prevent the vehicle from
passing some states' emissions test during inspection. The problem can also
cause the vehicle to need a valve job a lot sooner than it normally would.
Having a valve job performed on a 1990 or 1991 Nissan 300ZX can cost the
owner some big bucks. It would probably end up being cheaper to buy one of
those used, replacement engines that you can order out of Japan with about
30-40,000 miles on it--and pay someone to install it.

The 1990 and 1991 Nissan 300ZX wasn't a *highly problematic* car, but it did
have its share of issues when compared to the 1993-1996 models. Like any
other new vehicle that an automobile manufacturer introduces, it takes a few
years to get some of the kinks worked out. These cars aren't cheap or easy
to work on. It's pretty darn tough to get to some of the engine components.
There's a WHOLE LOT of stuff crammed under the hood of a Z32! :-)

I'm still driving my 1990 model with 155,000+ miles on it every single day.
I bought it in 1993 with 18,000 miles on it for $18,150.00. It stickered for
about $32,000.00 new back in 1990. Some R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. VP had
bought it for his wife who didn't work. So it was garaged the majority of
the time that they owned it. Didn't have the first scratch, ding, dent or
rock chip when I picked it up. The interior was 100% flawless too. Non-turbo
with a Bose sound system.

As far as maintenance goes, here's a list of what I've done to mine through
155,000+ miles since picking it up with 18,000 miles on it back in 1993:

-Replaced the main bearing seal
-Replaced the drain plug seal
-Replaced the fuel injector wire connectors/ends
-Replaced the overdrive cancellation switch
-Replaced the AC compressor
-Replaced an AC hose/line that had a small hole in it
-Replaced the glove box latch
-Replaced a wheel centerpiece (Not sure if it was stolen or just fell off)
-Replaced the shocks      (To be expected)
-Replaced the alternator   (To be expected)
-Replaced the battery (2X)  (To be expected)
-Replaced the tires (3X)    (To be expected)
-Replaced the front brake rotors (2X)   (To be expected)
-Replaced the front brake pads (2X)   (To be expected)
-Replaced the low beam headlamp bulbs (2X)  (To be expected)
-Replaced the wiper blades (3X)  (To be expected)
-Replaced the timing belt (2X)  (To be expected on these cars)

As you can see, over half the items in this list are just routine
maintenance issues that have to be performed on ALL cars over time.
Regardless of make or model if kept long enough. Based upon this list I
wouldn't say that the car has been that bad at all. Especially since I've
driven it pretty hard over the course of the last decade. It does have a bit
of a firm/bang shift going from automatic 1st to 2nd, but as one
transmission specialist put it..."It's not bad enough to even justify a
rebuild at this point. It shifts fine by my definition. Yes, I've driven
cars with automatic transmissions that shifted a little smoother, but I
wouldn't let it bother me if I owned the car. I'd just keep on driving it
like it is." Technically, it could probably stand a valve job to take care
of the sporadic low speed rough idle issue previously mentioned. But overall
it still runs pretty darn good for a car with 155,000+ miles on it. I'm
going to keep on driving it until it becomes difficult to crank. Then either
have the valve job done on it, or replace the engine with one of the used
ones that I referred to above.

Hope this information helps you out with your Z32 purchasing decision in
some way.

Best regards, and good luck!

S.T.

1. Turbo, definitely, if you can pay the extra cost and maintain the upkeep.
2. Check for rust.
3. Consider timing belt change if not documented.
4. Check rotors thickness (more for safety than for cost).
5. Verify everything (specially brakes) is working fine.
   (This does not mean the car has brake problems).
6. If A/C does not work, it is expensive to fix it.
Good luck! They are great cars and fun to drive!

Oh! The Bose system will give you trouble, regardless.

Before you buy--spend some time cruising through twinturbo.net.  You will
get a PhD education in Z buying from that site.

Brent
1991 N/A 2+2

make sure you have the roof covers... the net for the trunk the cover for
the trunk..
all that stuff.

my ZX didn't have non of those things.
system is crap so don't even bother.
check to see if the antenna works (goes up goes down)
see if you can run the car with the key out of the column. (it happens)
make sure you have all the keys.
there are more than 2.

check to see if the threads on the lugs and nuts for the rims are stripped.

when driving check to see if the center column is very hot. if so it has had
a clutch change and isn't installed properly.

good luck.