[cb8806]

I'm interested to know everyone's personal history with the Z cars that made them really like, or even "fall in love with", the Z lineage.

I first started liking the Z's when the 370Z initially released while I was stationed in California. I didn't see many Z34s driving around, but I always saw them when I passed by a nearby dealership. Fast forward to 2013, I finally got my first Z in a 300ZX TT as a project car while in college. It had a few minor mods (performance clutch, short throw shifter, coilovers), but was the most fun car I've owned for driving in the Texas hill country. I sold the car due to not being able to afford an engine rebuild, and living in a college apartment complex wasn't ideal for storing a project car. Shortly after selling I got a 280Z. This was a bad buy on my part as 2 small rust spots turned into the floor pans on both sides completely falling out. Once again, I was still in college so I had to sell the car.

Right before graduating college, I traded an RX7 FD for an Infiniti G37 (needed a better daily driver and a backseat so I didn't choose the 370Z). I modded it (fast intentions exhuast, short ram air intakes, BC coilovers, and WedSport wheels), and had a lot of fun with it.

I'm excited for the new Z and ready to get back into a Z car as soon as it releases.

 

[Rusty]

I'm interested to know everyone's personal history with the Z cars that made them really like, or even "fall in love with", the Z lineage.

I first started liking the Z's when the 370Z initially released while I was stationed in California. I didn't see many Z34s driving around, but I always saw them when I passed by a nearby dealership. Fast forward to 2013, I finally got my first Z in a 300ZX TT as a project car while in college. It had a few minor mods (performance clutch, short throw shifter, coilovers), but was the most fun car I've owned for driving in the Texas hill country. I sold the car due to not being able to afford an engine rebuild, and living in a college apartment complex wasn't ideal for storing a project car. Shortly after selling I got a 280Z. This was a bad buy on my part as 2 small rust spots turned into the floor pans on both sides completely falling out. Once again, I was still in college so I had to sell the car.

Right before graduating college, I traded an RX7 FD for an Infiniti G37 (needed a better daily driver and a backseat so I didn't choose the 370Z). I modded it (fast intentions exhuast, short ram air intakes, BC coilovers, and WedSport wheels), and had a lot of fun with it.

I'm excited for the new Z and ready to get back into a Z car as soon as it releases.

I'm interested to know everyone's personal history with the Z cars that made them really like, or even "fall in love with", the Z lineage.

I first started liking the Z's when the 370Z initially released while I was stationed in California. I didn't see many Z34s driving around, but I always saw them when I passed by a nearby dealership. Fast forward to 2013, I finally got my first Z in a 300ZX TT as a project car while in college. It had a few minor mods (performance clutch, short throw shifter, coilovers), but was the most fun car I've owned for driving in the Texas hill country. I sold the car due to not being able to afford an engine rebuild, and living in a college apartment complex wasn't ideal for storing a project car. Shortly after selling I got a 280Z. This was a bad buy on my part as 2 small rust spots turned into the floor pans on both sides completely falling out. Once again, I was still in college so I had to sell the car.

Right before graduating college, I traded an RX7 FD for an Infiniti G37 (needed a better daily driver and a backseat so I didn't choose the 370Z). I modded it (fast intentions exhuast, short ram air intakes, BC coilovers, and WedSport wheels), and had a lot of fun with it.

I'm excited for the new Z and ready to get back into a Z car as soon as it releases.

This is going to be my first Z car that I've owned but I've been a fan of them for as long as I can remember. My uncle had A 260Z and 280Z back in the day and that was my first experience with them. I'd be at his place any chance I got to stare at it, sit inside, and go on rides with him.

 

[cb8806]

This is going to be my first Z car that I've owned but I've been a fan of them for as long as I can remember. My uncle had A 260Z and 280Z back in the day and that was my first experience with them. I'd be at his place any chance I got to stare at it, sit inside, and go on rides with him.

If you've never driven a Z, you're missing out. That's awesome you're uncle had a 260Z and 280Z. I wasn't introduced to the Z cars until the 350Z came out, and even then I didn't care for them much until years later.

 

[TroublesomeIconoclast]

I have always admired Nissan Zs from afar... as an automotive enthusiast with an interest in a wide range of things, even if mostly just 'academically', and not really having had an opportunity to enjoy them directly.

The S30 early cars are beautiful classics that actually reportedly drive well, and are reliable, and used to be somewhat affordable.
I read and was interested in it's lineage, about how Yamaha worked up a sports car project with Nissan and pitched it to them, for a japanese sports car to emulate the europeans, but bring the cars to an affordable price point to a reconstructed Japan, as well as for export, as well as making them reliable, and thus more attainable and enjoyable than the likes of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, and BMW inline-6 front-engined sports cars that were generally both more expensive, and some had reliability quirks.

Nissan ultimately declined Yamaha's specifics, but ended up keeping the over-arching themes and traits, and made the slightly simpler S30 Fairlady Z in-house with an L-series engine, instead of Yamaha's twin-cam 2-liter engine, and a more attainable price.
Yamaha instead pitched the project to Toyota, which became the 2000GT. Then, Nissan put their 2-liter DOHC Prince engine from the GT-R into the Fairlady, making the 432, with a 4-speed manual, 3 dual-throat side-draft carburetors, and 2 overhead cams.

The S30 grew in both engine size, and an optional 2+2 configuration, and ultimately the S130 280ZX replaced the outgoing S30 280Z... with the X denoting a bit more of a touring focus, and added amenities, as well as a 5-speed manual gearbox, and other upgrades, and eventually turbocharging.

Z31 300ZX came in as a clean sheet 1980s wedge design, with a V6 instead of an inline, and again, optional turbo, and optional longer wheelbase 2+2... as a step up from the S-chassis Silvia, more performance oriented than the Laurel or Skyline, save the GT-S and GT-R.

Z32 ushered in Nissan's entry into the 90s era boom economy automotive rush, to compete with the Mark III and then IV Supra, the FC and then FD-3S RX-7, Mitsubishi's 3000GT and Dodge Stealth clone, Porsche's 944 Turbo, 968, and 928 touring coupes, and trying to appeal to younger buyers than the aging C4 Corvette, or less lightweight Mercedes SL, and BMW 6-series.

Arguably Z32 was an automotive icon from it's debut... and one of the hallmarks of 1990s automotive design and one of the last clean, modern, and entirely original automotive designs. Not a throwback, but a styling statement entirely on it's own merits. Everything since has been influenced by looking to the past, and restricted by more and more regulation that has significant impacts on automotive design.

Unfortunately like most others, it didn't survive the economic and social automotive market trends of the mid- to late-90s, with the exchange rate of the Yen to the dollar making imported cars prohibitively expensive, and CAFE regulations pushing the sharp rise of light-truck classified SUVs to shift fleet averages toward less regulatory costs.

Nissan bounced back like a few other companies did to bring their coupe nameplates back in the early 2000s as monetary policies eased, and purchasing increased with less expensive debt... and their bounce-back was the Z33 Nissan 350Z, platform shared with the Infiniti G-series, and even FX-series, and translated to the Z34 370Z in 2009, which brings us up to more recent history, toward current events.

I like the values that Nissan has had in the past with a focus on engineering quality and enthusiasm for mainstream people who want something that is interesting and well built. Z was the flagship of that ethos.

Unfortunately they have wandered from that a few times and come back to it... including very recently. I genuinely hope this is another true return to that ethos, and not an attempt that falls short.

If so, my interest might very well become more direct than academic, as a potential owner.

 

[takemorepills]

My friend's in High School had the S Z's (240, 260, 280 and ZX). Heck, I even had friend's with weird Datsuns like an 810 coupe (Maxima coupe with 2.4 I6) and the vaunted 510.

I used to work on 280's a bunch when I was making my living as a mechanic. I enjoyed them.

Personally, I have owned:
1984 300ZX T-Tops coupe 5MT
1988 300ZX T-Tops coupe 5MT
1987 200SX SE V6 5MT
1987 200SX SE V6 AT
1990 300ZX T-Tops 5MT (non turbo).

The S12 200SX's, I must admit, may have been my favorite Nissan sporty coupe. Having the drivetrain of the Z31, and IMO better looks and more usable larger hatchback. I include them as they are "300ZX powered".

I remember very vividly, buying my first brand new car in 1995, the 300ZX Twin Turbo sitting there in the showroom, I wanted it so bad. But, as I recall, it was something over $50K....in 1995!

I also remember being signed up for the new Z33, and Nissan sent me a 350Z themed deck of playing cards to get people excited (those of us on the mailing list) about the re-birthed Z.
I was soooo disappointed when I saw the car in real life. (forewarning: my personal opinions on the Z33 and Z34 are harsh, and are my own opinions). I must commend Nissan/Ghosn for actually bringing the Z back. But, holy hell man, the early 2000's was horrible for Nissan. The French influence combined with cheap, hard plastic interiors at that time was horrible, and the new Z didn't escape the ugly stick of Nissan in that era. It was apparent, at least for the 350Z, that the car wasn't following the typical Japanese approach to style, IMO. I also didn't like many things about the 370Z styling, although I feel it is better, overall.
I feel like the Z35 fixes those appearance issues, and the new Twin Turbo V6 just seals the deal for me.

I can see Nissan is heading in a better direction without Ghosn, unfortunately into a changing automotive landscape. But, they are getting away from CVTs, and making much better looking vehicles with nicer interiors now.

 

[cb8806]

My friend's in High School had the S Z's (240, 260, 280 and ZX). Heck, I even had friend's with weird Datsuns like an 810 coupe (Maxima coupe with 2.4 I6) and the vaunted 510.

I used to work on 280's a bunch when I was making my living as a mechanic. I enjoyed them.

Personally, I have owned:
1984 300ZX T-Tops coupe 5MT
1988 300ZX T-Tops coupe 5MT
1987 200SX SE V6 5MT
1987 200SX SE V6 AT
1990 300ZX T-Tops 5MT (non turbo).

The S12 200SX's, I must admit, may have been my favorite Nissan sporty coupe. Having the drivetrain of the Z31, and IMO better looks and more usable larger hatchback. I include them as they are "300ZX powered".

I remember very vividly, buying my first brand new car in 1995, the 300ZX Twin Turbo sitting there in the showroom, I wanted it so bad. But, as I recall, it was something over $50K....in 1995!

I also remember being signed up for the new Z33, and Nissan sent me a 350Z themed deck of playing cards to get people excited (those of us on the mailing list) about the re-birthed Z.
I was soooo disappointed when I saw the car in real life. (forewarning: my personal opinions on the Z33 and Z34 are harsh, and are my own opinions). I must commend Nissan/Ghosn for actually bringing the Z back. But, holy hell man, the early 2000's was horrible for Nissan. The French influence combined with cheap, hard plastic interiors at that time was horrible, and the new Z didn't escape the ugly stick of Nissan in that era. It was apparent, at least for the 350Z, that the car wasn't following the typical Japanese approach to style, IMO. I also didn't like many things about the 370Z styling, although I feel it is better, overall.
I feel like the Z35 fixes those appearance issues, and the new Twin Turbo V6 just seals the deal for me.

I can see Nissan is heading in a better direction without Ghosn, unfortunately into a changing automotive landscape. But, they are getting away from CVTs, and making much better looking vehicles with nicer interiors now.

Seems like you have quite a history with Z cars. I’m not a fan of the Z33s either, and feel that the Z34 wasn’t much of a step up. The Z35 still retains a lot, while making the changes that I feel were much needed. The twin turbo V6 seals the deal for me as well. With or without Ghosn, the entire automotive world is changing direction as it has many times. It will be interesting to see the final product on this Z and where it goes in the future.

 

[G37]

I'm interested to know everyone's personal history with the Z cars that made them really like, or even "fall in love with", the Z lineage.

I first started liking the Z's when the 370Z initially released while I was stationed in California. I didn't see many Z34s driving around, but I always saw them when I passed by a nearby dealership. Fast forward to 2013, I finally got my first Z in a 300ZX TT as a project car while in college. It had a few minor mods (performance clutch, short throw shifter, coilovers), but was the most fun car I've owned for driving in the Texas hill country. I sold the car due to not being able to afford an engine rebuild, and living in a college apartment complex wasn't ideal for storing a project car. Shortly after selling I got a 280Z. This was a bad buy on my part as 2 small rust spots turned into the floor pans on both sides completely falling out. Once again, I was still in college so I had to sell the car.

Right before graduating college, I traded an RX7 FD for an Infiniti G37 (needed a better daily driver and a backseat so I didn't choose the 370Z). I modded it (fast intentions exhuast, short ram air intakes, BC coilovers, and WedSport wheels), and had a lot of fun with it.

I'm excited for the new Z and ready to get back into a Z car as soon as it releases.

As a young child I first saw 240Z’s running around San Diego and I thought they were cooler than the corvette stingrays of the era. I grew up in NY and got my first car, a 1979 red 280ZX w/5spd MT, in summer 1987 while in college. One spring break while visiting mom and dad in NY, it was stolen. Enter the 1981 copper 280ZX 5spd, a car I enjoyed but sold upon graduating in 1990 because the annual insurance bill in NY (where I’d move after graduation) would’ve cost almost as much as the car was worth at the time. A couple months later when I snagged my first full time job, I bought one of the first 1990 Nissan Sentra SE-R’s in the US. It was my second favorite car. An unfortunate accident ended the SE-R’s life in late 1992, so I bought a 93 Ford Probe GT 5spd MT which I traded in on a 1996 Maxima SE (auto) in 1995 for my wife. A Toyota Avalon followed by an FX35 then a 2014 MDX left me sans stick shift for well over 20 years. In 2018 I could wait no longer and bought a garage queen of a 2008 G37 S Coupe 6spd MT w/37K miles in near mint shape. Since then I’ve added an HKS catback, Eibach sways and AFE dry filter drop ins - it’s my favorite car to date. It’s almost perfect as is (I may add a strut tower brace) and I enjoy it whenever the weather is nice but I know I’ll succumb to a Nismo 400Z in a couple of years as it’ll likely be the last new stick shift car I’ll ever buy and I’ll want something that’s a step up from my G37’s 330+ hp. What I’m not sure about is whether or not I’ll keep my G37 when I buy the Nismo, though I fear my wife may rule that out. Time will tell.

 

[Rusty]

If you've never driven a Z, you're missing out. That's awesome you're uncle had a 260Z and 280Z. I wasn't introduced to the Z cars until the 350Z came out, and even then I didn't care for them much until years later.

I've had a chance to drive Z's thankfully. That's kept my itch to own one going hahaha. I drove a different 280Z that my friend used to own and test drove the 350Z about a year after it launched.

What about the 370Z got you hooked on Z's?

 

[Gabrieladiaroz]

I'm interested to know everyone's personal history with the Z cars that made them really like, or even "fall in love with", the Z lineage.

I first started liking the Z's when the 370Z initially released while I was stationed in California. I didn't see many Z34s driving around, but I always saw them when I passed by a nearby dealership. Fast forward to 2013, I finally got my first Z in a 300ZX TT as a project car while in college. It had a few minor mods (performance clutch, short throw shifter, coilovers), but was the most fun car I've owned for driving in the Texas hill country. I sold the car due to not being able to afford an engine rebuild, and living in a college apartment complex wasn't ideal for storing a project car. Shortly after selling I got a 280Z. This was a bad buy on my part as 2 small rust spots turned into the floor pans on both sides completely falling out. Once again, I was still in college so I had to sell the car.

Right before graduating college, I traded an RX7 FD for an Infiniti G37 (needed a better daily driver and a backseat so I didn't choose the 370Z). I modded it (fast intentions exhuast, short ram air intakes, BC coilovers, and WedSport wheels), and had a lot of fun with it.

I'm excited for the new Z and ready to get back into a Z car as soon as it releases.

When my late dad gave me my cousins green 76 280 z and it wasnt running . And he told me if i got it running the car would be transferred to my name sure enough took me the whole summer but before school started i got her running and she was my ride my junior year all the way to the end of my senior year .

 

[S30R32]

I'm on my fourth 240Z, this being the most modified. First one was early college, had it painted special Mercedes silver, air dam, spoiler, etc. Let's back up a bit, in HS Auto Shop, glad that was around then, too much fun soaking up car knowledge and wrenching. I was into the muscle car scene, first car was a 70 Plymouth Barracuda, hopped up the 318 to 340 specs, with Thermoquad, Hedman,Thrush, etc. (hope some of you remember what these mods are LOL). We cruised a lot with friends' Camaro, Cougar, Dart, Challenger and of course some street races to and from them. Good years! Then....I had the chance to drive a friend's 240Z, oh man, the snug interior, handling, lightness, this hooked me! Datsun fan for life.

Since then had ownerships of RX-7 (first gen Auto-X 2nd regional champ), 05 Subaru STi (track/street), E46 M3 (track/street), E60 N54 M-Sport 535i (still have). But somehow stuck to Nissan/Infiniti over the years - 00 Maxima SE 5 spd (fun easy to drive, good memories), 08 G35S manual sedan (nice power but didn't like the touchy and high clutch), Xterra Off-Road (lifted set up for crawling and overlanding) which I still have.

Making room for the next Z...

 

[zenki]

When my late dad gave me my cousins green 76 280 z and it wasnt running . And he told me if i got it running the car would be transferred to my name sure enough took me the whole summer but before school started i got her running and she was my ride my junior year all the way to the end of my senior year .

Welcome @Gabrieladiaroz!

Do you still have it or own another Z now?
Would love to see pics of your 76'

 

[cb8806]

I've had a chance to drive Z's thankfully. That's kept my itch to own one going hahaha. I drove a different 280Z that my friend used to own and test drove the 350Z about a year after it launched.

What about the 370Z got you hooked on Z's?

The general look of the 370Z got me interested, but I wasn't hooked until I had my Z32 TT. It was a blast to drive and t-tops made the drive even better.

 

[Donalex]

I remember seeing a friend's 240 in which he added flared fenders and front spoiler in 1980.

I was a Nissan salesperson in '90 when the Z32 was launched. I absorbed the car and it's competition like a sponge. I used to take customers on a test drive which crapped their pants. 😛. Alas, I couldn't afford my own, but I did get to drive one almost every day.

A couple years later, I bought my first Z, a one-owner '87 Z31 N/A. Got a speeding ticket the first day. 👍

Got away from that to sport sedans but a couple of years later jumped on a Toyota MR2 Spyder and owned three different ones over 14 years.

After selling the last one and the '70 MGB I restored, I thought about what car I REALLY wanted.

I was fortunate to find a one-owner Z32 nearby. After a full mechanical restoration, it drives as new. And, I'm a happy camper.

 

[Rusty]

When my late dad gave me my cousins green 76 280 z and it wasnt running . And he told me if i got it running the car would be transferred to my name sure enough took me the whole summer but before school started i got her running and she was my ride my junior year all the way to the end of my senior year .

That's awesome for your dad to do that. What did you need to do to get the 280Z running?