any know why the z31's are usally never looked at

[NZX]

ive been in the z community for almost a yr now and ive owend a z33,z32,z31 and s30

-obviously people love the z33 bc of them being new and very clean

-the z32 may not have looked as good as the z33's but they were made for the speed crazy

-the z31's however had the most sales out of the car time line (to my knowledge) with the digi dash they were pretty advanced for their time and ok speed with its single turbo. the body style was ok i can understand it didn't look that amazing but it was nice compared to most 80's cars

-then we have the classic beauty of the s30's. old but that just adds to their style and beauty. fast and small for its age with the rare inline6. these cars sold themselves broken down or running they were bragged about

but back to my question why do you thank people would over look the z31's?

[Arne]

Because most people (not just Z people) find them to be singularly uninspiring. Nothing that makes them stand out. They don't have the classic Z styling that identifies the S30 and (to a slightly lesser extent) the S130, nor do they have enough performance to outshine other cars of similar vintage.

Here's a different twist on this question - why did you ignore the S130 in your list?

[sblake01]

the z31's however had the most sales out of the car time line (to my knowledge)

I believe that's true but it's somewhat misleading. The Z31 a full 6 year run. The Z32 actually had a longer run but production (and sales) dropped each year. I had a 1985 Z31. I only paid $700 for it in 1998, drove the hell out of it, and sold it to a kid for $1000 in 2000. I also though it was, as Arne said, singularly uninspiring.

[Walter Moore]

The Z32 got progressively more expensive with each passing year. The final year twin turbo version was something like $40k - $50k or more if my admittedly bad memory serves me correctly. (That was an outrageous price for a car in 1996.) Which is a large part of the reason Nissan didn't sell that many Z32s.

I never drove one, but several members of the local Z-club owned Z31s, and one of the old timers remarked that with the factory strut inserts his handled like a Buick. While there are several Buick products that I remember fondly, none of them could be fairly described as "sports cars".

Edited December 2, 2009 by Walter Moore
Last year of Z32 was 1996, not 1998 sorry.

[260DET]

They were set up to be a cruiser, comfortable but boring, what the American market wanted apparently Like with the S130, few people now appear to be prepared to spend money on them to transform them into a sports car, which is what they are underneath anyway.

[Mr Camouflage]

There are heaps of people spending money on them on the Z31 forums that are around. The ability to get to 400HP on stock internals for the turbo Z31 make it a pretty cheap base to start with. But yes the S130 and Z31 seem to get lumped together in the same heavy/ugly/unsporty basket.

[NZX]

ok and thanks for yalls imput gives me a more of an understanding of the z31's

and for the s130's I've never owned one or been around 1 so I don't have an opinion on them

[260DET]

The Z31 and S130 are similar in that they are more solid car than the S30 without the weight and complexity of the Z32. Both have similar suspension too which, with some work, performs very well.

People seem to forget that BMW used a similar type of suspension with excellent results. Its just that BM specced theirs to be more sporty in feel and performance.

[WingZr0]

I think the Z31 looks sic, wedge shaped aerodynamics like a baby brother Z32 . The S130 though, while having cosmetic potential painted the right colors, i can live without. However also owning a 1983 BMW 320i I can also say on a rainy day, on a S curve, when you clutch kick it handles like a Z. Shut my mouth !

Edited December 2, 2009 by WingZr0

[Mikes Z car]

I bought a 85 turbo Z new. Only new car I ever bought. The notchy transmission and non sports car feel made me want the 71 240Z back I had before I bought the turbo. In retrospect I would have been much happier if I had spent what I did on the turbo on the 240Z to get rid of rust damage. Back then I didn't know you could replace the floor pans. I do think women liked the 85 a lot better than my 240Z due to the comfort. The climate control worked better in the 85 than any other car I have had. I remember my first girlfriend saying when she got in the 71 240Z I had for the first time after I made a snappy exit from the parking lot "is that why you like these little cars?". I tried to explain that the throttle tended to stick; in retrospect I think because the butterflies were dragging on the side of the carbs. My current 70 240Z is smooth in that regard. I use lithium grease packed thick around the throttle shaft entry points to keep dirt out and to prevent additional wear. I plan on replacing the grease from time to time. I hope that is a good idea!

Mike

[SportBikeMike]

Although the Z31 and the S130 are often grouped together, I think the S130 is alot more popular with Z enthusiasts now because it has more similiarities to the original classic Z- the sugar scoop headlights, the in-line six engine, etc. plus it still had the Datsun name (OK, "Datsun by Nissan" to be exact). But the S130 and the S30 are night and day as far as the driving experience. In fact, my Z33 is ALOT more similiar in character and feel to the S30 than my S130 is.