Classified Find - Nissan 300ZX

With the arrival of the Nissan Z-Proto last night, I've caught myself looking at previous iterations of the Z-Car in the classifieds this afternoon.

There aren't a huge amount to be found for sale here on our (currently) sunny shores. The few I have stumbled upon are the 21st Century's 350Z and 370Z.

This 350 looks very tidy and great value at €6200. If you prefer something newer, there's this 370, which is a NISMO model, the cream of the crop, at €14500, albeit you'll have to factor in VRT, as it's currently on UK plates.

Great cars, worthy of the Z badge, but a little too obvious.

So, I kept searching and found this, a 1989, gen one, 300ZX. When was the last time you saw one of these?

Ok, it's probably for good reason you haven't, the first-gen 300ZX being the least favoured of the Z-Car lineage. Especially when the gen-two car was much improved and now has a cult appeal, thanks to a certain late-90s Playstation game.

The styling of the first-gen never really hit home. The large front over-hang awkward and the wheels smothered under the arches.

It wasn't exactly a performance masterclass either. Even though it has a 3.0 V6 under the bonnet, this being the non-turbo variant, it only produced 160bhp, while not terrible for the period, the 300ZX was no light-weight, hauling around 1500kgs. This despite it looking like it was made of plastic.

Our classified find is hampered further by the fact it has a four-speed-automatic gearbox. A real crying shame, when the 5-speed manual also offered when new, was probably one of the 300ZX's most redeeming features.

Let's look at some positives. It's officially a classic now, so €56 road tax and cheap insurance. It has a T-Bar roof, which is just plain-cool. What happened to T-Bars? And it has pop-up headlights; and who doesn't love pop-up headlights?

€8750 might seem a bit steep, especially when the much newer 350Z above is quite a bit cheaper, but by the time you tax and insure the 350, they're about even. Plus, what price do you put on exclusivity? You're unlikely to see another 300ZX. With the hype around the new car and rarity of original 300ZX, you probably won't lose money. Put your two-tone aviators on, take off the T-Bar roof and enjoy the Indian summer, 80s style!