R32, 180sx Or 300zx

[ClutchBurndout-:(]

hey guys, im looking to buy a new car around the 7k price range and im looking at the following cars to buy

r32, 180sx or 300zx

turbo of course, i have had an r33 and i loved it, has anyone driven all these cars? or have driven an r33 and either one of these cars? id like to know which is the best buy, aka, the 300zx is probably the fastest, but it might not drive as smoothly or handle as well as a 180.

i havnt driven any of the above, so if someone could tell me a bit about their experience with their car, that would be great!

cheers

[KezR33]

I wouldn't buy a 300zx simply because of the added difficultly and cost of repairs a $7k import is likely to need.

[RB25PWR]

Forget the 300 right off the bat imo. If I had to pick out of those... I'd go the 180. What happened to your 33?

Edited February 14, 2010 by RB25PWR

[PM-R33]

I've driven them all and i would go the R32 for an overall package. Depends what you want the car for though.

[mad082]

have owned a 33 and a 180, and been in a 32, and know someone with a 300zx.

if i was owning another import it would be the 33 or the 180sx. never been much of a fan of the 32, and they and the 300zx are the slowest of the group. also getting a bit long in the tooth these days.

also if you like working on cars and plan on doing mods yourself, forget the 300zx. for a reason why, google a pic of the engine bay. it is another reason why they are the slowest. most of them will weigh about 300kg more than when they came out of the factory because there are dozens of tools somewhere in the engine bay that hav been dropped by people working on them that they were never able to find or retrieve because of the lack of space.

[ClutchBurndout-:(]

ok, well i sold my 33 a long time ago, but i realy enjoyed it, im swaying toward the 180 because i want something light that you can throw around, plus its going to be my dailey, so i think the 300s are out of my choices, so that leaves me with either a 180 or a 32, and i think the 180s are a bit better looking (imo) unless ofcourse i find a cheap 33 somewhere lol, in that case i would just get a 33!

cheers guys

[08r3308]

180 as you can pick then up pretty cheap but then again 33 are cheap too

[NA_Goodness]

The 300ZX can be ruled out, good luck finding someone to work on it! I know many mechanics who refuse to touch them.

The 32 and 180 are very similar, and are both very chuckable. The 32 has more power and torque, but the 180 is lighter. Finding a 32 that hasnt be molested is easier though...

[MRSAMO]

hey guys, im looking to buy a new car around the 7k price range and im looking at the following cars to buy

r32, 180sx or 300zx

turbo of course, i have had an r33 and i loved it, has anyone driven all these cars? or have driven an r33 and either one of these cars? id like to know which is the best buy, aka, the 300zx is probably the fastest, but it might not drive as smoothly or handle as well as a 180.

i havnt driven any of the above, so if someone could tell me a bit about their experience with their car, that would be great!

cheers

I've owned 2 out of 3 (zx and current gtr), friend has a nice 180sx.

The 300zx IMO is the best looking, it sits lower and the looks last longer than the other 2.  The age group at aus300zx is a bit older than SAU so the cars are probably more likely to have been "loved" more (arguably lol).  Has the most cramp engine bay I've ever seen, but a worked engine is a very worthy project if you put some time into it.  I'm still a fan and would consider getting another Z again only if it has an RB26DETT.

180sx is the baby brother, probably easier to work on and is cheaper.  More of a younger person's car but looks older than the ZX.  Was never really interested in it even when I was your age but have seen a few nice ones around.

I can only speak about the R32 GTR.  Compared to my ZX it feels less of a sports car, more like a muscle car.  Its not a graceful car like the ZX, just a menace of lurking power and authority.  I can't think of any other car for the price they are selling on the market today.

[mad082]

The 300ZX can be ruled out, good luck finding someone to work on it! I know many mechanics who refuse to touch them.

The 32 and 180 are very similar, and are both very chuckable. The 32 has more power and torque, but the 180 is lighter. Finding a 32 that hasnt be molested is easier though...

has more power yes, but the sr20 has more torque.

and as you pointed out, the 180sx is lighter, so in standard form it will be as quick as a 33, which is faster than the 32 (close to 1/2 a second faster over the 1/4 mile)

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

So much 300ZX hate...

*Waits for 300ZX guys to come into discussion*

But I'd either pic a R32 or 180SX over the 300ZX as I would go for a 240Z / 260Z / 280ZX.

S Chassis (180SX / S13 / S14 / S15's) are fun to drive, due to it being a light car, has the power and can be tail happy.

I'd been in a few 180SX with about 250+ kW's = fcuken mad and I drove a S15, fun in the wet and easy car to drive.

R32 GTS-T, just adds to the fun with the extra 2 cylinders but have only been in one as I already drive a R32 GTR.

I'd guess it comes down to what car your prefer the look of, or what characteristics of both cars you like and choose.

[1802NV]

i always wanted a 300 until i found out how hard they are to work on. ie little things to do on the 180/32 could be major work on the 300. check out aus300zx.com.

i had a 180 and while it was good they are tiny inside, backseat is a joke. the 32 is much roomier.

the 180/s13 has a very boring bland plastic tacky dash as well. Also they are 4stud stock limiting wheel choice unless you go 5stud which is like 1k.

Sr20 mods are cheap tho. but going to my 33 after the 180 i would ever go back.

Really the best thing to do is drive them all.

cheers rich

[r32line]

As people have said 300's are very difficult to work on. The engine bay is so tight! And they can be problematic... buying one for $7k would be buying a lot of headaches.

180's were sold at same time as the 32 and were the cheaper car. Interior is not as nice (imo), 4 stud limits rim choice and although the sr20 is a solid engine they dont sound near as good as an rb. But either a 32 or 180 would be ok... its really personal preference

Edit: Just realised most of the points I just raised are the same as 1802NV above, ah well seems to be a similiar view throughout this thread

Edited February 16, 2010 by r32line

[pixel8r]

has more power yes, but the sr20 has more torque.

but it gets muddier...

best info I could find (someone correct me if this is wrong)

180SX:

153kw @ 6000rpm

274N-m @ 4000rpm

R32 GTST:

158kw @ 6400rpm

264N-m @ 3200rpm

The sr20 has more PEAK torque but reaches it 800rpm later. Due to the configuration of the RB engine, it will not only rev faster than the SR, but will reach its peak torque at lower revs too.

In a turbo car, peak torque is generally where the turbo reaches max boost. I believe they both run 6psi (could be wrong) so basically the R32 will spool faster.

The 180sx is lighter, which may be the one thing that gives it a performance edge.

However, from comments I've heard over the years, the R32 is a much better built car (in general). I have owned 2 S13 silvias and yes the tail does step out rather easily - particularly in the wet. I would own another one though - they're a lot of fun. Never driven a R32 so cant really comment on them beyond figures and theory.

[mad082]

yes the rb20 hits peak torque lower, but that doesn't mean that the sr20 wouldn't be making similar torque at the same RPM. also this is most likely due to the rb running a ball bearing turbo and the sr a bush bearing turbo.

but once you take into account the approx 100kg weight advantage the s13 has, that is why the s13 is nearly half a second quicker over the 1/4.

[MRSAMO]

So much 300ZX hate...

*Waits for 300ZX guys to come into discussion*

But I'd either pic a R32 or 180SX over the 300ZX as I would go for a 240Z / 260Z / 280ZX.

I'd guess it comes down to what car your prefer the look of, or what characteristics of both cars you like and choose.

You would take the 280zx over the 300zx (Z32 I presume)???

There is a bit of 300zx hate because some people have either bad or no experiences with them.  I know guys who've had the same car for more than 8 years already!

Z32s are IMO the best looking Nissans and the TTs are no slouch.  They are solid cars when done right, as with any other turboed cars and far more reliable than RX7s.  I drove a mate's ZX that was stage 7 or 8.  No other car scared me more to this day but it was still very well grounded and handling was amazing.  I think he did a bit of suspension work to put all that power to the ground as ZXs are notoriously bad drag cars.

I have a feeling the OP would probably settle for a sedan-like car. ZXs are more for enthusiasts and weekend riders.

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

You would take the 280zx over the 300zx (Z32 I presume)???

There is a bit of 300zx hate because some people have either bad or no experiences with them.  I know guys who've had the same car for more than 8 years already!

Z32s are IMO the best looking Nissans and the TTs are no slouch.  They are solid cars when done right, as with any other turboed cars and far more reliable than RX7s.  I drove a mate's ZX that was stage 7 or 8.  No other car scared me more to this day but it was still very well grounded and handling was amazing.  I think he did a bit of suspension work to put all that power to the ground as ZXs are notoriously bad drag cars.

I have a feeling the OP would probably settle for a sedan-like car. ZXs are more for enthusiasts and weekend riders.

Yeah man!

My dad had a 260ZX, sold it, then wanted another one but could only find a 280ZX at the time.

Would have wanted to go 260ZX or 240Z if they popped up at the time.

Our 280ZX was rebuilt and tuned by Z-Shop.

Great fun too.

[PM-R33]

Z32s are IMO the best looking Nissans

You have got to be shitting me.

[Munkyb0y]

maybe he meant the best looking zed. but that's not true either lol

coz then you have the 240z and 350z, which are both better looking.

dont get me wrong. i love the zeds. almost bought a z32. but i just wasnt commited enough to deal with the maintenance. plus theyre heavy fkrs, and very thirsty when you drive them hard.

plus ive seen old ladies driving them around

no shit!

Edited February 18, 2010 by Munkyb0y

[PM-R33]

Personal feedback from driving them. They are very unresponsive in the steering and require a lot of turning of the wheel to actually turn them. Example going straight on a roundabout requires nearly a full turn to one side of the wheel unlike most cars requiring just a flick. They feel very heavy (heavier than a supra which most people on here call heavy) into corners and honestly while having good torque the power delivery doesn't feel that great even on a mildly modified one. They are a bit of a noisy car through the body (rear boot/hatch can have quite the annoying rattle to it), this would obviously be an age issue. Obviously you can make any car great with a large budget. But for the most things people modify on cars (exhaust, cooler, tune, coilovers etc) they just don't seem to feel that great when other cars are out there for the same coin.

For the OP's choices of cars and from what he has described what he wants, the 300ZX i just don't think would suit. Each to their own.