Get In And Go: 1-Owner 1991 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo

This '91 Nissan is a great way to get into the exciting ZX club at a semi-decent price.

The seller states the vehicle has about 104,000 miles but has only 65,000 miles on a new engine. They say it has had only one owner since new, has no rust and was garage kept the whole time. That makes the somewhat high mileage seem way better and explains everything. The owner probably drove it regularly and kept up with the maintenance, unlike the vast many of these which were traded down too many hands and suffer from delayed maintance and gross aftermarket modifications. They say they it's always been dealer serviced and just had a Mobil 1 synthetic oil change.

This is a Z32 second generation Nissan ZX car with a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. About 80,000 were sold in the U.S. from 1990 to 1996. They had twin-turbocharged 6-cylinder engines that produced 300 horsepower and rocketed the car to 60 mph in under 6 seconds. Its mortal enemy was the Porsche 944, of which it gave a good run for the money. Along with the Acura NSX and Toyota Supra, the Z32 300ZX was an instant classic of the '90s beloved by the press and consumers alike that cemented the Japanese as superior automakers, able to provide superb vehicles at extremely competitive prices.

This early '91 model looks terrific in black over black. You wouldn't say the design is exactly beautiful thanks to the exposed headlights but falls more into the "cool" category, and the low, smooth, chunky body is arguably better looking than the front-engine Porsche available at the time. These were also versatile: they came with a t-top and had a hatchback for extra trunk space.

The seller is asking $7,800. Hemmings CPI Value Guide estimates a good condition '91 300ZX to be worth $6,200 and an excellent condition car to be worth $12,150, so the seller's price is spot on (I reserve the "excellent" label to near-mint, ultra-low mileage cars). Hemmings also reports a 9% increase in value of the '91 ZX, which is impressive. These have nowhere to go but up as more and more get junked and modded out. Well-driven and stock models like this are hot items. That said, they were not particularly rare, so the prices are still accessible to most. It's the best of both worlds.

This thing is about as everyday exotic as you can get. Reliable, well-built, practical and FAST. Get it, drive it and maintain it. And in a few years you might be able to sell it for exactly what you paid for it - if you can let it go.

See the craigslist ad in North Shore, MA here.