Selling a tired or dead Nissan 300ZX

Z31 or Z32?

The 300ZX was sold in the US for the 1984 through 1996 model years. Nissan Shatai built it in Hiratsuka, Japan. There are two very different cars under the name.

Z31, 1984-1989. The first 300ZX replaced the inline six of earlier Z cars with a 3.0-liter V6. US cars got the VG30E (160 horsepower, SAE net, through 1987) or the VG30ET turbo, which Nissan calls Japan's first mass-produced turbocharged V6. A five-speed manual was standard and a four-speed automatic optional. Nissan built 5,148 of the 1984 50th Anniversary Edition for the US.

Z32, 1990-1996. Nissan introduced it in 1989 as a two-seater or a 2+2. The VG30DE made 222 horsepower and the twin-turbo VG30DETT 300, or 280 with the automatic. US sales ended with the 1996 model year; Japan kept building it until August 2000.

The fuel leak campaign

The Z31 years carry nearly all the complaints, 238 of 294, and 152 of them name the fuel system. The worst year is the 1985: 75 complaints, 55 of them reporting a fire.

The federal fix for this is not a regular recall. When you look up a 1984 through 1988 300ZX on NHTSA's recall tool, it returns campaign 95I006, received by NHTSA on November 1, 1995. Under it, Nissan dealers were to replace the fuel injectors and related hoses, which could leak, and NHTSA's notice says a leak in the engine could cause a fire. NHTSA's record describes it as a safety improvement campaign, not a recall under its regulation 573, so the table below leaves it out. NHTSA's recall file lists it for the 1989 as well.

The four true recalls are all on Z31 cars:

• 87V098 (1984-1987 automatics): unintended acceleration can happen when the car is shifted out of Park.
• 84V057 (1984): a clip in the brake master cylinder may not have been installed, and the brakes can fail suddenly.
• 83V125 (1984): the hood can deform in manufacture, so the secondary latch may not hold it.
• 85V021 (1984): impure grease in the headlight switch can keep the lights from coming on.

The Z32 years have 56 complaints and no recalls in NHTSA's file.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Source: the NHTSA complaint and recall data we pulled on October 10, 2026. 1992 through 1996 are grouped because only 25 complaints were filed across them. Campaign 95I006 is not counted.

Restore it, or let it go?

No repair prices appear in our sources for this car, and on a Z that is 30 to 42 years old the number depends almost entirely on condition. Price the specific job with a shop that knows the VG30 engines, and be honest about rust and missing trim. A smell of fuel under the hood on a Z31 is a reason to stop driving it until it's checked.

If you're weighing pulling the turbos, wheels and interior to sell them one at a time, part it out or sell it whole? lays out the time and tools that takes. If the car has sat for years, selling a car that's been sitting covers flat tires, dead batteries and lapsed registration.

Selling a 300ZX whole

Start an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008. Give the year, whether it's a turbo or twin-turbo, the miles and what doesn't work. T-tops, a missing interior or a non-original engine are worth mentioning up front. Let us know where it's stored and if it rolls. Keep the title handy for the pickup; for a car this old, also look at after you sell for what your state wants done with the plates.