Costs of Driving - 300zx and Porsche 928 Maintenance Costs - Cars of the Past | Everyday Driver

I NEED to own both of these cars before my time is up...

Just shows the difference in engineering between the japanese and the germans. The 300zx needed common components thats honestly are pretty expected to be replaced in older cars and didnt really impact driving all that much. With the exception of the steering issue. Which was a result of the original, rather simple problem, being ignored for so long that it created a dangerous situation. As far as the shocks. The car was still drivable. Especially in touring. Just not driving to its full capabilities. All in all. Some steering components and a set of struts on a 30 year old car is not a bad deal.


Then there is the germans. Who required a complete rebuild and replacement of almost ALL of its driving components.

This is the video I was looking for, after seeing the West Coast video I was curious to learn the deep dive rebuild you had to do. Think I'll stick to old Chevy v8's and Subaru boxers lol

I want to jump on the used Porsche bandwagen, may it be a 928, Boxster, or a Panamera. All of them seem daunting in the end.

The hub caps have to go.

I have a Nissan sentra SER and Nissan doesn't make any parts for my 2004 Nissan 😢😢😢.

I had that same steering rack issue on a different model as a much younger man, terrifying. The car would suddenly jerk to the side while driving along because the bushings had turned to mush.

There's no starter motor in the world that sounds as exquisite and musical as the 928...

So a 928 doesn't come apart and go back together easy? Wonder how well it works with a different motor like a chevy 350?

Sorry but I’m one of those commenters you mentioned who is firmly in the stock wheels camp regarding the 300ZX! I know they are smallish and the tire situation is getting difficult with the odd size and staggered wheels but for me older classics like this really should be as stock as possible. Plus, I just love the stock wheels on the Z32 for nostalgia purposes. I went to the Atlanta Car Show with my uncle back in 1990 when Nissan revealed the “new” Z and I fell in love with the car as an 11 year old boy! I’ve loved it ever since and nothing would thrill me more than to find a pristine stock twin turbo model to own now in 2023! Great car and full of nostalgia for me…

You should be so proud of your 928 - it’s stunning

@EverydayDriver That 928 is beautiful! I didn't catch what year it is, but guessing '83 U.S. spec 928S? A previous owner removed the rub strips, giving it a cleaner look and accentuating those curves. Not usually a huge fan of the manhole covers, but those platinum(?) colored ones look great! ~$40K for a sorted out OB 928 isn't bad.

That Nissan, all healthy and all, for $28,000?! Sounds like a BARGAIN to me!

Ive always considered the 928 to be the most gorgeous car ever built.

it felt ironic stumbling across this post, these are two of my dream cars and I never thought about comparing them or seeing them side by side.

What's quite hilarious is that you mentioned that you bought 235's which I'm assuming are also 45/17 squared and if you knew anything about the 300ZX you would understand that that fitment is not ideal on a twin turbo. Take a look at all the old wheel fitment threads for the 300ZX and that is one that they do not recommend. If you want to go square, you want to go a little bit bigger. Honestly makes no sense to go to a 235 for the power of that car and the traction you need. Realistically speaking, you need a set of 255s or more. I ran 235/40/18 & 265/35/18 or 225/45/17 255/40/18

When you guys mentioned the power steering fluid, did the idiots actually put power steering fluid or did they actually put ATF which is what is supposed to go in that car?

I had a 91 300 ZX myself twin turbo right hand drive and any problem that the 300ZX could have. I did have but one thing I didn't have was any power steering leakage haha

I was gonna say that first area looked like Utah then I saw the plate.

Ouch! $40,000 into a $13,000 Porsche that’s still worth $$13,000! That hurts, but rest easy knowing that’s just the beginning. With that car there will always be something else that needs to be replaced or repaired. I get the love of a car, but at some point it’s just throwing good money after bad. Enjoy the drive and the labor of love, you’ll earn every mile!

Dropping $40K on 928 and claiming that it is investment and is worth it is the stupidest thing I ever heard.
You can get 911 for that kind of money, not that ugly soap box looking Frankenstein. And nah, millennials will not drive gas powered Porsches.
Those guys running these mythical Porsche parts warehouses are laughing on their way to the bank to cash your checks. For that money they might as well fabricate each part for you as needed.

OMG.I have an old 928 and this review is bullshit.

I'm typing as fast as I can to thank you for getting rid of those original wheels on the Z. Your new wheels look a lot better.
Edit: Oh typed too fast. Yes I understand keeping the original wheels for later just say it looks much better with the new ones.

This is like when geriatric hoes try to keep up with young hoes, it’s do able but ur make up cost $$$ and you have no idea what the previous owners did.

Love you guys. Paul talking about stuff falling off his Porsche in Wyoming holding his sunroof cover. That was hilarious. Us car guys know these things come with the territory

...Previous video you stated 26k for the Z32TT... Now 24k?

Oh man, that 928 is so nice.

928 was 40 years in front.. It was the first f type

As a guy who deals with vintage guitar amp restorations, the notion that old things can’t be enjoyed as intended boggles the mind. I draw the line at amps from the 50’s, but all maintenance having been performed, they are totally suitable for nightly use. The main issue is theft.

The Porsche had 2 plates? One that says MNUAL and then later on in the video STKSHFT. Both Utah registered so what's with that?

If you were going to put all that work into a 928 you should have kept your black S4

I love deep dish 16s 245/50R16 on mine but goddamn its impossible to order

These old sports cars look good that is where it ends after that a person has to spend a heap of money fixing these old clunkers better to buy a Subaru BRZ two door coupe all the money these two guys spent on these old clunkers the new or near new Toyota 86 or Subaru BRZ sounds a much better option because old Nissan 300zx by now will have been through the ownership of eighteen year old hoons who as everybody older knows such young drivers thrash them into the ground and as for old Porshe 928 a nightmare to fix and cost as much as new car so these clunkers the scrapyard is where they belong.

Mid 90's Japanese high end sporty cars were built to a ludicrously high standard and today's owners are experiencing the benefit of that build quality.

One of our two daily drivers, which also frequently does road trips, is a 1992 factory air suspension Toyota Soarer - complete with CRT touch screen infotainment/control screen. It costs peanuts to run and yes all the complex electrics and the multi-height suspension and the multi program dampers and the 1UZ quad cam run just beautifully.

Do you know where I can buy a 300z?

Hey, I really appreciate you guys for making this video. Thank you.

Porsche will sell you any part for your mid 70s 914. Chrysler won't stock their odd shaped battery terminals for a 8 year old 2007 Pacifica.

I love both of these cars and have at various stages wanted to own both. I have to say that as much as I lust after a 928, I can't imagine buying one at the prices they're starting to get to here in Australia and THEN drop half as much again doing all the inevitable work required. The 300ZX entry price is about half as much and as Todd revealed, the maintenance isn't too bad. With all of that said if at some point I have the means where price becomes irrelevant, Porsche ownership is inevitable.

The porsche is still 15 k to 20 k away from being sorted

2 cars I really wanted and I figured they are difficult

Thanks guys for posting this , I have always admire the 300ZX Turbo. And when I was a student at states back in the eighties I was driving a beautiful 1985 300ZX Turbo loved it so much and drove it for 3 years with no problem at all except those regular check ups and oil change other than that the car was perfect. Thank you again and keep posting.

yep, that's why I threw in the towel after 5 years of owning my 91 928 S4. Every part is $2K from Porsche. ECU goes out every 100k km and that's $2k to rebuild it etc etc. And do not ever have to replace one of those front fenders or you need to sell the house. My friend had a 91 Merc 500E (for sure not the same looks) but same power same performance and a fraction of the cost to run because most parts are common to the base W124. Carries 4 adults and just as fun to drive I found.

This is such a cool series. I own a mint 1987 928 S4 and have done for quite some time. Am I the only one who has only had to do scheduled maintenance on theirs ?. I think the only things that have broken are an indicator, a vacuum pipe that took about 20 mins to fix myself and, more recently, one of the horns stopped. I picked up some Lexus replacements for $20. Ill count myself lucky but have had really good help from the epic 928 on line community. Hope I haven't tempted fate now Ive said all this !!! :-)

I love old cars but my 300zx was the reason why I stopped buying old cars. I have never owned the car that broke down so much.

Loving the Z32 coverage; thank you! Funny that you asked "How much do you drive your car?" regarding the wheels/tires. I've only got 18k miles on my TT, and I'm trying to keep it original. Finding tires is hard, but not impossible. I've had to buy a new set twice despite the low mileage; I'm not risking damage from tire rot.

Damn Paul, are they all like that?

And now Nissan and Porsche can make you a part from the 3d printer.

A Porsche mechanic told me the 928 is an electrical nightmare.

And I thought my Alfa was costing me…