DinoBob

Gents, this week I am going to look at a '90 Red/Red car. 50,000 miles, pictures look amazing. Please give me some tips on what to look out for, and assuming the car is very clean, what ballpark I am in pricewise.

Thanks.

LT5corsa

bob,

Check for a few things:

Maintenance record (what's been replaced)
Injectors / coil packs / fuel pumps

Tires (date code) less than 6 years old or they need replacing

Carfax

weatherstrip condition

there are many more things you can look for. Paint (repainted?) Interior leather (drivers bolster usually has wear) LTPWS (tire sensors on the wheels?) Windshield


Where is the car at? How many owners?


Good luck!

David

DinoBob

Car is in NJ. I do not know how many owners. I have seen detailed pics. The car looks almost too good to be true. The seats appear original and super clean, the interior looks superb, paint looks excellent, new F1s, new injectors.

I was not in the market for a ZR1 at all but the Red/Red '90 is to me the quintessential ZR1 and the car is very close to my house so a look costs me $5.00 in gas. I am going to see it today.

The LTWPS should light up as a test with key on/no start, correct? What other lights should test for me? I assume SES, airbag, anti-lock. Others? I do want to make sure no one pulled a bulb to suppress a warning lamp.

JimZRyd

Bob, not sure about the 90's but in my 94, the LTPWS lights will light up on start up but then go out after you drive a bit as the batteries charge with tire rotation. Check engine light, abs, and such should light up but then go out at start up.

Good luck!

Jim

DinoBob

I went to look at the car tonight after work. 51,000 miles. Paint was extremely clean with one tiny booger on the front bumper cover and two chips in the driver mirror. It was actually too clean for NCRS- someone had clearly wet-sanded and buffed it to a shine that was better than factory. In addition, paint pinstripes and ZR-1 logos had been added. They were tasteful but of course not stock. Overall a very very clean exterior.

Carpet was a little dirty but only saying so because I am a picky pain in the rear, most people would not bat an eye. The driver and passenger seatbacks had been swapped- I could tell that the bolster on the passenger side was replaced, where the driver would rub it. The leather was not a 100% match. Otherwise seats were excellent. Floormat on driver's side was beat. Otherwise interior was really very very good.

3 of the 4 Bose amps were dead.

Engine looked great and sounded great. Smooth, no noises, clean, looked all stock. Undercarriage and wheels were superbly clean. Tires were new but old- 2007.

The car was very nice. No one would be disappointed near his asking price of $15000. I just was not, for some reason, very turned on by the car. I think I set my expectations too high. I was hoping for a car that needed absolutely positively nothing for me to be content with it. I was going to be borrowing some $$ for the purchase and the idea of doing that and then spending money for tires, radio repair, etc...

I did not drive it. I was not going to do that unless the car really spoke to me.

If anyone else is interested give me a shout.

Dynomite

The price sounds very reasonable given the condition you describe.
I would not even mention the Bose Amps since they are a $5-$10 fix with Nissan Maximum Amps Bose Speaker Amp Options TIPS

I would always check Secondary Operation including a check for Vacuum Leaks as well as some other items ZR-1 inspection TIPS

Yep....David....I concur with everything you say...........especially the Windshield. What David is talking about is Delamination which in some cases can be so bad the Windshield is actually cloudy. You cannot see in but seeing out is much more important

DinoBob

So am I a fool for walking?

Dynomite

No....not a fool at all.....there are many ZR-1s for sale from time to time and depending on your location you can often do the inspections yourself. There are many reasons to like or not like a ZR-1 and for me it is all about the LT5 (also......has to be red exterior and Saddle interior)

I have bought ZR-1s with no inspections at all but did get all my questions answered.
This is your main issue hoping for a car that needed absolutely positively nothing

This will be hard to find and even more difficult to determine over the phone and even an inspection/test drive by yourself would be difficult to prove your requirement has been met.

Good luck and you will find one I am sure

Oh....I have ZR-1s with 38,000 miles to 76,000 miles including one of the first 1990s sold to public (#72) and the last 1990 sold to the public (#3032). They all run perfectly with NO Codes after my typical Top End Restoration and change of ALL Fluids (including my standard modifications)

phrogs

Any ZR-1 out there is going to have something wrong with it if you're so "picky" you will find something wrong.

Its finding serious issues or little BS ones. All of these are Little BS ones typical old C4 Corvette issues.

I mean your talking about leather and seat backs being swapped how could you tell the seat backs were swapped?

Different leather, well without changing all of it, the color will never really match but it was done.

you want a ZR-1 you want the mechanical's right everything else is BS.

DinoBob

I decided to pass on this and stick with my silver 86, I do love that car.

Z51JEFF

So exactly how much do you want to spend. You got $40-$50K to spend you'll find the right car. You go and look at a car for $15K and expect the car to be perfect? Good luck with that. My car had 6000 miles when I got it and it wasn't perfect. Over time it's gotten close.

ZR1Bob

Jeff is right. If you want a near perfect car you will have to pay up for it. When I bought by totally stock two owner 95 in 2012 with 21,000 miles, it was much more expensive in its own right as a very late production 95. But it also needed about $3,000 in service to get it in excellent running condition plus things like weather seals, tires, etc. Then of course I was bitten by the bug and had Marc Haibeck improve the performance a bit. But now I have a completely reliable, great performing car that will suck the doors off many of the newer "performance" cars. But you won't get it for $15,000. Still, as others have said, that sounds like an excellent deal if the car seems otherwise sound. Spending a bit more, say in to the low $20s, should get you an even better one. Good luck on your quest. --Bob

FASTAZU

Good luck finding a perfect ZR-1. I paid $30k for my 91 with 9k miles on it in 2002 and thought it as perfect "RIGHT" 13 years and at least $15k more and its still not... in fact I wish I had another $10k to spend on it. But it has never let me down or left me stranded in the 50k miles I have put on it.

DinoBob

1) I already said I was passing.

2) I didn't expect it to be perfect

3) we may have different definitions of perfect.