Scotty Kilmer Buys Nissan 300ZX, Says It's a Reliable, Collectable Sports Car

YouTube mechanic Scotty Kilmer has been one of the harshest critics of Nissan's unreliable engines of late. And while we don't follow his channel for buying advice, we couldn't help noticing this recent post about a 300ZX.

Normally, Scotty is hardcore into "bulletproof" Toyotas, and hearing that word being used to describe a Nissan, particularly the 300ZX, is strange. This model is infamous for its reliability issues, which came about because the automaker was too ambitious with the features it wanted to offer.

The point of the 300ZX was to combine the simple, affordable performance of its predecessors with the characteristics of a GT/cruiser. Now, before we say anything else, the fact that two models wear this name needs to be expressed. The first-gen 300ZX is known as the Z31 and was produced between 1983 and 1989. This is the Z32, and it's the more advanced of the two.

It all starts with the motor, codenamed VG30DETT with two turbochargers and one of the most complicated valve timing systems to come out of the late 1980s. It's difficult to find mechanics who can work on this particular Z engine, so maybe it's a good thing that Scotty jumped on the bandwagon.

The Z uses twin Garrett turbos putting 9.5 lbs of stock boost. That gave the V6 output of 300 horsepower and 283 lb-ft of torque for a quarter-mile time in the high 13s. Partly because of this engine, the Z was Car & Driver's car of the year for many years, so maybe it really should be treated as a collectible classic. Did anybody mention the four-wheel steering feature?