MONZTER Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 So who else out there daily drives their S30? I still drive mine nearly every day. The problem is its taking a toll on the car and me. I bought the car and have been driving it, and working on it for about 5 years now. It is pretty modified for AutoX and it has been converted over to fuel injection. A couple things have happened lately to get me thinking about not driving it every day. The first one being a picture I found of the car about 6 months after buying it. The paint is still original, and man does it look a lot worse now then then. The interior is also staring to show signs of wear. The crack in the dash has gone for 1/2 in to about 3 inch, the center counsel is now cracked, the seats ripping ect...ect.ect. I also have notice how much my clothes smell like fumes after driving it. All the rubber has been replaced, and the tuning is spot on, I know bad air recirculation is part of the problem. What is this doing to my health every day? It cant be good for the long term can it... So do I keep spending money on the Z as it continues to get beat, or do I park it for weekend use only and buy a cheap practical new car for commuting and daily use. What do you guys think Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 As to the original thread's question...Every Damn Day.... LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonfly Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 My daily driver is sitting beside the Z... The Z is a weekend warior and a "cruising with the Z club" car now. I used the Z for a primary car for years and I think it has earned the right to rest in a comfortable garage and only be brought out for special occasions (which could be nearly anything). Dragonfly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aziza z Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Everyday. but since its in the middle of being worked on....i havent in 3 monthes... but after im done working on it, it will be my daily driver again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihavearustedz Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 i drive mine everyday about 100 miles. my job makes me drive. im all over san diego and im sure most people have seen it sorry no pics but its white with enkei mesh wheels. and a black fender haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted October 29, 2007 Administrators Share Posted October 29, 2007 When I wore a younger mans shoes, I used to drive an S30 every day. Did for many years. Anymore, I only drive one occasionally. I think most of us become less tolerant (or maybe spoiled?) as we age. I keep thinking someday I'll refine one enough to be worthy of DD status. The reality is that it will probably never happen... its too easy to buy a 'runabout' to beat on. For many reasons a disposable car is appealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinOlson Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I used to daily drive my 280z. Its been parked for 4 months since I moved downtown and ride the light rail to work and school. My girlfriend was actually making fun of me the other day. She was saying I'm the crasiest car guy she's ever met that is content with not driving I just know that the money I'm saving is going towards next revision of the car (2JZ, S380 turbo, TH400 trans) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 i drive mine everyday... I got some fumes, but hearing my slightly hopped up l28 lope at idle makes it all worth it for me. No (insert disposable car here) can do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garvice Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I bought mine as a weekend car and perhaps a few burst through the week. After a year of ownership I changed jobs and since I wasn't working in the city, I had to drive to work. Since the wife was driving the shopping trolley (corolla) to work everyday, I drove the Z. After a few weeks I was loving the DD, even though it took 10 mins to warm up each way (gave me good reading time). After about 8 weeks of this and me bragging about how reliable it was, it broke down, no spark. So I bought another corolla (just too damn reliable) and the Z has returned to my weekend car (once I remove myself from this screen and fix it). Anyway, all that was to get me to this point. I would love to DD my Zed, but not in traffic with women doing their makeup or on the phone driving behind me (I cringed everytime I had to brake). Leave it for the weekend and get a run about, that you can thrash, not worry about warming up and only put fuel in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280z1975 Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I will be semi-daily driving my car once it's registered on the road here. Stupid people wanted the tie rod boot changed for it to be road legal ... went to change that and the inner tie rod stripped! ... so it's been 3 weeks of searching and waiting on parts to arrive ... man I miss driving my car for real. I had it insured for the day two months ago to get it cleared through customs and I forgot how much fun it is to drive ... I can't wait. The way I see it is these are cars, they are meant to be driven and even if they do deteriorate, they are well worth any wear and tear in their fun value. Paint and dashes can be fixed ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedgato Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I have to drive it at least 4 times a week! I have another supposedly daily driver, but it is not near as fun! It is hard on the backside especially since the coils went in, but I still love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 72240Z Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I drive mine almost every day. It has an LT1 and T56 and i'm 50 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Mine Motors Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 when something brakes on my car it's just an excuse for me to change it with something better. if my seats are ripping then i would put in some nice racing seat. i can't wait for my engine to blow so i can put in an LS. but if you don't enjoy driving it then thats a different story. i say get a catalitic converter and maybe adjust your temp sensor and air flow sensor. that should make it smell less. you've got a nice car so you should drive it and enjoy it. anyway here's a pic of my current z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Mine Motors Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 i was also thinking of repainting my car since it was starting to look terible, but this weekend i took it to get wetsanded, polished, and waxed. now the car looks like i just painted it. a few days ago it had sun damage and now it looks like the picture above. best $150 i ever spent, got a comment on it just today at the gas station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpt jack Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Everyday. but since its in the middle of being worked on....i havent in 3 monthes... but after im done working on it, it will be my daily driver again. WHAT KIND OF HOOD IS THAT BEHIND UR CAR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nismo280zEd Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I used to daily drive mine. It was a b*tch to keep it running when i had an apt and no place to really work on it, finally I went MS on it, she ran great till I blew a piston ring... swaped in a spare motor I had... ran decent enough for me to get to school and work.... then wiring harness problems shut her down. About that same time I recieved a free 95 240sx so you can kinda guess what happened... haven't driven my Z since 06 now. I miss her badly and i'm trying to get her to DD status again as the 240 will be my project fun car since parts are dirt cheap for it. -Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted October 30, 2007 Administrators Share Posted October 30, 2007 The S30 Is fun, sexy, raw, competitive, easy to maintain, and you can touch the rear tires without leaving the drivers seat As a DD, it also has... Frightening accident protection. Wreaks of fumes (catalyzed, tuned, or otherwise). Ride quality disproportionate to handling (and downright unimpressive on irregular pavement). Noisy. Steering sucks. Horrific seats. No cruise control. Poor lighting. Marginal or non-existent HVAC. By comparison, my E30 M3 has 750 lb/In springs F&R with handling to match the numbers... but surprisingly reasonable compliance and ride quality (ie wife approves). Steering is not only sharp and communicative, its also appropriately weighted and linear as well. Quite enough to have the stereo on at a perceptible level AND carry on a conversation with my delectable wife in a 'normal' tone. Has A/C, Recaro seats, CC, acceptable accident protection, gets 30 MPG, and costs LESS than what it would take to duplicate in an S30. The M3 is one example. There are a number of modern cars that can match or exceed the S30 for less investment... some of them are even 'disposable'. An S30 is purely a toy in my opinion. A terrificly beautiful, rewarding toy... but still a toy. Competitive on nearly any level... but not without investing serious time and capitol. Many of us view it as the perfect canvas with which to paint our masterpiece, and I couldn't agreee more.... I just don't want to drive it every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfitz Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I bought a '77 about 4 years ago now for $200. It wasn't pretty. It had alot of rust and most of the passenger side floor board was gone. I bled the brakes and put a battery in it and drove the 5 miles to my house. I replaced the rubber brake lines, flushed the system, did a tune-up, bought new tires, got it legal within the next week and that was it. I drove it for about a month like that, but the motor smoked pretty bad. I swapped out the block over the weekend with a used one I had bought from years ago and painted the engine bay while the motor was out. I DD it for almost 2 years with no problems at all. It was my only running car since I got rid of my blazer. I took it on club cruises and drove it anywhere/everywhere. I even won a"Not So Best In Show" trophy with it at a Nissan dealership Zcar show. That should give you an idea of what it looked like. I eventually bought a Pathfinder and stopped using it as a DD, but still drove it atleast 4 times a week. I eventually sold it to my step son and he has had it for about a year now. He drove it around here for about a year and then drove it from DFW to Ft. Bragg NC without an issue. That was about 8 months ago and he is still using it for a DD. Well worth the $400 I had in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbleguinea Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 i used to drive my 40miles round trip to work everyday....plus school....plus 400+miles vacation.... ive put 25000 miles on her since she was rebuilt in three years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 fast z Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I used to daily drive this stroker, which I still do occasionally, but it feels slow anymore. Now I drive this daily, Its a bit more fun to drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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