280z/300zx

OP, do yourself a favor and get the newest best condition car you can afford while at the same time not hurting your check book. I'm a PA-C, which is what your are looking to become, and I was in your shoes not too long ago. During school one of the requirements is going to be 1 year of rotations and you will need very reliable transportation. Your preceptors won't accept the excuse that your car is in the shop or broke down; you'll fail your rotation. During my undergrad I used my 84 300zx and 77 280z as my daily driver. I had planned ahead though and saved enough money that upon entrance into PA school I bought a new WRX. I'm not saying you should do the same but you should definitely be planning ahead to have reliable transportation for PA school.

As for your two options I would say forget the 300zx. Unless you have 1-2 years prior to PA school to sort out any mechanical problems it's not a good bet on reliability. Plus the 90's 300zx is expensive to repair due to tight engine compartment. The 350z is a better option but is already starting to reach that age where little things are going to start needing attention. Don't get me wrong. The 300zx can be plenty reliable but be prepared with any car of that age to do repairs/up keep. My 84 300zx had 52k original miles on it when I bought in 1999. Dispite being original miles I still put more money than the car is worth into general repairs and up keep. It's just the name of the game when it comes to old cars. Obviously by the fact that I still have the car after this many years it was a good investment but the point is old cars cost money over time. They also require down time for repairs which for me again wasn't a problem because I also had my 280z.

I can't stress enough, get the newest most reliable car you can without going broke. Get something you'll be happy driving but don't focus on having the fastest thing either. Honestly if you have 9-14k laying around for these cars you are looking at I would say buy a certified used civic, corolla, etc for cash OR if you have the means via a part time job put that money as a down on something a little more exciting like a slightly used scion TC, miata, civic si, etc. Doing so would mean a monthly car payment but it should be rather low considering the amount of money down. Or if you aren't hurting with your current transportation just save the money until closer to PA school.

On a side note my 370z was my present to myself for graduation PA school. However don't be fooled as many of my classmates where. After graduation you still need to study and pass your boards as well as get licensed before you can even think about finding a job. That means you still need to plan on living off loans for a few months after graduation. After that you should give yourself a few months on the job to make sure it's going to work. You'd be surprised how many PA's leave their first job within a few months due to conflict of personality or poor contracts. I was the only one in my class that planned ahead and had plenty of money to tide me over, the rest had to live off credit cards. Now they are not only paying off student loans but their credit cards as well. Hit me up if you want any further info on PA stuff. Great career, great salary, and good times. I'm currently doing Cardiology and run the primary care/urgent care facility as well.