Hi all,

 

Been deliberating for a few weeks what to go for next, currently have a 1996 FTO gpx which is fun to drive and looks great but doesn't thrill the pants off me tbh.

 

I have kind of narrowed it down to a 300zx TT or a Supra TT, like the shape of them both and would have to be in black (the best colour imho)

 

I will not be able to afford one for quite a few months yet as its being funded from my no smoking money, budget is about £3000

 

I am aware that I may struggle to get a supra TT for that money but am sure there are 300zx TT's out there for that money.

 

anything I need to know about the zx's? is there a meet down south somewhere that I could come along to to look around one and even a quick test drive?

 

any help will be greatly appreciated guys.

I had an FTO GPX one of these cars will blow the doors off them. In fact I went from an MR2 Turbo into a FTO GPX and although it handled well and sounded nice it was hella slow!

 

£3000 should buy you a tidy 2+2 no problems.

Welcome to the club :)

 

£3 k will buy u a tidy 2+2 TT, main points to look for is rust on sills and rear arches, blue smoke can be costly as turbo problems mean engine out on the z32

 

Hope this helps a bit mate

yeah, and be sure not to belive any rubbish the seller spouts at you even if they do seem to have paperwork.

any questions make sure you come back on here and ask before you fork out the money... you really don't want to end up with a money pit.

and let me tell you there are a lot of them out there (I've got one) .. :) and it wasn't cheap to start with...

you really don't want to end up with a money pit.

 

says the 300zx owner!!!!! :tt2: :rofl:

LOL.. I have been assured by some members that their cars aren't money pits!!!

Welcome to the club ftowner and buy a good standered one and you wont go wrong I have had two TT's in about 5 years and they have been my most reliable two cars ever. Touch wood and hope she does not blow up after saying that:clover::biggrin:

I think you'd be very lucky to find a twin turbo supra for that cash, esp a manual one. However 3k should find you a fairly good 2+2 if you are prepared to hunt about for a good one. Genuine Uk cars CAN be cheaper to insure but that's not guaranteed and realistically it shouldn't be a factor as they are nigh on the same, only minor difference's exist, however 20+ years of poor uk weather will see most in poor shape in the rear portion of the sills and arches, even if that's not apparent at first. That being said, good clean well looked after examples do exist, id your prepared to hunt about. JDM cars aren't always a clean slate in terms of rust, as many have been here for 10+ years now, so although they are likely to be better don't discount rust in the usual places. Sadly most imports have poor paper work trails and are often clocked, so don't go to heavy on what the clocks read. What your really looking for is a car that's been well loved, with plenty of paper work to back up claims and regular servicing, if nothing been replaced either its been hardly used or poorly maintained. Top tip is take it for a damn long test drive, get that engine warm, a lot of issues with these cars don't show on a quick spin, overheating is common as are weaping turbo seals, and other associated engine oil seals when not looked after.

Now for the pros. The car has had a reputation for poor reliability because of these things, however a well looked after and serviced example is quite the opposite. Some have got over 300k out the engine, and stock bottom ends have been proven to push over 500bhp reliably, not only that the car has a massive following in the states in a far hotter climate without half these stigmas over overheating etc. They are also pretty good handling cars out the box, as long as the 20+ year old suspension has been looked after/refreshed, two of them (albeit not stock) are currently running in time attack, and a virtually stock one runs in the bdrc, without too many hiccups.

The z32 is a very capable sports car, every bit as capable as its similarly power to weight ratio'ed cousins the skyline and the supra, and let me tell you from a 40mph pull on a highway, very few things can keep up with the zed, new or old.

Meets wise the south of England is getting busier and busier, next major event would be Simply Japanese on the 4th of august, should be a real variety of zed metal there.

I don't think you'd get a decent supra for that money at all. They hold their value well, especially after the fast and the furious came out in '01. I find that most people looking for a car in that league if you will, end up coming down tote supra, 300ZX and the GTO/3000GT. I know I did.

 

For me, the mk 4 supra will always be the most popular but wouldn't exist if it wasn't for a zed (Toyota went back to the drawing board to try and match the nissans).

 

Anyway, I agree with other comments, but I would want a compression check on any that I was going to buy in the future. That way you'll know more about what the engine is like. It would be worth trying to meet a code of guys in your area to see how the car should feel and drive. Buying a lemon could work out costly - I did that and ended up rebuilding the whole car (engine rebuild, new shell etc) so am now on my second zed which is real good.

 

If possible, try to buy on here if there's any good ones come up.

 

There's a thread in the FAQ's section on what to look out for when buying one.

 

Good luck and welcome to the club mate

Cheers guys, all this info is invaluable to me, It seems like I need to do plenty of research and to find a good , well looked after car, the for sale section on this forum is the place to look, although I imagine they dont come up that often do they?

 

Just looked at insurance too and they are sooooooo much cheaper than the fto to insure. most odd, more power and more expensive = cheaper insurance lol...

 

looking forward to test driving one sometime soon. :)

Im shocked that its cheaper to insure a zed than an FTO.

 

Here's the buyers guide mate...

http://www.300zx.co.uk/tech/BuyingZ.htm

Im shocked that its cheaper to insure a zed than an FTO.

 

Here's the buyers guide mate...

http://www.300zx.co.uk/tech/BuyingZ.htm

 

Cheers, I am not shocked at all. could insure an slk supercharged for less too! i have only 1 years NCB atm and am 38, 1996 FTO 2ltr V6 mivec imported in 2008 costs me nearly £900 per year fully comp. I was quoted as little as £350 using all same details for the zed TT.

Im not surprised either, the zed cost me less than my corsa when I had them both, statistically less people of my age crash zeds than corsas. A skyline was 3x as expensive to insure as the zed, its all about perception.

Welcome to the club mate......

 

Welcome to the club :)

 

£3 k will buy u a tidy 2+2 TT, main points to look for is rust on sills and rear arches, blue smoke can be costly as turbo problems mean engine out on the z32

 

Hope this helps a bit mate

 

.....And what he said is a great place to start! As also said, you should find a pretty tidy 300zx for £3000 so good luck with your saving - and with your hunt for the right car!!

 

Richard:sorcerer: