Hi,

 

I'm 18 and relatively new to jap cars. I've got (as unsurprising it may sound for an 18 year old) a Eunos roadster. Its a G-ltd though so a bit different.

 

 

 

 

My build thread is here incase anyone is interested: http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=143669&hl=

 

Anyway, i've spent a fair chunk of my already small wage on this and countless hours, but although I love it, I've always wanted a 300zx. They are absolutely brilliant looking cars and with them being much less common I am loving them even more. Now that i'm only insured on this and my bikes, Ive found myself more often needing some rear seats. Aha! I thought, a 300zx 2+2 has 4. Just the right amount. So thats what i'm looking for! An N/A 2 + 2 300zx. But I am yet to find any close to me, so I get the feeling this will be a waiting game. Either that or i'll be taking a roadtrip to pick one up.

 

So, any young owners on here? The MX5 is a fair rip off on insurance as it is, but when doing a comparison check with a 300zx TT I would have only been £100 more. Hoping an NA might sort that out (maybe even an auto if I can be bothered finding a manual trans for it).

 

Until I get one i'll be lurking around anyway... I'm on the hunt.

Welcome to the forum!

 

NA and TT insurance, there's not much in it, or shouldn't be. I personally would ALWAYS go for the TT model, but it really depends on what you want the car for. I drive an NA Z32 in the US and it's a decent cruiser, but it won't get your pulse racing quite like the TT will. My car in this country is a TT and I love it.

 

In addition, it really IS worth traveling to find a good one. They are getting very rare now and because of their age, there are a lot of dogs around. Be as selective as you can and don't be afraid to come south to find a nice one.

I agree I travelled over 500miles to find a good one and u need to make sure the sills and underneath is sound as i know a few people been caught out by this it is more important to have a solid chassis and a few things needing done to car than a nice looker with fred flinstone floor beneath you....

Garth I see your in Aberdeen thats pretty close to me if you buy a auto I have a Manual box and a nearly new clutch I am currently braking my TT and my na whats your budget for car?.

Welcome along Garth.

 

I was 20 when i got my first (of 3) 300zx. Im sure my insurance was around about £700-£800 which i didnt think was too bad. That was for a UK TT Manual though.

 

Like Si said, it's definitely worth travelling to get the right car. I bought the first one i seen (The one mentioned above) and about 3 months later, i sold it to a breaker because the sills had rotten through. I then travelled to Norwich to buy my next one.

 

So my advice is, dont rush in to the first one that you see / look at. Dont get swept away by "i want a 300zx, this one will do." Hold out for the best one you can find, at a price your willing to pay. Oh and subscribe. it'll be the best £20 you'll ever spend on a 300zx!

As you likely know, insurance is more about statistics than facts, with that in mind I wouldn't be supprised if it was cheaper for a turbo than a non turbo. When I first got mine at 22/23 I think I was, that was certinatly the case. It was cheaper for the zed than a 200sx, only marginally more than my 1.2l daily driver at the time and about a third of the cost of a skyline. Once I hit 25 my insurance cost became pretty much a formality about £150-200 a year.

 

In honesty the biggest costing for a z32 is maintaince, esp if it's a twin turbo. Your affectively paying for two 3 cyl turbo engines. Parts are not EASY to get hold of or cheap. Essentially a z32 is the complete opposite to your current car.

 

In terms of the 2+2 platform, it is exactly that. It's not really a four seater, you've got less legroom than an easy jet flight. You really gotta drive one and look at as many as possible before committing. I wouldn't sell mine unless I had to but it's not a cheap toy. It's bloody fun though :)

Welcome to the club and very nice MX5 :thumbup1: Not a big lot of 300zx's out there for sale but buy a good one and search all over the UK . I traveled to the south east of England from Belfast to buy mine.Good luck and keep us updated and if you need any help just ask.

Cheers guys.

 

As much as i'd like a TT, like you've said cost of maintenance will be higher. I really can't afford to be spending loads on turbo bits. Just the complication of having 2 turbos introduces a whole heap of new issues i've never had to deal with before. I imagine the longevity would be better on the standard v6 also seeing as it doesnt have 2 whopping great turbos strapped to the sides haha! Which is a key factor when the cars in my price range have around 100,000 miles on them. Also, I would be wanting a 2+2, which i've not seen with the TT engine (do they even have a tt 2+2?).

 

Budget is probably around £2500. Could do a bit more for the right one. I understand that thats probably in the low end of the scale but what on earth has happened to 90s jap cars in the last few years that has made them so valuable? haha. Would be an absolute bonus if I could px my car to someone and pay some cash on top. That would be the optimum solution. But then that requires waiting for one in scotland and so far thats looking like a losing battle! It'll have to wait until i'm back from my holiday to sell the mazda and even think about spending money on something else, which will be start-mid august. Which is again why pxing my car would be so much easier.

 

Hopefully i'll find a good one. But it'll most likely be dahn sahf I think!

Yes mate, the TT LWB 4 seats 2+2 are plentiful. As mentioned before, do travel and be very selective. There are plenty of people on here who can offer advice. Your budget could get you a nice car but be aware of those that that have been tricked out by Halfords.

 

By the way, always had a soft spot for the humble MX 5, your one looks to be lovely and you should have no problem selling it privately. My Mrs has a mk 1 and I love driving it from time to time, always nice to get back in the ZED though.

Insuring the zed is cheaper than a run of the mill family car, i dont understand why, but then again will anyone ever understand how the insurance companies decide what to charge lol

Welcome to the club and good luck in your search for a zed, plenty of help and advice here and you should find a decent N/A for your budget.

All Uk spec cars are 2+2 twin turbo, all swb and non turbo cars are grey imports.

Welcome to the forum.

 

I use my Zed as a daily driver so I opt for the N/A version.

 

Just got mine 2 weeks ago. Body and underneath is sound but it's developed mechanical issues.

 

I travelled to Luton for mine 500-600 mile round trip and thought I'd been really lucky.

 

I already have spent £200 getting the wheel issues sorted and guess it will take a lot more before the car is running right.

 

Make sure you factor these costs in when deciding on a car.

 

Peter

welcome nice to see another 18 year old interested in zeds im 18 and own a 1989 300zx NA swb

Yes mate, the TT LWB 4 seats 2+2 are plentiful. As mentioned before, do travel and be very selective. There are plenty of people on here who can offer advice. Your budget could get you a nice car but be aware of those that that have been tricked out by Halfords.

 

By the way, always had a soft spot for the humble MX 5, your one looks to be lovely and you should have no problem selling it privately. My Mrs has a mk 1 and I love driving it from time to time, always nice to get back in the ZED though.

 

Great! Yeah i'm going to make sure I go for the right one. Made that mistake with the mazda. Bought it because it was close and in budget but ive spent roughly £1400 (over the passed 5 months) making it what it is. If I were to do it again i'd buy something that required less work but i've learned a lot with the work i've done so I cant complain :). Cheers, loads of people have offered to buy it for much more than I thought it would be worth... but then you rarely see mx5s done up tastefully and seriously well maintained like I keep mine!

 

Insuring the zed is cheaper than a run of the mill family car, i dont understand why, but then again will anyone ever understand how the insurance companies decide what to charge lol

Welcome to the club and good luck in your search for a zed, plenty of help and advice here and you should find a decent N/A for your budget.

 

You're right I always find the stranger, not so common cars cheaper to insure, despite them being much more of a beast than a typical hatch.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I use my Zed as a daily driver so I opt for the N/A version.

 

Just got mine 2 weeks ago. Body and underneath is sound but it's developed mechanical issues.

 

I travelled to Luton for mine 500-600 mile round trip and thought I'd been really lucky.

 

I already have spent £200 getting the wheel issues sorted and guess it will take a lot more before the car is running right.

 

Make sure you factor these costs in when deciding on a car.

 

Peter

 

Know exactly where youre coming from (as per reply above). On the flip side however, im really handy mechanically, whereas I dont have a clue about bodywork/paint. Mechanical issues will not be so much of a worry than rust!

 

welcome nice to see another 18 year old interested in zeds im 18 and own a 1989 300zx NA swb

 

What like are you for insurance out of curiosity?

Welcome to the club Garth!

 

Richard:cool:

Welcome to the forum, as you see the advice is forthcoming here... good luck with finding a good one.

 

I've a na lwb and had the tt before. I personally prefer the na but that's against the grain on here!!!!!!!!:scared:

Welcome Garth - that's a well looked-after Mazda :)

Hey Garth,

 

You still after a 300zx? If you're still interested i may be able to line up a deal with you for part ex with your eunos as a friend of mine loves these.

 

You will need to subscribe here first though which if you're interested in 300zx's is the right way to go anyway ;)

 

Peter