Hi there

 

Was on here about a year ago looking - ended up buying an R33 - scratched that itch, now back here...amongst other places ;)

 

I am open to the following:

 

NA or TT

Targa Top only

Avoiding series 1s

Import or UK is fine

Manuals only please

SWB or LWB

Not silver

 

In terms of budget, not looking to go crazy (for instance Vipers purple was out of reach of what I am looking to pay).

 

Cheers

Col

Just out of interest, how is the market on Zeds at the moment? Seems a little thin on the ground?

Nothing wrong with series 1s, especially if they're in good condition. It's that which is paramount as they are getting harder and harder to come by. Numbers are dwindling and we don't see a huge amount appear here anymore. The odd one every week or so.

 

What actually is your budget though? You suggest that you don't have one which would have bought you the car mentioned above, but what sort of figure are we really looking at?

Also think about what you might have to spend on a budget zed to get it to a condition you would consider right for you, think to yourself if im going to be spending at least a grand on putting something right, hang on a bit longer for the right one at a higher price and go for that one.

 

If you like a project or pottering around with cars and have time, then your options are probably slightly broader, but recently there are fewer coming available for sale for various reasons i guess.

I have done a fair bit of reading on these cars and there appears to be a fair difference in S1 and S2 in terms of reliability of the engines. Clearly by default later cars are likely to have had previous series faults rectified, I am judging this to be the case here also but could be wrong. Also somewhat left field, but if I get a 2+2 I want to be able to safely take a toddler seat in the back and done like the belt seats in the S1 (although maybe you can retro fit a three point belt?).

 

I am looking to spend £2k-£3k but again that depends on what I am getting, I wont want to spend £3k and knowing there is blue smoke and work to be done for example. I am not scared of a bit of work (both my dad and brother are car mechanics by trade so have never had to pay for labour costs on car work in my life!) but at the moment I do not have a drive way or garage to work in.

The early 89 had an issue with cylinder heads iirc, that was rectified so a 90 onwards you will be fine.

I have done a fair bit of reading on these cars and there appears to be a fair difference in S1 and S2 in terms of reliability of the engines. Clearly by default later cars are likely to have had previous series faults rectified, I am judging this to be the case here also but could be wrong. Also somewhat left field, but if I get a 2+2 I want to be able to safely take a toddler seat in the back and done like the belt seats in the S1 (although maybe you can retro fit a three point belt?).

 

I am looking to spend £2k-£3k but again that depends on what I am getting, I wont want to spend £3k and knowing there is blue smoke and work to be done for example. I am not scared of a bit of work (both my dad and brother are car mechanics by trade so have never had to pay for labour costs on car work in my life!) but at the moment I do not have a drive way or garage to work in.

 

There aren't that many 89 cars about (which were the affected cars as Groover said), those that have been have had those issues fixed via manufacturer recall. I've certainly never known of issues on the early cars. S1 also includes 90 and 91 cars. These years were the most popular in terms of volume availability.

 

Retro-fitting 3-point shoulder belts replacing the lap belts is pretty straightforward and is a modification that a lot of Z32 owners have done.

 

The only real thing to look for in earlier models is PTU failure, but there is a fix for it and it's relatively inexpensive and easy enough to do and many cars have had it done anyway and that literally just involves replacing it with a series 2 PTU.

 

The bodywork and overall condition really is paramount. :)

Cool thanks guys, yes bodywork is important, its something I cannot fix cheaply myself!

Where about's is Richmond? Is that as in north yorks near to scotch corner?

Near London.

Aye it's the Surrey one not the Yorkshire one! ?

hang on need to kinda hijack your thread for a sec I wasn't aware you could get a child seat that fitted in the back of zed?.. and my ten pence worth you should be able get a really nice N/a for that kinda money ;)

this is about the best looking one i can find and its already had the sills and arches replaced http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/nissan/300zx/nissan-300zx-tt-manual-uk-car-1993/2756661

I have an 89 series 1 :)

Aye it's the Surrey one not the Yorkshire one!

 

LOL - the "pretend" one then....as Surrey was named after the one in Yorks by Henry VII when he built his palace there:wink:

 

But welcome good luck with your search and welcome back to the fold mate:thumbup:

this is about the best looking one i can find and its already had the sills and arches replaced http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/nissan/300zx/nissan-300zx-tt-manual-uk-car-1993/2756661

 

I know this car, it used to be local to me about 5 years ago and was/is quite a nice looker, it was quite well cared for too. Shame about the rust, but if it's been done well and protected, it should be fine. This is still a patch of rust on it that you need to be a bit wary of.

It also said in the ad that its blowing blue smoke, not really looking to spend over £3k then have to fork out for turbo seals (if thats the problem, it could be a number of things) on top.

You might be best widening your scope ie looking at auto's too as you may pick up a mint auto and its not a huge deal to have it converted to manual especially as you have mechanics on hand ;) just a thought mate.

I hate to say it but I don't think your going to get what you want for that money, you might get lucky with a desperate sell or someone who doesnt know what they have got but for a straight(not perfect just mechanically and structurally sound) TT manual £3-4k is about right, spending £2k will likely see you spending out to get to that stage as it's cheap for a reason, in this day and age of the internet everyone knows what stuff is worth.

You may pic up a tidy NA for that money, but again the lower end of your budjet will see you compromising for an auto.

These cars are now getting thinner and thinner on the ground, most of them are now in the hands of enthusiasts. The £1k dogs are dwindling, not a bad thing. As an offset prices are starting to rise quite steadily. I'm not saying you won't get what you want, you may however have to wait for your bargain as just like the cars themselves they are getting less and less.

Thanks again for the feedback again. All appreciated and constructive.

 

I am coming around to the idea of an NA, there seems to be less to have to look after compared to a turbo and I am no boy racer by any stretch.

 

I am tentatively looking at the moment, if something comes up I like I will grab it, but most likely will be waiting until early next year when I free up more funds from the sale of our other property.

I hate to say it but I don't think your going to get what you want for that money, you might get lucky with a desperate sell or someone who doesnt know what they have got but for a straight(not perfect just mechanically and structurally sound) TT manual £3-4k is about right, spending £2k will likely see you spending out to get to that stage as it's cheap for a reason, in this day and age of the internet everyone knows what stuff is worth.

You may pic up a tidy NA for that money, but again the lower end of your budjet will see you compromising for an auto.

These cars are now getting thinner and thinner on the ground, most of them are now in the hands of enthusiasts. The £1k dogs are dwindling, not a bad thing. As an offset prices are starting to rise quite steadily. I'm not saying you won't get what you want, you may however have to wait for your bargain as just like the cars themselves they are getting less and less.

 

I agree with this statement you should be able to get a good well looked after N/a for £3k but as for a tt you will be hard pushed I know a few on here who have spent a few years back £4k buying there tt then over the two years needed to spend£££££££ to fix the issues the car had both structurally and mechanically I firmly believe that if your planning on embarking on the zed experience be prepared for your bank account to take a beating even with cheap and free labour. Maintaining an n/a is cheaper and they do tend to be more reliable if they are only mildly tuned my old n/a was great engine wise but fell short to the usual zed rusty sills, The ble one I listed link for above is a pretty fair price and its been up a while so i dare say the guy would take under 3 and yes it may need turbo seals or even turbo's but its had new arches and inner outer sills and the car has some nice mod's inc the desirable 99spec lights and bumper and its a manual.

this is about the best looking one i can find and its already had the sills and arches replaced http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/nissan/300zx/nissan-300zx-tt-manual-uk-car-1993/2756661

 

That's my car :-)

 

As has been said, the turbo seals are on their way out, so any new owner would need to address that...

good luck with the sale mate i personally if was looking would say it was worth a look :)

Thanks, I like to think so! I guess the smoke issue is offputting, but then as you say even the more expensive cars can need money spent on them.

 

I remember back when I bought the car, one bit of advice that I got was "be prepared to spend £1k on it at any point in time". Going into ownership with that mindset, and with an "emergency fund" set aside, it wasn't so daunting...

lol yep thats it own a zed never have any money but they do make you smile :) hence why my next one will be almost brand new means all the big stuff is done from the off anyway found this n/a for sale unsure if still available but looks decent price http://scutt.eu/ad/1502807/

Well aware of the buffer cash issue - I had a 350z, VX220 and R33 over the last 4 years so aware of the pitfalls :scared:

 

Will keep looking...