Hi guys! I am going to look at a couple of 300zx TT's tomorrow, both imports. One has only been here for 2 months, both have about 45000 miles. I've done some digging around on various websites about spec differences, I've seen some stuff about different HICAS on Jap and Euro cars, different rim sizes, also the usual cruise control and speed limiter / speedo differences.

 

What do I need to look for on an import? (especially the 2 month old car...) Will I need to spend a ruck of money on ecu mods for different fuel, plugs, speedo? Also, is there a way to safely check the origin of a recent import? I am a bit concerned about scare stories of imports via Dubai that were mostly knicked, but I REALLY want to own a ZX, and so many of the UK cars seem to be around the 100k mileage mark.

 

I'd appreciate any pointers, I've already got that November Japanese Performance issue on it's way to me, but it won't be here by tomorrow! Thanks!

In terms of mods required to make it road legal for the U.K. you only need to have an added fog light, either add-on or wired into the existing cluster and the speedo modified to display MPH (various ways of doing this). If the cars you are looking at are over ten years old they only have a standard U.K. MOT certificate. (note: it shouldn't pass the MOT without the fog light mod but checking the speedo display isn't part of the MOT test so this may not have been done).

If the cars under ten years old it should've passed an SVA test , haven't personally required one so don't know the details.

Personally if I was buying I'd ask to see the original auction sheet if it was originally purchased from a Japanese auction and also a translation of the original auction sheet. Also any other original paperwork especially a copy of the de-registration certificate.

 

The Japanese auction sheet will usually(always) have a grading for the car i.e 3BB (3--car condition, B--exterior conditon, B--interior condition), 5 best grade, 0 lowest, A best, C lowest. I've seen various more detailed interpretations of the auction grades but I think there is some variation between the different Japanese auctions. The translation will also detail any mods or damage to the vehicle.

 

From looking at the auction sheet you will have an idea of the condition of the car when purchased at auction and compare it to the condition it is in now i.e has it been repaired or tydied up or sold as original condition.

 

Most 10 year old imports usually graded at 3 or 4.

 

A .0 grade car has accident damage.

 

In brief if you're buying an import I would want to see evidence of it's origin and condition when imported.

 

Oh, tyres! it would certainly be illegal to fit Japanese (non-EU) marked tyres in this country not sure if it's O.K. to use them if fitted the vehicle when imported, they usually need changed anyway and most posts to this board say they're crap

Assuming the car has an MOT/SVA there should be nothing that you have to do to ensure the car is running OK. If you are going to start some mods then for an import some will be better than others.

 

If you can get the full chassis number then I can confirm for you the actual manufacturing date of the car. Best thing to do is get a digi photo of the plate, but understandably they may be a little reticent for you to do that - tell them you want it for an HPI check or something. Thay way at least you can be sure that the car with an L plate is not an '89 model etc.

Hello Mate,

 

 

Imports with Bodykits have been known to have had them fitted to conceal accident damage.

 

The approxiamate year of manufacture is on the label at the bottom of the seat belt!

 

Good Luck

 

Mark

But, seatbelts are often replaced after an accident so it's no guarantee, they are also the best well known and most obvious of the manufacturing dates on the car, and so would be the first to be altered if someone was trying to mask the actual date of the car.

 

Worth a look here :- http://www.300zx.org.uk/import_dating.htm

 

 

 

Originally posted by TopLess

Hello Mate,

 

 

Imports with Bodykits have been known to have had them fitted to conceal accident damage.

 

The approxiamate year of manufacture is on the label at the bottom of the seat belt!

 

Good Luck

 

Mark

That's a good start, thanks a lot. I'll try and get a digital piture of the plate, and I've printed out the import dating guide. The newest car is from a regular 300zx importer in South London, who says he has 5 to choose from, so if I'm in any doubt I'm sure there'll be more. I'm not in any rush, I'll wait to get a good'un.

Thanks again chaps!

That's a good start, thanks a lot. I'll try and get a digital piture of the plate, and I've printed out the import dating guide. The newest car is from a regular 300zx importer in South London, who says he has 5 to choose from, so if I'm in any doubt I'm sure there'll be more. I'm not in any rush, I'll wait to get a good'un.

Thanks again chaps!

I found a couple of date stamps with signatures under the back seats. May want to look here to find the true age of your car if in doubt.

That's good info, if anyone knows of any others then let me know and I'll add them to the page. Remember the bible is the Nissan FAST cd - I have a copy and can accurately date up until 2002.

 

 

Originally posted by smw1

I found a couple of date stamps with signatures under the back seats. May want to look here to find the true age of your car if in doubt.

Hi All

Thanks for all the help so far, the first car I saw today was a tatty part-ex with way too much work needed so never bothered doing all the diag's and cross checking manufacture dates etc. It looked straight enough, just rough as a badger's a**e!

 

So tomorrow I'll see another import, 2 months in uk, but apparently bought from a dealership in Japan hence no auction papers to double check. Is there any way of checking the origin of importation ie Japan not Dubai free trade zone (!) - what do you suggest? Ringing the dealership if they've got the number (which he should have I guess)? I suppose an HPI check wouldn't be much of a guarantee for a car that's so new to the uk. Of course I'll check all the other bits, chassis plates, serial no's, and do all the diagnostics if he'll let me...

 

Cheers

Remember when checking the age of your car from date stamps on rear of components etc... This will only tell you when the components were made not the car, mine has stamps all over dating between December 1990 and february 1991, the car was actually first registered on the 1st of April 1991. This may not matter much, but if you are on the registration mark borderline, could mean a newer letter!!

 

Anyway, there you go, I have noticed on other makes, ie my Audi's date stamps on parts can sometimes be over a year older than the car!!

 

Paul N

I took the passenger side read panel off last night to re- trim it. I found a ticket like a price tag they used to use in supermarkets with 89-11-17, so I'm guessing my car was built on 17th November 1989. How accurate is that ????

For the SVA, ie less than 10 years old, my car needed the following,

Front indicators not visible at 45 degrees from opposite side of car.

Tyres, Jap Spec tyres are NOT illegal, however to pass the SVA they need the JS logo, and they need to have a speed AND load rating.

Speedo, Must not read slow, even by 1mph, but allowed to read up to, I think, 70mph at an actual 57mph. They do not like stickers on the speedo face. Not saying they would fail it but they dont like them.

Steering wheel, if not standard and alloy has to have gentle curves on the edges, my Momo just passed.

Brakes, have to pass an engine stopped test, Jap pads are too hard, so I have been told.

Repeater indicators must be fitted.

Fog light. NOT LESS then 250mm from the floor, but they want 260mm from the floor really. No brake light re-wires etc are any good.

Any loose wires which might get caught or rub through = fail.

Exhaust, mine has after market pipes, noiser than standard but not bad, mine passed at 85db, amount before fail is 105db. Which is noisy.

On top of this, any thing else that an MOT test would look at.

They are FUSSY. They want any mods to be to manufactures standard. They even looked into the wheel bolt holes to check to see that the bolts were correct. Although how just looking and not removing them told them anything I dont know.

Cant think of anything else. Hope this helps. Forget what someone else said about jap tyres being ilegal, they have to have the right spec though.

Mark

My inner brake lights have been converted to act as fogs, leaving outer and centre lights acting as brake lights, my car has been in the UK for 5 years and passed five MOT's with no hassle regarding this, as I'm sure many others have, I think sometimes a lot of these regulations are open to interpretation and can be down to discretion, and if you get an awkward "Jobsworth" T***er you've gt problems!!

 

Paul N

Couldnt agree more, trouble is the jobsworth in charge of doing SVA's is not able to pass brake lights as fogs, (according to the SVA centre) and I too have had cars pass mot's with brake/fogs etc. BUT, if it fails the sva thats it.

I hung a great big ugle fog light from the bottom of the rear bumper, I had to drill one hole, and unless you lie on th floor you wont see it when I remove the fog light for a "nicer" one, and this was OK for the SVA.

You have to play by their rules.

One other thing, you must have a full tank of fuel too, and I mean full, not nearly full......

So, today I saw a Jap import, '90, (apparently) genuine 36,000miles, looks pretty original and not tarted up (straight off the ship it seems, only 2 weeks in uk..) Spotless under the bonnet. Only mods were an HKS exhaust, HKS turbo timer, Blitz atmo dump valves and a boost gauge that reads just under 7psi on boost (so standard boost I guess...) Oh, and a momo wheel so the cruise control isn't there...

£5900 How's that sound? Going rate? Good for the mileage?

 

Also did all the models have cruise? If I want to refit it is it just a case of finding a second hand wheel and connecting a few wires up that are sitting in the wheel boss?

 

Thanks for the continuing advice...

 

Cheers

Hi, Mine is a series 2, TT +2, auto in black, Novemeber 1993 manufactured, imported myself so have the Jap dereg, invoice etc. 50000 miles Momo wheel with cruise. 17inch split rim alloys, sensible aftermarket exhaust, very clean. And I mean nice. Not messed with. Will be L registered so is quite a late one fopr over here. if you bent my arm you could buy it for the same money, (after it has been SVA'ed and MOT'd). So how cheap does that make yours?

Originally posted by Flying Machine

and a boost gauge that reads just under 7psi on boost (so standard boost I guess...)

 

it should rise to around 9 psi once warm, if it stays at 7 psi, there could be a fault causing it to be in safety (or standard :rolleyes: ) boost.