Been looking for a while now and all the stuff that has come up for sale has been absolute garbage. I haven't seen anything in the £20,000 plus range or anywhere near that, what has happened to the 300ZX?

There are still quite a few fantastic condition Z’s tucked away. If you want to splash £20k+ on one, maybe you should start a wanted ad with your budget and expectations to flush them out!

Most of the good ones are here in the club but they are not for sale. Import one from Japan is your solution or as JP has said get a wanted thread up with your budget.

Been looking for a while now and all the stuff that has come up for sale has been absolute garbage. I haven't seen anything in the £20,000 plus range or anywhere near that, what has happened to the 300ZX?

 

Anyone even contemplating buying a 30 year old 300zx for £20K plus range is going to be disappointed, they do not exist in the UK, now I will say there is a handful of club cars that are exceptional examples ( you know who you are ) but they are mainly personal versions of the car, by that I mean, if you get to buy one it will always be reffered to as Joe`s car or Bill put that together, you will never own the build, the sweat and toil, the financial burden and years of dedicated effort and passion that went into the car.

 

You want a £20k car, buy a £5k one and get working on a project....its the only way really in the true enthusiast spirit.

 

 

Jeff

Edited May 21, 20196 yr by JeffTT

Jeff has a point. :yes:

Been looking for a while now and all the stuff that has come up for sale has been absolute garbage. I haven't seen anything in the £20,000 plus range or anywhere near that, what has happened to the 300ZX?

 

This is exactly why the perceived values on them are low as generally what comes onto the market is either in poor state, distastefully modified or not the right drivetrain for the market, or a miserable combination of the lot. The former 2 are slowly becoming less and less prevalent. Tastes have changed (thankfully) and the bodykitted horrors are drying up and a lot of the really dire condition ones have been scrapped. They reached the bottom of their depreciation curve around 5-6 years ago, I'd say most cars are now enthusiast owned. We're seeing a lot of people restore their Zs and investing a lot of money into them rather than become an ebay parts rattle can special that was a 'thing' a few years ago.

 

You will not find one in the £20k bracket purely because immaculate ones don't come up for sale and the market hasn't reached that level yet however I don't think it will be too long although....the nice ones just don't come up as they're owned by enthusiasts who won't let them go.

 

Buying a fresh import is your best bet. Prices are going up in Japan and late model ones are fetching anywhere up to £12-£15k before shipping. A 99-spec Version R Twin Turbo manual with low mileage will achieve those higher figures. I personally prefer earlier models as they have a better spec and I prefer the styling, but either way, clean ones can be sourced. Early models have appreciated a bit as they've reached the 25 year threshold for import into the US and demand has increased, so currently, best value is probably late series 2 and series 3.

Edited May 21, 20196 yr by Funkysi

 

You will not find one in the £20k bracket purely because immaculate ones don't come up for sale and the market hasn't reached that level yet however I don't think it will be too long although....the nice ones just don't come up as they're owned by enthusiasts who won't let them go.

 

 

 

 

Exactly right !

 

 

Jeff

Buy this UK Z drive it enjoy it and maintain it and you will have a 20k Z inside 5 years or less. BARGAIN.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-300zx-twin-turbo-uk-spec-FSH-MOT/264330679408?hash=item3d8b561470:g:QSQAAOSwrxFc4u1o

Buy this UK Z drive it enjoy it and maintain it and you will have a 20k Z inside 5 years or less. BARGAIN.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-300zx-twin-turbo-uk-spec-FSH-MOT/264330679408?hash=item3d8b561470:g:QSQAAOSwrxFc4u1o

 

That looks like a decent car. Whilst it’s had a couple of MOT fails, there’s nothing untoward on the MoT history. Some hose and lines issues and that’s about as bad as it gets which is very good for a UK Z. Just a shame it’s an auto. New 98+ transmission and the rest of the conversion parts and that would be a great car. Takes away a bit of the provenance, but it will make it more desirable and more fun to own. I’d say it’s very well priced too.

Import one. Anything that’s been here for years will be rotten and rusty unless it’s a garage queen.

That looks like a decent car. Whilst it’s had a couple of MOT fails, there’s nothing untoward on the MoT history. Some hose and lines issues and that’s about as bad as it gets which is very good for a UK Z. Just a shame it’s an auto. New 98+ transmission and the rest of the conversion parts and that would be a great car. Takes away a bit of the provenance, but it will make it more desirable and more fun to own. I’d say it’s very well priced too.

 

Yes its one of the best I have seen come up for sale in a long time. Great UK project for you Si.

Jeff has a point. :yes:

 

This is exactly why the perceived values on them are low as generally what comes onto the market is either in poor state, distastefully modified or not the right drivetrain for the market, or a miserable combination of the lot. The former 2 are slowly becoming less and less prevalent. Tastes have changed (thankfully) and the bodykitted horrors are drying up and a lot of the really dire condition ones have been scrapped. They reached the bottom of their depreciation curve around 5-6 years ago, I'd say most cars are now enthusiast owned. We're seeing a lot of people restore their Zs and investing a lot of money into them rather than become an ebay parts rattle can special that was a 'thing' a few years ago.

 

You will not find one in the £20k bracket purely because immaculate ones don't come up for sale and the market hasn't reached that level yet however I don't think it will be too long although....the nice ones just don't come up as they're owned by enthusiasts who won't let them go.

 

Buying a fresh import is your best bet. Prices are going up in Japan and late model ones are fetching anywhere up to £12-£15k before shipping. A 99-spec Version R Twin Turbo manual with low mileage will achieve those higher figures. I personally prefer earlier models as they have a better spec and I prefer the styling, but either way, clean ones can be sourced. Early models have appreciated a bit as they've reached the 25 year threshold for import into the US and demand has increased, so currently, best value is probably late series 2 and series 3.

 

Exactly right !

 

 

Jeff

 

Yes, yes and yes....:wink:

 

If you're looking for a £20k Zed, you'll be looking for a long time. Except from the days when they were still relatively new (look what AndrewG paid for his, almost 20 years ago), we just haven't seen £20k Zeds as the norm - yet!

 

Do what Gary or Simon suggest; buy a decent car already in GB - be it a fine UK spec or decent import - or import your own. And some friendly advice, don't tell the world you're looking for a £20k Zed.... Anyone can sell you a Zed for £20k, if you're eager to buy - but is it really worth it...?