Import / UK Debate

[Guest christopherdavi]

LET'S HAVE A HEATED DEBATE!

 

Why oh why is it assumed that the import ZX's are somehow inferior to the UK spec ones. As far as I can see, the ultimate problem with UK cars, and a problem that can't be overcome, is that there are all getting on a bit.

The snow and the wet of this island is taking it's toll. Rust is now biting deep. And you cannot easily overcome this fault.

 

The arguments for the UK ones seem, to me, weak in comparison to watching your black car go rusty red. The mechanicals are the same...ish. But Jap Spec cars have less tinrot. Mine had none..at all.

 

All the apparent mechanical deficiencies of the JAP spec seem to be fixable. And it does seem there are loads of UK models being broken for spares...cos they have been eaten by the tin worms!

 

The recieved wisdom that UK cars are better is not sustainable by FACTS

:confused:

[Gio]

I've never heard anyone say imports are inferior. :confused:

Nobody I know would make such a stupid mistake :nelson:

 

Anyhow, they're ALL imports :D :D

[MikeGroves]

I got a UK car,

 

reason = Insurance cheaper.

 

rust is only a problem if you don't keep on top of it, and that will apply to an import after it has been in the country for a few winters.

[Guest chunk]

 

We all have reasons for having chosen the cars we have got.

 

I have a UK due to the cost of insurance.

 

Personally i couldnt care less whether mine was a UK/Jap/US or what, its that its a Z that counts.

 

Thankyou

 

[Steve-o]

UK cars generally are cheaper on insurance and more companies will touch them than imports.

 

Imports are cheaper, for the reason they are imported (lower value to UK taxed vehicles). You can find many cheap imports with dealers, but the UK ones in good nick from dealers fetch a higher price.

 

A large amount of imports come without leather, all UK cars come with leather.

 

The wheels are smaller width on imports.

 

You dont get washers on your headlights (lmao thats the best feature of the car hahahahah) ;)

 

The oil coolers for the autos on imports are no where near the size of the UK spec and should straught away be replaced.

 

The average joe in japan doesnt seem to know how to fit mods to the car, i've seen tons imported with cheap boost guages and all sorts plummed in anywhere!

 

Also you got that anoying beepy thing a speed limits which need to be removed before it drives you nuts, clocks need converting etc etc, they need delimiting.

 

The door mounted seat belts give up retracting after their first few years of life and dont hold you in.

 

They dont tend to look after / clean the engine in japan, you seen the state under the bonnet of most imported cars? its black!!!

 

A lot of prospective new buyers are sometimes put off by the fact a car may be an import. Obviously the guys here with imports will say they arnt, but obviously or they wouldnt have one lol.

 

Imports are more common than UK, look on auto trader, you will find about 10 imports to every UK one. Hence UK are less common than imports and I suspect will be more valuable in the future. Japan still produces the Z, the ones in this country are the last sold from this country.

 

The whole rust argument is *****x. I dont know who made this one up, there is simply more imports than UK around and so chance to see more imports without rust? I have seen jap cars with more rust on than UK's the same I have seen UK cars with more rust on than Jap? IMHO the only rusty cars you see are neglected ones. My car hasnt got a spot of rust and its been in the UK 12 years, the past two owners including myself dont keep it in a garage!

 

Here's a quote from BBC weather re the climate of japan;

 

In summer and early autumn much of the heavy rain is brought by typhoons, or tropical cyclones, that move north from the South China Sea or the region east of the Philippines. In some parts of central and southern Japan there is a double rainfall maximum; one in early summer, the so-called Bai-U or plum rains, and a second in late summer or early autumn, brought by typhoons.

 

Winters in northern Japan, particularly in Hokkaido, are severe with heavy falls of snow. At sea level the climate is much like that of Newfoundland or northern New England (see the tables for Hakodate in southern Hokkaido and Akita in northern Honshu).

 

In the south of Honshu and in Kyushu and Shikoku the winters are mild and almost subtropical. This is particularly so around the coasts of the Inland Sea, the narrow stretch of water which separates these islands. Winter rainfall is light here and snow and frost very rare (see the tables for Nagasaki and Ashizuri).

 

So depends I guess in china where it is, to say all imports are in better nick is complete tosh, some could be a lot worse than UK.

[Steve-o]

Before I get a slating from import drivers, I've got nothing against import and its true, they can and do fetch similar / same prices as good nick UK ones etc.

 

Im just a bit miffed about the whole 'UK's are rusty heaps' thing that keeps comming up!!!!

 

Its just my opinions above guys, if you got an import its still a Z like chunk says and thats good enough :)

[Guest Scottywil]

Its not the rain that rusts the cars its the friggin salt that the council throw everywhere. They dont do that in Japan. I bet you wont find a freshly imported car with rust!! Imported cars do rust though. obviuosly! They just need to have been in the uk long enough! lol

My car was imported in 1999 and has just started to bubble on one of the rear arches. :cry: But that will be sorted when i get my spoiler fitted. :D

[Guest christopherdavi]

Your car looks top Scotty. Excellent wheels.

[Steve-o]

I bet you wont find a freshly imported car with rust!!

 

Bet you a grand I can, seen one when I took my friend around looking at various Z's, one was at a jap importer near lavington he got it in three days prior as we were waiting to go look at it. It had spots of rust on the top corner of the targa and bubling on the arches.

 

Sorry the whole rusting debate is still *****x. And stone chips from the road and grit chip paint and yes the weather will rust it, more so than the rare amount of salt that gets on the car. Salt itself doesnt damage the paint (unless left on the paint for say 25 years or so like a yacht or something similar), not unless it chips the car with the grit / sand mixed with it, which is unlikely as it is usualy turned to sludge by the time it goes around your wheels and is very soft, at which point its raining any way and will soon be washed off.

[sideshowbob]

Have to agree with scotty on the salt thing (sorry stev-o!), imports

are generally in much better condition than uk models, obviously there

will be exceptions to this. When i got mine (1st uk owner), it was put

on a lift to have a good look around underneath, it was immaculate!

Pretty much the same condition as my dads 2yr old bmw!

However....it is very hard to trace the history of an import, you have

no idea how it's been previously treated. The uk models are also better

spec than imports ie: Better headlights, autobox coolers, proper rear belts

etc.....

Having said all this, i personally would choose an import over a uk spec.

IMHO!!! :)

[Guest christopherdavi]

Does anyone actually know why Jap autoboxes blow upand UK ones don't? It gets hotter in Japan than it does here and I can't believe that the Nissan designers didn't put enough autobox coolers on. Is it REALLY the heat......

 

I think we've all got to be carefull of just assuming the cause. All 300s get hot and bothered about the gearbox, but it's probably just the proximity of the exhausts and cats.

 

As for the comments about salt not rusting cars, there are engineers out there who might disagree methinks!!

[sideshowbob]

The japs don't fit additional coolers to the autobox because

they don't need them. They don't drive very far at all, mainly

short journeys at slow speed. Here in the uk we can cruise at

80-90mph all day long which in turn generates extra heat in the

box, hence the need for an additional cooler. Chris greddy does them

as does z-centre. My z is a good argument for this as it's been in

the uk for just over a yr now, i haven't fitted a cooler......now

the box is starting to slip!!! :( , whether this is directly related to

the lack of cooler...i don't know? But it's my own STUPID fault!

Hence i will soon need to consider a manual conversion or a box rebuild!

[Steve-o]

Again salt doesnt rot the paint only if it chips the paint it gets the metal, and 90% of the underside of the car is covered in plastic guards anyway! it does happen that I have had the plastic off while doing mechanical repairs and re-undersealed it. AFAIK uk cars are all undersealed anyways.

 

It just boils down to how the car has been looked after.

[Guest andyduff]

Combination of humidity and salt rots the UNDERNEATH of the UK cars. No not all of them though! In japan I'm sure they use volcanic ash rather than salt? Or maybe that was just one of those weird dreams... :D

[Steve-o]

Hey lets scrap this thread, I like the quirky little bits on jap spec ones too, lets all be friends and enjoy our cars lol :D

 

But one things for sure, auto UK in white is the best Z of all :rofl:

[sideshowbob]

Hey lets scrap this thread, I like the quirky little bits on jap spec ones too, lets all be friends and enjoy our cars lol :D

 

But one things for sure, auto UK in white is the best Z of all :rofl:

Make friends, make friends, never ever break friends, if you do, i'll

flush you down the loo!............. :tongue:

[Uno]

The oil coolers for the autos on imports are no where near the size of the UK spec and should straught away be replaced.

 

my point is if the weather is temp wise across the year is the same as the UK but with bigger extremes then no mod is needed...looking today and over the past few weeks the weather has been even hotter there than the UK so i fail to see the rational behind the gearbox cooler...unless you cane the car...which would apply to any model

[Steve-o]

my point is if the weather is temp wise across the year is the same as the UK but with bigger extremes then no mod is needed...looking today and over the past few weeks the weather has been even hotter there than the UK so i fail to see the rational behind the gearbox cooler...unless you cane the car...which would apply to any model

 

Yeh I think this is only realy nessasary for flooring it a lot or especially if running more horsies. Although Bigger cant hurt even if people only still run stock.

 

And yeh I've had enough of making enemies Si ;)

[markzx]

Its not the rain that rusts the cars its the friggin salt that the council throw everywhere. They dont do that in Japan. I bet you wont find a freshly imported car with rust!! Imported cars do rust though. obviuosly! They just need to have been in the uk long enough! lol

My car was imported in 1999 and has just started to bubble on one of the rear arches. :cry: But that will be sorted when i get my spoiler fitted. :D

 

Some of these imports sit on the dockside in the salt air for about 10 to 12 months before they are shipped and believe me some are tatty. Some are really nice most are average and the same goes for UK car. Last year I imported a Almost New (2002) celica TDR new shape 230 bhp toyota racing suspension etc. When it arrived the disc's were rusty as anything and I thought the wheel bearings were shot. It turn out that the tyres had miss shaped due to being stood for 10 months. The noise was unreal. Toyota UK were brill and replaced the "Tyres" and Disc's, but believe me import doesn't mean better condition.

 

When I bought my car 4.5 years ago I looked at loads. Well about 16. Most were imports due to the fact that most Z's are and most irrespective of origin were crap. In the end bought mine of a friend who had had it from new and being a UK car insurance was much cheeper.

[WillieO]

UK Europe std cars were supposedly rated for high speed autobahn use with a rear diff cooler and leccy oil pump as well that comes in over 90mph. An import zed driven at continuous very high speed for a long period is likely to overheat its diff. The UK Europe radiator is 30% bigger in cooling surface as well. Also high speed HICAS implies something different about the way it operates on UK Europe - maybe in connection with the active rear shocks - handbrake trick etc etc

[greg]

Yeh I think this is only realy nessasary for flooring it a lot or especially if running more horsies. Although Bigger cant hurt even if people only still run stock.

 

And yeh I've had enough of making enemies Si ;)

 

 

mines jap but least its manwell :tongue: ;) :rolleyes: no oil cooler upgrade needed LOL more money for :duffer: