hi all i,m thinking about buying a 300zx tt 1991 are they a pain in the wallet or do you get value for money? iv,e got 4,500 to blow on one,am i wasting my hard earned dosh on a car which is getting rather old. would it be better 2 buy something else for above price or would i get a decent 300zx for 4,500? big v

Firstly, welcome to the forum. Here you should find the answers to almost all of your Z questions.

 

The answer to your questions are diffucult.

 

For the ammount of money you're talking about your choice of Z will be somewhat limited. If you can rustle together another £500 and therefore have a budget of £5K that gives you more to choose from. Having said that I have just checked the Autotrader site and have found about 15 cars within your budget.

 

The first hefty cost you're going to encounter is insurance, depending on your age, location, no claims and whether the car is a UK or an import, the price can be anything from £500 to several thousand, the imports are always more to insure and watch for mods, they hike the price up.

 

The running costs are high, it is a 3ltr twin turbo beast after all, the n/a are not a lot cheper to run, expect a realistic 19mpg average, with £50 oil and filter change every 5-6000 miles, tyres at £100 a corner every 10,000.

 

Having said all that, they are fantastic cars to drive and own, there is nothing better than driving down a long straight A road with the sun shining and the targas off

 

If you have a good one you'll love it, if you get a bad one you'll still love it but you'll be broke

 

Check out the buyer's guide by moving your cursor over the Z above, and feel free to ask any more questions you have.

 

Good hunting

 

Tim

/Japanese Voice Stylee

Be Wery Wairy my fwiend

Though 4.5k is at the lower end of the spectrum for buying a Zed I would by no means say you cannot get a pukka one for this sum. There are however alot of UK model shitters around sub 5k - I know I once bought one

And I also know 4.5k is alot of dough and would hate to see anyone waste that, trust me a shitter-zed is a complete waste of money to someone who aint breaking it for spares!

Loads of info here http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnetfaq/appendixz.html

and here http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnetfaq/FAQpages/usedpurchasing.html (bit outta date!)

and best of all (naturally) here http://www.300zx.co.uk/tech/BuyingZ.htm

 

Norwich Union Direct will insure 300zx Twin Turbos imported from Japan with no loading (allowed 3 mods with obvious loading!) - Get Quoted before buying mate!

I have seen JSpec TT's advertised at around 5k and would lean towards thinking they will be better quality than their UK conterparts at the same sort of money.

Take for a huge test drive (if the seller frowns walk away), watch for wobbly steering under braking, watch for prop vibration at 70+ mph, make sure the HICAS light goes out on start, do an ECU diag (bit fiddly but worth it) - http://www.ttzd.com/tech/diagnostictech.html

Accelerate fully and try to watch the boost gauge (hehe thats fun) and if it seems to stick at 7psi then possible safety boost - http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnetfaq/FAQpages/safetyboost.html

I cant think of much more - oh yes ask loads of questions here: http://www.300zx.co.uk/UBB/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro

Finally drive it at night, if you have real good night vision and eat your carrots then you might just wnjoy Zed ownership

Good luck, you'll need it

Glen

Big V.

 

May I also welcome you to the site.

 

I am relatively new to Z ownership and so far, TOUCH WOOD, FINGERS CROSSED, GOD FORBID and whatever else can be said so that nothing goes wrong because usually when these babies go wrong, they aint cheap to fix, unless you live near JeffTT that is. Big up Jeff!!!

 

The world of Z is nothing I have ever encountered before. Without getting too phylosophical(think thats how its spelt), there is a feeling of care and unity on this forum and when someone has a problem, the rest of us feel for that person.

 

TT Tim hit the nail on the head when he said that would be better trying to open your budget slightly.

 

I have only had my Z for 2 months and I spent about the same amount of time waiting for the right one to come along. I specifically wanted a UK-manual in white. Not that UK models are better, infact, there are aspects of the Jap versions that I prefer to mine light the seatbelts on the doors but in the end of the day it is down to preference and insurance.

 

Personally, I would prefer to buy a Z with a little bit higher mileage but with history than an import with 40K miles and no history. You just have to wait for the right one come along.

 

One thing to bare in mind is that these are 3 litre cars. Turbos are about as expensive as you would get on a Supra or a Cossie. However, they take 3 times as long to get off and if you have problems with them, they can cost big bucks.

 

The most important test you can do when you go to buy one is when is are test driving it, try and get there when the motor is stone cold and if it is a private sale, pay attention to how and when the owner decides to drive away after starting. If they turn the key and blast away straight away, walk away but saying that, they might be on their best behaviour.

 

When the motor has warmed up, rev the engine to 2500 rev and keep it there for 10-15 seconds. If smoke begins to plume out of the exhaust, know that you will be forking out money in the near future. This one caught me out so that is why I am telling you.

 

Also, try and get stuck in traffic for 15 minutes, if when you pull away you get smoke, this is another indicator of bills to come.

 

This is why we are saying, try and up your budget. If you are careful, you can get a good motor nut you might have to spend a little more.

 

Trust me, in the long run you will save money.

 

Another thing to consider would be warranty. Get yourself a private warranty. Expensive(circa £200-£350) but again worth it.

 

Hope this was helpful. My fingers are killin me!

cheers everyone for the helpful info on buying a z and the pitfalls.I think i will take the get more dosh route seems the best advice i can take.regarding insurance i was quoted &840.00 comp and 440tparty by tesco which i thought wasn,t bad.i,m 36 yrs old got 6 points on my license due to an ancient cx500 honda i once owned [thick taffy in a bmw pulled across me in builth wells and done me bike in and me,recovered now though].yes the 300zx,for me it was lv at first sight.i first laid eyes on one in tenby,gold it was in colour i was smitten by its body lines and everything about it had great appeal.anyway chaps thanks again BIG V

That's not a bad quote 'Big V', (what's your name can't call you big V sorry )

 

Where in the UK are you? I'm sure that someone would quite willingly come and view a Z with you if you wanted.

 

L8r m8

 

T

hi tt tim i,m all the way down in cheezy town caerphilly south wales.oh aye neils the name and i will give u a buzz when going to av a look at one if yr not to far away to come i guess ta neil

Neil,

 

I'm about as far from you as possible, Im on the Kent coast, did come up to Anglesey to pick up my Z though.

 

Only other Welsh infiltrator I know is Timmy Turbo but I think he's in North Wales.

 

Keep posting Qs though we're here 2 help. albiet a bit sozzled lol

 

T

I had a few beers last night tim, night off tonight though.if a 300zx is driven conservatively which is hard to do i bet what mpg you looking at tim and what model have u got neil

Round town I used to get 15mpg, on the motorway was 25-28mpg depending how fast I was going (usuall 100.. so that isn't too bad really)..

 

Didn't hammer it round town by any means though.. (that was in an '89 Auto TT)

Neil,

 

I too have had a few beers lol

 

Ok that mpg figure is my average, I have had 31 mpg but by Jesus you have to be good, lots of M/W miles. It's been down as low as 14 mpg! The figure if 19 is an average of 10,000 miles near enough.

 

I've got a '90 J'Spec TT Auto

 

T

good sunday morning to all you hungover z lovers thanks again,i will keep the questions coming tim and anybody else who wants to give any advice to me. here goes then prices of service parts.also whats the highest mileage recorded for a 300zxtt anybody know? neil

You do ask the difficult ones don't you. lol

 

Service parts:

60,000 ml service

cambelt change

renew waterpump

etc, etc

£200 labour, £150 - £200 parts

 

Normal service costs, would expect DIY.

 

Oil filter £5

Fully Synthetic Oil, 5/40 £30 5ltrs

Plugs £10, each

Fuel Filter £15

Air filter £29 each x 2

pre mixed coolant, £7 5ltrs

 

Service intervals are 6,000mls for Oil and filter, 60,000 for plugs etc.

 

Anything else? Ask me another

 

T

My Z has done 145,000 miles, and still has the original turbos. I have had my Z for 6 months now and I have not had 1 glitch with the engine. Runs silent, smooth and fast. I know there are few people on this board with more than half the miles of mine and had serious problems with the engine.

It is important that you get a Z with at least near full service and make sure that it has been serviced at the correct intervals.

I hear on the US site that Zs have gone over 250,000 and are still going strong.

 

Stuart

cheers tim and stuart for the details much appreciated,could be buying a z j reg in a couple of weeks if cars ok thanks all neil

My UK car has spec to service every 4,500 (not 6000) miles, which I do. All of the points mentioned so far are valid and important!

 

Mine has done 128,000 and the engine runs as sweet as ever. There are a lot more things that can go wrong other than the engine that will cost you a fortune.

 

If your Z goes wrong you'll need deep pockets. E.g. a heater matrix repair will cost £500+, if you buy cheap tyres you will not get the kind of enjoyment that you would buy buying a top notch set. Everything on these cars is expensive. I get around 19 - 23mpg.

 

I can't remember anybody coming on this forum and saying they didn't think the driving experience was one of the best, if not the best, they have had.

 

Enjoy!

 

Grant

I can recommend Egg, Marbles and MBNA for if it all goes pear shaped.

You can usually transfer the balances between the three long enough to keep an ill Zed running LMAO

 

 

------------------

Glen

:)

Marbles hey.. Might have to look at that - the only one I don't have yet!

The trouble with marbles is they make allot of noise when thrown in the engine!!!