Hello all, Newibe needing advice,

 

I have liked the 300zx for years and now finally (or at least in a couple of months time) I may be in the position to buy one. However before I take the plunge I just want to make sure that i'm not going to end up regretting it.

basically I need to get an idea of how much these cars cost to run. I am aware that I would be unlikely to get much more than 20mpg out of it but how much on average does it cost to keep one serviced and maintained. I currently have a BMW328 and I put aside £100 a month which covers tax test tyres and servicing for the year. Is a 300ZX likley to cost much more than this?

Also I live in the North east of England, does anyone know of any decent sepciallist in the area for servicing and pre purchase inspection? My local Nissan dealer is Reg Vardy in Middlesbrough and I wouldn't trust them to change a light bulb never mind look after a car.

Finally (sorry for all the questions), where is the best place to buy a decent one from? Most of the ones listed on Ebay or in Autotrader look a bit tatty. Is it worth going to one of these companies that imports them direct or should I buy privately?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

the best place to buy is from this site, most of your questions could be answered just by looking around on this site and joining in with any threads

 

nearly forgot welcome to the club

Yep as above look through traders section, look at the cars for sale section, and as for running one they can cost as much as the tax, fuel and insurance or they could cost a pair of turbo,s and an engine rebuild on top its a bit of russian roulette with any car really unless you buy new and that doesnt ensure much either these days !! :D :D

Buy a well looked after standard version and the chances of it going wrong will be a lot less.

 

I have yet to find out how mine will be. Shitting my pants actually as I wont have the cash to fix it if it goes badly wrong.

If your keeping a nice stock car then I cant see your sevicing being any more than your BMW £100 a month should be fine.

 

If you buy a modded car or mod yourself your more likely to get problems, and a good idea to keep £1500 in the bank for a rainy day.

 

Saying that, you could get a stock car and the turbos could go the next day, but follow the buyers guide and get any help you can on here when buying and fingers crossed this wont be the case.

 

If you can, but one from a member on here, you can see the history of the car then and 99% of the people on here really look after their cars.

Thanks for the quick responses guys.

 

I have been looking around for an unmodifed one but they seem a little thin on the ground. Idealy it will be a standard manual twin turbo targa top.

How much should I pay for a good nick one with low miles?

I could go up to around 10K although considering the poor mpg about £6-7K wouild be better.

You wont have to pay more than 5K. Your best bet is to import one from Japan, which isnt all that much of a hassle. Your £'s go a lot further too.

 

Getting a standard on with FSH is pushing it a little, as they are a few years old now, might want to go for a late mark and pay that little bit more. Mind you I have a 1990 and its as good as gold, and modded.

I just payed 4,900 for this import from a dealer. Has done 50,000 miles, is in fantastic condition and is almost standard. Comes with 3 months warranty.

 

The car looks like it's been very well looked after, not a puff of smoke from it and a silky smooth engine, 2 club members I took along could find almost no fault with it other than the general servicing that needed to be carried out on it.

 

FunkySi Nice motor. What colour is that? It looks white with a metallic tinge

 

If I can get a good one for 5K then i will have a bit of change for that 'Rainy day' when the turbos go.

 

I would idealy like as late a car as possible, 93 or a 94 would be ideal. I believe they made them up to 99 in Japan but I've never seen one later than 94 for sale.

Thanks. It is indeed metallic. It's pearl white. Only available on imports.

 

Yeah, 99 is the end year of production afaik (my zed knowledge is almost non-existant, so I expect to be corrected here), they were only out in the UK for a matter of a few years I think and only available in solid colours.

 

Pretty sure there's a forum member with a P reg one on here.

 

5k you'll find a very nice one. I was looking a spending more (budget being 5K) on a tidy one than buying a cheap car that I wasn't too sure on. I am quite scared of the car really and will probably not want to use it!! LOL, Once I get used to it and find out if it does having any problems, then I'm sure I'll be a little more confident with it.

Thanks for the quick responses guys.

 

I have been looking around for an unmodifed one but they seem a little thin on the ground. Idealy it will be a standard manual twin turbo targa top.

How much should I pay for a good nick one with low miles?

I could go up to around 10K although considering the poor mpg about £6-7K wouild be better.

 

For about £11K you could get a 1999 twin turbo manual targa imported from Japan. It would be far less of a gamble than an older car.

 

I have a 1999 NA and it's been faultless in 18 months (touch wood!)

 

The 1999 onwards cars have some modificatins including prettier bodywork and a stiffer chassis.

 

edit - they made and sold them until 2000, including the ultra rare 'Version R'

 

There's a 1997 car for sale in the for sale section but it's an NA.

Theres a forum member with an S-Plate Non Turbo. I think the last year was 2000 in Japan, seem though that 90 percent of cars in the uk are pre 92.

CD, can you tell me more about the 'verson R'. Is this the yellow with with the X-spoke wheels I keep seeing flying around?

 

This?

 

Mind you I have a 1990 and its as good as gold, and modded.

 

 

What you talking about chriss, GOOD AS GOLD!!!

 

You've not driven it in two years!!!!! :tongue:

CD, can you tell me more about the 'verson R'. Is this the yellow with with the X-spoke wheels I keep seeing flying around?

 

This?

 

 

yep, that's it with 17" wheels and other mods

 

I would love to get one someday.

 

There was a buletin about the 1999 onwards car and Version R

 

 

Here it is...

 

 

 

ISSAN NEWS From: Corporate Communications Dept.

A30-SN-8075 Date: October 7, 1998

 

 

Fairlady Z Undergoes Minor Model Change

 

 

Tokyo ?] Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the domestic release of the new Fairlady Z following the implementation of a minor model change.

 

 

Version R 2x2 T-bar Roof (equipped with optional features)

As part of this minor model change, interior and exterior trim parts have been changed to further accentuate the Fairlady Z's sharp, bold styling for which it has been uniquely renowned over the years. Additionally, body stiffness has been increased and braking performance has been enhanced, among other improvements. Safety equipment has also been further improved and expanded, including the adoption of an antilock braking system (ABS) as a standard feature on all models and the availability of xenon headlamps.

 

 

Overview of New Fairlady Z

1. Sharper, bolder appearance

The front bumper now incorporates a dynamic-looking central opening and the rear spoiler (standard on Version R series and 300ZX twin-turbo models; optional on all other models) projects a heightened sense of unity with the body shape. Sill protectors (standard on Version R series models) have also been adopted to create a sporty body form with a look of solid stability. Also newly available now are brightly polished aluminum wheels (optional on all models) and xenon headlamps (standard on turbo models and optional on non-turbo models). These and other new features combine to give the Fairlady Z a sharper, bolder exterior.

 

 

Sporty-looking Lightning Yellow and Sonic Silver Metallic have been added as two new body colors, bringing the number of body color choices to six.

 

 

(more)

2. Enhanced interior quality

Besides new seat fabric and door trim fabric, the center cluster and the power window switch finisher now feature a black wood accent (standard on 300ZX models) and a new carbon accent (standard on Version R series models). In addition, handsome gold faces have been adopted for the combination instruments (standard on all models) and tan-colored genuine leather seats combined with a two-tone interior color scheme are also available (optional on 300ZX models). These and other features create an interior with an enhanced look of stellar quality.

 

 

3. Improved dynamic performance

The body stiffness of all model grades has been increased by using thicker structural members, resulting in a firmer driving sensation. On the Version R models, body stiffness has been improved even further by adopting dovetail joints above the door locks to strength the coupling between the doors and the body, in addition to using a larger floor tunnel member. Moreover, a dedicated suspension with sporty tuning has been adopted to enhance sporty dynamic performance and ride comfort.

 

 

Brake pedal effort has been reduced to provide a more refined braking feel by increasing the size of the brake master cylinder and changing the booster characteristics as well as the brake pad material.

 

 

4. Expanded roster of safety equipment

Xenon headlamps, which produce a larger amount of white light close to sunlight for improved visibility, have been adopted as standard equipment on all twin-turbo models (optional on all non-turbo models). Additionally, ABS and a long-life water repellent coating on the front door windows have also been adopted as standard safety features on all models.

Interesting, although I thought all models came with ABS. Was this just the introduction of a new/improved system?

The R version sounds nice.

 

Are there any importers in my area that come recomended?

Without meaning to confuse you there is another thought on the standard/modded question that is always on the mind of new buyers. I personally agree with this: If you buy a good car that already has any of the mods you are thinking about, you then have the money you might have used to repair or mod a standard car still left to service or repair the already modded car.

Modding the car can cost thousands, but buying an already completely modded to a high standard car isn't much more than buying a standard one. Even if the engine blew the next day , you'd still have many thousands of pounds worth of mods and just need a new engine fitted (albeit the worst case scenario).

It is a common misconception that anything modified is putting the engine under stress and therefore its more likely to die prematurely. This is not the case. All the lower stage mods such as exhaust and induction just open the engine up to its potential, plus you've got alloys and other shiney bits. It's only when you start upping the boost that the engine is put under stress and you need to be wary that it was done properly (boost jets in particular are suspect here, boost computers are always preferable).

On the other hand a standard car (average maybe 70k for a 90-92 Zed) will need to have had a cam belt change, the turbos will need reconditioning, if its auto it could be on its way out, exhaust may need changing, prop shaft, etc,etc. Again this is the extreme, but worth keeping in mind.

You just have to find one thats been obviously loved, then whether it's standard or modded it will be good.

 

Hello all, Newibe needing advice,

 

I have liked the 300zx for years and now finally (or at least in a couple of months time) I may be in the position to buy one. However before I take the plunge I just want to make sure that i'm not going to end up regretting it.

basically I need to get an idea of how much these cars cost to run. I am aware that I would be unlikely to get much more than 20mpg out of it but how much on average does it cost to keep one serviced and maintained. I currently have a BMW328 and I put aside £100 a month which covers tax test tyres and servicing for the year. Is a 300ZX likley to cost much more than this?

Also I live in the North east of England, does anyone know of any decent sepciallist in the area for servicing and pre purchase inspection? My local Nissan dealer is Reg Vardy in Middlesbrough and I wouldn't trust them to change a light bulb never mind look after a car.

Finally (sorry for all the questions), where is the best place to buy a decent one from? Most of the ones listed on Ebay or in Autotrader look a bit tatty. Is it worth going to one of these companies that imports them direct or should I buy privately?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Monaghanroyal,

 

I understand your point and I would not be put off by an exhaust/airfilter upgrade. The thing is I have never driven a car as powerful as a 300zx TT and I would rather drive a near as standard one to start with before going down the route of finding more power.

The 97 NA car mentioned looks good. Any thoughts on why it didn't get any interest on Ebay?

The 97 NA car mentioned looks good. Any thoughts on why it didn't get any interest on Ebay?

 

No offence to NA drivers, but it was probably because it was NA. Shame really as they are more reliable.

 

People tend to look for Twin Turbo manuals as a first choice.

No offence to NA drivers, but it was probably because it was NA. Shame really as they are more reliable.

 

People tend to look for Twin Turbo manuals as a first choice.

 

 

My first two Zeds were n/a's, and I would have to say I got to know a lot about the car without a lot of the worry. Twin Turbo's are faster yes, and I love the one I have now, has given me no engine problems in 8 months,just suspension and steering which could easily happen with the n/a.

 

But If I were ever to trade it and go again, a good n/a (in that lovely colour Funkisi,) Would be my first choice. To me speed isn't everything, 220 bhp is nothing to be sniffed at in the n/a, espacially with mods that are available to it now.

 

They all look bloody superb! :)

 

But that 1999 special R type. ooooooooooooooooo :bow:

Mate, I wasn't dissing N/A's. Originally was going to get one a few years ago. I was just trying to fathom why this particular example didn't sell on ebay.

 

:)

Mate, I wasn't dissing N/A's. Originally was going to get one a few years ago. I was just trying to fathom why this particular example didn't sell on ebay.

 

:)

 

 

No worries!, I know what you were saying :) and don't worry if something goes wrong with you're new zed (HOW can you sleep waiting for it!) you've got plenty of good people to help

Don't tempt fate!!! It WON'T break down! lol

 

Indeed, I can't wait for it!! Itching to take it back home and just look at it!!! :dance:

 

It'll not be used much anyway, just a weekend/summer car.

 

:)

If you manage to leave your new zed in the garage for the winter I'll give you a medal Si!

LOL, I want to try and go a bit concours on it. I'm quite protective about my cars. If you saw the condition of the paintwork, you'd not want it shotblasted by all the gritters in the winter!! :rofl: