Hi everyone.

 

I'm looking for a bit of advice of whether or not my cousin's car is worth buying. Here's the (rather long) description from when he originally advertised it as for sale way back in July last year:

 

 

Hi mate,

 

My car may be suitable but it is in black. I have 1990 (G) SWB Manual Twin Turbo Targa Top 300zx in black and its currently for sale.

 

I am looking for a quick sale- which means you could land on a bargain because there are a couple of faults with the car- all is detailled below. Let me know what you think :-)

 

It has totally standard engine which has been recently replaced due to the old one dying- i had a leak on the radiator and as many zed owners know they tend

 

to get hot very quickly, sadly it got too hot and warped the heads and apparantly also damaged the block so i was advised to have the engine totally replaced

 

so i did.

 

The new engine is excellent only done 60k Miles and the car has done 120,000km total or 75,000 Miles if you prefer :-)

 

When the engine was fitted i had the cambelt replaced, you can never be too carefull and since the engine install the car has done less than 1,000 miles.

 

Other things to note are that i have both the standard Nissan wheels that came with the car when new and also a set of 17" Stern Split Rims which are powder

 

coated Anthracite Grey centres with polished chrome rims, they are currently on the vehicle and to be honest look fantastic.

 

The Stern wheels are -

 

Rear - 255/40/ZR17

Front - 235/45/ZR17

 

The car had a respray just over 12 Months ago, it was originally black but it was looking a bit tired so i thought it would benefit and look a lot better if

 

it had a fresh coat of paint and it looks much fresher and brighter now :-)

 

I have also had some suspension fitted to the car which is Koni Sport, really firm and makes the car handle even better but wont break your back and you can

 

still negociate most speed humps- even those annoying traffic calming ones ;-)

 

The car also has a non standard rear spoiler which looks like an extended version of the foam standard one you got on the 300zx out of the factory. It also

 

has a non standard front bumper which looks great, i am not sure which one it is because it was fitted to the car before i brought it.

 

It has the cloth/tweed interior so unfortunately no leather there, and there is only one slight wear on the drivers side lumbar support. I also have the

 

original targa bags and the original targa blinds for the roof panels which i understand are diffcult to get hold of.... not sure?

 

The only other non standard things i need to mention are the front brakes which the discs and pads have been replaced for ferrodo premier instead of the

 

standard ones and the exhausts are also non standard. The standard exhausts have been replaced with two single pipes- sounds really nice too, but not too

 

loud when you are cruising on the motorway or whatever, and the Cats are still fitted so they could be removed to gain more performance if you wish.......

 

The car is obviously a jap import. Also forgot to mention it has remote central locking with full closure and alarm/immobiliser with original master code so

 

duplicate fobs can be ordered should you need any extra, i currently have one fob and one immobiliser key- also i am quite pleased that i still have the

 

original Titanium 300zx key ;-)

 

Down to the nitty gritty. The reason i am selling the car is because i am changing jobs and buying a house so unfortunately its not cost effective for me to

 

keep the zed and do all of these other things- i don't want to sell it but needs must and all that.

 

Faults with the car- there is a slight rust bubble over the drivers side rear wheel arch. Also there are 2 little dents on the metal panel between the rear

 

window glass and the roof top targa panels neither of these are very big, all of them about the same size as a 50p peice but if you are looking to make it

 

look perfect then they will need attention, other than that the body work is in very good condition :-) The last and final thing i need to mention is that

 

the car has recently blown a PTU and i replaced it and the car ran fine for a month, then another PTU went down- i haven't replace the PTU again and

 

personally i don't know if this is the result of a more serious problem or simply coincidence but i simply don't know and with all the stuff i have going on

 

at the moment with work and the house move i just don't have time to pursue this anymore so i have reluctantly decided the best thing to do was advertise the

 

car as is and try and sell it. I also understand that i wont get the best price for the car at the momenty as its currently not running and needs a little

 

attention, but i am open to offers and also open to advise if anyone has any idea's what the problem may be so i can advise prospective buyers :-)

 

I was originally looking for offers between £4300-£4500, obviously with the fault listed above i am now open to SENSIBLE offers lower than this.

 

I will arrange photo's of the car ASAP but i am having ome issues hosting them so the easiest way is to perhaps email me then i can email you the pictures.

 

I have been as honest as possible with the description to avoid disappointment in the long run, in my opinion there is nothing worse than being misled.

 

If you or anyone else are interested then please either :-

 

Email me on vernos@gmail.com or

 

MSN me on el_v_man@hotmail.com,

 

If you would like to call me then please email me for my mobile phone number :-)

 

Thanks for reading and please get in touch if you are interested.

 

Cheers,

 

Vern]

 

I've been to see the car a couple of times now but I'm still in two minds about whether the car is worth buying or not. At the moment the car has been standing since July last year when my cousin placed the advert above on the forum so it's not been driven or run for around 6 months so as you can imagine it doesn't look it's best at all. A couple of things that I've noticed myself in addition to the problems that my cousin has listed above are: it will probably need new tires all round (probably will end up being part-worns if I can get hold of some) because of them being low on tread anyway and they have perished from being static for so long. The front bumper is not fixed on the driver's side - it is worrying tie-wrapped to the intercooler :confused: but it's cracked anyway from when the car was put on a tow truck after a breakdown. The handbrake desperately needs adjusting as it gets to the end of the lever travel and still doesn't appear to be fully on. Also there is excessive play on some part of the steering but I can't find out at which joint(s) yet because as yet I've had no chance to have a look underneath it. I have posted on the forum in the hope that someone in the Stoke area with good mechanical knowledge of zed's and if possible a pretty much standard zed-engined that they could at least take me for a drive in so that I can at least get an idea of how well a standard zed engine should pull. Also if somebody would like to test drive my cousin's zed for me (when it's running after this ptu problem is sorted) to check it performs and drives as it should that would be great.

 

Also, any seventeen year old driver's on here got a zed? If so how much did you pay for your premium and who were you insured with? At the moment I'm looking at paying £5k for TPFT level insurance but that's in my name (as opposed to being a named driver with someone older as the main driver) so I can earn NCB :)

 

I look forward to any replies,

Cheers,

James

Hi indian_zx. I will be being careful :) no worries about that. The last thing I want would be to crash my zed and hurt myself or worse someone else so I won't be driving it hard for a while. I have to explain that, although I'm sure everyone would say this, I'm not your typical seventeen your old. I want the car because I want something special; something that will bring a smile to my face when I go out for a drive and not the usual 'Shitron Paxo' (lol) that everyone else has. I don't necessarily want a zed for it's speed and power - I like them because of how they look and because of how special they are. Maybe I'll become more interested in going fast when I've learned how to go fast without crashing :) The only reason I even considered buying a zed initially was because my cousin was selling his. My theory was that if I know the person I buy it off it's more likely that I'll know more about it's past and I'll get good value for money. Do any 300zx's have traction control? Didn't think they did! Thought the 300zx idea of traction control was fitting wide tyres :) lol. Chances are at this rate that I'll be buying the car and storing it for a few months with how things are looking at the moment anywayz - but like I said the only reason I am considering a zed or any car at this particular moment in time is because I found out my cousin was selling his :)

 

Regards,

James

Hi indian_zx. I will be being careful :) no worries about that. The last thing I want would be to crash my zed and hurt myself or worse someone else so I won't be driving it hard for a while. I have to explain that, although I'm sure everyone would say this, I'm not your typical seventeen your old. I want the car because I want something special; something that will bring a smile to my face when I go out for a drive and not the usual 'Shitron Paxo' (lol) that everyone else has. I don't necessarily want a zed for it's speed and power - I like them because of how they look and because of how special they are. Maybe I'll become more interested in going fast when I've learned how to go fast without crashing :) The only reason I even considered buying a zed initially was because my cousin was selling his. My theory was that if I know the person I buy it off it's more likely that I'll know more about it's past and I'll get good value for money. Do any 300zx's have traction control? Didn't think they did! Thought the 300zx idea of traction control was fitting wide tyres :) lol. Chances are at this rate that I'll be buying the car and storing it for a few months with how things are looking at the moment anywayz - but like I said the only reason I am considering a zed or any car at this particular moment in time is because I found out my cousin was selling his :)

 

Regards,

James

 

Hey there bud im a young Z guy myself and trust me 17 is not a good age to get one, i know you think you are getting a good car out of it and all but you have to start at the bottom and work your way up! I started with a Mk3 Fiesta then a civic. Last night i drove my friends 200SX which is putting out 230 BHP and that was very hard for me to believe the amount it could pull, the 300 on the other hand has so much more power than this and it will do alot less to the gallon. A Zed will do about 20 mpg, you think you can afford to run it?? So to put that down that is about £5 everytime you drive the thing.

 

At the moment the insurance for me is £1355 on Third party & Theft, 10 months with elephant.co.uk (part of admiral). I'm 20 years old with full uk driving since oct 2006 with pass plus and 1 years no claim. I have put money aside for this car because i know what it is going to be like on fuel (about £60 a week driving it normally).

 

Just thought this would help you out!

Hi,

The thing is, you don't have to be driving the car hard for it to bite you!

You could be driving fairly slowly round a damp roundabout and the turbos can suddenly kick in and throw you through the nearest hedge or worse into a lamp post/on coming traffic!

If you just like the looks of the 300ZX, it might be worth considering a non-turbo model.I've owned a couple of NA manuals and they are still quite sprightly with 230bhp!

However, I've been driving for 28 years and I've had one or two "moments" even in my non-turbo car, where the back end has swung out when I wasn't expecting it, on a wet road!

Cheerz,

Jez.

Cheers for the replies guys. I know that they are expensive to run petrol wise - ain't got a problem with that; I can afford it. Also, like I said before I'lll be using the bike as a daily runabout which does around 65mpg so the average mpg I'll be getting over both vehicles for the amount of miles i'll be doing on the bike and the car will be better than most people's anyway if you understand me :) I see what your saying murt about starting at the bottom and working my way up to a zed but that was what I was hoping to avoid and I've got money to spend to allow to me skip the stage of driving around in cheap runabouts and jump straight into something like a zed. As far as I'm concerned the running costs will not be an issue. I do not want to end up buying a particular money pit of a zed though - that's why I posted about my cousin's before handing over any cash etc. I know that general wear and tear parts like tires will need replacing and I have no problems paying money out for tires every once in a while but I want to ensure I'm not buying something that is gonna need expensive bits replacing :)

 

Thanks jez300z - I see what you're saying but I think I can manage being careful enough ESPECIALLY in the bends to keep the car on the road. I only intend to insure the car for the summer so hopefully we won't have that much rain for me to be driving in! I know precautions about how important maintaining traction through corners is from my motorbike - if your back wheel slips in the wet on the bike you stand the chance of ending up sliding along the road on your side so you learn to be extra careful and sensitive to feeling it start to slip in the wet. I appreciate all the concern about me not being able to manage the car's power - but the real question I'm looking for here is whether or not to buy my cousin's zed :) Like I've said previously I probably will not end up buying a zed unless it's from someone I know so unless I can get someone to come and look at my cousin's car, establish what needs doing to it to make it into a reasonable zed and then find out it's true value - it's unlikely I'll actually be having one :)

 

Cheers,

James

I'm 20 years old with full uk driving since oct 2006 with pass plus and 1 years no claim.

 

Am I right in thinking you've only been driving for about 1 year 5 months then? When did you get your zed?

 

Cheers,

James

To put the car in terms of cost for you mate. Mine was in very good condition when I bought it. It had loads of history had new suspension, new hicas arms, as well as a lot of money spent on it, with the receipts I've got for it. I thought I was buying some trouble free motoring. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

How little I knew. The car had some small minor faults which I set about putting right. I ended up having to get a new PTU, MAF,PCV valves, 4 wheel alignment, just had to buy a new exhaust, the turbo's now need refurbing, as well as a whole load of other things. If I was paying a garage to sort the turbo's out it would cost me somewhere near the £2K mark. Because of how hard the job is. I'm having to do this myself because I can't afford it. I have bought some new and uprated parts which I'm gonna fit because the car needs it. I have owned the car 4 months. Most of the money I've had to spend is in the last month and I've probably when all is said and done spent the best part of £2K and I think I've got off lightly compared to some of the other drivers here. On top of that there is insurance etc. These cars cost so much moeny to run its not even funny. Its just cos we're all obsessed maniacs that we do this. ;)

 

In all honesty if you want something with a lot of power and a lot of fun factor but relatively safe get something like an FTO, 2l V6, its n/a front wheel drive, they rev really high, with a nice exhaust they sound amazing. But being front wheel drive they are very forgiving. I know someone who is selling one that has been looked after very well. Also the insurance would be a lot less. Then you would find a happy balance. Give me a call if your interested.

Cheers for the reply again mate. Well that's why I wanted to get someone to have a look at it for me - so I can tell my cousin I aren't having it unless everything is fixed. I don't want to have to fix a problem myself that existed from when he owned it that will cost bid money - like for example this PTU problem it's got. If it ends up being the wiring loom I'm talking big money - which I don't want to have to pay because the likelyhood is that the engine swap has caused the problem. I see what you're saying and I have considered other things but I think I have become an 'obsessed maniac' lol. I kinda like the idea of having the targa top for the summer - any other v6 sports cars that are in the same price range as 300zx (£3k to £4k) with the option to take the roof off? I personally think I'll be able to manage the cars power and rear wheel drive but a lot of people on here don't seem to think I will. I was set on having a 300zx before I started this thread but I've got to admit people on here have got me wondering if there's a better alternative. . .

 

Thanks,

James

The other view is, my son started with a tuned S13 at 17, 250+ bhp, moved to a tuned R33gtr (11.6 quarter mile at the pod) at 18. He is now 21 and out drives me, he has never had an serious accident. Touch Wood.

 

So maybe you will be OK.

That's my theory. I think I'll only start to learn how to drive high performance car when I actually start to drive a high performance car and driving around in something useless like a Shitron Paxo will not really benefit me any more than riding my motorbike :)

 

Still nobody from Staffordshire want to come and help me out with this? :S I need to get this car looked at by someone that knows their stuff about zeds.

 

Cheers,

James

Am I right in thinking you've only been driving for about 1 year 5 months then? When did you get your zed?

 

Cheers,

James

 

Yep, getting my Zed this thurs. I tried a insurance quote with the one you said and they quoted me £1780 for 3rd party....

 

Try elephant.co.uk and go on their 10 month insurance plan... You will find it alot cheaper

That's my theory. I think I'll only start to learn how to drive high performance car when I actually start to drive a high performance car and driving around in something useless like a Shitron Paxo will not really benefit me any more than riding my motorbike :)

 

Still nobody from Staffordshire want to come and help me out with this? :S I need to get this car looked at by someone that knows their stuff about zeds.

 

Cheers,

James

 

 

Jeez....

 

Ur living in a dream world surely...

17 yrs old... lol!

 

Good luck with ur driving and wallet!

I have to say mate I that you've held up to everyones negative coments about age and inexperience very well.

I have to say though when I was 17 I was a bit of a show off if you will in my car even though i thought I was the best and safest driver in the world. Im curious about your bike licence to be honest. I thought at 17 you could only ride a 125 or a bike limited to 33bhp. Am i wrong on that one?

With regards to you paying someone to check out the car for you first I think that is your best bet and to be honest i wish I had when buying mine. Honestly for the sake of me paying someone to come and have a look it would have probably saved me about £15k (not including getting the car or tyres and little things) :headvswal

PedroZ - Lol I am living in a dream world - but fortunately for me I can afford that dream.

 

bird - Lol yeah I know a few people that are like that. No that's right - a bike limited to 33bhp but there's no limit on engine size so I actually have a Kawasaki Ninja 250R which is obviously not the fastest of bikes but it's good for 0-60mph in around 5.5 seconds and on to a top speed of around 110mph so it's not exactly the slowest thing around either and you could easily lose the grip on the back wheel by getting too confident and giving it too much throttle in a corner. I know that I definately need someone to check the car out for me but am having trouble finding a volunteer - I don't think anyone from the Stoke area has even replied to this thread yet! Still got my fingers crossed for someone to offer help soon though lol. Luckily the mechanic my cousin is having fix the PTU problem doesn't appear to be very reliable and despite him saying he would definately pick it up on Wednesday just gone, it still hasn't moved yet. It doesn't seem that he's exactly rushing around to get it done which is working to my advantage at the moment while I find someone to come and look at it for me lol.

 

Cheers for the replies guys,

James

Regardless of all of the above I still think this car needs to be really cheap as it sounds like a big headache, and when a car has as many faults as this one (that you know of), there are almost always loads more just waiting to come out later.

 

Stay away, buy from on here. Or buy a nice one at least. You CAN NOT BEAT buying the best you can find/afford.

Hi markstevens. I know what you mean - that's why I'd like to get someone to come and look at it for me. I'm really surprised nobody is interested in a bit of extra money for coming to look at this car with me! I know what you're saying about needing to buy the best I can get but as far as I can see the only problems that it has had have been sort of caused by my cousin really. If I was going to get a zed it would be a black twin turbo t-top SWB for between £3k-4k. Anyone got one for sale that is within reasonable distance of Stoke-on-Trent?

 

Cheers,

James

Well, I have a red, swb, TT, manual, targa, single exit pipe, JD chip, 555 injectors, boost controller, Firdanza flywheel, apexi, 19" alloys etc.

 

Might sell it. Might not.......

So how much would you be expecting for yours then? Have you got any pics to send me/link to on here? And what mileage? Hopefully that will help me get an idea of how much this one of my cousins would be worth fully working :)

 

Cheers,

James

Can anybody recommend anyone that they know is from the Stoke area that has a good knowledge of zeds that I can email in case they haven't seen this thread? Getting desperate to get it looked at now so I can decide if I'm buying this zed or tell him I'm not and find something else. :) For anyone that's interested I went up to the house it's parked outside and took a couple of pics of it today. It's not been touched in months so could do with a wash - but I can imagine it looking sweet after not much effort of washing and waxing! :) What do you think?

 

 

Cheers,

James

It seems attaching images hasn't worked - so here's the links to them :)

 

http://www.box.net/shared/1rjrml5wko

 

http://www.box.net/shared/h38xipy8k0

 

Cheers,

James

 

P.S. What a pain in the @$$ it is to not be able to edit my posts. I will definately be subscribing if I buy the car lol

Hi again everyone,

 

I know that there has already been loads of replies in this thread but I have still not managed to find anyone from the midlands that would be willing to come to have a look at this car and test drive it for me for an extra twenty quid or something. Don't know what to do now. What do people think of the pictures I've put on? I know you can't really tell much from them about what condition the car is in other than you can see the rust on the rear wheel arch and the small dent in the same wheel arch but just wondering if people's first impressions were the same as mine?

 

Cheers,

James

I think as most people have said there are better examples around. If you are that set on getting one. Shop around just because its your cousins doesn't mean its not a dog. From what this one sounds like it might be. I thought I had a maintained car but its still costing me thousands. Shop around. Buy once and buy right a lot of others on the forums have been burnt by 5hit cars.

Cheers for the reply Mowerman. I know there are better examples around but they are usually modded and have more power which would obviously further increase my insurance premium. Like I said I know that you can't really judge the car at all from the pictures and that in my description I have highlighted the bad points really - but the point is although I'm good with cars and know my stuff - I know nothing about these cars in particular other what I've read in the buyers guide and threads on the forum so would appreciate someone coming to have a look at it because I've never driven one or even heard one running before. I just don't want to miss out on the opportunity of buying it but don't want to end up buying a lemon :)

 

Regards,

James

Hey man I was 19 when i bought my Zed 300 TT Jap Spec! I must warn you the power is insane! i have had mine nearly a Year and the power still gets me! Your 17 man trust me Save your money buy some smaller engine car have a blast enjoy it then move to a more serious car!

 

My 1st car was a 1,8 Turbo Diesel Escort Van! You really dont need a big 3.0 TT and i use mine as an everyday car! 50quid a week on petrol to Work n Uni n home aint cool! 5k Insurance is Mental and save that cash Invest it and when your older (even my age now 20) buy a Zed insurance will be loads less (1500 for me) and youll have experience and i just think not to be rude your really Dreaming!Your Cousins Car sounds like can be alot of trouble and if you buy it insure it and it breaks down will be hard to Repair! Mine was in great nick and already put 1000quid into it with Brake Discs, pads, injectors,cambelt, oil changes!

 

Its an awsome privalige to own one of these i just think you should wait a little longer get on the Road as the experience of driving RWD is completly different world to FWD let alone with 3x the Horses under the bonnet!Also if the worst should happen your 5k TPFT GONE and no Car that would be a huge financial crush and would take years to recover! Save your money and in a few years buy one or as you seem to have cash Invest and buy a Flat! If your after Girls a flat is much better for you than a Car! Trust me on this!

Dont want to sound like a Nagger or put you off the idea just my Advice! I searched for 5months for my Zed! Take your time! Dont get too excieted by the 1st Zed you see! i saw 4 before i bought one! Hope this helps! Sorry to Ramble!

 

Munny

Cheers for the reply Munny975.

 

I'd personally rather get straight into a serious car and skip the crappy run around car bit which will probably result in being pointless anyway and just have me wishing I'd spent the money on getting a 'special' car when I'm driving round in a Shitron Paxo sort of thing :) I do appreciate all the advice from you guys about the cost of a 300zx and how it's too powerful but I really can't see the lack of experience of driving a zed being an issue because like you say

the experience of driving RWD is completly different world to FWD let alone with 3x the Horses under the bonnet!

and also I don't mind replacing parts because of wear and tear like brakes, oil changes and cambelt - all of which I'd fit/do myself.

 

I keep referring to my motorbike when people bring up the issue of experience being a problem when driving a zed because the motorbike is rear wheel drive anyway, has less grip due to half the number of wheels and has smaller tires on those wheels. It has no rider aids whatsoever and is even less predictable than I imagine the zed will be on the issue of losing grip in corners. I really don't think lack of experience of driving a FWD car will come into this decision for me :) I think that if anything jumping straight into the zed will improve my driving.

 

I intend to insure the car for 6 months of the year (the summer months where I can take the t-top off being the theory) so that the insurance premium will not be 5k. That is just a maximum :) and the eventual premium should be around half that which is what some of my friends are paying for Clio's etc.

 

I am prepared to shop around but I need to establish whether or not this car of my cousin's is worth buying first because in my experience people will make the car look better than it is when trying to sell it where as I know the past of this car because it's been my cousins for the last few years. I intend to invest in property in a few years time as well but while I have no other commitments I figured I may as well spend money on a car I'll love to drive :) I also know what you mean about finding the right car for the right price etc but I don't really have time to go travelling up and down the country finding the right zed for me - what with college and work etc. I'm keeping my eyes open on the forum for any zeds for sale located reasonably close though.

 

Cheers for the advice though guys and keep it coming.

 

Can anyone recommend any members from the Midlands that know their stuff about zeds that you think might be willing to travel to Stoke for some extra cash? If anybody can think of any members just let me know in this post and I'll email them and ask them :) I thought about perhaps phoning ZedWorld in Tamworth to see if any of the guys that work there are from close to Stoke maybe but as yet I haven't had time.

 

Regards,

James

OK, here we go.

 

This is the best car for sale anywhere in the country at the moment, BUY IT now.

 

There you go, is that what you wanted to hear? Lol. No offence but how many times do you want to ask the same question?