russtic

Thanks for all the support and encouragement people! The dirt: 1990 (H) UK Manual Twin Turbo. Metallic Grey. Cloth interior. 90K miles. Completely stock. The fullest darn service history I've ever seen and a stack o' bills to boot. No weird noises from the engine (so far!!) and drives fantastically. Incredibly light power steering though! So far I haven't driven it too much. I'll admit it: I'm afraid of driving it in the fog!! Hope to take it for a decent run over the weekend though :) I'm sure I'll be back with plenty more stoopid questions. Russ.

Seems like the t-tops are fine - just letting in some spots from a specific point towards the front of the window. Not as much of a worry as the moaning: PSI - I've no idea although my gut tells me it's nothing to do with this (I could well be wrong!) Doesn't seem to be related to RPMs either, just speed. Don't think it's coming from the front of the car either. sounds like it's directly below me! I need to do some more investigation though - I only noticed it while driving it back from the seller! (I just happened to drive onto some private roads on the way, you understand!) Any ideas?! Russ.

Hi all, Well, I finally got a 300ZX! I'd been scouting around for a couple of months, and got gazumped a few times too, but I'm now the proud owner of a UK manual 300ZXTT. (Yes proud, Clarkson!) First thing to say is, I'll be sending my cheque to Craig today or tomorrow! Secondly, I'd like to apologise to Jeff TT and Vijay for in-the-end not taking either of them along to see the motor. In my defence it was a long long way from Jeff, and very short notice too. Will probably come back to haunt me ;) Finally, I'm now keen to get the car as sweet as I can! So far I've noticed only two things about it that I'd like some advice on: 1. The seal around the top of the driver's window lets in a few drops of water when it's wet. Anything easy I can do about this? 2. More significantly, during a quick run (private road of course!), I noticed that at about 100MPH, the car starts to emit a constant medium/high pitched whine. It goes away again if you drop the speed. Seems to come from under the car, towards the back so I'm guessing it's something to do with the prop-bearing..? There doesn't seem to be any accompanying vibration etc. Does anyone know what this is, how significant it is, and what cost I'm looking at to fix it? Thanks all! Russ.

James - I'd like to replace my aged and worn gearknob: The part number is: 32865-00Z32 The price is $49.95 Can you do this for me? I see you're in London as well: Lemme know how you want to deal with this (and if you will!) Cheers, Russ.

Well, firstly I should give respect to Astron: The GameCube is the finest console available today. However.... If you're after a realistic driving game, you'd be out of your mind to go any further than Gran Turismo 3 on the PS2. The game is worth the price of the console itself - no doubt! You can also drive 300ZXTT's if you like. I had a go with a wheel (mad catz I think), and was surprised at how far the technology had moved on. Even so, I'm still constantly amazed by the feel and control you can manage with a PS2 dual-shock controller. On balance I'd have to say that you'd need to be pretty serious about setting it up to get the best out of a wheel. I'm not convinced it's worth it. Cheers, Russ.

Fanks fellas (and Ajay!) Always a source of invaluable knowledge. If I pick this motor up tomorrow, I'll be sending my cheque to Craig on Monday. Wish me luck! Russ.

Hi all - I can't find the the 300ZX.co.uk buying guide. The link from AndyP's excellent 300zx.org.uk site is dead :( Can anyone point me at this page, assuming it's still alive and well on the web somewhere? Thanks, Russ.

Hi all - So, I'm going to see a motor tomorrow that is a UK spec, but doesn't have leather seats. Can this be the case?! Please let me know! Russ.

Waaaaaaa, I have to battle with the London Underground every day. Piccadilly line wasn't running at all yesterday. :( Having said that, I've gotta lotta sympathy and respect for the fire-fighters. I think everyone agrees that it should never have come to a strike, and I imagine that most people would agree that the fire-fighters deserve more spondoolies. I'm not sure where it's going to go from here. It's pretty bad though - actually grizzling about my commute to work is a little pathetic considering some of the other consequences of this action! Russ.

...what's the spec Andy? I've spent so long looking for a UK Zed I'm starting to think about Jap ones. Can you let me know price, history, mileage, colour, condition, bits needing attention? Any pics? Russ.

Well, if it's any use, I used to drive a 1997 S14a with an auto box, and got rid of it because I wanted a manual. I've been ghosting these sites looking for a decent TT Z for a month or so now, so I'd describe myself a 'between cars'. I did think about getting a manual 200SX but decided I should have a go at some crazy exotica and even more power instead! If the search carries on at this rate though, I might have to think again! Having not owned a 300 I can't really comment on the switch to a 200. I'd say that I consider it a step up to get a car that's 5 or 6 years older than my last one, but is a 300ZX TT!! Having come from an auto 200 I'd never go for an auto 300. But that's just me! Russ.

Hmm, so where did you get the 'super dooper' bulbs? Can you give us some extra info on this? Ta, Russ.

Hot Damn! If I can just find me a geezer like that (I'm guessing this is the wrong place ;)), I'll be sorted. No such luck as yet... Russ.

'94 UK manual! Wow! There's gotta be, like 5 of them in existence, or something! Is it an L or M plate? Curse you!! ;) Russ.

droooool! Kick a man while he's down, why dontcha?! :D I'll be back! Time to withdraw into the shadows and ponder my next move... Russ.

Rob - There are a couple of things that can give the game away: UK cars (standard ones) have smoked (darkened) lights at the front corners, where US/Japanese cars have the indicators. UK indicators sit in the 'fog light' part of the car, closer to the centre. I suspect the 'smoked' effect can be removed by owners though I think it looks "ill" so I wouldn't do it myself... Also, if the car has no rear seats, it's not from the UK! Another tell-tale for these Short Wheel Base (SWB) cars is that the petrol filler cap is forward of the rear wheel arch, whereas the UK car's will always be behind it. Take a look at AndyP's excellent 300zx.org.uk site: http://www.300zx.org.uk/mod_comp_1.htm for more info. Good luck, Russ.

Thanks mate! Yeah, I know it's ambitious. My last motor (a 200SX) was an auto, and I've been feeling the need to stir my car along for a while now! I'm a patient man - I don't use a car for work and the cash can sit in my bank account offsetting the mortgage until I find the right motor :p Also, the longer I wait the more money I'll have, so I may be able to stretch my budget a little more for the right car. No doubt there'll be a flurry of questions etc. once I get a 300 (assuming I do!) Cheers, Russ.

Cheers Jeff, Hm, dunno why my email didn't work - definitely been getting stuff today. Oh well. Sounds good - if you can scour the dealers at the same time I do that would be great! I'm certainly keen to get you along to any viewings. The general idea would be to buy the car and then take it to you to get any of the niggles sorted on it. I'm hoping to have up to a grand spare to sort the car once I have it - obviously depends on the price - and anything I don't spend on mechanicals will likely go towards a nice stereo! Just to re-cap, my wildly ambitious requirements are (in descending priority order) ABSOLUTES: - Manual transmission - UK car - Everything (mechanical) working V. IMPORTANT: - Either low mileage ( - NO mods (other than SS Exhaust/headlight upgrade) SEALS THE DEAL: - Leather seats - Dk Red, Dk Blue, Silver, Grey or Black colour - would prefer 1992/3 but probably can only afford 90/91. - Nice ICE system - evidence of regular oil changes and other TLC! Ideally I'd like to pay around £6K, but I'll pay up to £7K, perhaps a little more for the right motor. Having said that, the more I pay for the car, the less I can afford to pay you! Cheers, Russ.

now - if I could JUST edit my posts....DOH! :p

Heh, cheers Dave. That's great news. I'm certainly not here to take the p!ss - if I get one of these cars I'd be happy to cough up. And if anyone wants to sell me their unmodded UK spec manual with leather I'd be a) gobsmacked, and b) quite interested! still grinning about russ-tick... Russ.

Oh b0ll0cks! Posted a new thread instead of replying to the 'downhill' one. Duh - and I've been working in this business for years! :D

Heh, cheers Dave. That's great news. I'm certainly not here to take the p!ss - if I get one of these cars I'd be happy to cough up. And if anyone wants to sell me their unmodded UK spec manual with leather I'd be a) gobsmacked, and b) quite interested! still grinning about russ-tick... Russ.

Blimey - there's some heated opinion going on in here! I'll open myself up to all kinds of abuse now: I haven't paid £20. Now for my disclaimer and weak excuse: I've just sold my 200SX, and I have 6-7 grand burning a hole in my bank account. I'm giving very serious thought to eating your... no, sorry, to buying a 300ZX but I might end up with a 944 turbo, WRX Scooby or some-such. (No I certainly won't be getting a GTO - whaddaya think I am?!) My point is, I want to know as much about the 300 as possible before I buy. If I buy one, I'll be happy to cough up the filthy cash and stick myself on the forum. But this is only one (the main one I admit) of a few possible cars I'm after. I consider myself to be a novice in these matters (though I've thumbed through the "Enthusiasts Companion" many a time. Actually the pages are getting stuck together now :eek: ) So, I'd like to find out about the main things right and wrong about the motor, but I might leave this forum in two weeks time never to return. So, I feel miserable that I can't add a 'wanted - your motor' post to the For Sale/Wanted forum, but at the same time I don't feel ready to give Craig £20 for a forum I will only use in a cursory manner for a coupla weeks. A controversial view from the dark side! Am I a terrible free-loader or a prospective and eager new member, ready to squirt wads of cash toward the traders here (or even buy your car off you!) Anyway, as I can't think of anything else but 300's at the moment, I'm off to attach myself, tick-like, to the rest of this forum. Russ.

All, Some advice please! What are the fundamental pros and cons of buying an import? I already know that it'll cost me an extra 250 quid per year to insure if it's from Japan, but I'm thinking that imports tend to be less pricey to buy in the first place. So - if I get a Jap import, and keep it for two years, I'll have broken even! There are other things that worry me though. * Isn't there some evil super-low speed limiter, that if I was to tinker with would alter my insurance some more? * I've heard some worrying things about the quality of cars imported from Japan (probably gonna get flamed now :p ) * Will I struggle with emmissions tests etc.? I've been scouring Andy P's 300zx.org.uk site, so I know the differences in bodywork etc. but are there any other things I should know or watch out for? Bottom line: Is it worth holding out/paying more for a UK car? Russ.

Yeah, but you see all sorts for sale there! There's a "300 SX" available at the moment :rolleyes: I'd have to pass the transmission-change question to my learned colleagues as I'm a newbie too, but my gut reaction would be "don't do it!" Still, if it leaves a nice tidy UK 5-speed available for me, I'll be happy ;) Lemme know how you get on! Russ.