wchestnutt

Thanks Gary! :) So the only thing I can't work out... it was imported in 03, and had the same owners up until now. When it was converted to Miles on import the importer offered to put in an after market boost gauge because the dash didn't have one, he turned it down as he wanted to keep it standard. This strikes me as odd, if it was originally a TT wouldn't it have come with it installed into the cluster? or could this have been an option in Japan? No service history from Japan unfortunately as this was lost... but it hasn't had an engine change in the UK, and the engine is a standard Twin Turbo block as far as I can tell (not a bolt on job)... Any ideas?

Thanks essbeee. I think it has a newer spoiler I think?.. Although the last owner made a dogs dinner of the repaint. May use it as a process to learn some basic respraying skills. Have been pretty busy and knackered this week, not yet recovered from the weekend picking her up, but totally worth it.. let me know what you think. Here are some pics! Will post some more soon! Also have found some good news form the gearbox noise.. Jeff from zedworld says it us just a gaiter in the top of the box which hasn't been replayed properly after the last clutch was replaced, so when you put it into 2nd and 4th it pulls up and lets loads of noise out into the car!! wohoo!

Hello!.. My baby made it home. And my god is she beautiful, that was probably the best drive of my life. Pretty sure I am in love :p she has large back boxes but is standard a[art from that and absolutely purrs!! took it a steady 80mph on the way home and got 200 miles out of half a tank which I reckon is pretty good!? To-Do list: replace alloys with something less halfords. respray spoiler correct colour, or remove - not decided yet. 99 spec front bumper replace gear linkage bushes, and look into a grinding/scraping sound in 2nd and 4th.. I couldn't hear it with teh top off, but with the roof on you can hear a sound coming through the center grills... it sounds as if the brake pads are worn out and rubbing, only that sound is coming from the gearbox and only in 2nd and 4th.. disengaging from the gears stops this noise completely!... odd and hopefully not too life threatening!... I am wondering if the problem is similar to a guy from the Honda integra forums, who discovered the cause.... "I finally discovered the cause. I took apart my tranny, and the reverse shift holder is worn so badly at the L-slot that the reverse idler gear was sliding up against gears on the shaft in 1st and 2nd when accelerating in those gears. This made the growl that we reported in this thread. If you hear this kind of noise, open up the tranny and check the reverse shift holder, and also the condition of the reverse idler gear and reverse gear. Mine were chewed up and worn down pretty bad because they had been riding up against each other so much." Hmm we will see. But apart form that teh car is beautiful and I am completely smitten. Pics later!

Thanks for the info Eggs. I will get in touch with him tomorrow! I have a 200m journey home so I think it will be a case of 1st 3rd and 5th as I granny it back home. It has never jumped out of gear so fingers crossed that will solve it and there hasn't been too much damage done already... I'll be gutted if it needs a new box.

Thanks for the replies... Could the grinding noise be that the box needs an oil topup or refresh?

Hello everyone, I am picking up a 300zx in the morning but it has the following issues and I was hoping to find out how critical they would be??... My issue is that the gear stick is very loose, there is a LOT of movement in it, like 3 or 4 inches side to side even when in gear. Is this the linkages??.. And could it be brought back to life? Gears don't crunch but in 2nd and 4th there is a slight scraping/grinding noise as when driving... Perhaps gearbox oil?? This is silent in 1st, 3rd and 5th.. Any ideas?? Any help is much appreciated!! Best, William.

Hello everyone!! Ok need some advice.. Seem the car and it seems amazing. No leaks etc, bodywork mint, iinterior good. My issue is that the gear stick is very loose, there is a LOT of movement in it, like 3 or 4 inches side to side even when in gear. Is this the linkages??.. And could it be brought back to life? Gears don't crunch but in 2nd and 4th there is a slight scraping/grinding noise as when driving... Perhaps gearbox oil?? This is silent in 1st, 3rd and 5th.. Any ideas??

Yeah that is what I was hoping - I have been driving a 2.8 bmw for a while now so its only going to be margin worse than that!

Wohoo!! Who knew trains could be so boring! Who made cornwall so way...

Probably daily driver for now, although I only work half a mile away so its hardly going to be working too hard! As long as it isn't a given that these cars will need thousands each year I'll be fine :p I look after my cars and will more than likely notice if anything is starting to go a bit funny and catch it before any damage is done.

Hello everyone. Ok so I am now 2 hours away from meeting my first TT Z. I feel like a kid going on a first date! I have read everything I can over the years about these cars and whilst sitting on this train am procrastinating... How much for general driving use (not racing) can you expect to spend on maintenance per year? I fear I have had very forgiving n the past, lots of hondas and bmw etc, and have never paid more than a few hundred a year on maintenance. I drive sensibly, have a bit of fun occasionally but of course some cars will withstd more than others. Realistically and if the base car has been looked after, how deep should my pockets be? I am happy to do the work myself, and have often sourced parts from breaking cars or reconditioned bits to save money... Best, William.

Yeah I'll be babying it for a while!

Haha you were right, I feel like death warmed up this morning, was awake all night panicking I would sleep through my 2 alarms and miss the train! Plenty of time to sleep on the train :)

Hi everyone! Wow what a nice welcome. I know what you mean about being bitten... I remember the first time I saw one about 6 years ago, driving behind it around Bath and thinking it was the bets looking and sounding car I had heard! Ever since then I have been addicted! Very excited. .. So excited in fact that I just bought two sets of train tickets to go pick it up tomorrow :s the website crashed as I made my payment so bought another set and have found out I got charged for both!! arg bugger. Hopefully they will refund that second set! I am living in sunny (rainy) Lymington at the moment. look forward to some meets and showing off some photos! :)

Hello everyone, My name is William. I have been a 300zx enthusiast for years now and finally made the jump.. It has made me a bit skint this month but I really couldn't resist after being offered silly money for my old bmw e36 328i. Picking up an import Manual TT with 92k KM on the clock. One owner from 2003 when imported, and only done an handful of miles in the past few years. All the bits have been done, shocks, cam belt, hicas, starter etc etc etc.... Mot till Dec. being a Jap it hasn't got any rust, only flaws are a few interior niggles which can be overcome! Has cost me £2.2k plus the train ticket and fuel home, but I think it sounds reasonable. Oh and it is dark blue which is pretty smart :p Really excited, not looking forward to the 7 hour train journey but hey ho! Sure you will be seeing more of me now I have finally made the jump. My past experience is with the BMW, a few 2.2 preludes, accords, audi, jeep etc etc... They say don't ever meet your idols, I am hoing this doesn't apply this time! Have test driven a handful so far and never been impressed with their condition (oil leaks etc) so fingers crossed this is the one! Will hopefully be meeting people at the Aug 4th meet in Beaulieu! All the best, William.

Very nice!! Looking to pick mine up tomorrow and it will be the same colour which is one of the top 3 in my opinion... Gun metal at first, blue then black :p Good luck with the test!