Gio

It's even got its own facebook page http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=300729326454 How cool is that? b*gger can't get the YouTube link to work. Here it is directly Great car, great colour.

Short answer: because Nissan didn't build a single turbo 300ZX Z32 and they mostly knew what they were doing. Long answer (as usual from the essential refence book 300ZX The Enthusiast's Companion, sadly out of print):

I went from a TT Manual to an NA Auto and they're fine. I've driven a TT Auto and they're enjoyably mental when the turbos do their stuff and she just heads for the hills while the autobox swops cogs for you. TBH I felt more out of control with the TT Auto compared to the TT Manual - just hang on, shut your eyes and pray. Well, maybe not shut your eyes. But for a daily driver in commuterville (eg A40/NCR), the NA Auto is a much better choice than either manual or turbo: turbos not cooking themselves or the wiring harness or just everything else under the bonnet while you sit in a traffic jam left knee not shot to ribbons after a hour of into first, edge a few yards, back into neutral, repeat until you get past the target roundabout mileage about 10% - 15% better even given the auto If I ever stop commuting, I'll go back to a TT Manual but wouldn't turn down a TT Auto. The advice given to me back then was that there is less to go wrong or need maintaining with an NA compared to TT (no HICAS, no Turbos) and things under the bonnet don 't get so overheated. My experience is there are different things to go wrong almost as expensively on an NA! aargh. Well, perhaps not quite so expensively as shot turbos but a steering rack rebuild is much the same either way. It is just as easy to put points on your licence with either as both are capable of illegal speeds quite quickly. The actual difference between a TT and NA in everyday use is not that big and you'd really have to be driving like a numpty full time to think it made that much of a difference. Expect the performance from a 230bhp (TT 280bhp) 10 - 20 year old car and you'll be happy - I am.

Heard on the box the other night: Prince Charles's fatherly advice to son on eve of wedding HIGNFY IIRC

Well, we could always buy back the Hermes from the Indian Navy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Viraat_%28R22%29 It's odd to think there's a s/h dodgy dealer aspect to flogging warships and planes and tanks. Get one off eBay, do it up, flog it to a TPLAC, then quick shammy and make a turn on the one you took in pex. You mean beurmb? Here's a pic of a forum member standing (hello jay 300zx) next to a real UK "physics package" when we visited Farnborough Air Museum.

a) Insurance LWIB might be worth a try http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=1510713&postcount=10 b) I've had 2 LWBs and think they're almost unbeatable in flexibility. A great coupe 2+2 design which will cope with single driver to 4 adults (OK just for short runs but it is handy when you need to) to me and an exhibition stand doing shows for a week in merry Scotland then Devon. And you can take the targas off (if you haven't got a boot-full of work). So ideal multipurpose coupe. I still challenge anyone to come up with a modern car that will do the same and look as good and perform as well. When I last changed, however, I was convinced by my betters that a shorty slicktop was the better drive - the shorter wheelbase made for sharper and more responsive handling plus the slicktop was more rigid. The looks were clearly designed as a matched pair compared to some of the streeeetched Zs which went from 2-str to 2+2 and most people (not all) say the 2+2s don't look as good as the 2-str. But the 300ZX looks good (to me anyhow) either way. At the time, though, I couldn't find a good SWB so I guess I'll never know what they're like to like with as a practical day-to-day car which also has to earn its keep (or at least give me the excuse that "I can use it for work transport"). That's why I can't have a 350Z cos one of my satellite dish kits won't fit in with that bloody rear strut :)

It is sad - they were going to park it up in Misrata if they hadn't already SORN'ed it. Loved this quote from the sale site: They've given it a number and they know they've got one but they don't know who made it :devil2: Oh there you go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_%28R07%29 Swan Hunter

Age starts at 25 for Livingstones Warman Cherished. Managed to sort me out when their previous underwriter (NIG) withdrew. Plus have offered me a limited mileage policy in various mileages starting as low as 1,500m per year. Might be worth a try even if you're not old and wrinkled. http://www.lwib.co.uk/schemes

Poor lad "The last picture is how it looked before someone bumped into my front bumper"

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=149900&highlight=laser

Fair enough but I always monitor my mileage anyway just to make sure everything mechanical is going well (and I need to keep mileage records for business/tax) so this will actually save me messing around with the mileage spreadsheets I have kept every year since my first company car (Cortina 1.6L in blue). If people aren't bothered about their mileage then no sweat. If they're interested, then it's quite cute and answers the question "what mpg do you get" :D

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/04/hacker-george-hotz-donates-10k-to-eff-mocks-sony.ars He did a good deal with his first jailbroken iPhones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hotz

Fell across this site http://www.fuelly.com/about/ and (as you can see from the little widget thing in my sig) signed up. It's free. It's a nifty way to keep track of your mpg and get it in your sig! Plus it does other stuff as well, there's a mobile site so you can update live. The one thing they haven't got right yet is they put both Z31 and Z32 300ZXs in the same model. If you decide to open an account a) select other for the model and then write in 300ZX Z32 and b) email the organisers to point out that Z31 and Z32 should be kept different! There you go - an easy way to respond to all those posts which ask about mpg! http://www.fuelly.com/car/nissan/300zx

And best wishes to every Zedder on Shakespeare's birthday:happybday:

Amazing, aren't they. The actual work is a few minutes connecting up a few jumpers (if that). The delay is the paperwork, process and sorting this out with BT Openreach. It's dire. If they let you down because at the end of the day your line doesn't support ADSL (usually distance from exchange, sometimes just crap copper), let me know. We do satellite broadband and we ship same working day if ordered before 2pm. Yes, the equipment costs more than an ADSL modem and yes, it's not as fast as broadband in town. But if your phone line doesn't support more than a few hundred k, it could be a good option.

Neighbours are getting married today and their wedding cars just turned up: If you gotta go, you may as well go in style! B*gger. Wish I'd washed my Zed yesterday.

And you, Gary, hope it's as sunny over there as it is over here. Must get the targas off this weekend.

Lovely sunny day and I'm stuck inside doing lots of paperwork :wink: :wink: still, off to the :pint: in a few

The one thing I can't stand is people who have facts to back up their opinions :laugh: I give in about Beemers/Bathurst :nelson: The Holden Commodore (on which Monaro/HSV are based) is not simply an Omega. Until 2006, it was based on the GM Omega but "the floor plan was widened and stretched;" and after 2006 "VE is the first Commodore model designed entirely in Australia, as opposed to being based on an adapted Opel-sourced platform". And the HSV has some proper racing DNA being a joint venture with TWR. Fair enough you don't like Holdens - each to their own is what I say - but I'll only start liking BMWs when they fit indicators that work and an anti-dickhead device to the front door handle :rofl: Oh and don't let bantambunny hear you say :wink:

Wheelbase and track and width overall are different on SWB vs LWB. But within model, I don't think there are any differences. Courtesy Parts does not show any alternates on front fender (Nissan for "wing") http://www.courtesyparts.com/300zx-parts-z32-1990-1996/genuine-nissan-parts/body-front-roof-floor/630-front-fender-fitting/-c-882_883_1000_1004.html whereas if you look at the doors, they do show the three alternates for 2+2, SWB and convertible.

Sudesh is pretty much right. Here's the official source http://www.nissan-global.com/GCC/Japan/NEWS/257a.html This is the Series difference table http://www.300zx.org.uk/model_variations.htm but there is no clear table for 300ZX vs Version R vs Version S. And here is the 1999 brochure http://jccc.web.fc2.com/japanese/nissan/fairlady-z-z32-199905/index-en.html which I am sure makes everything clear between the different models in that last year (at least, if your Japanese is up to scratch :D ) SWB NA Version S TT Version S LWB NA 300ZX NA Version R NA Version S TT 300ZX NA Version R NA Version S From looking at the pics in the brochure (which is not infallible. I should know, I used to do the UK brochures for Kawasaki hoho.) it looks as if the rear spoiler and sill protectors were only standard on Version R and the SWB was a slicktop, the Xenons were TT standard. But there were a lot of options so shouldn't be surprised to see these features turning up on some but not all 1999 models. The really odd thing about 1999 spec is that it was not just a simple cosmetic facelift to extend model life a bit. Look at the press release "The body stiffness of all model grades has been increased by using thicker structural members, resulting in a firmer driving sensation. ... a larger floor tunnel member. " and "increasing the size of the brake master cylinder and changing the booster characteristics ". All this for the last year of a car in which they only expected to sell 1,200 units in total? Changing structural members is non-trivial so I wonder why they bothered just for one last year of production.

Step outside and say that, you Pommy barsteward. Genuine Antipodean V8 DNA vs jackbooted Bavarian taxi? When was the last time a Beemer got round the Bathhurst circuit? Although, TBH, nothing beats the genuine HSV for true Oz thunder.

Front cover as well :bow:

Yes, he found at least two alternates for me. One was spot on but too expensive and one was not quite what I was after, that's why I didn't buy. But the important thing is he bothered to look and let me know - so I thought it could be useful to fellow members.

Thought I'd share this site with you http://www.j-garage.com/profile.htm. I was googling to try and find some specific parts and fired off a few emails to places I found in Japan. This guy was very helpful. Haven't bought anything off him yet but can't fault the speed of his responses and his English is way better than my Japanese! Hopefully it will help people looking for stuff in Japan (eg like this thread http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=149627) Cheers