im moving to Cairns, Queensland soon from canada. i am very tempted to buy a 300zx/Z32 but this will be the first car i will own myself. i have never done much work on a car, but im willing to learn. i understand that this car is more complex than others and maybe i should stay away for now? i was also wondering if anyone else in cairns owns a 300zx, and also if there are any able mechanics for this car there. i'd most likely be interested in a TT MT since ive enjoyed manual more than automatic. i would likely want to do a clutch replacement and would want to do an engine rebuild if it wasnt too difficult, and maybe bearing replacement on turbos (i hear thats enough to get them running pretty fresh again) and general stuff to make it run newer again. im guessing i would have to fly down to melbourne or sydney or somewhere to buy the car and drive it up, im not too fussed about that as long as im confident it will make it there. im just wondering what anyone has to say on this matter, any tips, experiences, just anything to help me would be much appreciated! btw i was actually bourne in melbourne and lived there for my first 6 and half years ... many thanks!
Hi congrats on your move to the top end, its an awesome place to live,but to answer your question regarding buying a Z without much mechanical knowledge, it can be done provided you have the financial resources to maintain it. Furthermore I very strongly suggest you first look for a 300 on here in our car sales section as most cars on here have been properly serviced and maintained and this would negate you having to do a complete rebuild first up. I suppose the short answer to your question is to Go for it provided you have the funds to match your good taste.
thanks. anyone else have anything to say? also what about buying parts in cairns, or australia in general (performance and replacement). here in canada its easy to find websites (especially american ones) with parts for pretty much every factory built car ever for high performance engine kits, turbos to simple OEM replacement parts... but i can barely find anything for australia
We get a lot of stuff from Coz in the states, and our own personal wrecker and parts inporter John at Cresta and also Unique Autosports in Sydney. You can try Nissan, but there a rip off. The internet is your friend... Oh, and if you can't do the labour yourself it will cost an arm and a leg to keep running properly
To find parts, go to the tech section at the top of the forums (next to home). Then go to links. There's heaps of dealers of aftermarket parts. Heaps of Australian dealers there as well as some US and UK.
ah super... i dont think google likes australia so much lol. it would be nice to find out someone else owning a Z in cairns
kickstep .. bourne in melbourne .. aka the bourne identity .. just joking .. but you are in luck, indeed .. you have a small but very strong and knowledgeable group of zed owners in cairns and townsville .. by north american standards, this forum is probably quite small .. but it is strong and very active .. you have done well to find us .. and the founding principle of the forum is that we are all here to mutually assist all zed owners .. you will not regret purchasing a zed .. but then, here, we are all biased towards this beautiful machine .. you may well have to purchase away from cairns .. but, as elsewhere advised .. you would probably be best advised to buy from a forum member to secure a "looked after" zed .. and prices are at an all time low .. welcome to the forum .. check out the zed for sale section .. and check out the meet that is planned for early may, 2007 .. (coming events section ,) .. you will be most welcome to join a QUEENSLAND zed owner get together .. finally .. welcome to the forum .. and p.s. .. you will be even more welcome if you purchase the best colour zed ever produced ... yep, black, of course ..!!! :zlove: :zlove: :zlove: :zlove:
yes i agree this forum is kinda small compared to some forums.. but for some generic issues u can always try there if no one can help you here. i was actually VERY impressed with this forum, it was extremely easy to find and it seems very active, with knowledgeable and friendly users (and better yet its focussed on a single car!). heres to working my ass off for the next few months and hoping cheers
Do a search for member (90TT) Karl who is the Cairns guru. He might even inspect it for you for a small compensation...
Hi Kickstep, You will find that there are very few Z's for sale in Cairns. I had to go down south (Melbourne in my case) to secure the Z I wanted. i do most of the work on my Z so haven't had the need yet to find a mechanic with Z knowledge. I doubt Karl, 90TTZ will be much use to you as he is in Townsville, 400km's away. (What was Mark thinking?) Good luck with your move to our wonderful part of the world. Your coming at the right time of year. Hot, steamy and wet, it will be a big change from Canada. Eventually I hope we can get the Z owners in Cairns a bit more organised, very few use this forum and it would be nice to organise a FNQ tech day. Hope to see you soon.
will (crnsz) is in cairns .. is he not ..?? ..and active .. ... and a good source of bearings and the like, via "allied bearings" ... p.s. .. looks as if zed4life was in cowboy country, trying out his new, butt free suit ... ???? .. lol..lol...
Baz I think you mean CNSZ (Wil Lucas) who yes is a definite good source of info and parts in Cairns. There usually is a few Zeds for sale at any one time in Townsville so if you get desperate, send me a PM. There is a Black TT Auto for sale only 5 minutes from my place, I have worked on it personally and if you could negotiate the right price, it would be a good buy. From time to time some Townsville Zeds come to Cairns for QLD Street Scene organsied events and vice versa, worth a look on their web site. As Seaweed has mentioned, there are many Zedders in Cairns, even Townsville who don't use this forum. Their loss I guess
