Do what I did mate, well I waited till I got off my P's. We are practically the same when I was a p plater, always keen and cannot even stop thinking about owning N/A. The only difference is that I was a 2 seater fan. Ended up buying a lancer ( I know right reliable shit!) Now got me 2 seater TT, spent about 4g on performance upgrade, all work done by me. Now I'm about to have a 500hp beast for under 13k (including the car price) after the build.
Firstly - in your posts you have always referred to airbags, plural. Are your parents mandating a passenger airbag as well? If so, be aware that the Z32s you find here are all drivers airbag only. Secondly - you should be looking for '93 and newer, not '93 and older (refer your first post). Thirdly - buy the car you want; be it 2 seater/2+2, manual/auto, slicktop/targa top. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, so decide what matters to you. If you think you might want a TT down the track, only you can decide whether to hang off, or get the NA first. How much do you want a 300ZX right now, and how long till you are off P's? Lastly, given that maintenance costs are important to you, do get someone with technical Z nouse like Rob260 to give it the once over before committing. Best of luck!
**** it, buy your dream car mate, even if it's NA. I started off with an NA Auto and TT Manual swapped it when the time came. No point waiting till you're on your full license, because by then, something else will have come up, and when that's finished, something else will take its place.
Agree with these guys ^ Get a clean NA to get to know these cars, then step up to a TT when you have some more experience. A good NA can still keep up to the TT guys in the "twisties", I know, as I was with them on the Doug Memorial cruise.
Exactly what RedZed has said about your 1st post, all Zeds in Australia from 93' on have ONE airbag, so if it is a major requirement from Mum that be 2 airbags, in all honesty get a different car altogether .
It sounds like you really don't know what you want. If you're stingy, you're going to better off in the long run purchasing a Z at the higher end of the market, you'll have your hand in your pocket if you don't get a good one & you'll be disappointed with the reliability. As you already have a car, I would suggest you attend a couple of club cruises & tech days (though the events are few & far between in NSW) & get to talk to some of the guys that own the Z's. I'm sure if you're not a dickhead the boys would be happy to take you for a spin. Once you've been for a ride in a good TT, you may change your opinion about getting an NA.
its pretty funny how all these zed enthusiasts are telling this guy dont buy a Z, keep and MX5?? wtf. buy it dont look back if it costs you more than you can afford, you will love her even more brcause of the sacrifices you will make to keep her going owning any high performance import is all about preventative maintenance majority of z's around these days are buckets of crap but all can be brought back to sweet with a little money and alot of elbow grease good luck luck and have fun!
Wait until you can get a TT! Till then - check out all the options and read the posts here on this forum to get up to speed with knowing all about them
Get the TT straight up. dont bother with an NA. You will just be sad knowing the TTs are better. Get a 300$ swift to cover you til you can drive it
I would say it depends how much you're a fan of the car to start with and what you want out of it. I love mine and I'm pretty unshakeable on that, it's been a bucket since I bought but it was usually a pretty reliable bucket. After owning it for three and a bit years its done a head gasket and is sitting in the yard awaiting attention but I'm still not considering buying a skyline or anything else because I like the spirit/'design philosophy' or whatever you want to call it. If you want a car to show off to your mates or you have a specific performance level you want to hit the Z isn't a very cost effective option and will probably give you more grief than a trophy car should.
