Hey guys, long time reader, only a couple of lame posts.. u know the drill..lol. anywho, as the title suggests, i absolutely love these cars. so much so that i looked through pages upon pages of threads on this site just to read up on random stuff about them..so much so that at one stage, i had 192 tabs open in firefox, just from this site.. lol.. i procrastinate good from studying. :biggrin: i almost break my neck to look at one when it drives past, and i hear all your hype about them and it just makes me want one even more! therein lies the problem. the closest ive come to one in real life would be driving past one on the road.. and that is seriously lame. im way over borrowing my parents cars and am seriously contemplating just saying to hell with it and getting a loan to buy one. i mean, why waste money on an in between car if im eventually gunna buy a zed anyway, right? ive been checking a few out online, but one that caught my eye was cherryZ's.. sure you guys have seen it. http://www.aus300zx.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274101 seems fairly nice! again, there lies another problem, even if i was to check it out, I have no idea what im comparing it too! yes, ive checked the tech section on all the guides, but words can only tell you so much. is there anyone in the central coast area of nsw with one that could find it in their heart to give me a ride in one? (<-- just realised.. stupid question given that i have SEEN them around.. der. ) just to finally see one in the flesh and get a real insight to what theyre really like! lol idk why, but from (fairly rushed) research, i can borrow either borrow 12k, or 15k, for around about the same repayments, and in the end only pay about 1k more on the 15k loan. this seems like a go, so id have that spare cash for any difficulties that may come up. no? not really sure what replies could come out of this, but what the hell, gimme all you got! :biggrin: cheers guys from a big admirer! Rob
Uni student and owning a 300zx FTW. As long as u keep it serviced right you should have no problems. Touch wood i havent run into any problems with my Z and ive owned it for over a year now. I get mine serviced probably Every 3 months or 3000km, what ever comes first, may sound like overkill but its only $100-$200 so its worth it IMO. Buy a good one and youll have happy days buy a lemon and youll be in hell. I looked at 15 Zeds before i purchased mine. Best of luck and i know the feeling of wanting to rush but if i can say anything its wait for the right Z :zlove: youll know when its the right one
+1. Good advice in the tech section for what to look for when buying. Your best bet is befriending one of the gurus and getting them to come and look at it, or paying for the associated mech checkup.
RACQ NRMA My 2 cents worth, in an effort to be helpful. Have a look at a few .. take them for drive , get to feel what a good one looks and drives like .. If you find one that you feel comfortable with .. even if you get a bit of help from someone familiar with them?? Then get an NRMA full blown mech on it. ($200 odd dollars can save you from a very costly mistake.. your not buying a ford laser here) they tell you what it had for breakkie. The first Z I drove was a gem .. but cos I'd never been near one before I didn't know... then I went and drove a number of others. everything from square wheeled clown cars (vibrations =galore) to fibreglass monsters too scary for a newb to even contemplate . Even throw in a lexus GT (god forbid = felt like driving around in a lounge room,great if you like that kind of thing). Had an RACQ on a beautiful looking (exterior) grey TT 2+2 manual 78Kms and they came back with all kinds of oil leaks (said fixed by owner) foaming Radiator denied by owner .. but bottom line is a car with only 78000k shouldn't need all that crap fixed .. so dodgy as hell (wind back and thrashed) Had RACQ on the (very) first one (..went back after 3 weeks and still there) and came up great (still got report) and So I ended up buying a white 90 auto TT 2+2 a far cry from the gunmetal grey manual that was my preference.. but the car chooses you, so what the hell?? Seven years and nothing 'broken'. Mantainance = couple of K a year. perhaps biggest problem is that its hard to get specialists to fix your Z if in a regional area. This forum, you'll find is priceless when it comes to getting bits and pieces of info or parts etc so keep in touch with this .. and perhaps look at the Z's for sale .. you may find a gem there. I strongly recommend you take a day or two in the city. go from car yard to yard (imports) and drive a few. and as they say don't rush in. One last thing, a young bloke I know loved the Zeds for years and decided to buy a new car .. he looked around and after taking all and sundries opinions .. he went the 'safe road' and instead of buying a 17 Y/O Z bought a 10 Y/O WRX ... and has since regretted it, (the self confessed 'nerd' should have used the force) Good Luck .. once you drive the Z, most other cars, are just other cars. Coolum
First bit of advice I'll give, dont pay $200 for a service like this guy! LOL Get yourself a factory service manual as your first "mod" hehe
Pm IBBI, Angry bear, ZX2NV. Think they are all on the central coast Sure they would let you come around help polish the car and have a chat.
Hi Robbo You're doing the right thing straight away by scowering the forum to get as much knowledge about these cars before you go shopping. This way you are a bit more armed when looking and know a few more questions to ask and what to look for. As said above, don't rush. The perfect one will be out there waiting for you and you need to take the time to sift through the wrong ones to find it. What would be very handy is for a friendly tech minded member who lives near you to have a good chat to you in person and go over a couple of Zeds. That will beat an RACQ inspection any day - and may only cost you a few beers
Great Moove I have had mine for 10 years, I can't bring myself to selling it. All other cars are boxes to me.! :zlove: I Love my car! Good Luck Cheers Lili
you're choosing a good car Mate, I've heard stories of people buying a Zed in Oz, then having to move to another country..... so they ship the car with them, then moving back, so they ship the car with them... etc etc You dont do that with a box on wheels (allthough I know one bloke that did it with a 2CV... but anyway) They ARE great cars, but yes, due to the crazy price drop, many have made it into the hands of clueless P platers (no offence to anyone) or people who can't afford to maintain the beast I wont teach you to suck eggs as you've clearly got your head screwed on re research but I will echo the comments of almost everyong above.... TAKE YOUR TIME. There is no rush The market is slow, and because "noobs" know you can get a zed for $10K, the good cars at $15K - $20K are sitting "for sale" for months on end But truley this is the end of the market you want to look at it That said, dont assume that because a zed is in the upper price bracket, its a good one Assume nothing. Check every zed as if you KNOW something is wrong and the seller is a convicted cut and shut mechanic HOWEVER... and here's where I'll confuse you..... Also dont miss out on a good thing. As coolum said.. first Zed he drove was actually "the one" BUT note, he walked away anyway and tested others AND THEN went back. First Zed i drove is possibly a car I should have purchased. Meh thata life I then bypassed another Zed that my mates thought had issues. Id did have issues, but the new owner happily fixed all those issues within $2.5K and now has a 340rwhp beast So how do you win? Take your time Take someone that KNOWS what they are looking at but the best adivce I can give.... when you've chosen the car.... BE HAPPY with it. Dont live life thinking "maybe i should have got the blue one" Pick the car. Buy it, and then anything that comes up.. you fix and make it more and more YOUR car.
you will know hey robbo i had my zed for 9 months now,test drove a couple before i bought her(turbo and non-turbo) she`s a 2 seater non turbo stock standard but knew as soon as i sat in her and test drove her she was mine,(cost $8,000) had a few minor probs but i knew what was the matter and repaired them my self (tech section and mannual great help )and that happens with any car you get. there a joy to drive like you i always wanted one so when you sit in the right one you will know.
RACQ..more / not a service / but a service. OK there are a lot of guys in this club who know there Z cars and are willing to share their knowledge with this forum and thats the best thing about this forum. Hats off to you guys. BUT for those of us who love the car but are not able to borrow one of you guys (friend of a friend of a friend /stuff) find themselves in a position to seek paid services. (especially when you not in the main centres) I have to disagree with the members who said your just paying for a 'service'. the RACQ Master check was carried out over pits in Eight Mile Plains, Brissie and the dealer I bought the car off rectified EVERYTHING that was listed on this report. This was a shitload of little bits and pieces . replace right numberplate light , Rear right strut boot deteriorated, Spare tyre cover not fitted, Minor scrapes to Exhaust system.. the extremely comprehensive list goes on. The Car was an Uncomplied Import with MANY things that required adjustment for compliance. by the time the second test was carried out, all the adjustments had been carried out. These guys kept the Dealer Honest and resulted in a car delivered that was pretty bloody tidy and the test of time confirmed the value of the 'service' I'm sorry to disagree with those guys who know enough to do their own series of checks, but the bottom line is there are a lot of cars out there that have been wound back and prettied up that would fool us common and Garden buyers. This RACQ Test I found to be WELL worth the money .. Its was a SERVICE I bought to do the work for me. I would do it again tomorrow ESPECIALLY WITH A ZED Mate find one and get the test. I mean a lot of the crap they tell you you can choose to live with .. but if theres stuff thats dodgy they'll pick it and tell you about it . Thats the advice sorry it's not stepping on the toes of the guys who know .. but think about it member / experts ... if you didn't have the knowledge, or access to it, wouldn't it be the next best advice to give? Happy hunting.
agreed The first Zed i nearly brought, I was ready to hand over the coin. RAC check came up with a list that was a) long b) contained some items marked "urgent/dangourse" c) Showed me that while I could afford to BUY the car, I could NOT afford to buy and fix THAT car. Gold imho. I walked away very gutted but still in pocket.
Coolum, 300ZXT was reffering to Rory, not you... NRMA check is a good idea, but equal to getting a zed guru to have a good look too. Often NRMA/RACQ miss certain Zed specific problems that can cause problems down the line. You also mentioned that you might be able to stretch to $15k, will this leave you with any money at all? Can you afford to blow $1.5k in repairs and maintenance in the first 6 months? Of course buying a good one to start helps, but sometimes things just go bang. I bought my Z while working part time at the hardware store, it cost me my whole years wage. So worth it BUT, clutch, centre bearing, driveshaft and PTU all went within 3 months Lucky I was good with the spanners... Put a serious dent in the budget, but I got through. If possible, keep away from loans, heaps cheaper in the long run and get it insured. It will cost a lot, but can you bare to loose it all? As a guide (and to stop the coming thread ) it cost me about $1600 to insure my NA 2+2 5 speed Targa Import as a 19 year old at a rating 4. Ring around and tell them straight up if it's a import or not, it will save a lot of time on the phone
Yeah sorry My mistake .. Anyway hope the 2 bob's worth helps U robbo and all the other info from all others of course.
I rushed in to buy my car...definitely could have found a better one and had less troubles if I waited. Not really regret, but definitely not a good thing to do. after a few months my car now needs a few grand $$ to get up to scratch. I'd say it's below stock standard.
hey mate, i'd recommend driving a zed that's going for 10k, and one that's going for 20k. drive as many as you can. i spent i think about 5months looking for mine. i would get the motoring section, and check out every single one even if it wasn't in my price range to get an idea of what my budget could buy me. each one i drove i learnt a different thing. your on the right track reading everything you can get your hands on, next bit is to get familiar with the actual cars. after owning one for a few years now i think if i was to go looking at them now, the things i would look for would be different to what i looked for back then. hence why its a good idea to take someone with you. there are tech articles that tell you what to look for, but someone who has driven and been around these cars for a while will have little things they know are worth looking at too.
When I started looking, I had a test drive of 4 different Z's in 1 day. 1 n/a and 3 turbo. After the drive of each,(I didn't thrash them), 2 of the turbo's each had smoke coming from the right hand side of the engine bay, and wouldn't start again!
