manc350z

I just can't believe they lasted that long... right up there with rover city cars in terms of quality, style, performance and sheer ridicule potential.. it is a sad day losing a "marque" to take the rise out of.. so now we must find the new yugo.. Let me think.... dynamically flawed car.... check poor manufacturing quality..... check FUGLY as Kerry Katona ... check unrelaible..... check panel fit and finish similar to an MFi wardrobe from 1977.... check material quality to match bacofoil and ski yoghurt pots..... check employees that are more interested in tea breaks than the product..... check hang on.... it's coming.. two contenders ... Contender 1 - The New MG China.... knocking out an all new (well new to chinese ownership) MG TF LE 500.. china ignored the do not ressucitate order on Mg-rover for some odd reason and have put this turd back into production.. white high heeled wearing, dance round your handbag women and light in the loafers blokes everywhere will be clammering to flush about 18k of their ill gotten gains down the bog.. probably more sensible than buying one of these duffers.... it is a complete piece of cr4p.. back when they were made in the nineties i knew two people unlucky enough to buy these.. both spent most of their time on AA trucks / repair shops / crying and having heart attacks when they tried to sell em after 3 years having lost around 75% of the original purchase price ! Contender 2 - Anything french and tricky.. i.e. 206/207cc, renault migraine CC.... their electrical engineering skills make 1980's alfa's look bullett proof .. .. quality of interior plastic materials is almost down to chrysler level which really takes some doing.. They leak like they've been torpedo'd, handle like icebergs and move about as quickly as continental drift.. i know a girl who has a 206cc and it is just awfull.. then her mate bought a renault migraine cc and it is like listening to worst catastrophic failure top trumps...

Sick.... but amusing.... cat probably dug it's claws in properly on the way off the bonnett leaving major scratches....

Nice... very nice.. too nice !!!! hahaha .. excellent condition.. i'm jealous... every time i see aphoto of a good one i want one again.. it took me years to ween myself off cossies.... they bring out the Manc Scally in me even today !!! I had a '93 in '94 .. it ha the older wheel style and front splitter so the one you show is a '95 model year... i sold mine on in late 94... insurance got prohibitive.. due to it's ability to win me points i was quoted 5k from one company.. 26yo, 6 points, good postcode,full no claims,,,,,,, so i sold it and got a new bm 325coupe with AC goodies... insurance was 1k fully comp.. It looks like a weekend / show car.... surely not a daily driver.. prices are coming up for them..or at least were last time i looked 6mths ago.. Sweet motor, tell your bro he has got a top car there !!!! and an appreciating bit of FMC history.

The last time I was in a multistory was in Brighton Marina when my car was being used in a film called Dolphins. It took 4 hours for 5 cars to get back out using wooden planks so nooooooooooo, I don't do multistories anymore!! Dolphins ? ? ?, Pretty cool ya car being featured in a film though , and talking of wood, thats what all the ladz at work keep going on about, and how i should have some in the boot Check out - http://www.loftyactioncars.com/12.html

I looked around quite a bit b4 i bought mine a couple of months back... they seem pricey for old meat.... around the 10 mark would fly.

I think it is a compromise car.. needs to be 400bhp and 4wd to make it relevent.... all it says to me is not bad.... should, like the RS Cosworth's of old be screaming "MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE" Ahem.... but it doesn't.. it looks like an apology for a hot ford.. even the Sierra Sapphire Cosworth looked butch compared to that.. and the Escort Cosworth looked like it would give that a good rogering.. Fast fords should be bulgy, loud, brash a bit rough and and blunt instruments like Jordan or Jodie Marsh ... not subtle, understated lithe and reserved like Keira Knightley..... Still.. i would

At any point was the war mentioned...or any proper swell of nationalistic pride coupled to almost black and white graphics ?? .. i missed it but recorded it on sky+.. isit worth a watch then guys ?

Hey guys.. Yep,agree P1tse.. 778gbp on a service for a 2yo car is basically giving it to you dry..hence why i am out of the car..well that and the fact it deprecaited way more than the selct agreement GFV... nope they are not the best bhp / torque / 0-60 but for the money but i love em... i have been lucky enough to have some pretty exotic metal over the last 23 years but the M's are good all rounders in M3 guise and great fun in Zcoupe guise... My mates have had scoobies / lancers / porkers and they've never attracted me... I have always had a soft spot for the 350's since launch.. always wanted one and glad i got one.. £ for £ much better value than an M car. Gixxeruk - Z3m rasp was a real bonus.. but the 350z exhaust note sounds almost like it was designed to sound like a racing car.. i love the sound of the 350 between 3 and 6k in 3rd on a walled road.. it can sound like it's not coming from your car if you know what i mean... Digsy, 350z would look cool in pretty much any colour.. estoril would suit it well.. but i prefer the 350 in it's own metallic deep blue,.. it shows the cars lines off rather well.. i would like to see one in a pearlescent blue .. Ab350z - Do it, buy one M.. you'll want more... yep.. reckon i should work as a used BM salesman... but i would end up trying to sell innappropriate cars to punters.... i.e. nice old lady, ever considered a v10 loosely derived from an F1 car... cheap insurance ar your age... you need an M5 Sorry.. i do write novels about BM's, Mercs and Cossies... i love em.... for 23 years all i have owned are the above 3 brands... apart from a brief visit to Jaguar, Lancia and Ford (non cossie) which all ended in various types of tears..... promise to stop waffling about em, honest.... but like i said b4, i bought and love my 350..

Is that a cat in your avatar or Robert Smith from The Cure? haha... definately Robert Smith .. i have real issues trying to get a good avatar.. never succeeded yet...

Hi Ab350z. Mine was a 1999 on the "T" z3mcoupe 321bhp variant.. i had it nearly 3 years and did 60k miles in it. The Vanos was a known issue and my dealer dealt with it under warranty... the vanos unit is manufactured by rolls royce and is rather expensive... i can;t even guess how much but other owners used to state some scary at the time numbers none of whcih i can remember !!! The Vanos issue goes away in the 325bhp variants which were MY 2000 + 2001 from memory although i saw 52 plate examples around the patch. Issues with the car to watch for - Gearbox... Gearbox.... Gearbox.. (A BMW weakness) again look for crashy synchro's in 1 -2 and 2 - 3 when cold. Noisy Diffs - Have been mentioned, i never had the issue Missed service intervals - 6k interval and they need it.. every second or third service the car would get a cold tune and i vageuly remember having cylinder head bolts replaced.... Thrashed ones - They stand up pretty well to being tortured, mine attended probably 10 track days in the three years i owned it and some pretty elongated spells on the autobahns... Brakes cost fortunes.... floating disks .... expensive..... Interior - drivers seat rails used to fail, check full seat movement... a/c could be an issue.. Also brake fluid reservior was hidden under the inlet manifold... nice and easy to check Ownership - Yep no traction on the 321's .. which is a little hard to get used to.. massive lift off oversteer but if you were in the right gear you could snap back to mild understeer on the throttle. The 325's had traction and to be honest it ruined the driveability in my eyes... or had i got used to it a little too much !!! Best brakes on a car i had ever driven up untill the Z4mcoupe... it was like you'd hot a wall when you pulled up from high speeds.. they stop so effortlessly and don't fade out... Oil - they love it... i was going through probably 3 lires per 6k miles.. spoke to BM and they just said that's the way these cars are.. that was backed up by other owners. The exhaust note as standard on the m3coupe was so good.. it had a shorter exhaust than the m3 hence why they couldn't get the full 343bhp from that unit in a Z3... Handling was very neutral, very very easy to drive even without traction in the dry.. in the wet a totally different bordering on evil attempted murderer... not easy in the wet but once you were used to it constantly wanting to wag it's tail in straight lines in the rain you adjusted your driving... it had a very helpful LSD !! As for speed... it was fabulous fun to goad 911's and subaru's with.. you could run up to 115 in 3rd and it was sooo flexible.. Speed limiter at 155 was easy to get around apparently and derestricted i heard tales of 170 - 175 .. never seen that myself but my z4mcoupe ran at 185 indicated, 175 by satnav so sounds feasible. I had 3 years trouble free motoring... but at a staggering cost - 11 services at a total cost of 5k (every 6k on 98-99 321's but i think they changed the 325's to 12k or 16k ??) 4 sets of pirelli tyres at a total cost of 4400 16mpg over the cars life (i was quite a bit more throttle happy back then !) 16k in depreciation I would buy another one tomorrow... would have to have full BM service history and if a 321 it would need proof of vanos work... never buy the mustard yellow ones.. they look like baby pooh !.. best colour was mine which was estoril blue... also love the imola red and black ones...

Real nice example.. always been a fan of that model.... looks like it was never used ! I think the only thing it needs is a warm garage to live in ! rust was a bit of an issue with that model round the brightwork... It would be on my classics list alongside the c class cosworth engined merc from the nineties and the original m535i bm from the 80's... all good fun motors.

Hi P1tse Yep, unfurtunately the steroetype thing is out there.. all car types seem to have the tag.. I am a bit of a fan of the TT.. especially the 3.2 and the new TT-S.. only really since my mate just bought a tt-s and let me have a blast.... i have to say what a focused motor.. reminds me of the old swb quattro from the 80's in handling and sound.. it made me want one !! There is a decent BM specialist in Manchester city centre, an ex colleague used to get his mk1 m3 serviced and maintained there and to be honest they were pretty hot from memory... can't remember the name for the life of me but they are still going i believe.. The e46 m3 does look dated now.. shame because up to 12mths ago i thought it looked pretty on the money, subtle and not shouty in the least. Before i got the zed i tried a few motors, the most dissappointing was the alfa brera q4 3.2 which was frankly awful.... bit of a dumb supermodel... cracking looking but slow and expensive to live with .. warp speed depreciation.. expensive maintenance etc etc. My last service on my z4mcpoupe at 22k and 23mths old was 778gbp from a main dealer.. all that wa extra was the 2year brake bleed and refill.. that put me off M-Cars for a while.... well for the next 12mths untill the e92's come under 30k then i am back in !

E46 m3 is a real hoot to drive... they are a very capable fast car.. much more balanced than the Z and faster in standard trim. Engines and trim are very strong.. i have had 3 of the 3.2litre evo engined bm's one of the 321bhp z3mcoupes, and 1 each of the 343bhp e46m3s and z4mcoupes whcih i drive hard and never managed any serious damage other than a gearbox in teh z4m but it was a recall job anyway... So be warned gearboxes can be the achiles heel.. and they are not cheap... As far as ownership there's not much you can do to mod them.. i saw straight m3's modded by + 15 BHp to 358 from 343 but at staggering cost.. They eat tyres, love brakes and adore petrol.. all M-Cars do .. Insurance is 350z + 50% .. main dealer maintenance can be heart stoppingly expensive. Tyre dealers are the hard driven m-cars best friend as they love rolling over the sidewalls of the 19" wheeled low profiles as the suspension setup gives very little body roll ... Image is mixed.. i have seen everything from blinged up wide boys to rozzers driving them... I don't go with the stereotype nonesense otherwise all Nissan drivers would either be geriatric 20mph wrong way down the motorway barely able to see over the steering wheel micra drivers or max power toting bo-Ya-kasha screaming, skyline drivers with a little bit a drum and bass booooming out da sub.... ... so all that b0ll0x people say about generic bm drivers never indicating and fast lane hoggers etc is just that.. b0ll0x. The only image problem the m3 has as far as i am concerned is that they are about as rare as trees round manchester and to be honest are getting cheap + starting to look as old and battered as Jodie Marsh..... I would say yeah get one.. watch out :- Non main dealer serviced ones as they can be EXPENSIVE to put right.. Test drive one hard, check for synchro problems shifting 1 - 2 and 2 - 3 and preferably cold as that is when it will fight you to throw itself out of gear. Avoid the SMG unless you really like em.. just my opinion but i never got on with mine at all... On the manual M's do the slipping clutch check.. clutch's are pricey. Do some hard braking.. they have floating disks and calipers and they can go wrong... check for wobbling under brake load also roll to a stop slowly with the brakes off and make sure that the car doen't come to an unnatural rest.. sometimes a caliper will jam and keep the brakes on a bit .. you can feel resistance when you are coasting the last 2mph to rest... Disks and pads are pricey.. check em b4 you buy I would save my cash for a year ... i have seen 57 plate e92 m3's with under 10k miles for 34k stickered and dealers will probably be taking offers at 31cash just to move them on.... 12mths from now.. early 20's.. bargain... Good luck... but just so 350z owners don't get the wrong idea.. i bought the 350z by choice when i could have got a decent bm....

Is it not B&W that make the Zeppelin????? I am still looking what I want! Whoops.. typo.. was also looking at a b&O ipod dock.. sorta made a blend of the two there.. yep it is a B&W.. definately not a B&Q or a B&O

Like it for incoming calls... straight number recognition is problematic... say dial number, wait for her to say please say number.. say 0161 etc and she always comes back with 0961... doh... stored numbers are pretty good.. incoming call sound quality is excellent in mine and people i call generally say it is really clear.. i have had Bt in my last 4 cars (all BMW's) and it was cr4p..... the Nissan BT seems much better.. gets a yes vote from me

you should check out this other vid on that site - http://www.wimp.com/baddrug/ seen stuff like this on meth users b4.. but whoa.. scary pooh that stuff..

A B&O Zeppelin for my Ipod.....

Ok... Did anyone get to the MPH show... if you did what did you think..... Personally I was under whelmed.. live show was ok but a bit.. well... rubbish if I have to be honest... Clarkson May and Hammond were funny but the stunt driving was a bit limited.... best bit was when they drove into the arena in the BMW race car, the MGB stretched convertible limo and the rozzers lexus.... The exotica in the main hall was impressive... some good classics on show also.. was loving the MINT condition Austin Allegro and the SD1 rover.. they looked like brand new... Autojumble was interesting if you are into toy cars, chromed parts for BL cars and old Haynes manuals.... But OMG... why why why why why oh why is that god awful loosely assembled piece of friday afternoon hairdressers garbage MG thing from the nineties being sold again as an MG TF LE 500 (one presumes the 500 is the GPB per day depreciation from the first you buy it to a zero resale value at around 1 month.... ) I thought MG had flatlined with a do not ressucitate order.... Some geezer tried to give me a brochure... he would have had more chance getting me to take a burning lump of coal from his hands.... and i reckon i can't have done too good a job at hiding my feelings as my hand recoiled so quick when he tried to shove a brochure into it that you would have thought i was trying to avoid shaking hands with a traffic warden.. And all the way from Manc to Brum.. all round the NEC car park and all the way back i didn't spot another single Zed... these things seem pretty rare from the amount i don't see on the roads... My brain tells me that they have been around for what 5 years... they have gotta have sold 5k easy right ??? so where are they hiding... You usually get car spotting syndrome when you get a new one.. i.e you could drive round in your old car, say a BMW, for months never see a single N-350z.. then buy one and i would normally expect to see like 20 in the first month and each of them better than the one i bought.... i have seen one.. it was older than mine and black which looks good but is not the colour for me....

I'm not with you on the fiat 500 is gay..... ok the standard one might be a little light in the loafers.. but this abarth is a babe http://jalopnik.com/assets/resources/2008/03/Fiat-500-Abarth-Geneva.jpg There is all sorts of talk of upcoming specs... launch car 135bhp, 8.2 to 62.. and rumours of a early 7'2 to 60 180bhp turbo version due... which should be hilarious.. As for the cube... all i can say is - Compare this - http://www.algysautos.com/images/nissan-cube-liminus-red.jpg With this - http://www.eurocosm.com/Application/images/pedal-cars/postman-pat-pedal-car-md.jpg Spot any similarites...

Hello... Some quick questions.. i tried a search but couldn't find everything so thought i'd throw it open.. Engine types / power Are there 3 engine types with 287, 300 and 313 bhp... everywhere i read i keep finding references to 280 and 296bhp engines.... also references to the bhp going up on the "300 or is it 296" model from the previous one but torque dropping .. What does the reference "rev up" engine mean ? (and if anything to do with my next question that would make sense) Is there any way to get rid of that throttle drop off delay when i lift off ?.. it drives me mad.. i want the revs to drop when i let go of the throttle.. not gradually for 4 seconds after i have released it making clutch lift after a gear change feel dopey and no throttle blips unless you want to wait 4 seconds for the revs to drop back off.. I think it is probably a fuel saving idea.... it reminds me of a 1999 bmw 323ci (2.5 liter) they did the same and were equally as annoying. Stereo.... Came to my car tonight .. cold after work.. all my radio presets had "done one".. they were working when i parked.. it is the Bose with nav in the GT.... How do Nissan justify 82 quid for the tonneau cover boot divider thing and 80 quid for 2 mats !!!! Does anyone else make a tonneau divider that anyone has found.. there is one on ebay at about 41 + 10 postage. but plenty of interest and near2 days left so will probably go at about 53 (ish) + 10 shipping... even at 63 i think it is rubbish value... i reckon the fabrication cost of these is probably max 20 per unit .... Any answers comments welcome... Thanks

I bought this car and said to myself.. no modding.. which changed to well maybe a couple of cosmetic things..a stubby and some spats.... . to ooh what about a nice induction kit.. then well if i buy that i should get an exhaust.. then well if i get an exhaust i should get a full system... then do i really need those cats.. to well if i am doing that what about one of them plenum spacers.... and i should tart up the engine bay with some carbon... and if i am tarting up what about some spacers to make the rays look better.. and some suspension upgrades to make the wheels fill the wells better.... .. i have only had the car since 15 sep.. not spent yet but i don't think i can resist much longer... aaaaaaggghhh make it stop.. so many beautiful things and i can't afford them all.. well not at once i think "BigPhil" is the Jimmy Saville of the 350z world.. Dear Phil can you fix it for me to get lots more power.. and handling... and looks.... yours david manchester... :O)

I hate these low rent scammers... they're scum... it'll be some socially challenged little t055er.. and if they get caught it'll be a smacked wrist and a bit of a fine... they deserver a bl00dy good beating... and it'll be the innocent internet newbies that they get... probably those least able to afford the hassle.. obviously ultimately it would be the CC company that kops for the bill but it costs us all in the long run... i'd love to get 5 minutes alone with one of these inept little dogs and non surgically implant their pc's.. it would be SOOOOO satisfying .. well for me at least.. maybe not so for the human detritus that carries out the scam... Enough ranting... but it doesn't half get my back up...

Ok.. Most internet aware people won't fall for this but i just got a scam mail from "abbey" .. web page looks quite good but is gypsying off a spanish 4x4 parts website.. beware.. URL you are redirected to = http://www.talleresjosemaria4x4.com/com ... online.htm Notice the really hard to spot "http://www.talleresjosemaria4x4.com" bit... email is entitled " Abbey National Bank -Restore Your Online Access " =============================================== Content = Dear Valued Customer, This is an important message from the Abbey National Security Centre and this message has been issued due to a recent upgrade of our servers. All our current customers are required to update there Online Banking details by simply login on to there online accounts. For security reasons, your access to sensitive account features has been limited until your details are updated on our server. However, failure to update your details will further lead to a temporary restriction of your online access. Update your account now in just one easy step, click the "Log on" button below and enter your current login details to restore your access and enjoy the benefits of online banking and finance and to avoid fraudulent activities on your account. ============================================= I tried to send this on to Abbey... but they don't appear to have anywhere to send it to... ho hum.... So if you fell for this feel free to slap yourself now....

WTF.... i've had my car a month and a bit.. done 2.5k miles.. about 20 resets of the MPG avg over all sorts of driving styles and all sorts of roads.. best i have ever got out of it was 25.6 and i was made up.... i reckon the only way i could get more is if i get towed by a recovery truck !!

i was a contractor for almost 15 years.. i set up as a ltd company with VAT registration.. if you have never been a contractor you should also consider these little gems.... 1) - Company setup costs approx - 200gbp 2) - Geting first business bank acct - 4hrs effort 3) - Monthly bank account maintenance cost - £7.50 (but more than covered by current account interest once i got rolling) 4) - Giving all my stuff to accountant and filling in forms / raising payments to the inland rev, vat etc - 3hrs per month. 5) - Acountancy costs - £90 per month. + one offs like companies house filing charges + year end accounts preparation, and per hour charges to prvide assistance when i got audited by the HMRC... (10hrs charges.. 1k total.. not bad in 15years) 6) - Own 3rd party liability insurances / professional indemnities - £200 per month. 7) - Private medical insurance - £100 per month. 8) - Critical injury, sickness + life insurance - £100 per month 9) - Cost of own training per month (averaged from 15yrs training) - £150 per month. 10) - Company directors Pension Scheme - £690 per month (including tx break) If you go through an umbrella company you obviously shouldn't have to worry about items 1 through 5 but you should check they cover item 6 (both elements and to what level) and cover yourself for item 7 - 10. (10 would be a standard private pension) You need to check if the umbrella company indemnifies you against HMRC bending you over a barrell with regards to IR35, are you basically being an employee (won't be a problem) or a non executive director.. if you are a non executive director you need to be clear that if HMRC go after the company you are exempt from financial penalties..... I think umbrella companies are now more popular.. and more honest.. early ones were set up as potential scams to avoid HMRC tax ruling IR35.. but ways they found to avoid that the HMRC bods came up with a new one.. pre paid tax against the next 12mth profits and the addition of National Insurance + enhanced tax rates against directors dividends.. also increased penalties for abuse of the good old directors loan accounts . I always used to view umbrella companies with caution as i would prefer to be hung for my own (or my accountants) crimes as opposed to those committed by someone else.. if you get my drift... I was going to say i hope this helps.... but actually i don't think it will !!!! basically it will be easier to go the umbrella route ! Capita are a pretty decent agency... if they are approved umbrella's then probably ok