Robbo101

Well done OP, congratulations. Noticed you referred to the car as a UK model, was always under the impression the "square" number plate on the frront indicated it was a Jap Import ? Apologies if Im incorrect though.......

Sadly still without a Z at the moment, but I remember when I owned an early S1 Elise back in the day. On my test drive, got the thumbs up from a chap in a DB7 Volante at a set of traffic lights !! Must have been the easiest sale the dealer ever got as I couldnt wait to get back to the garage & sign on the dotted line. Ran it for 5 months whilst I lived in Harrogate & commuted to Leeds & nothing but thumbs up (I think) & pleasant comments. Then decided to move to Bradford - received nothing but insults & various comments about attending my parents wedding & being a purveyor of one of lifes more solitary pleasures. Sadly had to sell the car shortly after due to a house purchase & though I missed the car, definately didnt miss the insults. Just boils down to jealousy. Harrogate/Leeds : populated by people who appreciate the finer things in life (particularly when worked for). Bradford : full of inbreds who are so twisted by there own abject failure in life that they cannot stand to see success in anyone else, even when such success means that I had to pay 33% of my wage to keep these scumbags in the (benefits) lifestyle they had become so accustomed to. The alternative was to invest my funds in an Evo or Impreza & "blend" in, but as I dont deal drugs I didnt really want to go down that route.

I was there as well. Have heard most (roadcar) engines from a V12 Ferrari, V10 Lamborghini, V8 Aston & a flat 6 Porsche (& ofcourse a V6 Nissan !!), but the noise from the F1 car was on an entirely different level. The word "loud" doesnt in anyway do justice to the sheer mechanical howl of that car. Almost bordered on the painful. Couldnt believe though that 'Elf & Safety allowed the event in the first instance. 700bhp racing car at 70mph or thereabouts, travelling in the wet, with cold tyres on a crumbling road & no more than 10 feet from the crowd. Whilst it made for a spectacle I wont quickly forget, I dont think the slight plastic safety barriers would have done much to seperate carbonfibre from crowd should Mr Button have been over confident with his right foot. Still, what a day.

Welcome. Am in the same boat as yourself. Have looked at a few in the past couple of weeks (including a beautiful 77,000 mile 2004 GT in burnt orange last weekend on sale at £6995- spotless condition) & am getting a seriously itchy wallet. Am going to have to take the plunge by next pay day !! Happy hunting.

Didnt get that from Stockport did you ? 2004 plate with 74,000 miles ?

Well done fella. Hope to be in your shoes very soon.

Shame this car didnt come up in a month or so as I would have had the requisite pennies by then. Looks a very well cared for Z. Hope it goes soon.

That must be the shiniest car I have ever seen. Good effort fella.

Am in the market for an early (read cheap) UK manual car at the moment (see my previous threads). Ive been watching Autotrader for a good month or so & whilst I appreciate the mileage is low (too low ?), there are others - with admittedly higher mileages - going for £6000 & below (& even a black UK car on an 04 plate with 120,000 miles for £5000 - surely something dodgy). For my part Im going to wait a little bit longer as I can see even Roadsters going below £7000 as Winter draws in. Would be interesting to see how your purchase goes.

Think if I do wait until say October/November time then might persuade myself to hold out for a Roadster as presumably they will drop in value as winter approaches (?). I agree though, the 996 is an itch that I really shouldnt scatch. Previously had an Elise & that cost me nearly a £1000 a month to run including servicing, insurance & depreciation........all with a 1.8 litre K series unit.

^^^^ its not s much that I "only" have £6K to spend, its that Id rather buy the car now for £6000 or so, as opposed to waiting for another 3 or 4 months, by which time Id probably have £8000 or so & which in all probability (& though I do rate the Z) would move me into a different type of car altogether (or even worse, Id save another £2 or £3000 and buy a 996 Porsche in January/February next year - which really could dent my finances). Impatient ? Probably, but if you had a 140bhp Celica to tootle around in, then you'd realise how much I want the 350. PS, hope the mention of the 911 isnt considered an act of heresey on here.

Well, went to look at a gunmetal grey car on Saturday in Stockport. 74,000 miles, UK car, manual with brembo brakes but surprisingly no leather (?). After being subject to the usual myriad of questioning for an hour on p/x prices & the like, finally got a test drive..........well I say a test drive, it actually comprised of a 5 minute (accompanied) drive in a 30mph zone where I couldnt get out of third gear !! However, all was made good for those few brief seconds when I was able to rev it beyond 3000rpm. Have owned a few quick(ish) cars in my time such as an Elise & a Fiat Coupe 16v Turbo, but this was on another level. Near instantaneous throttle response & the sound, well the sound was glorious. Sadly couldnt do the deal as they wouldnt drop a penny on the price & the p/x I was offered on my current Celica was poor in the extreme. However, am now going to sell the Celica privately & hopefully in the next week (or more likely month) should be the proud owner of my very own Z. Must say though was surprised how plasticky the interior was & for what seems such a big car, was very tight inside, but as Ive said all that paled into insignifigance when I a) looked at it & actually drove it. Oh & finally, the morale of the story - dont buy such a niche car from a car supermarket type dealer. Do they seriously think that if I was going to buy a near 300bhp sports car, that Id buy it on the back of a 5 minute test drive where I couldnt travel at over 30mph ? And where I didnt get to see either the old MOTs or the V5 (sorry sir - there not avalable to view at the moment).

Once again, many thanks for your observations. On the Import v UK car, probably more of a state of mind thing if Im honest. Many moons ago I had a MK1 MX5 & again I deliberately chose a UK car rather than a Eunos Roadster as had read stories about differing wiring looms, thickness of glass, parts prices & difficulties with obtaining Insurance (or at least paying addiional premiums) etc etc. Must say though, am bit concered that for £6000 - £6500 (not a lot for some I'll freely admit but quite serious for me - really should have studied harder at school !!) Im going to struggle to get a decent manual UK car from a Dealer. Perhaps I'll have to lower my expectations, but hopefully if I see a few this weekend, should be in a better position to gauge whats out there. On the proviso I can drag myself out of bed this weekend, will report back on Monday. Cheers again.

Very informative, thanks for that. Just had a look at Yoko's car, that is a seriously beautiful colour. However, Im looking to buy from a Dealer for peace of mind & the warranty I'll get. Sadly am not the most mechanically minded (though I wouldnt rule out getting an RAC inspection or the like) & although I will put enough aside to take care of routine maintainance & the like, would really pee me off (not to mention clear me out) if after buying the car in a private sale, its engine went pop. Am going to have a look at a few this weekend that are advertised on Autorader BUT after having a succession of silver/grey cars, would really prefer the bronze/burnt orange (? - or Yoko's blue one).

Thought Id bump this up. So did you buy it then ?