Smoking Gun

Well it was only sitting around for a week but I guess the charge could have dropped given the cold weather we've had. In fact when I had the codes read one was related to low power in the battery. Not sure how old the battery is but maybe I can get away with sticking the charger on it for a while. In any case the car's going back to the garage on Tuesday. I've also just noticed I never posted a pic of the beast but don't have the photos on the iPad. Will get some shots up when I'm next on the computer í ½í¸Ž

Well it's been almost a year since I bought the Z and its been a pleasure, makes me smile whenever I see her. Fitted some Goodyear Eagle F1's in the summer and they've been performing pretty well so far. It's given me the chance to start working on the WR1 (recently) with the aim of eliminating the corrosion and protecting the frame and bodywork before I get cracking on the suspension then engine. Lots of plans being brewed but the aim is to get the WR1 back on the roads so I can use the Z as a dry weather toy. Plus the wife has a bun in the oven and she'll struggle to get in and out of the Z soon!😂 Lately I've had the handbrake light and traction control light issues but having looked on here I think these have been resolved by topping up the brake fluid. More alarmingly the car was sitting for a week and when I started her last Sunday the CEL lit up and it was in limp mode! I've had the error codes checked and apparently there's an issue with the VVT. Can't remember the code but it's going in to be checked over on Tuesday. Hopefully it won't be an expensive thing to resolve. Anyone else had a similar issue before? I've not seen anything on here as yet.

Quick (not so quick) update. Car arrived back in Guernsey late on Saturday night with an assortment of dead insects, so the garage has cleaned it (of a fashion) before I went for a look. The owner had taken it all the way to John O'Groats (1500 mile round trip) but it's now got an extra 2k miles since I last saw it. Current mileage is 25,800ish. There's 3 tiny dents on the passenger side, a few scuffs on the bumpers and a 5inch scratch in the middle of the drivers door, plus the usual stone chips. The good news is there is no rust to be seen even around the boot hinges and under the bonnet so I'm happy about that. Had a quick poke around underneath and discovered a Milltek back box and Eibach rear ARB which is a nice surprise and explains the volume! Also saves me a job and some cash! The warranty certificate shows it was sold from Middlehurst Garage in St Helens in December '09, had a P1 service in December 2010 at 8965 miles, then a service in April 2012 in Guernsey at 16022 miles and again in June 2013 at 22403 miles. The service after that is ambiguous as it was apparently done in July 2014 but the mileage was 22368 (must have been driven in reverse!). In any case it's only covered 5,500miles since then which is nothing! So I've agreed to buy the Zed for £13,995 and the seller is paying for oil and filters to be changed. I think that's a bloody good price and even if I factor in the cost of re spraying a couple of the panels it should still be competitive price wise. It's even had the steering lock issue fixed. Feeling very happy at the moment and looking forward to bonding with her over a good deep clean í ½í¸Š

Thanks guys! Apparently he is stuck on the boat as the ramp is broken. fingers crossed it stays broken until Friday night and the boat can then return to Guernsey!

What a difference a day makes. On Wednesday night I had made up my mind that I was going to give this one a miss and wait like a sensible person. I spent most of Thursday about as miserable as I could be (like a scolded child lol) and that evening I was back to looking at Pistonheads and Autotrader. Then I did a complete turnaround and decided, what the hell, life is too short to be sensible and play it safe! I realized that there wasn't actually much around for the same spec and year and certainly nothing going as cheap. I looked at my accounts and realized I could raise enough for a decent deposit which could reduce the amount of finance needed. So yesterday I called the garage (who are selling it on behalf of the customer) and said I was still very keen but wanted a proper look at both the car and any ownership documents and service details the customer had. Apparently the customer thinks the car has got a full service history but not necessarily through the the Nissan dealer. That kinda puts my mind at ease a bit. I phoned the finance company and set everything up and have forewarned the insurance too. I had hoped to see the car today but the garage told me the guy had already picked up the car as he was going to the mainland for a week to see relatives. Something he had booked before putting his car up for sale. Now I have to wait until next Saturday for when he returns however I have asked for first refusal and that the garage call me as soon as they have the car back. I have basically told them I'll buy it subject to me having a proper inspection of the car and the service history and they seem cool with that. The customer had HP on the car so that will be cleared first by the garage when I buy it from them. Finance company are happy with the arrangements and have dealt with that garage a lot too. Now I just have to anxiously wait for the car to return! Fingers crossed it doesn't get damaged, crashed, sold or that the guy changes his mind about selling it! You never know, I could be the new owner next weekend! Oh and don't worry Ekona, I'm keeping the WR1 too

Ah I see! That's handy to know so I don't have to limit my search to just 2009 models 😃 just got to play the waiting game now which will be a bit painstaking!

Wow thanks for the responses guys. Good to hear your opinions and advice. I've been so bloody stressed thinking about it these past few days but I think I've finally come to a decision. Gonna pass on this one (reluctantlyí ½í¸¢) mainly because I could only really get it on finance and I don't want 5 years worth of debt looming over me which would also impact on saving for mods. After all I plan to do quite a bit mechanically and visually to the one I finally get - it will be a keeper not for selling on. Plus I think I'd end up paying more out on the finance than I would by getting one shipped to Guernsey. By delaying a purchase I can also keep my WR1 which would have been gutting to sell on to be honest. I'll still be able to pop across the water this summer to clear the cobwebs í ½í¸ƒ It's not all bad news though, I got to drive a 370z and have fallen in love with them. I can happily spend the rest of the year tracking the availability and prices and planning my eventual build. One question though, if I'm looking for a non sat nav model am I limited to a 2009 or are there newer GT models without this included. Not sure if they became part of the standard GT kit from 2010 Thanks again everyone

Hi all I need some advice/guidance/reassurance from you good people if you don't mind. I've been looking at eventually getting a 370GT as a long term project but haven't been in a position to buy due to renovating a house and getting married (both of which apparently eat your cash). I was hoping to be in a position to buy one without the need for finance in a years time but fate/chance has dropped me right in the 💩 by a 2009 GT coming up for sale locally. I live in the Channel Islands so they're few and far between over here. The car is a 2009GT manual coupe in, I think, twilight grey. It's covered just under 24k miles and has recently been put up for sale for £14,995 although the guy will drop to £13,995 for a quick sale. I hear he got a bit ripped off by a garage last year and paid around £18k for it so he has some finance he wants to clear as his circumstances have now changed (I'm always sceptical of this lol). Anyway, having followed a few of these on autotrader it seems like £14k is a good price for a low miler. It's not mint, the alloys have been slightly kerbed and there are a couple of minor scratches on the corners but nothing major. It's a non sat nav model which I now think I prefer having looked at 370Ad's and Stu_2424's posts on fitting double din units with reverse cameras, as I would likely do the same. When I took the car for a drive it handled well, and was pretty smooth on the power so I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. I suspect that some part of the exhaust isn't standard though as it was pretty loud especially under load and had a bit of a crackle when lifting off. Back section looks standard so I'm thinking maybe HFC's, would that account for it? Unfortunately I have no way of comparing easily with a system I know is standard. The guy who's selling doesn't know much about the history but the local Nissan dealer told me it was originally a UK car and they've only seen it in 2012 when they did a major service with no faults or concerns being picked up. Not sure when it came in to Channel Islands though. Other than that I hear there was a fault code picked up around 4 months ago which the garage the guy bought it from then cleared thorough the Nissan dealer and no lights show on the dash at the mo. Oh and the cd changer packed up within the last few months and has been replaced by another standard one (could that have thrown the fault code?). Desperately trying to justify getting the car on finance so, at least for the short term, I don't have to decide the fate of my current car, Impreza WR1. I've always said I'd never sell her and to be fair she's more practical than a 370z but I'm now softening my view on that - mid life crisis! I'd need to have a thorough look at the 370 to make sure everything works and there's no rusty spots - I only planned the first test drive to establish whether I loved driving it before I spent my time planning a long term project. Question is how much could be wrong on the car for such a low mileage? Is it worth risking for that price seeing as it's already on the island and bearing in mind it have to pay more to import one from the mainland if I waited a year? Apologies for the long message it's just sometimes with cars it's a case of better the devil you know Cheers Pete

Fantastic build thread and a stunning looking car í ½í±

You could call that a Koeniggzedd

Now that is one sexy beast. Pretty much how I've been planning my next project but with Chris' wings. Might need to buy the car first though!

Fantastic work mate. I'll be following this with interest.

Lovely looking Z and great build thread. Keep up the good work! I've been thinking of swapping my car for a 350 for a while now but lately am coming to terms with my obsession for a 370!

You lucky boy that looks lovely welcome to the forum!

All the best for a speedy recovery

I see where you're coming from and yes new technology will undoubtedly become common place in the automotive industry which can only be a good thing for the planet etc but there will always be a following of enthusiasts who live for the traditional combustion methods. No doubt the best kept models will be worth a lot of money if combustion is phased out. I'm a petrol head at heart but would love a flying car

Yeah it was a fantastic read, really comprehensive but it does show how initial plans can snowball lol. I would love to get a 350 or 370 and tinker away but have neither the time or mony at the mo. I have forewarned my girlfriend that this will be the next project after we've done the house. I'll probably hunt for a decent workshop in the meantime

It's funny how the more you look into something the more obsessed you can get. I'm sure this would've been posted on here before but saw this and it's inspiring me lol.

Ok hope this works lol. Pics of my current car:

Cheers guys! Out of interest what is the best way to post pics? Should I sign up to photobucket or similar?

Evening all! Just joined but have been reading the mammoth thread on the green monster in the Zed shed for the past 3 days! In need of some serious eye drops now. Names Pete from Guernsey, Channel Islands. Alas I'm not a lucky owner of a Zed just yet although always wanted one. Will be pursuing that in a couple of years but gotta finish building my house first lol. In the meantime I'm scratching the itch with my Petter Solberg WR1 which I've had for the past couple of years looking forward to meeting you guys, seems like a very friendly site!