Thanks all for the warm welcome
Glad it's not just me that thinks the HR prices are starting to stick, thought I was going mad when I hit auto-trader again this summer!
I knew about the bonnet bulge and the 2 air intakes (been reading tons ) but the single aux drive belt is new to me, so thanks for the tip!
After swatting up on the 95RON and 4.5K to 5.5K rev limit before the ECU stops protecting against knocking I think buying from an enthusiast would be a very good way to avoid getting a dud. It is scary to think I might be getting a zed that's been abused for years without any way of knowing short of letting a mechanic lose on it before the sale.
When I was first planning to get a nice sports car the RX-8 was the first one I looked at. But I figured I should see what else was in the same performance and price bracket first. That's when the 350Z came to light with it's muscle car like engine with solid handling to boot. Sure the RX-8 can perform well when it's kept in the power band, but I just like the idea of having, hmm, was it 90% or 95% of max torque across most of the rev range at my disposal. I do a lot of motorway miles and love having a car that can slip into a slot on the outside lane.
I'm due to hit 8K in December, so hopefully sales will slow down and some of the prices will drop a little as people try to liquidate their assets to keep their own plans moving through a time when you'd be daft to buy a powerful RWD car. That said after seeing the prices this summer I am wondering if I'll have to stretch to 10K to get enough choice so I'm getting a good specimen. I put a lot of miles on my cars and never like changing car. This one will be my first upgrade by choice not by "beyond economical repair" like all my £500 specials have been so far. I've recently dug myself out of debt and as a treat started saving hard and fast for the sort of car I've always wanted. So I'm determined to hit that 8K the hard way, then maybe I'll consider a loan for a little bit extra, but I'd rather buy the car upfront so I can start pouring money into the savings account for when something expensive breaks.
Too early for that right now, but while I'll probably hit a trader for a test drive when the money is in the bank I do like the idea of buying from an enthusiast, so I'll be watching the sale forum like a hawk