HiddenWomble

After reading this I think if I were to look at a car from them I'd approach it as I would from a private seller. Take the car on it's merits as is and don't expect to have any further dealings with them after the sale. Then use any defects to haggle the price down instead of letting them BS about fixing it before pickup/delivery. So if's, and's, but's or maybe's on the HPI check either, sounds like they get their stock from the auction house as write offs!

Please don't post pics like that. I'm saving up for a zed and I'm trying to stay colour agnostic. I have a real soft spot for black and seeing such perfect curves in shiny black is not helping

Thanks all for the warm welcome

I think the prices for the HR zed do seem to be remaining strong. I sold my HR Roadster back in 2012 for £9k to a dealer. He put it on his forecourt for £12k. Looking at the prices now, they dont seem to have moved much since. Quite annoying for me as I paid £16k for the car 18 months before hand, so it dropped nearly £7k in the time I had it.

 

The HR is definitely the one to go for, although they are a bit rarer so you may have to shop around etc. Make sure the car is the HR model though and dont assume because its a 2007 (or even 2008) model it will be. They came in mid-2007 so you can get non HR 2007 models and we have even seen some 2008 registered non HR models. Easy way to check (besides the humped bonnet - which some people retro fit to older cars) is to open the bonnet and look at the engine. The HR model has 2 airboxes at the front and just the one aux drive belt at the front of the engine. Also it will rev to 7500.

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!

Have a look on the forum for cars. You will know they have been well looked after by enthusiasts and the history of the car will most likely be documented and known here. Would rather do this than go to a dealer myself. Don't forget to budget for mods because there is so much to do with these cars. You wont have any regrets getting one. Good luck with your search. Patience is key.

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.

I don't think an RX8 compares to a 350Z DE let alone an HR.

 

1. Must see 20 RX8's a day.

2. Sound.

3. Performance.

4. Looks.

 

You'll love your 350Z.

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.

Prices always seem to be stronger in the summer, if you are still saving then hopefully you'll find a decent one before winter. That said good condition HR cars will probably be hard to get for 8k, you may need a little more..

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.

Depending on what you can stretch to this guy's got his HR up for sale. He's looked after it very well and definitely worth the price as well

 

http://www.350z-uk.c...-313-49k-miles/

 

Good luck with the hunt mate

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

Edit:

It's official, I now have zeditus. Here is my zed after the 250 mile trek home

Hi all,

Been squirrelling my money away for a year now to get my first full flavour behaviour sports car. After much research on the net of facts, figures and peoples impressions I decided to aim for the 2007 HR 350Z. The other real contenders were the RX-8 and the S2000, but I'm not a fan of convertibles and I just like the idea of the raw ugg the 350z has over the RX-8.

I've got to the point now where my savings have passed the cost of the cheaper zeds so it's starting to feel more like a reality! So I've been reading up even more on what sort of things I need to know about owning a zed. So thanks all for your part in creating this forum that's chock full of great information

When I did my research on prices late last year I decided about £8K would give me enough choice for a 2007 with the new HR engine. I was surprised to see that if anything prices have gone up in the last 7 months! Could the final version of the 350z be stabilizing in price, or is it just because people don't like buying powerful RWD cars in the middle of winter?

Anyway, I'm just rambling now. My current car is a Mazda MX-3 (yes, a 3, not a 5) and the zed promises to more than double the power