Jords

Just wanted to post something about the new d1 gt spec throttle controller that I bought from tarmac sports but only recently decided to fit. Wow, I didnt think it would make the difference that it did. It makes the car feel so much livelier and more responsive. It has a lot of different settings so I quickly found what works for me. The throttle felt a little lazy without it. Fitment is so easy. Took maybe 5-10 minutes and then set it up just as quickly once it was wired in. In short its worth the money, get one!!

As sporty and performance cars get older they inevitably fall into the hands of some people who abuse them or just turn them into track cars for the road / drifters etc. Sometimes the cars reputation suffers and the price falls regardless of mileage (within reason) and condition. It happen with my old type r civic, they are literally worth peanuts regardless of condition and it seemed to happen quite rapidly. It can go the other way though and make nicer models more appealing though.

Lambda sensors in the exhaust can be intermittently faulty and can easily be disturbed. If you still have the catalytic converters then a spacer won't help, the spacers are to try and trick the sensor into not reading the bad gasses that the cats are supposed to stop. Best bet is to get the ecu read for the codes. Or if your impatient like me just reset the ecu and if it doesn't come back on straight away it is at least an indication that it's an intermittent sensor problem.

Can always post a link and ask opinions on anything that your going to see. You never know it may be a car known to someone here.

The majority of the uk cars are the gt spec. I never knew there was a standard UK without the gt bits. I presumed if it was a zed and didn't have leathers/brembos etc then it was most likely an import.

I would stick a cheeky offer in on mine, get it mapped and squeeze a few bhp out of it haha. Seriously though.... Revups have a little more power, 7500 may squeeze a HR model if your lucky. It all depends what you want from your car.. I'd pick a good clean motor with all the service history and leave a little spare cash for personal touches or maintenance. The last thing on the list for me would be which model it was as the motors are all strong (revup models can drink a bit of oil but not ridiculous amounts, just check every couple of weeks). People with the HR model all seem to say the extra power and higher redline makes a massive difference so may be worth considering finding one rather than buying an earlier model and wishing you'd bought the HR. I'd make sure you get a gt model for the heated seats and brembos etc..

There's still a few gems to be found on the earlier models and imports. Tends to be the bodywork that suffers rather than engines.

Oh and as for the year/variant... 2004 - DE engine 276 bhp cheap tax 2005 - DE Revup engine, 296 bhp I think. Drink oil sometimes but equally reliable and a little more power. 2007 onwards - HR engine, 313 bhp and more changes inside and out. Remember the tax bands changed in March of 2006, so anything after that is 500quid a year. Before the change its a lot less (can't remember exactly)

Personally I would say get the gt pack with the extras. The price difference now is minimal and will help you sell on in years to come if you decide to. There will be a time when your on a long run and cruise control would be good. Sat nav isn't great so don't worry about that bit. Im pretty sure brembos are part of the gt pack, again they will be better and are more popular. As for soft top vs coupe... If it was winter time I'd be hunting for a soft top at a reduced price. With summer around the corner convertibles are starting to rise in price a little, so move quickly but be smart if you want one. The forum is great for any info should you get one with issues. Generally they are very reliable and the engines are strong. So if the engine sounds sweet and it drives sweet then your onto a winner.

PRICE LOWERED TO £6450, The car doesn't fit up my new driveway (very steep)

Without speedbumps locally would help but not essential

I second this. One more to make it official. Anyone?

My thought on that scenario is that if the car is still putting a smile on your face and you have the time to drive it then keep it and enjoy it. Sell it when your ready or you'll only wish you kept it a little longer haha

Who knows though if the zed doesn't sell it can live in the garage at the new house and live a pampered life haha

For now I don't think I can justify having a car. I have 2 work vans and carry out property Renovations. Business has been getting very busy over the past year or two and I've just bought a new house for myself that's going to need completely gutting aswell. There's a few cars on the want list, possibly a newer shape m3 (2009 ish) or 370z nismo. For now the 370z is more than I would want to pay so will watch the prices and see if they come down a little once they have a few years on them.

If my zed wasn't for sale I would be changing the exhaust next.. I loved the civic I just found myself wanting more gadgets and more of an all round car for evenings and weekends.

I would like to get to this if the car hasn't sold by the time the meet comes up..

Likewise mate, I had an ep3. Did a lot of n/a mods and had it mapped by tdi north. In the end I started running nitrous, all on a custom exhaust paired to a standard backbox! In fact a friend ran his supercharged ep3 on the standard backbox and pulled just over 300bhp (that's what made me realise it wasn't restrictive). The mugen twinloop as far as I know was a compromise of power increase without the additional noise. Some of the other systems gave better gains but where dreadfully loud. There was a point when you could still get the fujitsubo legalis r or the hks hipower silent exhaust which was supposed to be very quiet with maximum flow. Dunno about the hks but the legalis was a few thousand pound at least.

If your talking about Honda then the lads like the 'mugen twin loop exhausts'. It's basically an oem+ type of thing. A little more free flowing than standard but keeping the noise down a bit. Never seen anything on a different car brand but I would expect they would be similar in terms of noise/performance.

As previously said, open cold air intakes generally don't work. They do however make a nicer noise. If you get one that's located far enough from the engine you may see a few bhp on a cold day. I use a mishimoto induction kit with the heat shield which at least makes some effort to stop the hot air getting in. A worthwhile spend if the benefit your wanting is a nicer intake noise, not so much of your trying to gain every last number on the dyno.

Or alternatively you can get complete rear arches from nissan for around £500 or so each side. Then find someone confident in welding them in and painting them.

My motor has had the rear arches sorted. A local company helped me out on it. If the affected Metal is completely removed and done properly it will last. The problem is that rust can easily pop up somewhere else if not looked into carefully. My advice is do what I did, and find a vehicle restoration Specialist used to working with classic cars and such. They usually know exactly what they are doing.

Thanks for the advice on that, I was thinking similar but I simply haven't had the time to take it out and try. Better to be honest though.

Hello people, After a good while thinking about it I have decided to advertise my zed for sale. I've loved owning this car but with the purchase of a new home and business being so busy I do not have the time to drive the car. It seems it's time to let the car go to someone who will enjoy it.. Details of the car: 2004 350z DE GT spec Gunmetal 91k with service history, last service from atkins only a few hundred miles ago. Previously serviced for me by jct600 (personal friend is a mechanic for them and personally looked after the car for me) Recently had all oils changed (diff, gearbox and engine oil at jct) All tyres have plenty left on them. 2 keys 'Z' indicators Satin 'z' badges Upgraded power bulge bonnet Full nismo kit consisting of full front bumper, side skirts, rear spats and spoiler Lowered on eibach springs and wheel spacers 19 inch fuel racing staggered alloy wheels Rear arches professionally rolled Mishimoto induction kit with heatshield Aftermarket pioneer touch screen with DAB/bluetooth etc. When I first purchased the car is was showing signs of rust on the rear arches, and so it went to G&A Spence restoration specialists and had the following work done: Rear arches stripped Isolated rust removed with new metal welded in, zinc primed and treated. Full cavity waxoyl injection 'Stonechipped' on the inner arches and between bumper and wing before paint to ensure no rubbing or stonechips can cause rust in future. I have listed the above to be truthful and honest about the car, but I also believe it is a good selling point for a car of its age as more and more of them are suffering from rust. After the work that I have had done I would not expect to see an issue for some time! Lots more photo's available just ask if you would like to see more.. With all cars there are a few small negatives which I will now list, I will fix these if I can, but I think I have reflected these issues in the asking price: Wheels have a few scabs and could do with a refurb 2 small stonechips in windscreen but not dangerous or cracked (may have been filled previously as they were there when I bought the car) Front brakes judder slightly at higher speed (may be down to it being parked up for long periods of time, may need new front discs) A few sensors that have flashed up faulty in the past - lambda sensor and airbag sensor. Atkins checked this out and advised they are common intermittent faults and not an issue. Apart from that the car is a real head turner and I have tried my best to look after it. I may have missed some points so please feel free to ask if there is anything more you would like to know. Asking price is £6750.00 o.n.o, I will update should I get round to fixing any of the minor issues.

See if my de with upgrades suits you if you don't find anything, I will be seriously considering selling mine on the run up to summer. (Apologies if this comes a cross as an advert for sale, I'm officially allowed to advertise it on the forum in 4 days.)