Raggamuffin

It was one I saw on auto trader. Its already been imported. Auto wasn't my first choice, but it was low mileage in black for a very cheap price. Then only appeal to an automatic is making the rush hour commute more relaxing, not having to worry about the clutch. Ed

Eh, I'm reeling in the impulse buy. I could float it on finance but then I'd be financially broke for another 6 months or so. Whereas if I save up there's no stress about repayments etc and I could still afford to buy one in time for summer. The road tax was cheaper for some reason but the insurance was a lot steeper on an import. I think realistically I want a face lift, UK spec manual model. Whilst this one was an absolute bargain at 4500, I think I need to be patient and actually save up I'm rather fed up of years of financing things. Its impulse buys then months broke whilst I hurriedly pay off what's owed as quickly as possible. I just paid off a 2 year one 14 months early and I'm already planning to do a similar thing. Boys and their toys eh. Ed

I'm intending to keep it as a project car - so I'd be intending to upgrade the brakes in time anyway. The odometer now reads the new lower reading in miles not km - will that be ok for the MOT then? They said it was a US speedometer.

I'll have to ask if it has the Brembo brakes. Here's a few images. probably can't see from them. It's a 2004 reg:

One issue I see is the MOT logged 115796 miles, but the advert says just shy of 72k miles. I did a conversion of 115796 km to miles and it seems that's what's happened. Problem is - would this cause an issue in the MOT? presenting a car which has apparently done thousands of miles less than it had done in the previous MOT? Ed

Hi all, Looking at a JP import 350z automatic. Under 75k miles. Potentially buying on the weekend. Are there any disadvantages to owning an import asides from resale value? I rang a Nissan garage and they said in terms of servicing it shouldn't be problematic in terms of parts etc (although I'd go with a 3rd party garage). The garage selling the car said JP cars are electronically limited to 115mph. Speedo has been converted as has the sat nav with a brand new unit. Service book is stamped, but other than that - it's a bit of a shot in the dark? What do you reckon I should look out for when viewing it? The garage said there is no corrosion and it's a pretty spotless example. Ed

Sounds like a plan batman. Ed

Very good advice. I think I'll be shopping around and test driving a fair few before buying. In the past I tended to finance or take loans out for cars. It made the process a bit more rushed. Spending months saving will make me less eager to part with my cash. I'll make sure I get a nice example for a solid foundation for my next project car. Ed

There was a part of me considering a higher mileage and cheaper car. There's a fair few around the 5-5500 mark which might be suitable. Even with project cars I find myself keeping them 1-2 years at most and I drive around 12k miles a year. So a low mileage one might not be justified. I have to say, I can't get over the amount of replies in such a short space of time. It means a lot. Got a lot of reading material now too. If I aim for a cheaper car I could enjoy it over summer. With regards to rust, has anyone undertaken and rust prevention for the arches etc? Having owned 3 Ford Pumas I know all too well about how these issues can progress. That's awesome dedication. I do enjoy a road trip to get a car, but NI? Hats off to you - I bet that was amazing. My mum's side of the family is from Ireland - wonderful country and some amazing roads and scenery. I worked a fair few jobs in Cambridge - the commute was awful. So much traffic in that city. I enjoyed going to school and college there. It's a nice city - but very busy. I'm living in March these days (it was the closest to Cambridge I could afford to buy a house, lol). There's a fair few boy racers in March, not many of them have nice cars. My last job I worked in Kings Lynn and every night there'd be a convoy of boy racers who'd park up on the road I worked on. Back then I did an evening shift and the building was in an industrial estate. Every night they'd be drag racing down one of the roads. Huge variety of cars - from asthmatic hatchbacks to Audi RS's and even an i8. I'm going to get some of these articles read some more. This is all giving me a lot more enthusiasm to get this project started sooner. In recent years I've reigned in my spending to fund project cars - so I should be saving £5-600 a month. I bought my current car for £4500 last July - so I should be able to net £4k or high 3000's when I come to P/X or sell it. I reckon it'd be worth putting in some overtime over the next few months and get some money faster. With enough dedication I'd be able to this car sooner than expected. Thanks again for all the replies. I'll start a forum project post when I get the car. Looking forward to sharing a new project/story. Ed

That's some great info, thanks for that. I wouldn't have expected massive gains tbh, but it's nice to see how it adds small touches to the overall performance of the car. I'd have the car a while before modifying it, much like I did with my Ford Puma. I spent thousands on parts and mods, but the gains were minimal. It didn't deter me enjoying the project as a whole as its a fun hobby for me to have project cars. Ed

Thanks all for the prompt and informative replies. I'll do some more reading up on things whilst I continue to save up. Ed

Many thanks

Hi all, I'm currently saving up for a 350z as my next project car. I had some questions to ask on here and wanted to join a forum for owners and enthusiasts. Hopefully you can help. Firstly, I was planning on a budget of around £7500 and will be looking to buy a car with less than 60k miles on the clock, a maximum of 3 owners and FSH, or even full dealership history. I know the cars from 2006 onwards are charged higher road tax. Are there any changes to later model 350z's that make it worth getting a newer example, or would it be best to stick with an earlier model to save £240 or so a year on tax? For a car with less than 60k miles on the clock - what should I ensure has been done on the car before considering buying? Clutch, water pump, brakes etc. Nissan service costs - are they worth the extra money, or is a reputable garage just as good to go for? In terms of costs for major services, parts etc - is this quite high? I've had a lot of cars over the years, but for the most part they've been European hatchbacks and nothing too sporty, so I'm not sure if I'll be paying a premium for servicing or repairing a Japanese sports car. How long do tyres last, and what sort of cost are they for good brand tyres? MPG - I imagine it'll be mid-teens to mid-20's depending how I drive? For the most part I drive sensibly and don't have a heavy foot. What's the higher MPG people have seen on motorways out of interest? Does the car have a MPG feature so I can regularly check the figures? How does the car behave when driven sensibly? How is the clutch on this car? How long does the clutch last when driven sensibly (most of the time). Entertainment - I'm looking to get one with the Bose speaker upgrade. I wanted to know how many speakers this comes with? Are they good quality? Can the car fit a double DIN head unit if I wished to upgrade? Handling and comfort - This will be my first RWD car. Is it unruly to drive or does it feel user friendly with fast road driving? I'm 6'4 - how is it for taller drivers in terms of space and visibility or blind spots? I've heard good things about the comfort of the car. Is this both the seats and ride smoothness? Does the car have a happy medium between comfort and handling? If I wanted to sharpen up the handling, would getting full poly bushings ruin ride comfort? Modifications - I'm a fan of the sleeper car, and all modifications will be engine and handling related - no gaudy body kits, stickers or stancing. Similar to my last project car, I'd be wanting a custom inlet manifold, cold air induction, sports cams, larger throttle body, sports exhaust manifold and high flow cat (with standard back boxes). With these sorts of modifications and a remap what sort of figures could I hope to achieve? Shortfalls - are there any gremlins I may encounter which are common issues? Any problems with corrosion or electrical shortcomings? Is the road noise bad? Is the cabin prone to interior rattles? Are the headlights decent or is it worth investing in better quality bulbs? As I'm currently saving, I'll be buying this car in late summer. With this in mind, how is the car in autumn/winter? Is it tail happy but controllable? Or a little unruly if you give it some beans and the roads are wet? Finally - presence on the road. I assume it draws attention to itself at times? Do you find you ever get many boy racers trying to prove themselves when they see you on the road? I always found traffic light racing dull, I always prefer to leave them behind in the corners. Any advice would be much appreciated. Ed