stevie_350z

happy birthday louis, you old codger.

I leave the TC on all the time, it doesn't come on if you are driving well ;-) And if you don't have it on and get cocky on some of the corners (ie. the ones where all the spectators are) then you have a long trip home to regret... You might want to bring a change of trousers ;-)

Sounds like a lot of conjecture to me with no consensus :-) Worry about something else, is what I say, like finding *any* petrol What's the latest scientific estimate - 41 yrs oil left at current consumption rates? Let's half that for good measure!

congratulations, Liam Jnr, or Liam II, Liam Mark 2?

thanks, martin. So nothing extra low down, but once you get going it's a rocket. I assume you've got 18 RAYS, I wonder if it feels better with fat 19s or even bigger (but 20s might look a bit much?). I see the GTR has 20s... and I like the fat look of the Porsche GT3

Who has had some dints fixed in Surrey? I need a door dint doing

Hey martin... I couldn't see a report from you on how different the car was to drive? Would love a good report on performance "feel" in 1st, 2nd .. acceleration in 5th/6th etc

Just had a replacement gear knob fitted... and the bloody thing is a dull, matt gray colour! Pointed it out to dealer and he thought it was to do with wear (ie. the gray one will miraculously turn black through my fevered gripping) but soon saw the error of his ways when I pointed out all the other Zs on his forecourt (ok, just the one then) that had the same old knob as me. Photo taken and they are going back to nissan - but he said "there's only one choice in black... and that's it" - but, I said "that aint black, it's gray." Should be interesting! Puts me off spending all that cash on a GTR if this is the kind of dodgy crap you get from dealers. Anyone else got a gray knob?

When someone on here confidently asserts "both are good..up to X,Y,Z" it would be awesome to have some data/evidence... otherwise I, and probably others, just ignore it as Yet Another Opinion

Works for me too, Martin - nice one! What's the latest then? Nose back on, job done? What testing needs to be done?

Can't see any pics on that page, mate. +!

No worries Martin! Sounds frustrating, but hang on in there... I'm sure they're just working extra hard to do the best job possible....

Aye, what's the deal... mebbe Martin's spinning round the back roads and too busy to report back...

True! I was just making the point that any mods may not be the OPs to sell.... The move to Tokyo has come around unexpectedly so we are currently looking at the least financially disasterous solution for the Z as there are still 14 months left on the contract: 1. Sell it back to the dealer and pay off the finance and make up the shocking amount of shortfall - getting any dealer to give us a price is proving to be a nightmare.... 2. If possible, sell it privately and make up less of a shortfall. 3. If the numbers for 1 and 2 above don't work (ie the shortfall is more than the payments outstanding + insurance + servicing and possibly storage), park it in a garage for a year and then hand it back when it is due. Trouble is, this is too good an opportunity to miss, much as getting rid of the Z is going to be a wrench! Glen Surely its simple? If 14 X your monthly payments is less than the shortfall you'd have to make up then you'd just keep it and hand it back in 14 months time? DOn't forget to include the insurance in the "things I don't have to pay"... and who's going to look after it over 14 months? It needs to be driven, so think about that 1.25 a litre it cost me tonight! BARSTEWARDS!

If you're moving to Tokyo you'll be handing them back anyway?

Hey prescience, the car does feel like yours (you have the V5, unlike HP) but if you are a mod addict like Jay and Tim, then it probably isn't for you I don't think it's quite the same as when you've bought it outright, but then again I would never have been able to afford a new Z outright so I didn't have the luxury. My mate is getting a new 911 C2S on PCP, putting only a couple of grand in and ponying up a huge monthly. It works for him and there is no way he could afford (or want to put the cash up) in one lump, even if that might "feel" better @ Dicky - think of a PCP as deferring the purchase cost of a car you can't afford right now, until some future point, and that you pay for it in three parts: 1. You pay a deposit YOU feel happy with (usually 10%, but can be more) 2. You pay a monthly charge for the sum of money that is $LIST PRICE - $ DEPOSIT - $MGV (e.g. 18K) 3. At the end of 3 years, you pay the MGV (or hand keys back, or PX). BTW, you also agree an annual mileage (e.g. 10K) and if you go over that there is often a per-mile charge (e.g. 6p) at the end of 3 years.

If you have an aversion or inability to put big amounts of cash into a car, you get it on a cheapers monthly than a loan because you defer a sum of money to a future point - ie. the GFV. So if the car is priced @ 30K and the 3 year GFV is 12K then you just pay the equivalent of 17K + interest over three years. Therefore, you get to use a better car over three years than if you were using a bank loan / HP. It suited me fine and I would do it again - anyone else out there doing it, feel free to PM me to help out... I'm off to see the dealer next week so will update what I find from a settlement fee. My Z is a 55 plate and has done 35K miles, so if I call Nissan GB up then they should be able to tell me if there's value in the car, or if I owe them money etc.

Hello all, At the end of this year my PCP is up on the Zed. Three years, two Wales trips and countless meets under the (ever growing) belt, time to decide. I am still looking for my PCP contract but could have sworn that the guaranteed future value was pretty low, something around 12K - or was that a "minimum number" and the real number is something far higher and worse... ...until I find the damn contract, has anyone else willing to share what their GFV is? I'm hoping to keep + customize the car, but who knows what will happen... TIA Steve

Reminds me of that George Michael episode of Star Stories

No no, sorry my bad description. When I'm revving normally over 3k revs, there's more and more vibration normally, right? Well that normal vibration is now causing rattling from the gear stick. Sorry for confusion, Mr Lambo! How's the credit crunch treating ya?

no idea - just had the p3 done and nothing was mentioned about the clutch, not that that means much with nissan. Had to replace all the brake pads + front discs tho. Now I've got a wrattling gear nob - thought it was my cuff links at first, but now I know it's a rattling noise when the knob vibrates (e.g. high revs in 1st!) - any idea?

It is a great place, everytime I insure the car for euro travel I ask them about Germany and 'one way unrestricted toll roads' they don;t know what Im on about and say I'm insured on all German roads. I guess this means I'm not insured but IF I ever needed to use it then I really hope they have recorded that phone call for training purposes!! lol I guess its about not trying to hard and enjoying it more than worrying about times, I've driven over 40 laps now and am getting use to the track, really there's about 6 bends out the 170+ to worry about and the accidents are normally in the same places, so as long as you know where you need to be extra careful then generally you'll be ok. Cheers Ando Sound advice - it sounds obvious, but if you can remember the bends where you can go flat out and those where you have to be careful (ie. those with plenty of spectators) then you will be sweet! It's better to take the bend over the hill too slowly and then curse cos ya could've gone faster, rather than the other way!! :-)

woreod / UY?

Thanks lads. I know the Z has a noisy clutch, but this *feels* different... ratchety... I hope it's not my knee joint!

our annual trip is July 11th if anyone else is planning to go then. We're one driver down (he's swapping his M3 for a new 997 - git!), but we are *gaining* a smart roadster So that will be a 350z, a chip'd BMW 335d, a Scooby and the Smart. The Smart owner hasn't been to the ring before and thinks he'll keep up with us because of the bends - didn't have the heart to tell him (it will be a nice surprise) that some bends can be taken over 100mph! Might take a towing bar and drag him and his roadster around - screaming!