sinbad Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 I had my import serviced at two different Nissan garages with no problems whatsoever. As Mike mentioned, TDi North, or TDI for that matter do work on 350z's and i still take my car there to this day (although not a 350z anymore ). Im pretty sure i read that the base model in japan didnt have the full vdc... My car was pretty much GT spec when imported, i had all the import, SVA sheets and spare keys too. I had the option to underseal by my importer for £50 too. Certainly dont regret going the import route. Never had any problems at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 I had my import serviced at two different Nissan garages with no problems whatsoever. As Mike mentioned, TDi North, or TDI for that matter do work on 350z's and i still take my car there to this day (although not a 350z anymore ). Im pretty sure i read that the base model in japan didnt have the full vdc... My car was pretty much GT spec when imported, i had all the import, SVA sheets and spare keys too. I had the option to underseal by my importer for £50 too. Certainly dont regret going the import route. Never had any problems at all. How much did you pay for it and how much did you sell it for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickya Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I bought JDM &: Advantages -saved approx £2500 to £3,000 as compared to UK model -had a lot lower mileage than same age UK model average -not a single scratch or stone chip on entire car. (other members have seen how good the paint is especially on bonnet, at JAE this year!) -car also came with Impul rear wing/ Fujitsubo titanium exhaust/ colour screen -may be more powerful than UK spec as mapped from Japan to 100Ron fuel & I always fill Tesco 99Ron fuel -servicing as normal UK model at any Nissan garage, though they are crap Disadvantages -maybe 10% to 25% higher insurance? -make sure it comes with spare key as mine didnt & had to get one made -if possible try to get Japanese service book You mat get less when you sell the car but you paid less for it in the first place. I saved £3k on purchase proce & Im not gona sell mine £3k less than a UK model come selling time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinbad Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I had my import serviced at two different Nissan garages with no problems whatsoever. As Mike mentioned, TDi North, or TDI for that matter do work on 350z's and i still take my car there to this day (although not a 350z anymore ). Im pretty sure i read that the base model in japan didnt have the full vdc... My car was pretty much GT spec when imported, i had all the import, SVA sheets and spare keys too. I had the option to underseal by my importer for £50 too. Certainly dont regret going the import route. Never had any problems at all. How much did you pay for it and how much did you sell it for? Thats private! I sold it for 3k less than i bought it for after 18months of ownership and 23k miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lomoto Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 How much did you pay for it and how much did you sell it for? Come on then Sarnie ...how much did you do on yours ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 How much did you pay for it and how much did you sell it for? Come on then Sarnie ...how much did you do on yours ?? Bought it for 25k and sold for 25k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lomoto Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 How much did you pay for it and how much did you sell it for? Come on then Sarnie ...how much did you do on yours ?? Bought it for 25k and sold for 25k wheels , exhaust ???? and what about the first Zed ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 How much did you pay for it and how much did you sell it for? Come on then Sarnie ...how much did you do on yours ?? Bought it for 25k and sold for 25k wheels , exhaust ???? and what about the first Zed ?? First one was bought for £20k and sold for £19k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike@mjpauto Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 The situation being discussed here is exactly the same as we saw for the 300ZX Z32 in the early '90s. Initially only a UK car would do and there were (unconvincing) arguments about availability of parts and lack of service facilities for JDM cars. There has always been an undertone of manufacturer's agents being anti-JDM and servicing may be refused. At one point Nissan parts departments were instructed to charge a customer for even making an enquiry for a JDM model part (even when the part was the same as for a UK car!). Also attempted p/ex of a JDM against a new Nissan UK model is likely to lead to derisory offers! The parts availability for JDM 300ZX models is excellent (better than UK parts sometimes). Servicing and repairs are now performed by a large number of specialists all over the country and Nissan service departments are rarely used! UK Z32s have been over here for seventeen years now and they have rusted! Underside floor and chassis generally OK but covered in surface rust. Brake pipes corrode badly. Servicing suspension parts often presents difficulties due to corrosion. Lower rear sill, sill return and wheel arch on the rear are prone to rust perforation in a big way and repair panels have been produced for this area. JDM Z32s are still arriving as new imports in a pretty rust free condition. I recently obtained a 1988 Z31 300ZX which is immaculate on the underside! Only JDM cars that have been here for a prolonged period may start to show the corrosion problems. Servicing on JDM imports has often been to a higher standard than UK servicing. There are more model variants and options available on JDM cars and often the owners have modified the cars with home market accessories, kits and performance items which would cost lots to implement over here. Parts supply through specialists such as myself should present no problems. As noted in other posts, the situation with the 350Z may be that JDM cars are lower spec and have less of the UK standard options, but buying carefully and understanding the differences will pay dividends and, as time goes by, the best JDM imports will become equivalent to or possibly exceed the quality of UK cars. However, one additional factor to consider is that the 350Z has been immensely successful by comparison to the UK issue of the Z32 300ZX - sales are greater by a factor of at least x5 at the moment and the model has more life in it yet. The change of perception in the Z32 came about partly due to the early demise of the UK car while the JDM version continued to evolve for five more years! This success of UK models may colour the perception of JDM 350Zs in years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev-the-Rev Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Useful post dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan118 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I thought JDM's had a smaller radiator and petrol tank? Have to be careful with the spec. Has it been thrashed in Japan? How accurate and genuine can a JDM's mileage be? I'd buy a JDM but it would have to be cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeap. * To be fair though there is as much chance of a UK car being thrashed as there is with an import so that isn't really an issue & as for the milage, I know pleanty of car dealers that have had the milage "amended" on uk spec cars ( not 350z's, but in general) fair enough the 1st service or so is in japanese but there are plenty of really good imports out there as I am sure there are some not so great ones, this however is down to you as a buyer to asses - regardless of weather or not the car is from Japan, England or anywhere else - my advice is to look at imports already in the UK, this is much easier as there are pleanty out there now they have been around a few yrs...Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zedrush Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 the only main disadvantage I can see is when it comes to you selling it on after you have had your time with it. There are plenty of independant garages who can do the servicing. The JDM will save you money over a UK car leaving you some spare cash perhaps for some mods. I am a UK owner but don't know of any JDM owner who has any regrets. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozz Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 Cheers for the comments guys...you can only post positive stuff now as I've bought a JDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Nice one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Lover Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 I know i'm biased, but I'm on my 7th JDM import - and have never sold them for less than I paid. However, from my experience if you are buying direct from Japan, you should do your homework and be 100 percent sure about the concept of buying a car from just seeing pictures and an auction report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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