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Hi everyone,

 

Before I dig into the post just thought I'd quickly introduce myself! I'm Ghulam I'm 21 years old and based in West Yorkshire. I'd say I've been very lucky as I have owned some fantastic cars and I'm still young. I started off with a Corsa (like most teenagers :D) and I then went on to buy a Seat Leon Cupra R, Fiesta ST3, Leon Cupra again but this time a newer model, Golf R and I now currently own a JCW Mini Cooper S. I'm a student but I'm living at home and I work hard so I've always been able to buy cars whereas most people my age go out partying and getting drunk I was working to buy a car :yahoo:

 

I've been wanting to create my own 'Project Car' for sometime now and I've always wanted to do it with a Japanese car. I looked at Honda S2000s, Toyota GT86, but I've decdided to go for a 350z. The car will be used on the weekends and I plan on turning it into a Rocketbunny 350z. My sister has a Ford Ka, so I plan on using that as a daily and have the 360z on the side. Especially with winter approaching here in the UK I'd plan on renting a garage and keeping the 350z in there.


i have read the forums and looked at the running costs, most people are getting around 25mpg on their car. To me this doesn't bother me as 1. Its a 3.5L car you cant be expecting really good MPG off it as its not realistic 2. The car wont be used as a daily so it doesn't worry me. Tax once again doesn't worry me as I probably will SORN the car over winter and not drive it at all whilst I save money for the modifications I want to make and unveil in summer.

 

I've also read that buying the 350z with the HR engine (2007 and later) if I'm correct is the way to go. Apparently it also works a lot better with modifications too which I read off other forums compared to the older engines?

I've been checking ads to see if they have a picture of the engine bay so I can see the two air intakes to prove it is a HR engine as I believe some 2007 models contain the older engine.

 

My current plan is to either part exhange my Mini (was bought for £12,500) and get a 350z that way or look at selling the Mini privately and finding my own.
I've looked at the buying guides and videos online on what to look for when buying a 350z so I don't want to waste anyone's time on here asking the same old questions as I'm sure you guys will be tired of answering them:lol:

 

I just wanted to ask if anyone could recommened any insurance companies who'd offer a decent quote. I plan on ringing a few companies such as flux direct, aviva and direct line tomorrow to get quotes. As that is my main concern right now. I was also wondering if it would be possible for me to PM anyone on here some links of ads I have seen and see what people think? I'm still learning about the 350z and I'm sure there'll be loads of people on here with more knowledge than me. If anyone is from Yorkshire, I'd love to potentially take someone from the forum with me to look at a few vehicles, I'd be happy to pick them up and buy them lunch etc. Plus would be a good way to get to know some of you guys :D

 

If there are any other things I should look out for please do drop a reply below I'd appreciate it!

Cheers folks :)

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Welcome along, good luck with the hunt for the right Zed :thumbs:

 

Can't be much help with the insurance as I'm in a different bracket (being old now :lol: ) couple of companies on here will be worth talking to though and I'm sure some of the younger members will post up who they have found to insure them :)

 

Get a build thread going on here when you start and lots of pics please - keep us all amused in the long cold winter nights with your progress :thumbs:

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If it helps im when i insured my Zed i was 24 with 1 years no claims and i live in a fairly rough area and it was pretty much £1000 spot on for my insurance. Also welcome along ill look forward to watching your build :D 

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Cheers for the replies guys! I’ll definitely get a thread going on the build as soon as I purchase the car! 

5 hours ago, Redsky said:

If it helps im when i insured my Zed i was 24 with 1 years no claims and i live in a fairly rough area and it was pretty much £1000 spot on for my insurance. Also welcome along ill look forward to watching your build :D 

Which insurance company were you using for this? I’m hoping I can get something similar to that! 

 

Also another question to ask guys, in terms of mileage would you say it matters? Seen a few with 100K+ miles which are cheaper and have been well maintained. 

 

Or would you say it’s better paying a bit more and going for one with lower mileage? 

Edited by GhulamAfzal11
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Hi and welcome from another noob

I too come from the mini fold, having a pretty well modded R56, which disintegrated pistons (twice) and currently a high power R53, which has also just disintegrated BE shells haha

My advice - if it's modded get shot soon my friend and look forward to the  fight over the ads  :boxing::lol:

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:welcome: to the forum. I'm 23, got 3 years ncb and insured with Admiral at the start of the year for £850. 

 

I wouldn't get too hung up on mileage as I'm sure a lot of the guys on here will agree, a well maintained and cared for Z with higher mileage is a far better choice than one with low mileage that's been neglected. 

 

In terms of engines you're right there are some late registered 2007 cars that have the DE engine but it's easy to tell by whether they have a single or dual intake. 

 

If you have a search on here you'll see there's a lot of debate about DE vs HR engines although I think there's more choice of mods with the DE.

 

Good luck with the hunt, look forward to reading your build thread :thumbs:

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2 hours ago, GhulamAfzal11 said:

Cheers for the replies guys! I’ll definitely get a thread going on the build as soon as I purchase the car! 

Which insurance company were you using for this? I’m hoping I can get something similar to that! 

 

Also another question to ask guys, in terms of mileage would you say it matters? Seen a few with 100K+ miles which are cheaper and have been well maintained. 

 

Or would you say it’s better paying a bit more and going for one with lower mileage? 

Im with elephant at the moment but when i was first trying to get the car insured admiral did get me a slightly lower quote but it was less than it would have cost to change my insurance over. Going to have a proper hunt around when I get my renewal though. Hopefully something nice for the 25 drop too :D 

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13 hours ago, veeg33 said:

Hello and welcome :wave:

 

Mine's currently for sale if this interest you -->

 

I'm looking at 2007 models and above but I did have a look at your ad the car looks mint! Thing is I'm looking at part exhanging my Mini as I don't think I'm going to have much luck selling it privately otherwise I'd be interested in purchasing. You're also not too far from me too as I'm from Batley so Huddersfield is only 10-15 mins away! If there was another way I'd love to purchase

 

8 hours ago, Willy said:

Hi and welcome from another noob

I too come from the mini fold, having a pretty well modded R56, which disintegrated pistons (twice) and currently a high power R53, which has also just disintegrated BE shells haha

My advice - if it's modded get shot soon my friend and look forward to the  fight over the ads  :boxing::lol:

Wow I would have been put off after the first piston that disintegrated! I guess you have had your fair share of bad luck when it comes to Minis! I was lucky with mine as it was owned by a technician who worked for Mini and he bought it for his wife so its been really well looked after!

 

7 hours ago, Jack94 said:

:welcome: to the forum. I'm 23, got 3 years ncb and insured with Admiral at the start of the year for £850. 

 

I wouldn't get too hung up on mileage as I'm sure a lot of the guys on here will agree, a well maintained and cared for Z with higher mileage is a far better choice than one with low mileage that's been neglected. 

 

In terms of engines you're right there are some late registered 2007 cars that have the DE engine but it's easy to tell by whether they have a single or dual intake. 

 

If you have a search on here you'll see there's a lot of debate about DE vs HR engines although I think there's more choice of mods with the DE.

 

Good luck with the hunt, look forward to reading your build thread :thumbs:

I'll definitely look into the HR vs DE engine as a lot of the threads I was reading suggested the HR was better for modifications. Although they were off American enthusiasts so I'm not sure if the UK owners have the same opinion! £850 is cheap considering its a v6 I'd take that price in a heartbeat. I'm hoping for nothing more than £1400 otherwise I'll look into specialists who can offer something cheap on a sports car.

 

7 hours ago, Redsky said:

Im with elephant at the moment but when i was first trying to get the car insured admiral did get me a slightly lower quote but it was less than it would have cost to change my insurance over. Going to have a proper hunt around when I get my renewal though. Hopefully something nice for the 25 drop too :D 

Yeah 25 is definitely the sweet spot for insurance I bet you can't wait for a quote this year xD

I'm with Diamond at the moment but Diamond is a sub company of Elephant and they are both have the same owners so fingers crossed I'm hoping I can get a good deal off them when my renewal comes through.


Also cheers for the replies guys :)

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 :welcome: Welcome to the forum and good look with the Zed hunt. Been almost 5 years since I picked up my first Zed and still remember the excitement of picking it up!

 

Insurance wise, my first Zed I had insured with Elephant at a very reasonable price. They weren't bothered about me putting an after market air intake and exhaust unless I got the engine re-mapped as well. My current Zed, which has a lot more modifications they wouldn't insure me on so changed over to Adrian Flux.

Edited by grumpyoldjanner
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Good luck with the sale or part ex, check with one of the mod if  you can advertise your Mini here to part ex for 350z. Unfortunately I'm looking for an estate :scare: else I might be interested with a Mini.

 

If you managed to sell the Mini privately, please do check back here as I'm not actively selling it at the moment hence it could well still be here and still just 10-15mins away.

Edited by veeg33
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8 hours ago, veeg33 said:

Good luck with the sale or part ex, check with one of the mod if  you can advertise your Mini here to part ex for 350z. Unfortunately I'm looking for an estate :scare: else I might be interested with a Mini.

 

If you managed to sell the Mini privately, please do check back here as I'm not actively selling it at the moment hence it could well still be here and still just 10-15mins away.

Cheers for that I'll definitely message a mod to see if I can advertise on here. Been offered £9000 for it from a dealer but wanting to squeeze out for £10K if I can! I'm surprised its not sold by now to be honest, yeah you're not too far away so I may have to pop round to have a look.

I've seen this one advertised on auto trader:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201709119189635?logcode=visc&fromSA=true


But I'm not sure if its worth paying that sort of price.

Edited by GhulamAfzal11
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Not a bad price. I would have a think about what mods you are looking to do and see if anything is for sale that has some of those mods done, especially if its on here as there will be build threads in all likelihood. It saves a fair wedge of cash to have things done in advance and the 350z has been around long enough for a lot of these cars to have various work done to them. 

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Ahhh I've never really thought of it that way! I'll definitely look into that, thing is with the modifcations I want to make not many cars in the UK will have them thus I would rather have a stock 350z and tune it to my liking as it will be a project build. I'm just stuck between whether to go for the DE or HR engine. Although HR is superior apparently DE is a lot easier in terms of aftermarket parts?

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On ‎03‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 16:25, GhulamAfzal11 said:

Cheers for that I'll definitely message a mod to see if I can advertise on here. Been offered £9000 for it from a dealer but wanting to squeeze out for £10K if I can! I'm surprised its not sold by now to be honest, yeah you're not too far away so I may have to pop round to have a look.

I've seen this one advertised on auto trader:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201709119189635?logcode=visc&fromSA=true


But I'm not sure if its worth paying that sort of price.

I think that's a pricey zed IMO. You can get an OK 370z at that price with slightly more mileage.

 

I'm definitely biased here --> old DE (mine) are on the lower tax bracket, £300 per year compared to £500. HR has issue with oil gallery gasket (not all of them but most). You can easily mod a DE to achieve similar power or higher than an HR with the ££ you saved from road tax B)

 

HR guys :surrender:

 

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14 hours ago, veeg33 said:

I think that's a pricey zed IMO. You can get an OK 370z at that price with slightly more mileage.

 

I'm definitely biased here --> old DE (mine) are on the lower tax bracket, £300 per year compared to £500. HR has issue with oil gallery gasket (not all of them but most). You can easily mod a DE to achieve similar power or higher than an HR with the ££ you saved from road tax B)

 

HR guys :surrender:

 

I've decided to go for the DE as it's cheaper tax and the aftermarket support for parts is a lot better. Yes the HR engine is superior but I plan on tuning mine anyway so it'll beat the HR xD

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Yeah... It won't. Ignoring the power difference completely, you won't get the extra 1000rpm that really makes the HR feel special. VED cost is utterly irrelevant if you're going to mod anyway :lol:

 

Find me a DE that makes the same power as the HR with no FI and that doesn't cost more than the extra £2K you'd need to get into a HR in the first place. I mean, get a DE if that's all you can afford as they're still brilliant but as the HR is just better in every conceivable way that if you can, you really should.

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I imagine the beating the HR comment was a bit tongue in cheek. It makes little sense to buy a DE and spend thousands getting it to the level of an HR when you could just buy an HR, but hey its the modding bug and I guess there is no sense in any of it ;) I wouldn't cite VED as a reason to buy the DE either, an HR with a new set of tyres on it vs a DE with tyres than need changing will cost you the same over the first couple of years - £200 is nothing for these cars considering all the perishables that you might have to replace (a plenum spacer for example will cost you the best part of £200 and is the cheapest part of modding a DE power up).

 

Only advice I can give is think hard, don't launch into a purchase you spent 10 minutes going over in the dark (I spent 6 weeks looking at cars and bought one 200 miles away from me and took a mate as a second set of eyes), don't be afraid to check the car out via members on here for any previous history before parting with your hard earned.

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