Looking for my first Z

[Sinjj]

Hi guys currently been hunting a little while only for people to let me down or not be straight up, a lot of dodgy MOTs, Milage clocks and hidden corrosion later and here I am. I’m looking for preferably a white or black 350z and imported but open to different colours, I suppose a lot of these issues are due to the fact I’m on a budget of £4000-£5000 but I’m also open to the car having minor issues as it’s going to be a daily/project not a show car (right away who knows) , hence the reason I’m within this budget and not splashing 7000-10000 on my first Z. Any help and or advice would be amazing and if this isn’t the right forum to be posting this then I’m happy to remove it :)

[ATTAK Z]

Welcome to our club ... just to point out you'll be lucky to find a white one as not many entered this country.

[coldel]

Welcome along, did you say above your preference was imported? Any reason for that?

[Sinjj]

48 minutes ago, ATTAK Z said:

Welcome to our club ... just to point out you'll be lucky to find a white one as not many entered this country.

Yeah I see the major price difference in the white vs say grey, the colours not a huge thing for me as it may get wrapped in the future, would just be easier, just not orange/tan, nothing wrong with that colour just not my preference 

[Sinjj]

39 minutes ago, coldel said:

Welcome along, did you say above your preference was imported? Any reason for that?

Yeah man, import is a preference but again not a huge problem if not, the past couple months I’ve been looking and correct me if I’m wrong as I may well be but I find that imports have less corrosion problems and some not all have been more well looked after. Just my own personal experience in trying to find one 

[coldel]

I dont think thats actually a thing - if its been imported and not properly undersealed then you will see that the car will experience as much corrosion as any other UK car. I have owned an imported R33 and Celica GT4 and both were extensively undersealed. Ive also seen imported cars not done properly that are falling apart. Imports are few and far between, especially when you factor in your price and colour. I would assess each car on its merits not its origin.

[Sinjj]

29 minutes ago, coldel said:

I dont think thats actually a thing - if its been imported and not properly undersealed then you will see that the car will experience as much corrosion as any other UK car. I have owned an imported R33 and Celica GT4 and both were extensively undersealed. Ive also seen imported cars not done properly that are falling apart. Imports are few and far between, especially when you factor in your price and colour. I would assess each car on its merits not its origin.

Good to know brother, again it didn’t have to be imported was just a preference, any advice from a vet is good advice so cheers! 

[coldel]

Just also bear in mind, that there are two specs on UK cars GT vs Non-GT, for imports there are many versions in between.

[Sinjj]

Are there any big differences that stand out between them and which in your opinion is the best first one to own? 

[coldel]

I think just weigh up whats important to you as you have and know what you are looking at - this thread gives you a view on what imports look like

 

 

[Andy_Muxlow]

Hi and welcome along. Good luck in your search.

[Umster]

All the cars I've had imported, especially from Singapore or Japan have been immaculate underneath. Just sold a Nissan Skyline 350GT that I had imported and it was beautiful. I'll see what photos I can upload later. 

 

Not sure if its the weather (or lack of) or how stringent their version of an MOT is, but imports are much better looked after than most used UK cars. 

 

I will however say, that for the money you save on an import, be prepared to have to fish around for parts, have silly features (though others are epic) and for insurance to be a little trickier. 

 

Have a look at the for sale section on this forum and see if anything is local and within budget? 

[Sinjj]

56 minutes ago, Umster said:

All the cars I've had imported, especially from Singapore or Japan have been immaculate underneath. Just sold a Nissan Skyline 350GT that I had imported and it was beautiful. I'll see what photos I can upload later. 

 

Not sure if its the weather (or lack of) or how stringent their version of an MOT is, but imports are much better looked after than most used UK cars. 

 

I will however say, that for the money you save on an import, be prepared to have to fish around for parts, have silly features (though others are epic) and for insurance to be a little trickier. 

 

Have a look at the for sale section on this forum and see if anything is local and within budget? 

Thanks for the helpful reply man, this post is just to get advice from people like yourself who have knowledge in this kind of thing, I spend everyday looking at autotrader, eBay, gumtree, Facebook and even here, hopefully something comes along soon. 
 

[Umster]

 

 

 

This was the underside of a 13 year old import from Japan, I was in shock when it was up on the ramp. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Umster

[Sinjj]

Unreal, the humidity there plays a big part I think. Would you say it’s one of the first things to do is get it under sealed if it’s not already and rust treated if you don’t have access to dry storage?

[Umster]

Upto you, I mean if you've got the space and patience then hell yeah, DIY it at home. But I'm sure it'll be fine if you didn't, rust won't be the fatal issue if you're 13 years ahead of the curve. 

[Lynchyy]

2004 Nissan 350 Z 3.5 V6 GT Pack Manual JDM FRESH IMPORT | eBay

[coldel]

No offence, but if there was ever a car I would swerve it would be that one!

[ShortPaul]

Definitely not a fresh import that has been for sale for well over a year now possibly two years

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.

If you need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

[GranTurismoEra]

Thats a long term listed car. He needs to put the price at £2500 or throw that front bumper in the bin where it belongs 

[Mikey_S]

That was listed when I bought mine in Jan 2019!! 

[HEADPHONES]

On 29/04/2021 at 13:47, Lynchyy said:

2004 Nissan 350 Z 3.5 V6 GT Pack Manual JDM FRESH IMPORT | eBay

It's at times like this I'm glad most insurance companies will not pay out to restore previously modified parts but only return back to stock when there's an accident or theft.

Just need some criminal with ZERO taste to come and nick the bumpers and wheels now