roadtrip Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Wow, thanks for all your encouraging responses! Your passion is the exact reason I've been looking for a 350Z over the German alternatives. I've had cars in the past that made me smile every time I've looked out at my driveway or returned to it in a car park, without even being behind the wheel, that's what I'm trying to recreate and it appears I'm in the right place! So I need to bin ideas of German machines, be patient, look at a wider age range and consider travelling nationally possibly with the help of forum members to identify ones worth visiting. Sounds easy enough! I was expecting to have to look at a few before finding the right car but when a dealer who specialises in Zs amongst other things tells me he has a car which is the best he's seen for ages with excellent paintwork I really got my hopes up. A five hour round trip to see it forced me to conclude that every Z, even those only four years old with a low mileage will be in poor condition, or he was talking absolute bollocks. All your responses would now suggest it's the latter. I'm still set on a blue GT coupe, I particularly like the '06 facelift but would consider older, so if anyone has seen one please PM me! Thanks a lot guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadtrip Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Welcome. How about looking for a pre-March 06 one, which means cheaper tax and then if you really want satnav, go for a custom system that nurrish (member on here) makes. Nurrish-Nav is better than the OEM system by miles and could save you some pennies. I do prefer the the '06 facelift cars but will certainly consider older ones, although I suspect an extra £190 per year on tax may be a drop in the ocean compared to the other running costs! I have seen the thread on nurrish's sat nav but not sure I'd use it enough to benefit from the improvements over the OEM system and also wonder if it'll require more upkeep in the way of updates, etc. I guess I'll see how my search goes and if I end up with a car without sat nav then consider it more seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadtrip Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Welcome to the forum. Keep hunting, like all good things, it's worth waiting for.The Night Blue you mentioned is a 2007 only colour, 2008 will probably have been a late registration. Azure was 2002 (Jap) - 2006 colour. - buy an older one use the money saved to make it mint, with new parts and a trip to envy valeting It's absolutely amazing what a good detail can do for a car. Can make one that looks quite sad, to almost new. If the previous owner has used the brillo pad that we joke about. I'm in the UK and specifically looking for a UK coupe. I was under the impression that Azure Blue was a colour available up to and including the facelifted 300PS '06 model with some late registrations on 07 and even 57 plates. I thought that Night Blue was it's replacement for the '07 model year onwards all of which have the bonnet bulge and 313PS engine. I'm more than happy to be corrected though! I will certainly check out envy valeting to see what they offer for picky owners like myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadtrip Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 I don't where in the country you are but if you're near Surrey then there are 4 or 5 of us meeting tomorrow:- viewtopic.php?f=93&t=45346 Come along and see what we mean I'm not too far from Surrey but unfortunately I've been preoccupied with my tax return this weekend. I'll certainly keep an eye out for future meets though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadtrip Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Have a look on autoquake, I just bought my zed from there and there was a similar one slightly more expensive. My 57plate GT was 13.5k with only 33k on her and one owner, a few tiny chips but aside from that immaculate. I've seen a few of interest on autoquake.com but I think you need to buy before you try, or at least that's the impression I got, which puts me off a bit. The prices look reasonable, what was your experience of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 If you see one thats a fair distance away just ask a local to check it out. The problem is that forum members look after their cars, others dont, as such there is a vast difference in condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozz Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Have a look on autoquake, I just bought my zed from there and there was a similar one slightly more expensive. My 57plate GT was 13.5k with only 33k on her and one owner, a few tiny chips but aside from that immaculate. I've seen a few of interest on autoquake.com but I think you need to buy before you try, or at least that's the impression I got, which puts me off a bit. The prices look reasonable, what was your experience of them? Its a gamble, you can pay a deposit and go view but they were over 220 miles away from me so I bought based on description and pictures. Cost £272 to get it delivered but all good, genuine car and as described - plus I had a no quibble 7 day money back guarantee. I researched them over the internet, a lot of bad review but I was lucky. They sell 1000 cars a month apparantly so some unhappy customers to be expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruddles Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hi and welcome to the forum. I looked for over 9 months for the zed i wanted. I viewed it and returned the following week to collect it, total round trip of 1000 miles. If you want a zed just keep looking,good luck . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Have you driven the other options yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
was8v Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Have a look on autoquake, I just bought my zed from there and there was a similar one slightly more expensive. My 57plate GT was 13.5k with only 33k on her and one owner, a few tiny chips but aside from that immaculate. I've seen a few of interest on autoquake.com but I think you need to buy before you try, or at least that's the impression I got, which puts me off a bit. The prices look reasonable, what was your experience of them? I went with a mate to buy an 06 A4 estate from Autoquake Leeds. Prices are non-negotiable but they have lots of high res images on the site and they don't do any cheap prep (e.g. alloys scarred, car in need of a polish etc). He paid a deposit (which is 100% refundable if you don't like it on viewing) You can only see the car you have put the deposit on even if they have a few similar ones. We show up look round the car inside, then go out for a test drive in their massive car park. The car checked out so he paid the balance They offer a full refund within 14 days if you change you mind. As far as I can work out its a cheap way of punting on ex-lease cars that gets the companies a higher price than trade auctions. We had a positive experience - I don't see how it could be negative unless you drive for miles to get there to find theres damage you didn't spot in the high res pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alessandro Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hi and welcome, I'm just down the road from you and when I was looking for mine I couldn't find anything in the area within my budget, 3 month later I bought one from a member on here. You know that are well cared and looked after and usually cheaper than from traders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu350z Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Welcome to the Forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadtrip Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Have you driven the other options yet? Good question, actually I haven't driven the other specific models I'm considering, I guess because the 350Z is my first choice and all the others are secondary. As far as the BMWs are concerned I used to have an older 3 Series coupe and I've driven a Z3 and a few others so know more or less what to expect. My last RWD car was an '80s 911 which I had as my daily driver for a few years quite a while back, the ownership experience was great and consequently there's always been a Porsche or two on my wish list ever since. I realise a modern Porsche will be a very different prospect but I'm sure I'd love it, it's just the extra £5-10k for a Cayman and even more for a 997 which I can't quite justify at the moment. There's obviously 996s and Boxsters around cheap now but I'm not so keen on them, not sure why! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadtrip Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 I went with a mate to buy an 06 A4 estate from Autoquake Leeds. Prices are non-negotiable but they have lots of high res images on the site and they don't do any cheap prep (e.g. alloys scarred, car in need of a polish etc). He paid a deposit (which is 100% refundable if you don't like it on viewing) You can only see the car you have put the deposit on even if they have a few similar ones. We show up look round the car inside, then go out for a test drive in their massive car park. The car checked out so he paid the balance They offer a full refund within 14 days if you change you mind. As far as I can work out its a cheap way of punting on ex-lease cars that gets the companies a higher price than trade auctions. We had a positive experience - I don't see how it could be negative unless you drive for miles to get there to find theres damage you didn't spot in the high res pictures. Thanks, that's good to know, I'll keep an eye on their stock then. My main concern would still be that paint and bodywork damage can't always be seen even in fairly high res photos, but I do like the fact that they don't tart them up so I can what they're really like and make my own judgement on what needs doing and get it done properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadtrip Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Hi and welcome, I'm just down the road from you and when I was looking for mine I couldn't find anything in the area within my budget, 3 month later I bought one from a member on here. You know that are well cared and looked after and usually cheaper than from traders Hi alessandro, good to see at least one local on here! Yes, I'm definitely keeping an eye out for members cars becoming available, just a question of the right car coming up at the right price so looking all over the place at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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