To buy Jap, or buy UK?

[ostego]

Hi,

 

I'm currently looking for a nice 350z, and there's a japanese one that has caught my eye with some nice mods, and is around £1.5-2k cheaper than where i'd imagine someone would price the same car if it were a GT model.

 

I've read about the jap models' differences : i.e. cloth seats, non-adjusting xenons, and a few other things, but most of them seem like quite "small" things, the biggest difference from what i could tell seems to be the cloth seats, and the £1.5 grand i'd save would cover some nice upholstery, and then a couple of extra tweaks to the bodywork as well.

 

Are there any big differences in the JDM models that I'm overlooking that would account for the drastic difference between the JDM 02 models and their UK 03/04 counterparts?

 

Am still in 2 minds whether to commit to the 3 hour drive to see this vehicle, and need some advice! Thanks

[370Ad]

You buy cheap then sell cheap so personally it's swings and round abouts. I would get the UK model if you can afford it just for ease of selling later on!

 

The 350 will get to a point soon where standard low mileage GT models carry a premium.

Edited November 23, 2013 by 350Ad

[Ricey]

Harder to sell in a tough market.

Marginally more expensive to insure

Stock exhaust is quieter

Potentially 'grey' history

Front and rear bumpers have different number plate recesses (obviously doesn't affect value just pointing out physical difference)

Sat nav is redundant

Radio I don't think will work without some mods

Brembos were an option and are pretty much well worth having

 

For all the negatives there are as many counter arguments

 

For the ballache of getting an interior retrim is it worth saving 1500 quid I guess mis the question?

[WhackyWill]

Buy the best you can afford.

[BillyZed]

You have a PM

[ostego]

Good point on the radio, sat nav, insurance and grey history aspect! Think it was imported with 20k miles on it, so that is half of it's mileage spent in a foreign land!

 

In reality the main pull i've had to this JDM is that it already has front & rear bumper mods, as well as skirts, exhaust and some nice alloys, so it would cut the amount of work i'd need to get done on it to the spoiler and the interior + gadgets.

 

I have been toying with the idea of spending £6.5-7k on a standard UK GT model, since there seems to be a lack of already kitted 350z's out there with reasonable mileage.... and then getting all this work done myself, but from what i can tell getting a aftermarket kit will set me back around £500-700, with about £800-1500 to fit it depending on the difficulty and paintwork needed, so that approach does seem to be more costly at the moment. May just be a case of waiting for a bit to see if a pre-made UK GT comes up!

[Ricey]

What about that matte black one that's for sale a few threads down?

[Lexx]

Buy the best you can afford.

 

This ^^^^

 

There is an absolute glut of 350's on the market right now, you can afford to be choosey and wait for the perfect example that matches your needs and budget to come up for sale.

 

As for JDM v UK. I drive a JDM Z32, and have no issues with it vs the UK models. Swings and Roundabouts.

[ostego]

What about that matte black one that's for sale a few threads down?

 

7k does seem a bit pricey for a 53 with 58k miles on it! The way i see it as well the wrap would add little value anyway since I'd need to have bodywork done on it to load up the kit... so it would need a re-wrapping anyway, and have never really been a huge fan of car wraps!

[370Ad]

What about that matte black one that's for sale a few threads down?

 

7k does seem a bit pricey for a 53 with 58k miles on it! The way i see it as well the wrap would add little value anyway since I'd need to have bodywork done on it to load up the kit... so it would need a re-wrapping anyway, and have never really been a huge fan of car wraps!

 

7k for 53 plate with 58k on the clock is about right if it's in decent condition and is GT Spec. Yes the wrap is marmite but the underlying car is priced normally.

 

The cheaper Z's get bought and sold on very quickly as we have seen a lot on the forum recently...

[Jetpilot]

Good point on the radio, sat nav, insurance and grey history aspect! Think it was imported with 20k miles on it, so that is half of it's mileage spent in a foreign land!

 

In reality the main pull i've had to this JDM is that it already has front & rear bumper mods, as well as skirts, exhaust and some nice alloys, so it would cut the amount of work i'd need to get done on it to the spoiler and the interior + gadgets.

 

I have been toying with the idea of spending £6.5-7k on a standard UK GT model, since there seems to be a lack of already kitted 350z's out there with reasonable mileage.... and then getting all this work done myself, but from what i can tell getting a aftermarket kit will set me back around £500-700, with about £800-1500 to fit it depending on the difficulty and paintwork needed, so that approach does seem to be more costly at the moment. May just be a case of waiting for a bit to see if a pre-made UK GT comes up!

 

Insurance is fractions more if at all, hardly worth worrying about.

 

So much talk on here about jdms being difficult to shift, yet every week (almost) someone asks about buying a jdm (two this week inc yours), check the classifieds for what have sold and what havent, you can do an advanced search on ebay to see what has actually sold and for how much, advanced on search options to left of ebay search bar.

 

Stereo, most people replace the Bose for double din so that renders the sat nav point mute.

 

The only thing i would ever be wanting is Brembos (which you can get on some jdm), dont be put off by jdms, buy the car which is in the best condition and suits your requirements best for the money you have, you will have no trouble selling a jdm

[Daveyboy11]

Like some others have said, buy the very best you can afford and don't worry if it's a JDM. My insurance was £200 cheaper than a UK so I wouldn't worry about that either, what I would say though is Brembos are a must! I have effectively a UK spec jap car.

[370Ad]

Like some others have said, buy the very best you can afford and don't worry if it's a JDM. My insurance was £200 cheaper than a UK so I wouldn't worry about that either, what I would say though is Brembos are a must! I have effectively a UK spec jap car.

 

First time I have heard that! Fair play

[ostego]

Hmmm, as luck would have it the seller already has brembo brakes on this car as well! So looks like in terms of JDMs it isn't a terrible choice!

 

Am still so split because i could in theory afford a UK one, but UK ones with body kits seem in pretty short supply at the moment (really not a huge fan of the 350's look without a kit on it!), so am tempted just to go for this JDM one if no other options materialise over the next few weeks!

Edited November 24, 2013 by ostego

[Dblock]

I know the forum controversy has died down now but remember when everyone wanted to check if the car was always driven with 99ron and would explode otherwise? A JDM is more likely to have been run on better fuel here and in Japan.

[ostego]

I know the forum controversy has died down now but remember when everyone wanted to check if the car was always driven with 99ron and would explode otherwise? A JDM is more likely to have been run on better fuel here and in Japan.

 

This is a new one to me!

 

Could i ask firstly, why did people think they would "explode"?

 

and why would a JDM be more likely to have had better fuel in both countries?

[Crb]

Nothing wrong with a jdm...... Apart from the indicator and wiper stalks being the other way round.... It's actually driving me crazy lately😡

[Jetpilot]

I know the forum controversy has died down now but remember when everyone wanted to check if the car was always driven with 99ron and would explode otherwise? A JDM is more likely to have been run on better fuel here and in Japan.

 

This is a new one to me!

 

Could i ask firstly, why did people think they would "explode"?

 

and why would a JDM be more likely to have had better fuel in both countries?

 

Literally 100000, s of imports of all sorts in this country without issue, jap fuel is 100ron so just run in on optimax or equivalent, which most owners uk or jdm do anyway.

[Dblock]

I know the forum controversy has died down now but remember when everyone wanted to check if the car was always driven with 99ron and would explode otherwise? A JDM is more likely to have been run on better fuel here and in Japan.

 

This is a new one to me!

 

Could i ask firstly, why did people think they would "explode"?

 

and why would a JDM be more likely to have had better fuel in both countries?

 

Literally 100000, s of imports of all sorts in this country without issue, jap fuel is 100ron so just run in on optimax or equivalent, which most owners uk or jdm do anyway.

 

Exactly so here and in Japan no 95ron would have been used but the UK cars I bet 95ron would be used most often.

[docwra]

I actually prefer the cloth seats as well, better in extreme temperatures and dont wear at all, the leather ones can look a bit tired after a few years of arses

[370Ad]

Loving the JDM owners trying to justify their purchase.... (If I was on the laptop I would put the 'Stir' smiley now )

[Jetpilot]

Loving the JDM owners trying to justify their purchase.... (If I was on the laptop I would put the 'Stir' smiley now )

 

I would say it was the exact opposite actually, whenever the uk vs jdm car question is asked most people are in a position to buy either and its usually the UK owners trying to justify they spent more, or should i say, try and maintain their cars are worth a premium

Edited November 25, 2013 by Jetpilot

[aidan]

Loving the JDM owners trying to justify their purchase.... (If I was on the laptop I would put the 'Stir' smiley now )

 

I would say it was the exact opposite actually, whenever the uk vs jdm car question is asked most people are in a position to buy either and its usually the UK owners trying to justify they spent more, or should i say, try and maintain their cars are worth a premium

 

But they are worth a premium.... , fact.

That premium might not be as much as people think, but its still there.

Two cars, same year, condition and color. One is JDM and one is UK. Which one will joe public buy?

Edited November 25, 2013 by aidan

[Jetpilot]

Not from what i saw from the market 6 months ago when i was buying

[Crb]

Personally it didn't bother me if it was a jdm or uk car. I really wanted one with a body kit and wouldn't even consider it unless it was white or red. That kind of really limited the field anyway. But like with all cars you really don't know how good they are until you have a decent look at them, jdm or uk.