Shifty6Speed Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Yesterday (Sun 13th) i took it upon myself to go on a mini road trip... I had to go to Birmingham anyway to pick up some of my things from a friends house and decided to carry on over to Coventry to have a look at the car linked below... The pictures looked stunning! From a distance, it was a very nice looking car, the Nismo body kit suits it very well. Up close however the wheels are badly in need of a full refurb, the body work is not all that desirable, especially the dreaded front end (which is battered!), the gear knob had very excessive wear for a 58k car (not 56k as advertised!) and when he came to start it, it was dead as a door nail, so out came the battery pack! On start up, the fly wheel was making some noise which i could hear over the exhaust note. On top of this, under the bonnet wasn't too clean, it was a bitch to get into second from cold (although it wasn't cold for long! lol) and it somehow felt slightly down on ponies... Whatever you do, don't shut the drivers door with the window down, it sounds like it's hanging on inside the door by a thread! Clonk, bang, tink.... It also had non-standard grooved (rusty) discs which made that horrible silvery scraping noise when travelling at low speed... The full service history was not very full at all and the guy trying to sell it at this "trade" sale type warehouse was completely clueless when it came down to telling me about the car, it's past, it's previous owner(s) etc.. To top it off, the price in the window was £7490! NOT £6990... There will probably be things i have forgotten to note, but i was too pi**ed off last night to write a semi-diplomatic review of this particular car... Needless to say, i walked away (after a test drive - for sh*ts n giggles)... On the plus side... The Nismo exhaust system sounded absolutely divine through the rev range, not at all subtle - which i don't mind! So, just a friendly warning to anyone considering wasting some fuel to go and see it, like i did! http://www.coventryautolounge.co.uk/used-cars/nissan-350-z-3-5-v6-3dr-bayton-industrial-estate-201403272842756 **MODS** If this is in the wrong area, then move it and accept my apologies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) Is this the first Z you have looked at? With all due respect fella the flywheels on these cars are known to be loud, especially if it's aftermarket. A tired looking front end on a 10 year old car isn't unusual (stone chips etc). Second gear thing is also common when cold and a worn gear knob is common too (mine was ruined at 57,000 miles). None of the things you mentioned would put me off buying the car to be honest, unless of course it was much worse than you have described! I'd get used to seeing a lot of this if you're looking at 04 plate Z's..... Unless you buy one off the forum most will probably need some TLC here and there..... Edited April 14, 2014 by nowhereboy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 points of note - Did you organise the test drive ahead of time? If not, then the flat battery can be forgiven. 350z front end are blunt - a ten yr old car is going to be chipped to hell unless it's had a respray. notchy gearbox when cold is a feature of all 350's. flywheel chatter is normal rusty discs - they're metal, and metal rusts. All brake discs rust if they are sat for a while. The grinding noise was likely just the brakes getting rid of the brake crap buildup and would have cleared. I actually prefer to see a dirty engine bay, as then I know he's not trying to hide any oil leaks or the like. As for your butt dyno - not always the most accurate are they? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Is this the first Z you have looked at? With all due respect fella the flywheels on these cars are known to be loud, especially if it's aftermarket. A tired looking front end on a 10 year old car isn't unusual (stone chips etc). Second gear thing is also common when cold and a worn gear knob is common too (mine was ruined at 57,000 miles). None of the things you mentioned would put me off buying the car to be honest, I'd get used to seeing a lot of this if you're looking at 04 plate Z's..... Unless you buy one off the forum most will probably need some TLC here and there..... Yeah, i fully appreciate that and even reading it back, i thought i might be in for some stick. Obviously i wasn't expecting a full on minter for it's age and given it's in a trade centre. It's not the first Z i've been to see, no. We've had a few in our family, it's just i've never owned, only driven... I've always had Nissan straight 6's R33's and started out with 200sx 4 pot tubby's... So i have grown fairly used to Z's and although MOST of that which i have mentioned is common to see on a 10 year old Z, it just annoyed me at how it was described, to how it was when i got there... I don't butter my cars up to be perfect when selling, if they're not. But then again, at £7k, it's probably not going to be... Anyway, that was my 2 pence worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) points of note - Did you organise the test drive ahead of time? If not, then the flat battery can be forgiven. 350z front end are blunt - a ten yr old car is going to be chipped to hell unless it's had a respray. notchy gearbox when cold is a feature of all 350's. flywheel chatter is normal rusty discs - they're metal, and metal rusts. All brake discs rust if they are sat for a while. The grinding noise was likely just the brakes getting rid of the brake crap buildup and would have cleared. I actually prefer to see a dirty engine bay, as then I know he's not trying to hide any oil leaks or the like. As for your butt dyno - not always the most accurate are they? Yes, i phoned up 4 hours prior to my visit! I am aware of the shape of the front end, i've been around these cars a long time. Some are worse than others. Yes, i am also aware of the dreaded 2nd gear issue and it's not something i'd put up with for long. It CAN be fixed without big expense. Flywheel chatter is normal but hearing it over a none resonated exhaust system, should not be. I am aware that the discs are not carbon ceramic. They will rust, but he had 4 hours notice. He could have sorted the battery, gone around the block to clean them off and had plenty of time for it to return to cold before my appointment time. Good point about the engine bay. My butt dyno knows the difference between one car and another. Maybe certain things do adjust the way a car picks up to speed or reacts to a throttling but it didn't seem to give me the same push back as other relatively standard Z's of the same year have. Sorry if i've upset anyone by writing an honest review. Clearly i didn't word myself very well. Feel free to delete the post, i'd rather that than a influx of crap to read through which is aimed at me rather than... Oh, never mind. Edited April 14, 2014 by Shifty6Speed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 You haven't upset anyone fella, we're just pointing out that a few of the things could be expected. Good luck anyway, I'm sure you'll find one you're happy with sooner or later! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Yeah... Body work isn't such a bad point as i work for an automotive paint supplier and have a lot of good friends with very good bodyshops... I guess i'm just a bit fussy... That's not always a bad thing but it goes both ways! Thanks all the same, i'm sure the right car will come up and i'm in no big rush anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 The only thing I can find wrong with that is it hasn't got a "stubby".... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 I might go back and buy it now... Then stick an even longer ariel on it to annoy everyone here even further :teeth: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleR Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 As others have said, those things are to be expected, but I understand your frustration with giving them time to prep etc. A couple of things to note though. First of all, the front end is not Nismo, it's much better than the Nismo, looks similar but its a Poly rather than fibreglass and because the lip is better designed than the Nismo afterthought, it looks much better. May have been painted on the cheap, hence the bad condition. Secondly, the Nismo exhaust system is resonated, I'm pretty sure of that, just a little less so than OEM. So flywheel chatter will be heard. However, we can't hear it, you could, so maybe it was very excessive and a new flywheel etc will be required, which may explain the butt dunno a little. Like you said, looks great in the ad, but if you're not happy, you're not happy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samsniss350z Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Even after all this time I still love the LMGT4's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Sorry to jump on the bandwaggon but yeah..........all to be expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) Agreed, car sounds as to be expected, with lots of bits giving you haggling power Just sounds like a normal trader job to me, minimum effort to sell a car they have no clue about. Edited April 15, 2014 by Husky 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 They will rust, but he had 4 hours notice. He could have sorted the battery, gone around the block to clean them off and had plenty of time In my experience of buying cars, "trade" dealers really dont seem to care. When my wife was looking for a Peugeot 206 CC the other year, we found one at a dealer not too far away. I called up to check they still had it and said we would be over about 2pm that afternoon to have a look at it. That was about 10am. 4 hours later, we arrived at the garage to look at the car. The car was in the back of a show room, covered in dust, flat tyres, flat battery. Dealer had to spend 30mins trying to find the keys before they could even open the doors. And there was no way id get a test drive as they would have had to move about 30 cars out of the way first plus charge the battery up & pump the tyres up. We had a quick look around then walked. It wouldnt have taken the guy 5 minutes to put the battery on charge, pump the tyres up and give it a quick once over before we arrived, but he couldnt be bothered. He also wanted full top wack money for the car. And thats not unusual, ive had the same thing many times before. Loads of people on this thead saying that the zed you looked at isnt too bad, and maybe it isnt in their eyes, but its you who will be buying the car, so if you are not happy with it then you did right to walk away. Theres plenty out there, so plenty to choose from. Nothing worse buying a car your not 100% sure about as it will niggle you every time you get in it to drive it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 On the flipside, here's a story for you. When shopping for Imprezas, we went to a dealer down in Kent (about 2hrs drive) to look at one. We'd said on the phone we wanted to drive a couple which they were fine with, so they had a black 03 STi and a silver 05 WRX ready for us. Drove both, WRX was too slow and the STi had a crunching diff. We then spotted another black STi in the corner, so asked if we could drive that as well. It was covered in dust, battery was dead, had to move a load of cars to get it out, but they did so albeit with a bit of a moan. Drove the car, it was perfect, signed the deal there and then. We could just have moved on, but a bit of patience got us the exact right car. Dust can be washed off, batteries can be charged or replaced, but finding the perfect car can sometimes mean a bit of give and take on both sides. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grundy Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 On the flipside, here's a story for you. When shopping for Imprezas, we went to a dealer down in Kent (about 2hrs drive) to look at one. We'd said on the phone we wanted to drive a couple which they were fine with, so they had a black 03 STi and a silver 05 WRX ready for us. Drove both, WRX was too slow and the STi had a crunching diff. We then spotted another black STi in the corner, so asked if we could drive that as well. It was covered in dust, battery was dead, had to move a load of cars to get it out, but they did so albeit with a bit of a moan. Drove the car, it was perfect, signed the deal there and then. We could just have moved on, but a bit of patience got us the exact right car. Dust can be washed off, batteries can be charged or replaced, but finding the perfect car can sometimes mean a bit of give and take on both sides. You had a scooby? Another thing that suprises me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Well not me, it was Jo's car really. She always wanted an Impreza, so when she wanted shot of the MR2 we went a-hunting. Great car, I do really miss it but we sold it to a friend of ours so we still get to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Yep same here - called about a Merc in a garage 40 miles away in the morning. Went in the afternoon. Battery flat Tyres flat Dirty as hell Just another reason why I get the impression I can succeed in this industry because so many absolutely useless dealers seem to manage to grind a living out of it by providing literally zero customer service or experience. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Yep same here - called about a Merc in a garage 40 miles away in the morning. Went in the afternoon. Battery flat Tyres flat Dirty as hell Just another reason why I get the impression I can succeed in this industry because so many absolutely useless dealers seem to manage to grind a living out of it by providing literally zero customer service or experience. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I went from London to Kings Lynn Norfolk on a bitter cold Jan day by train to buy a Range Rover with cash in pocket. Cab from the station to the dealers to be told : Sorry but we sold it this morning..... :rant: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I went from London to Kings Lynn Norfolk on a bitter cold Jan day by train to buy a Range Rover with cash in pocket. Cab from the station to the dealers to be told : Sorry but we sold it this morning..... :rant: Thank God for that - one less Chelsea Tractor in London 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty6Speed Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 Thanks for the feedback guys! I didn't post this up to cause any agro or make it look like i'm slagging off a dealer... But we ALL get pi**ed off at times and Sunday wasn't a great day to begin with, so my review reflected my lingering feelings... With a bit of work i guess it could be a lovely car for someone.. I love the way it looked and although the exhaust system had "Nismo" on it, it sounded far far far too loud compared to others i've heard and driven to be resonated... I could be wrong though! If i was over flowing with spare cash, then i'd probably make him a cheeky offer and then do bits to it to make it my own car, but i don't think that's going to happen now... Coventry is a big place, central to the UK and someone will come along and give him what he's asking i'm sure... Anyhoo! Where's my beer gone... What a day! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) Thanks for the feedback guys! I didn't post this up to cause any agro or make it look like i'm slagging off a dealer... But we ALL get pi**ed off at times and Sunday wasn't a great day to begin with, so my review reflected my lingering feelings... With a bit of work i guess it could be a lovely car for someone.. I love the way it looked and although the exhaust system had "Nismo" on it, it sounded far far far too loud compared to others i've heard and driven to be resonated... I could be wrong though! If i was over flowing with spare cash, then i'd probably make him a cheeky offer and then do bits to it to make it my own car, but i don't think that's going to happen now... Coventry is a big place, central to the UK and someone will come along and give him what he's asking i'm sure... Anyhoo! Where's my beer gone... What a day! Hang in there there will be lots of others..when buying a Zed .one word "patience..!! Edited April 16, 2014 by WhackyWill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik54 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Thanks for the feedback guys! I didn't post this up to cause any agro or make it look like i'm slagging off a dealer... But we ALL get pi**ed off at times and Sunday wasn't a great day to begin with, so my review reflected my lingering feelings... With a bit of work i guess it could be a lovely car for someone.. I love the way it looked and although the exhaust system had "Nismo" on it, it sounded far far far too loud compared to others i've heard and driven to be resonated... I could be wrong though! If i was over flowing with spare cash, then i'd probably make him a cheeky offer and then do bits to it to make it my own car, but i don't think that's going to happen now... Coventry is a big place, central to the UK and someone will come along and give him what he's asking i'm sure... Anyhoo! Where's my beer gone... What a day! All good and valid info - some of it not particularly worrying some of it more so... and helpful for anyone planning on travelling to see it who may be automatically put off by any of the issues highlighted - any one of them may make some walk away and they would have had a wasted journey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watshot Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) Patients.............. Patience............. It's not funny if you edit your post Will.... Edited April 16, 2014 by Watshot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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