Man of Honour
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If you're in East Sussex Abbey Motorsport would be / should be close by to you.
350z
- Thread starter leigh_boy
- Start date
Associate
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- 9 Apr 2004
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- Nottingham - UK
Live in Moseley so not too far from Solihull! Often in/around Shirley
Seems every man and his dog works at JLR these days, not that that's a bad thing!
Man of Honour
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Is the deposit refundable? What if it isn't as advertised?
I think people are just wary about putting deposits down for a fair bit of money for something that you seemed to be a little less than sure about.
That said it looks in good nick, I'd be interested in what servicing has been done, at that age/mileage, you'd need new spark plugs, depending on the work also a clutch (as has been mentioned). Also a lot of the bushes do wear on these cars which can create knocking sounds.
It shouldn't drink that much oil, if any. Diff oil replacement is also important so make sure it's been done. However also make sure if it has been run on 97+ RON, if it hasn't and has been run on cheap fuel this is what can happen:
It's been designed for super unleaded fuel - it actually specified 98RON in the fuel cap.
Check for uneven wear on tyres and rumbling, as it could be a tracking issue which was known to be an issue if not kept an eye on. Droplinks fail after a while - but this is just normal wear and tear.
Clicking rear axle is a drift shaft issue so make sure you check what happens when you go from reverse to first and listen out for any clicking as if you've got something trapped under the car.
Is the deposit refundable? What if it isn't as advertised?
I think people are just wary about putting deposits down for a fair bit of money for something that you seemed to be a little less than sure about.
That said it looks in good nick, I'd be interested in what servicing has been done, at that age/mileage, you'd need new spark plugs, depending on the work also a clutch (as has been mentioned). Also a lot of the bushes do wear on these cars which can create knocking sounds.
It shouldn't drink that much oil, if any. Diff oil replacement is also important so make sure it's been done. However also make sure if it has been run on 97+ RON, if it hasn't and has been run on cheap fuel this is what can happen:
It's been designed for super unleaded fuel - it actually specified 98RON in the fuel cap.
Check for uneven wear on tyres and rumbling, as it could be a tracking issue which was known to be an issue if not kept an eye on. Droplinks fail after a while - but this is just normal wear and tear.
Clicking rear axle is a drift shaft issue so make sure you check what happens when you go from reverse to first and listen out for any clicking as if you've got something trapped under the car.
ok thank you i will check that out.
as for fuel i tend to only run 98 - 99 any way
i have a aprilia rsv so know all about pistons getting destroyed by 95
Man of Honour
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But has the previous owner done the same?
Can't wait for the soon to follow "WHAT ARE MY LEGAL RIGHTS THE CAR WAS NOT SOLD AS ADVERTISED AND IS BROKEN. CAN I GET A REFUND PLS?" thread. Absolutely mental parting with nearly £6k without knowing what the spec is or having inspected it.
Talk about setting yourself up for a fall!
Talk about setting yourself up for a fall!
He might be a bit blunt, but he does have a point. These can be fickle beasts and not knowing what has / hasn't been done could be the difference between dream car and nightmare. I just hope you've done well, it'd be a shame to spend all that money and end up with a lemon (and a very expensive lesson).
Either way, fingers crossed and good luck
Either way, fingers crossed and good luck
Soldato
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I did test drive a 350z once, I made sure there wasn't any clicking from the back and checked all the tyres, but upon closer inspection; it had an awful repair job done on the wing which left it very rusty - really bad for a car of it's age. The lack of a full service history also turned me off.
Looking at them now, 5-6k gets you one in good shape, but not necessarily low miles or a full service history. There are a lot of Japenese import Fairlady editions as well, so there could be problems there as well.
Suspension, tyres, clutch, gearbox and differential are the biggest problems on the 350z if these problems aren't present, then you may have bagged yourself a good one, so good luck with that
Looking at them now, 5-6k gets you one in good shape, but not necessarily low miles or a full service history. There are a lot of Japenese import Fairlady editions as well, so there could be problems there as well.
Suspension, tyres, clutch, gearbox and differential are the biggest problems on the 350z if these problems aren't present, then you may have bagged yourself a good one, so good luck with that
I did test drive a 350z once, I made sure there wasn't any clicking from the back and checked all the tyres, but upon closer inspection; it had an awful repair job done on the wing which left it very rusty - really bad for a car of it's age. The lack of a full service history also turned me off.
Looking at them now, 5-6k gets you one in good shape, but not necessarily low miles or a full service history. There are a lot of Japenese import Fairlady editions as well, so there could be problems there as well.
Suspension, tyres, clutch, gearbox and differential are the biggest problems on the 350z if these problems aren't present, then you may have bagged yourself a good one, so good luck with that
thank you very much.
when it gets delivered, i will do the forward - reverse gear test. test the windows, the oil pressure should be about 60psi at 3k rpm? general check all round, check oil level. have a look at the history and a finally test drive before i have over the rest of the cash and my car.
Soldato
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Did you actually just compare a 350z to an RX8. They are not even in the same league despite what Mazda marketing may like you to believe with their awful engine tech.
Try to get in the habit of doing things yourself with the car, and researching/learning how the 350z forums have tons of guides available. Get a a good socket set and stands and your good to go. Garage bills can get ridiculous and you can save a lot of money by simply goggling and doing most of it all yourself!
Also be aware that these are pretty cheap to insure for the power but the moment you put serious mods on the moment they will happily wack £1k+ on!
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having owned a few rx8's my self i dont think you can compare the rx8 it's not torquey, it has to be revved high although it does sound nice, it is well balanced and comfortable the engine is its flaw i have rebuilt 1 you can get 120k miles to 1 engine, if from the start you know to top the oil up every 2/ 3 refils it will just keep going. its when some one doesnt for a long time and also you really need to stick to the service schedule with the coil packs ect.
Associate
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I have found nothing but the opposite, my car previous to the Z was a Focus ST which was great to work on, very easy - these are a real pain! Access/clearance is small and jobs often complicated by various issues.
Also when I started to put some light mods on my ST I found the insurance flew up, I have exhaust, intake, plenum etc. all declared and it added ~£50 on my insurance