I'm looking for a 350z HR coupe in black, please help!

[Perfect Dark]

Hi everyone.

 

I'm looking to buy a 350z HR coupe in black, and I'm hoping to buy a car that won't cause me any trouble.

I'm hoping to keep the car for a long time and become a regular on the forum.

I mostly want to make sure I get a good quality car, for a good price.

 

I would really appreciate some help as I'm looking to buy quickly, and many people here have a lot more experience than me which I'm sure will be really valuable if you'd be willing to help.

I'd like to show you the cars I'm looking at and I hope that you can help give your opinion on each car and let me know if there's anything I've missed and which car I should buy.

 

Cars currently for sale in the UK that I'm looking at, roughly in the order that I'm interested in:

 

£8995 - 94k Miles (WN08 ANX)

http://www.ebay.co.u...QoAAOSwYudXG8Xr

Info: MOT history has no fails and only a few advisories for brake pads throughout its life. I interpret this to mean that it's not been driven aggressively and has been looked after well.

 

£12,489 Only 9k Miles (KF57 ZZL) <------ Not a HR :'(

http://www.autotrade...=at_cars&page=1

Info: Really low mileage, only a few thousand miles per year. 1 owner. Full service history. This car looks good on paper, I'm concerned that I will lose money on it though.

 

£8495 - 53k Miles (MT07 NWR)

http://www.autotrade...pe=Coupe&page=1

Info: MOT history includes many advisories on brakes, suspension and Tyres suggesting the owners did not fix issues before receiving MOT advisories.

 

£10,295 - 75k Miles (PJ57 MVP)

http://www.autotrade...=at_cars&page=1

Info: Has had 3 MOT failures in the past, and many advisories for many different things.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Perfect Dark

[KyleR]

2nd one is a DE RevUp, not an HR.

 

I'd go for the 3rd one provided the bodywork is in good nick. Don't read too much into MOT history, some testers are real assholes. Who cares if a car in the past failed, so long as the issue was fixed.

[Mopedmark]

Most people take it for mot if it passes it passes if it doesn't they get it fixed, there are thousands of members on here past and present who know nothing about how to fix there car, so I wouldn't have an issue about mot advisories,

[KyleR]

Buy this one

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-350z-313HR-GT-Black-Low-Mileage-/282256267146?hash=item41b7c8d78a:g:uD0AAOSwcLxYKlRA

[Perfect Dark]

Thanks for your input.

 

How do you know the second one is a DE RevUp? I thought that being as the title said 313, it was registered in 2007, and it had the humped bonnet that it was a HR. Do you know this car personally or is there some other way to check?

 

I will look more into the one that's done 53k miles. It seems to be the one with the lowest miles.

As for the one you linked to Kyle R, I'm trying to avoid anything too far from standard. My last car was completely custom and it was a real nightmare, so this time I've chosen to buy a standard car (or as close to as possible) that's already good straight out of the box.

 

There are also the following cars available which I had previously ruled out. Are either of these any good?

 

£10,295 - 75k Miles (PJ57MVP)

http://www.autotrade...pe=Coupe&page=1

Info: MOT history shows two recent fails on exhaust and lots of repeated advisories over multiple years.

 

£8,200 - 72k Miles (Unknown plate)

http://www.ebay.co.u...loAAOSwux5YJvH0

Info: Has a scratch down the side, and a cobra exhaust which I'm worried may be too loud as I do a lot of motorway driving. Number plate is hidden in the pictures for some reason so I can't check on the history.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Perfect Dark

[KyleR]

Thanks for your input.

 

How do you know the second one is a DE RevUp? I thought that being as the title said 313, it was registered in 2007, and it had the humped bonnet that it was a HR. Do you know this car personally or is there some other way to check?

 

I will look more into the one that's done 53k miles. It seems to be the one with the lowest miles.

As for the one you linked to Kyle R, I'm trying to avoid anything too far from standard. My last car was completely custom and it was a real nightmare, so this time I've chosen to buy a standard car (or as close to as possible) that's already good straight out of the box.

 

There are also the following cars available which I had previously ruled out. Are either of these any good?

 

£10,295 - 75k Miles (PJ57MVP)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201611079530486?make=NISSAN&model=350%20Z&radius=1500&sort=price-desc&postcode=ng31al&colour=Black&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Coupe&page=1

 

Info: MOT history shows two recent fails on exhaust and lots of repeated advisories over multiple years.

 

 

£8,200 - 72k Miles (Unknown plate)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-57-NISSAN-350Z-3-5-V6-GT-313BHP-Bose-Sat-Nav-Cobra-Exhaust-FSH-/252632689743?hash=item3ad214ec4f:g:DloAAOSwux5YJvH0

 

Info: Has a scratch down the side, and a cobra exhaust which I'm worried may be too loud as I do a lot of motorway driving. Number plate is hidden in the pictures for some reason so I can't check on the history.

 

I know because it doesn't have a bonnet bulge. Reg year isn't completely accurate as sometimes cars are registered late. I've seen MY2009 RevUps for example.

 

The one I linked to only has a mines front lip, tarmac sidesteps and a fatastic Motordyne exhaust. I understand not wanting to buy a highly modified car, I'm the same unless I know the car, butvthose mods are very subtle and set the 350 off perfectly.

[Perfect Dark]

Are the dual air intakes the best way to confirm if a car is a HR?

[ZEUS]

Yes

[Perfect Dark]

Please take a look at the cars above and let me know if any look like a good buy.

 

I also have a few other questions:

• Are there any big problems with HRs to watch out for that would make taking a low price one a big risk? Some are much cheaper than others.
  
• How much of a premium do you pay for buying from a dealer?
  
• How long do reasonably priced good ones stay up for sale? Some seem to have been on sale for months.
  

[Cimanu]

I looked for ages before finding mine.. I reluctantly took a look on gumtree (usually try and avoid anywhere with free listing) and there it was.

 

As a previous DE owner it's most definitely worth going for the HR.. I guess this is especially true for me as I came from the older style interior - dipstick alone is enough reason.

 

Generally silver seem to be cheaper and will stay for sale for longer (I personally hate silver cars.. I suspect many people do too). Mileage puts a lot of people off .. although it shouldn't with the right history/paperwork.

 

A used and maintained car is far nicer than one that's done 2-3k a year with very minimal servicing.

 

Major jobs to look out for:

 

Clutch/DMF - When these need changing all depends on the life the car has had.. by about 60-70k it should have been done however. Check for receipts etc. The clutch will whine when disengaged at idle.. that's just a feature, it'll sound like the release bearing but a whine not a grumble/grind. If the car has had a lightweight flywheel fitted then this will be far more pronounced!

 

Gallery oil gaskets - The HR has a neat trick of eating these paper gaskets (nissan issued revised metal parts in 2012) - These will fail, it's not an if .. more a when. Specialists (abbey/Hdev) will charge you around 750-800 for this. The main symptom is low oil pressure at idle when hot (fans cutting in) - anything above 25 psi on the gauge is within spec. Generally when they fail you'll see anything between 5-15psi - it'll also have a lumpy idle.

 

Low RPM hesitation - once at operating temp and driving, any gear.. easier to feel in 3rd/4th at around 1500-2k rpm, when coming back on the throttle it'll hesitate ever so slightly. This is a fault with the exhaust cam control and is cured by a remap (Uprev).. again a specialist will charge £400 for this - performance gain too obviously.

 

Usual Z checks.. the boot should pop open a good 3-4 inches, then lift on it's own with a nudge from you. If it doesn't then you'll need the gas struts regassed/replaced (£35~ SGS), front compression 'banana' arms - check to see if these have been changed as if you opt for genuine they're expensive. Brakes/tyres on these cars are also pricey so check these.. also look at what it has fitted, gives an idea of owner. If I see cheap tyres I generally walk away.

 

Always good to ask the 'I can run this on any fuel right?' question as running on less than 98 can damage pistons/rings. HRs shouldn't use any oil (my DE used a hilarious amount!)

 

From the ones you've posted above, the 72k , £8.2k is one I'd be looking more in to.. the elusive night blue is an HR exclusive colour and very sought after here on the forum.. admittedly one I first went looking for after I found my own in black. If the Cobra is too loud I will bite your hand off for it and swap a quieter scorpion - silent in cabin at motorway speeds, louder and nicer sounding than standard.

 

If the exhaust, or any extra part, on a car isn't for you, remember you can sell them here/Ebay and essentially reduce the price you paid for that car. Example above, that £8.2k Z would be the same price with or without the cobra... were you to sell it on standard.