To 'Z', or not to 'Z'

[Fervidia]

I am unsure what to do with myself! Let's talk dream cars, mine: the 350Z.

 

If you don't want to hear my life story, I have a potentially simple question at the bottom of this post.

 

Currently, I drive a Volvo V40 ('14) as a daily driver and only car, doing on average 240 miles a week with fuel costing ~£40 a week. Insurance for the year set me back ~£1500 for the Volvo, considering that I am 20 years of age and currently carry no NCD due to changing policies part way through the year.

 

Despite the V40 being a brilliant car that I do want to keep until beyond the end of time itself, I feel that I want something that is more fun to drive, a little older and cheaper (so I can have a go at tinkering with a car myself, as opposed to going to a garage), not to mention wanting a cool car that is not seen every day!

 

I looked at a range of cars for a while, I decided that it had to have 'Excessive power' (considering that I currently have ~115BHP/270NM), and be from a venerable Japanese automaker; this narrowed my search down to makes such as Toyota, Subaru and Nissan.

 

Cutting a long story short, the 350Z was my ultimate car of choice, however: is it sensible and realistic? Currently, I'm looking into buying two cheap, partially broken examples, fixing one with the other and keeping/selling the spare parts. Is this a good idea, considering that I have no experience with this sort of thing; is it better to just buy a working model?

 

TLDR question: why should/shouldn't I buy into a 350Z, is this a good idea/viable for me, and/or is there any advice you wouldn't mind sharing with a noobie such as myself?

 

Cheers, Dom.

 

Edited February 19, 2018 by Fervidia

[HEADPHONES]

Although an older 350z is alot of car for very reasonable money, the running costs can be quite high compared to your average normal car.

Apart from insurance which will be higher as it's a performance car, there's

A. Petrol.

It has to be 98ron and above.

I see an average mpg of 17.2 mpg with mainly 40 and 50mph roads to and from work with little motorway miles.

 

B.Tyres 

A considerable outlay especially if you're on 19s

 

C.Clutch and flywheel

Budget around £1k for these if not done by previous owner.

 

D.Exhaust

If on the original system, the flange between mid pipe and rear box won't have long left.

Can be welded but budget a few hundred for a new budget system from Cobra etc or around £1k for something nicer from Ark or Invidia

 

E. Disks

These can appear fine on the outer face but be worn on the inside so budget for these

 

BUT

These are normally the same for all performance cars, so as long as the numbers all add up I'd definitely do the Z thing.

 

I bought one new in 2005.

My mate bought a Mercedes C class new at the same time.

The zed is still a head turner today whereas his Merc just gets referred to as "that old Merc" by Joe public.

 

The OC is really good for advice and traders too.

It'll save you hundreds in new and used parts over going to Nissan.

Also just a great club with a family feel with advice on anything from mortgages to pets

 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2018 by HEADPHONES

[Darkside]

My piece of advice is simple, 

 

 

Buy one!!!!!!! It's fantastic! Hahaha

 seriously, if you want one, get one. I never looked back. 

[reeceybeaney]

With @Darkside on this one

Buy a nice clean example and you won't regret it! 

[PPod]

Since your young keep your Volvo as the daily then the z as the weekend toy.

 

If I never ran the polo as my daily I wouldn't of been able to afford it due to fuel to be honest. 

[rabbitstew]

Keeping the volvo and having the zed for a weekend toy may be out of the question if your 20 and paying £1500 insurance on a volvo. The insurance on the zed as a second car with no NCB will be a massive. Also the costs of mot, servicing, tax, tyres etc on 2 cars soon adds up and off-sets any savings you may make on petrol.

 

I ran my zed as a daily, 450 miles a week for a year, then ran it along side an old diesel for 6 months. Didnt really save much tbh.

 

I would also shy away from buying 2 broken zeds and trying to fix them up into one. Would be a nightmare. Stick to buying a good example if you can. By all means you can tinker and service it yourself. They are easy enough to work on for basic servicing etc.

 

They are fun cars and represent good value for money now. Read up as much as you can on the various versions, options, problems etc and check what your insurance say etc before you rush out & buy. 

[eroll_350z]

I'm 25 and have had my Z for just under a year now, and I think running 2 cars would be a bit of bank drainer. I think the main thing to do as rabbitstew said would be to look for a good example rather than buying 2 , you'll obviously pay more but in the long run, it'll save you money. 

 

The main thing for me was insurance, and because I have a 2008 model, being the higher tax bracket, had to pay that much more for it, but at the end of the day, I enjoy driving it so the costs don't come into it really. 

 

Like any car, there will be expenses that you'll need to adjust for but if you are willing to pay it, then you won't feel too bad for doing so, the amount of heads that turn when I drive by still makes me know that I have a special car, you don't see many 350's so it is a bit of a unicorn car. I haven't looked back since buying mine, and if you are planning a few mods to it, it'll make you enjoy it even more because it will be yours in your own style. 

 

Dream cars are like heros,  if you meet them, you could be very disappointed or completely overwhelmed with joy, I think in this case, it will be the latter, any road, any conditions, they are a hoot to drive, nice knowing you have that power to enjoy it or just cruising on the motorway comfortably.

 

I also reckon soon to be starting to raise in value for a nice clean Z, could be verging on future classic. 

 

If you can afford it comfortably, I'd say go for it!

 

Let us know how you get on!

 

Eroll

[Fervidia]

Thanks for all the feedback and advice guys, this forum seems like a great place, just from a glance!

 

As PPod suggests, I will most likely be looking into having the Volvo as a workhorse/long-distance daily driver and keeping a Z in my back pocket for those trips that need a little something-something; if my expected mileage plummets from a local job or a relocation, I would maybe consider having a 350Z as my only car, as this would perhaps be cheaper than running two cars, like a few of you have mentioned.

 

For some reason, I have this growing, overwhelming urge to "BUY ONE NOW!" SORN it, mess around with it in some unnecessary way, probably involving taking parts off just to clean/ensure their condition, and sticking them back on; why, I don't know. Can anyone provide a reason for buying, SORNing and reinsuring later on, perhaps at 21, perhaps at 25, or should I wait until 21/25 to even consider actually buying one?

 

Either way, I fully accept that any sort of high performance car, especially one that is not brand-spanking new, will be a bottomless pit for money and stress, but the only time I've ever been outraged at throwing money towards a set of wheels was replacing turbo parts on my old Škoda, where there seemed to be some sort of unforeseen wearing element not actually involving the turbo unit itself that set the whole system off in this recurring loop of replacing part after part that eventually lost the feeling of hope in the vehicle's health.

Edited February 19, 2018 by Fervidia
Grammar

[Jetpilot]

Even if its sorn'd, you would still want it insured (what if it got nicked/act of god), so its insured you might as well use it.

 

There is no need for them to be a bottomless pit if you buy right, make sure the clutch, brakes and tyres are good (or the price reflects that they need doing) and you should have a few years of trouble free motoring, unless something unforeseen happens.

[docwra]

You also need somewhere to keep it, ideally out of the elements, somewhwere to work on it and take it apart ........... and TBH when you can buy a working one for relatively little money Id just do that, enjoy it while its working and fix it when it doesnt

 

[GregZ33]

My advice would be to just use it if you're going to buy one.  Leaving car's sat around rarely does them any good, so you might as well enjoy being behind the wheel as much as possible in your ownership & keep it ticking over.  Or.. buy it as a weekend toy so that it still gets it's use & enjoyment whilst you aren't bent over by the fuel costs involved with it being a daily. 

 

I also wouldn't bother buying a cheaper one as a project, because all the parts that you're likely to need to replace (clutch/flywheel, exhaust, brakes) are generally more expensive than they are on your everyday car, as headphones highlighted above.  You're better off starting with a solid car in the beginning, then adding your own mods to it over time, in my opinion.  

[bigjackb]

I bought my first zed when I was 19 and ran it for a few years. Then ended up buying a 370z Nismo at 21. However living in Scotland made my insurance considerably cheaper than what you’re even paying for the Volvo. 

[Fervidia]

Moving to Scotland sounds like a think I might have to go and do... haha!