Chris M Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Hi, My name is Chris and I am looking to buy a Z, I have been more of a Toyota fan boy over the years but have owned cars from most of the Japanese car makers at some point, I currently have an MR2 Roadster which is a great handling car with only 950kg at the last weight in. I want more power again and so am going to sell it and look for an Automatic Z. Why Auto, well I want something fastish but hate getting stuck in traffic going home after work every night, I had an auto NA Supra and found that was a great balance for me. As I am Irish that means the Tax is absolutely crazy over here for the 350z and is the only reason I have not thought about one in the past however I have been watching a lot of videos and think it would suit me perfectly plus I want to get something 6 cylinder again. I started driving with very normal cars but which were bigger engine than the 1 litre cars my friends started with, my first two cars were both Honda Civics, great cars and very reliable. The 2nd Civic was also my first import and I was surprised with all the options it came with, I was always of the mindset I would not buy an import but that changed when I realized every thing was electric and no more rolling up windows was nice. My next car was a WHITE Mitsubishi FTO and was my first sporty motor, 2 litre V6. Also my first modified car. I bought it just before I passed my driving test and actually had it as a 2nd car along with the blue Civic. The car was lowered, had a veilside rear bumper and a mongoose exhaust that sounded fantastic, but i sold it after 2 years because I wanted more power and wanted to try something RWD. I found some website that were talking about how high powered cars could be bought cheap in Japan, so I went on the look out for something cool, I wanted a skyline R34 at first but due to budget and such I ended up importing my first Toyota, A 1JZ Turbo JZX100 Chaser, I wanted a car for hooning but one that could also carry the family around as it was going to be my only car for a few years, I imported a completely standard car and tried my hand at modifying it, I owned it for around 3 years until I decided I wanted a Supra. I found a Supra and managed to get the car onto a classic policy, it had been imported to Ireland way back in 1996 and was a one owner car and was a standard NA. I just changed the wheels and added a front lip as the NA does not take to power mods and it would cost too much to engine swap. My wife was learning to drive and I wanted to get something quirky that she would like so went and bought a Nissan Cube as a new daily, I actually really like the thing, so much space and is handy going to Ikea and such. This seems like a great forum so I decided to join. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted February 13, 2021 Author Share Posted February 13, 2021 This is what I am currently driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Muxlow Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Hi and welcome along buddy. Some really nice looking cars you have had. Good luck in your zed search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted February 13, 2021 Author Share Posted February 13, 2021 Thanks, I look forward to getting one. I Wish covid was over as it just makes everything a pain especially when buying and selling cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortPaul Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Hi and welcome from Bristol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted February 13, 2021 Author Share Posted February 13, 2021 1 hour ago, ShortPaul said: Hi and welcome from Bristol Thanks for the welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kieran O'Quick Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 Nice car history. Never seen an FTO in the UK. The Zed is well worth adding to your list. Might not be considered quick enough by some but it has depth. It pulls and pulls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 I just sold my MR2 so have started the search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagan Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Hi and welcome I have had 2 JDM auto's and they have been a pleasure to own. The tiptronic gearbox is great if you use it in manual and you don't get any of the usual clutch problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Welcome along. I actually sold my previous car (a Celica GT4) to a chap from Ireland, he flew in to Heathrow I picked him up in the car, drove back to where I lived, did the paperwork and he drove it back to a port over in Wales and home again just in time for tea! He paid in cash to avoid transaction costs and brought the money with him, I had to write an email to him and immigration explaining why. Funny thing was we went into my bank, first thing so only people in there and the manager wandered over to help we explained we needed to pay a lot of cash in he said no problem and we used the automated paying in machines which could do £2k at a time. One lot stopped and spat a few notes out it couldn't count and the Irish chap right in front of the manager and me just said 'aaaa they be the ones I printed out' I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry Anwyay, good luck, the guy that bought my car had a full day but said it was relatively painless considering he had to buy in a different country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share Posted February 19, 2021 That is a funny story, Sounds more like an episode of Father Ted. Due to Brexit I wont be buying from the UK as they will add VAT, Duty and registration Tax to the price of the car making it super expensive, Buying from Northern Ireland wont incur duty. Lock down at the moment also means we are not allowed move outside of a 5km area from our homes so finding what I want is hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkyirl Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Good luck with the search. I'm in the North, just got a Zed in December myself. (fantastic cars, I highly recommend them!) The best ones seem to be in England, but I saw a few of them up for sale up here. I'm not entirely clued in on the tax stuff and Brexit, would it be worthwhile waiting until lockdown eases and bringing it in via Belfast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted February 21, 2021 Author Share Posted February 21, 2021 12 hours ago, Sparkyirl said: Good luck with the search. I'm in the North, just got a Zed in December myself. (fantastic cars, I highly recommend them!) The best ones seem to be in England, but I saw a few of them up for sale up here. I'm not entirely clued in on the tax stuff and Brexit, would it be worthwhile waiting until lockdown eases and bringing it in via Belfast? Yeah that is an option but I predict at least 5 months from now the way things are going. Maybe I should order one from Japan, at least I can pick the colour I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 I got one, A 2003 JDM Version T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortPaul Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Nice what is version T ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 The version T means that the Car comes with Leather power seats and Bose sound system but no Brembo brakes. I have a few niggles to sort out, Misfire on cylinder 3 so will replace the coil tomorrow, I see the speed sensor dial is reading speed while I am stopped so need to research that and the rear driver side brake light is out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortPaul Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Learn something new every day, good luck sorting out the niggles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 Thanks, Due to covid I bought it sight unseen so have some exploring to do tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GranTurismoEra Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 whats your budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 4 hours ago, GranTurismoEra said: whats your budget? I got the car already. There are a few small things I need to address. Missfire on cylinder 3 so I need to replace the coil, brake light on the drivers side is out, I see the wheel arches have been removed to accommodate the bigger wheels so I will need to track them down as I dont want moisture building up in those areas. Some weeping on the rear diff. Everything else is good and rust free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loadmaster Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Isn't road tax ridiculously high in Ireland? My 540 (2001) would be waay over £1k, according to an owner I know over there who owns the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie_r32 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Nice car, did you go auto in the end, its a surprisingly good box isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 7 hours ago, Loadmaster said: Isn't road tax ridiculously high in Ireland? My 540 (2001) would be waay over £1k, according to an owner I know over there who owns the same. it would be the equivalent of 1552 pounds a year in order to save the whales or what ever their reasoning for tax is as it is not even road tax, it is motor tax which is a luxury tax that does not get put back into the roads. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 2 hours ago, Eddie_r32 said: Nice car, did you go auto in the end, its a surprisingly good box isn't it? Yeah but I need to wait on the log book before I can insure it so I will report back when I actually get a chance to drive the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loadmaster Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 8 hours ago, Chris M said: it would be the equivalent of 1552 pounds a year in order to save the whales or what ever their reasoning for tax is as it is not even road tax, it is motor tax which is a luxury tax that does not get put back into the roads. That is just an unbelievable amount to pay. I pay £150 per year for my 2017 Nismo. Had I bought an earlier one it would have been over £500 and if mine had a list price of over £40k when new (it was just under) again, it would have been over £500. So, a 2017 model with the list price under £40k was the sweet spot. But over £1.5k? Criminal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.