gavsw20 Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Hi there. Currently got an M3 e36 Evo which is the business however Im changing jobs and my 20mile day country road drive is now changing into a trip down the bypass and being stuck in traffic for 10miles a day and to be honest the 321bhp from the Evo just isnt going to be used and I think 276bhp is more realistic. Ive always liked the Z's and they seam to be a reasonable price at the moment but I have a few questions first before I look seriously at investing: - What are the main things I should be looking out for on a Z before I purchase, I know about discs/pads, servicing checks but are there any specifics to look out for ? Good examples being the RMS issue on a Boxster and Vanos issue on an M3 ? What are servicing prices like at specialists, Im interested in major service prices ? JDM or UK spec what are the main differences and are there any issues with insurance, dealer prices etc... - I've had an MR2 import before so not that fussed about having one. Whats the chances of getting one for about 8.5 ~ 9k, is this a realistic figure or not ? What are prices for discs/pads bearing in mind they're Brembos ? Apologies if these have been answered before and please advise me on other posts with similar questions as I do not wish to clutter up the forum. Regards, Gav. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Don't even think about it - do it. Everything is cheaper than my old 323i and insurance for me is £450 fully comp (I'm 46 though ) This is how much fun you can have for £8.55k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich5259 Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Welcome The Zed has plenty torque ... it's a different driving experience after an Evo ... just pulls and pulls until ....... well you're going tooooooooo fast for the conditions .... and the sound ...... and the looks ...... and the servicing costs (much less) .......... and the ........... everything !!!! Just get one ..... you will not regret it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Hi and welcome to the forum, check out the sticky post for new members in the FAQ section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Hi & to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MITZ@CougarStore Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Welcome to the forum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenni86 Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andlid Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Welcome, once you feel the power not enough for you there is the fi option :-d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 hi What are the main things I should be looking out for on a Z before I purchase, I know about discs/pads, servicing checks but are there any specifics to look out for ? Good examples being the RMS issue on a Boxster and Vanos issue on an M3 ? to be honest nothing major, as long as they have been looked after and serviced regularly then they tend to be fairly bullet proof. little niggles tend to be rear CV link and drop links but fairly easy and cheap to sort. others have the odd clutch issue and need a new clutch, but its not really cropped up in any huge frequency What are servicing prices like at specialists, Im interested in major service prices ? as an example i go to Team AFM they tune BTCC touring cars amoungst other things, and they do most of the work on my car. the major service is the P3, i bought most of the consumables for about £100 just over and they charged me £220 for the service i think in total it was about £330 JDM or UK spec what are the main differences and are there any issues with insurance, dealer prices etc... - I've had an MR2 import before so not that fussed about having one. have a look in the buyers guide there are several stickies in there with all the info you need Whats the chances of getting one for about 8.5 ~ 9k, is this a realistic figure or not ? good, but might need to search abit for one of really good quality What are prices for discs/pads bearing in mind they're Brembos ? depends hugely on what pads/discs you put on. have a look on z-store.co.uk to give you an idea of whats available and price. there are also lots of other traders that sell brake stuff all at competitive prices. have a browse of the traders section Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 Welcome to the forum Gav. Happy hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruddles Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavsw20 Posted May 1, 2010 Author Share Posted May 1, 2010 Cheers for info, all looking good so far, there seams to be a few about on the £9500mark that seam to have decent mileage. I'm not that fussed about colour really although Orange/Blue are 2 faves if im honest. As long as the car has FSH, decent discs and is standard I'm pretty much open to anything. I quite like the idea of a JDM, be nice to have folding mirrors although not alot of them seam to have leather. Question - is there a way to spot a JDM vehicle visually apart from the square front number plate ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 Yep. Square rear number plate. Also, beeps like a lorry when you put it in reverse and no rear lip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 I quite like the idea of a JDM, be nice to have folding mirrors ....... UK ones have folding mirrors too - it's just they don't fold automatically at shut down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackpig Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 Hi I have just purchased my z and have also came out of an e36 evo. The engines do their work in quite different ways- the beemer makes all the power at high revs where the z uses the torque to push you along at lower revs. The z doesn't feel as quick as the m3 but the speedo tells you are still moving rapidly. The z handles really well- as good as my m3 which had a few mods and tweaked geo to get it how it was. The z feels special where the m3 didnt imo. I recommend the change to the 350z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackpig Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Just to add- I have a section near where I live consisting of a tight corner then a long straight which you have to brake at the end of. Lets just say, the Z achieved 5mph more than the M. Pleasantly surprised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavsw20 Posted May 3, 2010 Author Share Posted May 3, 2010 Aha nice to hear review from an Evo owner, thanks for that. I do love my Evo and it's the fastest thing I've owned but as you say all of it's power os up the high end, I used to have a 45mile drive up the Fosse Way (through the Cotswalds) every day and I could marmalise anything on the road changin gear at 5k revs...then you look at the rev counter and realsie that you've still got almost another 3k revs to play with !!! My new commute to work just isn't gonna use the engine to it's full potential and it seams a shame, to be honest I don't really drive it at weekends as always out and about. I do like the Z's and think I'll be getting one within the next 2~3 months just need to get settled in job first and sake up another 2k to buy one. How do you find the running costs/fuel compared to the Evo ? Mine had an inspection 2 the other month which was the best part of £650 and it cost me fekin £74 to fill it with V Power the ther day which will last about 320ish miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 If you fancy popping over to one of the upcoming shows or meets we will be happy to show you round a few cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackpig Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Aha nice to hear review from an Evo owner, thanks for that. I do love my Evo and it's the fastest thing I've owned but as you say all of it's power os up the high end, I used to have a 45mile drive up the Fosse Way (through the Cotswalds) every day and I could marmalise anything on the road changin gear at 5k revs...then you look at the rev counter and realsie that you've still got almost another 3k revs to play with !!! My new commute to work just isn't gonna use the engine to it's full potential and it seams a shame, to be honest I don't really drive it at weekends as always out and about. I do like the Z's and think I'll be getting one within the next 2~3 months just need to get settled in job first and sake up another 2k to buy one. How do you find the running costs/fuel compared to the Evo ? Mine had an inspection 2 the other month which was the best part of £650 and it cost me fekin £74 to fill it with V Power the ther day which will last about 320ish miles. I have only owned the Z for 4 days so I dont have any real idea on running costs yet. Fuel consumption wise, I think the Z seems to be similar to the M. I serviced the m3 myself which kept costs down. I have not decided what to do regarding servicing on the Z yet. I found the m3 a little frustrating to drive sometimes. It has alot of power and is geared for nearly 170mph. I found that I didnt have to use any gears apart from 3rd and 4th when on a sprited run. I took the M over to Germany and the nurburgring. Over there, the M makes sense. Autobahns where you can push it up to 160mph and the ring where it came alive. The Z seems to be geared shorter (not sure what the top speed is with the limter removed?) so you can get involved with the drive a little more. I handles great for a road car as it came from the factory. We are taking the Z on a european touring hol this year including a n'ring visit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dene8 Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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