nowhereboy Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I've been thinking of upgrading the Z recently to a newer model. I've only had mine for a month or so and I love it but I'm super paranoid that something is going to break on it and cost me a fortune to repair. Maybe you guys can give me a little insight? Much of this stems from the fact that I got the car pretty cheap... 5,700 for an 04 with 55k on the clock "full history" and that was from a dealer. The car has no warranty and every little noise it makes has me thinking the engine is going to give up at any minute. It also needs a little work, the front bumper needs painted as its stone chipped to hell and someone decided to key it after leaving it in a public car park for the first time last night, so that also needs sorting too, the wheels could also do with a refurb. I'm kinda torn between spending the cash to get it to the standard I want or just selling up and putting another grand or so down and getting a newer one. What do you guys think? In the meantime Im going to get it in for a full service and a check over for my peace of mind. Is there anything in particular I should ask the garage to check? I'm mainly paranoid about the engine tho it pulls well and sounds awesome, it makes a slight mechanical knocking sound when I turn off the ignition, it litteraly only lasts a second as the engine stops ticking over but I'm not sure if that is normal or not? It doesn't sound super healthy to me. So far I've found my ownership of this car fun but pretty stressful and frustrating. I can't seem to leave it anywhere without it gathering unwanted attention. The car park I left it in yesterday was in a nice area, in a village near my house and it still managed to get keyed!!! I'm furious about this but thats another story anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Why would you be less paranoid about having a newer, more expensive, Zed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellsteruk Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 (edited) Just my 2p... Any car new or old can go bang and cost you an arm and a leg but i appreciate what your saying personally i have always purchased new or cars within 12months of registration and over replaced them within 4 years with the exception of my beloved primera Anyway i also fear that if anything happens to my old 54 plate zed its gonna be expensive but look at is this way: It may be old but its got low miles, if its had full service history/MOT and its running ok now with no issues you are more than likely going to be ok but for peace of mind why not put it in a garage for a full once over. That said these are old cars and you have to expect that at this age thinks can go on them. I have personally never replaced a clutch on any of my cars but i am expecting to do it on my zed... Your body work can be done anytime, its doesn't affect how the car runs You could sell up and get an 06 or even and 08 but your still looking at a 5 year old car and i am sure you will stil be thinking the same thing... As i say just my 2p Edited July 29, 2013 by fellsteruk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gudzy Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Whereabouts are you? Someone from the forum may be able to come and take a look to put your mind at ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted July 29, 2013 Author Share Posted July 29, 2013 Thats a good question isn't it... haha. Probably not to be honest. I guess my main worry comes from having got the car so cheap, it's like I'm just waiting for something to go wrong. I feel like it was a bit too good to be true now looking at other Z's on auto trader. The cheapest one on their with the same age, spec and millage is 7,000!! Maybe I just got lucky. Hopefully a good service will calm my paranoia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted July 29, 2013 Author Share Posted July 29, 2013 Whereabouts are you? Someone from the forum may be able to come and take a look to put your mind at ease. I'm based in Newcastle. If anyone is local and fancies having a look that would be awesome. And fellsteruk you raise a good point actually, thanks for the input! A full once over is first on the agenda when I get paid! Mods and paintwork can wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellsteruk Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 No worries. Will get shoot for this but first mod should always be a nismo badge.... Lol I have somewhat of an obsession with them much to the distaste of the community Also the price you mentioned seems about right unless I also got a cheap zed, I paid just over 7k for a 54 plate GT with 40k on the clock it was listed as 8k but some hard haggling later I got my own way 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 The noise when turning off the engine is normal, if you keep the clutch in when turning off its less noisy. But rest assured its normal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siman350z Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 It is something I think we all worry about from time to time. It seems odd to have bought the car, knowing it was cheap and THEN worry. It seems like a good bargain. Get it checked out by a specialist (not an average garage). These cars are very mechanical and heavy on their controls- knocks, noises and rattles do occur and most have straightforward reasons behind them. My advice is to search for any issues on here/ google/ YouTube (for noises ESP). Just relax and enjoy the car, I had an exige, main dealer, 2 years old, 15k on it and it practically fell apart! Any car can do that, don't panic just go down to your local garage- falcon might be near you? Even an entire engine is bought for £1k in the classifieds here so you can't go far wrong even if te very worst happens! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted July 29, 2013 Author Share Posted July 29, 2013 The noise when turning off the engine is normal, if you keep the clutch in when turning off its less noisy. But rest assured its normal Thank god! Cheers man. I'm going to take it to falcon this weekend coming. I was planning on refurbing the wheels and getting the roof wrapped but that can wait till another month now. To be honest when I bought the car I was dubious because of the price but I was desperate as I needed a car for work and this was the only Z within 150 mile from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I bought my 04 Zed on 69k, still going strong nearly 4 years abd over 40k later, and only ever cost me servicing and modding money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siman350z Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Ps another weird engine noise/ rattle is the clutch release bearing which you'll hear in neutral and stops / starts with clutch in/out, also common and normal although can be replaced at minimal cost to reduce/ eliminate noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalas Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I sympathise with what you mean around paranoia - try driving a Stag as your other car! Any single twitch, clunk, smell (of which they're are lots) and strange noise has me on edge. Google "Stag paranoia" and you'll see what I mean. I suppose when it comes to the Z though I've been spoiled - mine was similar (just over £6k for a vgc JDM on 58k miles) but coming from a '01 Fiesta that I've had for 8 years and that has done over 215k miles (200k in my ownership) I have a fairly healthy respect for modern cars and their engines. I think for me bodywork is the main thing. If you're even vaguely handy with a spanner most bits can be replaced cheaply, as long as your own time is cheap and it's all right to be off the road. Engine transplants are my limit though :-) It's the bodywork that I think is most important as although it doesn't alter how the car runs if left untreated it very quickly escalates from below a hundred for a 10-pence patch to a fair few hundred for a much bigger patch and, unless you have a proper booth and skill, spraying to get a decent match is hard. Not to mention welding patch panels (at least there's no lead loading, mind). My last thought is that actually 8 years isn't an old car at all - up until the scrappage scheme and the finance schemes kicked in this last year or so 8 years would have been a fairly young second hand car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Cheers guys. I'm at work so can't google at the minute, I'll check that out when I get home. Given all the info I've told you do you think I should take it for a good once over before spending money on mods? I want the peace of mind but at the same time the garage I bought it from has apparantly serviced it and checked it over and I dont want to waste my money. Plus I'm really keen to get modding. Decisions...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Take it to a reputable independent garage and have a good once over and see if anything is amiss. Have a nice clean and clear canvass prior to modding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hensh65 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Been keyed twice, the price of jealousy. Nothing you can do but its infuriating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Absolutely fuming about the keying incident but like you say, nothing I can do. I'm so careful where I leave it too, that was the first time I'd parked it in a public place. I'm not even going to bother getting it sorted TBH, it will only happen again no doubt, I'll just see what I can do with some detailing as its not very deep thankfully. I'm booking it in with falcon for next weekend anyway for a good service and once over. I'm going to get a couple bits and bobs that need sorting off Zman too. Who do I have to PM around here to get some owners club stickers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HORNZEE Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Send pm to M13KYF for stickers he will sort you out don't worry about your z just brim it and enjoy!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Don't stress about the good price you paid! That's something to be happy about not sad. Would you feel any better if your paid £1000-£2000 more for the same car? I paid (what I've now learned from here) was over the top, for a low miler to make me feel less paranoid, but I still brick it if I hear a knock or rattle! The way I see it (for what it is worth), by paying less you've got better capacity to absorb anything that quite likely may not occur in future. Stick the money you saved in the rainy day bag under the floorboards and if it builds up, you've got a modding budget with some contingency on the side. Look at the Zeds on here, there's some beauties with way more miles on the clock and tons of happy owners (who also have miles on the clock). Chin up mate, you own one of the coolest and rarest cars around. I'm a firm believer that karma comes round to the kind of ******* who key cars. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMT Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 58' 2009' regy HR, the last of the bunch really before the 370 came out... trust me..stuff still goes wrong and it still suffers the usual faults. I bought it in Oct with 16K... just did the banana bushes last week...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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