With the help of the forum, I purchased my first Z last weekend! Its a bit of a mid life crisis purchase, but the Z is one of the best value/performance propositions, so I figured why not? These cars are bottoming out price wise so not too much money to lose if it doesn't work out. I narrowed down my search to an HR model with relatively low miles and of course 6-speed manual. This car initially looked quite tidy in pictures, but after an inspection it was apparent that, while in good condition, this car was never loved, nor truly neglected. Is hard to find a perfect example of a 13 year old car after all- but this allowed for further price negotiations. All said in done, I was able to walk away with the car for 13.5k NZD- which I feel pretty content about.

It's been about 4 years since my last tuner car, which was a 2007 S2000, but I am already feel the urge to change things. I've started a google doc with future mods in mind, but we'll see how much money I am willing to spend. The goal however is to first restore it to as new as possible condition and then from there start adding in some tasteful, yet stock/street mods. Basically, I want to retain some of its classic looks and lines... no 'because race car' here.

Here she is on our drive back from Auckland to Wellington.

And here are some of my former s2000

 

Wish there were more pics of your Z in this thread. Have you changed ALL the fluids yet?

 

I had a little free time between work and kids so I decided to start doing some cleaning.

First things first I removed the seats.


Interior wasn't in too bad of shape, but I noticed what appeared to be lots of "shavings" under the seat. After pulling back the seat cover, I discovered that the seat foam was starting to deteriorate.



A bit of a shame but I suspect not too much cost to get it fixed.

Now, I am a tall driver at 187cm and I must say, I feel like I am looking "through" the headliner. I am not much for gangster lean and prefer a more upright seating position so this may be a good excuse to swap out the stock seats. Something to ponder for sure.




All back together now. I am hoping I get some more free time this weekend to clean the exterior.

 

No, not yet. I'll be taking it in Wednesday to get the fluids changed and a few problem areas checked.

 

I used to own an S2000 and 350z at the same time. I love my z but still miss the fun that I had in the S2000. The Z is just not as defined and focused as the S was. Like a machete or butcher's cleaver vs a scalpel.

 

In SCCA racing over the past decade, I've seen S2000 plenty of times and while i love their high revving engine and road manners, they are no match for the Z on the racetrack. Ultimately, they are simply not as defined, focused or as fast as the Z33.

 

I'm sure you have much more track experience than I do. I only speak from my own perspective switching back and forth daily driving, going around cones at a few local events, and some twisties, I never tried to achieve the ultimate fastest lap or track time. I still stand by my comment though, stock for stock both my cars were purchased brand new, my Z never felt as sharp as the S. The S felt like a mechanical extension of the driver, similar to that of a Miata which I previously owned. My Evo X also has a similar driver centric connected feel, where every bit of the road is translated into your hands, feet, and body. The Z33 might drive you there faster, the S you are the one driving. Like I said, the S is a scalpel with precision cuts, while the 350z is faster through laps, it does so chopping foliage like a machete.

 

Yeah I have to agree with Mr. Sparco. I have owned 3 s2000s (Including a CR) and while the 350z may be faster, the s2000 is a much more driver focused vehicle. It smaller, lighter, and has a much tighter steering rack. It's also a bespoke platform so there is way less compromise built into the car. Feelings, naturally, are subjective though.

On to the 350z...My JDM plate holder was starting to look very unsightly and since NZ has shorter and wider plates there was no hiding it.


Time to take a hacksaw to it...


And now for a little help getting the plate back on.



I didn't actually mind the front JDM plate holder but the NZ plate didnt actually fit and I prefer a more flush look. The holes didn't line up, so ended up drilling some new ones. I think it looks much cleaner now.




Still needs a proper wash. Maybe I will get around to that today.

 

Just got the car back from the shop and it looks like the leak is coming from the rear main seal. It's minor and can wait until the clutch/flywheel is changed. The clutch is at about 2/3rds worn, so who knows- could last a week or could last a few years? Either way, I am very happy!

I've got a new shift **** on order from Z1 and some leather goods from redlinegoods coming. I also went ahead to a panel beater to check out the rust spot in the door hinge. Its mostly cosmetic but will be dropping the car off with them next week to sort it out.

Heres some fresh photos- she cleans up well!

 

Nice shots of a clean Z. Did you clay the paint and apply polish, wax or sealant?

 

Nah, I only had a couple of hours to spend on it unfortunately. \

Just got the tint put on today. I was so tempted to go with with 25% but I didn't want to deal with passing WOF so I stuck with 35%. Still looks pretty good and makes a huge difference with the cabin glare. Thinking about getting a dash matte, considering how shiny the dash plastics are.

Guy who owns the tint shop had a 350 and 370 on site- gave me a bit of a Z discount

 

The front two rims were pretty beat up so I had a mobile repair guy come out and refinish them. Also got my first "mod" in today- Honda ofcourse

 

Got this little nugget in and a couple of rear hatch springs. Wasn't sure how it was gonna feel, but I really liked the look of it, and its got a nice craftmanship too it. Happy to report that it feels better than expected in hand. Is a touch smaller than the stock **** but the shifts feel a little bit more direct, which probably has to do with the material.