The Eagle Has Landed

[john-boy]

Morning all,

At around 1600 hrs yesterday I finally picked up my 350 from Birchwood Nissan in Maidstone ...

All I can say is "whoooooooppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeee"

I haven't stopped grinning yet, and I haven't had 1 stitch of negative feedback from my usually hyper-critical colleagues at work .. even the ladies seem to appreciate this one. Admittedly, I am the boss, but that doesn't normally stop them!!

This car is superb, the looks, the drive, the feel ... as you can tell I'm very, very pleased. I've got a few concerns about paint chips I've been reading about on 350zuk.com, but am thinking of getting Armourfend put on shortly.

BTW, the car is a gunmetal (I know, I know, aren't they all), charcoal leather, GT Pack, Rays and Sat-nav; which is super cool in bird-eye mode!!

Right, that's more than enough from me .. piccies to follow shortly.

CheerZ,
JB.
(smug-git)

 

[STEVE BURNS]

hi john boy
give it a run this sunday and come over to the royal oak
be nice to see a gun metal 350

 

[Russ]

BASTARD BASTARD BASTARD

Sounds really really nice mate, enjoy it Waiting on the piccies! Maybe some of the interior for a change please and the Sat nav in action? All we see is how nice the outside looks. Maybe some of the brakes, the engine bay, the boot, the roof lining, dials, if you have time of course but it would be nice to see something over than a front quarter shot

 

[MONIE666]

Well done Darling knew you could do it!!! Had little bet wid myself how long ya would last before the purchase... Well can't wait for the promised ride in her... so when are you down showing off to Ma & Pa??? maybe you could pop round then?? Hope that Sus is suitable impressed... as all girls should be!!! Been told a guy at work can fix that old project of mine ha ha ha so maybe this year eh?? be nice to see them together ya first Zed and current Zed.... Also found some pics of our old 280ZX which I shall save for ya....

Well take care and see ya soon.........

 

[john-boy]

Originally posted by STEVE BURNS
hi john boy
give it a run this sunday and come over to the royal oak
be nice to see a gun metal 350

Steve, I would love to attend on Sunday ... believe me I'm more than happy to show her off, unfortunately I have "mother duties" on Sunday .. so I can't attend this one. I think you may need a sowester anyhow. I will, however, be at the next one I can without proving to be a bad son!!

Besides, you may not even be able to find me amongst a sea of gunmetal 350s, eh? LOL

Russ, I'll sort some piccies as soon as I can find my camera (doh!), and try to give you the views you are after.

Monie, my dear, all being well the car will be in Deal on Sunday, but I have a bit of a packed calendar - I'll drop you an e-mail and we can sort out a runout soon! As for Lucy - well, I believe it when I see it, but it would be great to see them both together! X

CheerZ,
JB.

 

[john-boy]

Evening all,

OK, here's some piccies of my new baby Russ, I've tried to cater for your wishes with a few pics of different bits,
but I'd be the first to admit, I'm no David Bailey!!

So, here goes:

Sat Nav in action and centre console:

Top view:

Slinky Side:

Some Wheel and Brake action!

Well, that's it for now ... next project, get a better digi-camera!

Oh, by the way, everytime I drive the car, I'm

CheerZ,
JB.

 

[JEZ 280ZX]

Hi,
How does it compare to driving the Z32?....like the Sat Nav!....You'd have thought they would have removed that foliage stuck to the front wing, during the pre-delivery inspection!
Cheerz,
JEZ

 

[john-boy]

Jez,

The foliage is part of the "camo-kit" I ordered, it allows me to continue to patronise the 300zx.co.uk forum without fear of reprisal ...

Seriously though, as for how it compares, well .. it's different, that's for sure. The power delivery is a complete change for a start - there's a definite knack to driving a Z32, to enable maximum grin factor, each time you floor it - and to be fair, when you get it just right, there's nothing like the shove in the back you get from a pair of turbos!! In the Z33, however, it's a different kettle of fish entirely .. Whereas I don't think it's as dramatic as when you catch it *right* in the Z32, it's far more rewarding for 90% of the time.

I'm sure Mike will agree here, but accelerating hard working your way through all the gears is a real pleasure, you're rewarded with a consistent urge, and the feeling that that the car just wants to keep going .. and let's just say the engine note does nothing to deter this - it's superb! I spent a good deal of the first couple of days of ownership driving round with the window open just to get a bigger hit (sad, I know, but necessary).

As for living with the car, it's fair to say that a lot has moved on in 15 years, most of it without you even noticing - and, even though the Z32 was superbly equipped for it's time, there's no doubt that the accomodation and ergonomics of the Z33 are a considerable step on. To my mind, the only backward step, is the lack of a clock that you can see all the time, which I find a bit of a pain.

Apart from that, the brakes, steering and gearbox are all a big improvement.

The jury's still out on the seats, which look and feel excellent, but seem to be giving me back-ache, something which I *never* had from my Z32.

Overall, I can't wait to get her out of the garage every morning, and I'm averaging 25 mpg .. something I never managed in any of my Z32s!!!

CheerZ,
JB.

 

[Russ]

Superb