Why not a "Lady" ?

As most readers of my blog know, I have been planning to purchase a JDM sports car on my own and have been looking for and researching for a suitable one. I even posted about the Subaru Impreza WRX STI which I would love to have and even went to look at one unit just last month. However, I found out that it was not that easy because although the price is cheap but not easy to obtain a car loan and not cheap enough to just buy it with cash. There are some JDM sports car that have reached certain prices that appear so attractive that you could just buy without much consideration. I wished it would be that easy because price is not the only factor you should consider especially in a country like Malaysia. One JDM sports car that is currently considerably cheap is the Nissan Fairlady 350Z (Z33). I remember when it came out during my high school days, it was cool but expensive. These days they are like everywhere. You can easily find a year 2003 350Z, both AT and MT for around  RM 57,000 to RM 65,000, depending on condition and modification. Let me give you some comparison to show you how cheap it is right. You could find an old like a 1993 Mazda RX-7 (MT) selling for RM 78,000 and a 1997 Toyota Supra (AT) for RM 95,000. Meanwhile something of similar age, a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII can easily fetch a range from RM 85,000 to even a ridiculous RM 105,000. It is very obvious that it is cheaper than some models made in the 90s and even lose out to its peers from the same time period.

Mazda RX-7 vs Toyota Supra

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII vs Nissan Fairlady 350Z

The biggest reason for being so cheap is the engine capacity. In Malaysia, car owners have to pay a road tax based on the engine capacity and the bigger your engine, the more you have to pay especially if it is 3000cc and above. For better understanding, a 2 liter engine costs RM 6xx and a 2.5 liter engine costs RM 8xx. It does not seem like a big difference but a 3 liter engine entitles you a road tax of RM 3xxx and the 350Z with a 3.5 liter V6 engine would cost you RM 4371 per year. Definitely for the rich only and because of this high tax, it makes the 350Z not so high in demand. Certainly not for someone like me and the next reason is the insurance issue. I have no idea how much its insurance premium is but I know it is difficult to find an established insurance firm to want to insure your 350Z and its sister, the Nissan Skyline 350GT (V35) with the same engine. Only those smaller firms would dare to insure. The last reason that affects everyone's consideration is the practicality of the 350Z. Being a 2-door coupe with only 2 seats and a small boot, the 350Z is more catered to a niche market for the rich and maybe singles or if you already have a daily drive. These 3 reasons mentioned above actually raised red flags with banks causing difficulty in obtaining car loans and directly caused demand for this model to be low. In the end making the 350Z cheap.

Actual 350Z Road Tax Slip

350Z 3.5 Liter V6 Engine

I do have other reasons that may only affect me personally which made me not considering the 350Z. If you know me personally well enough, you would know that I call the 350Z, a "FAT"lady instead of a Fairlady mainly because how round and overall big it is. I know 3 person who used to own one; a high school buddy who upgraded to a Nissan GT-R R35, a mechanic friend who is great at fixing Celica and an ex-gf who drove a convertible one but sold it. I once had my Celica parked next to my buddy's 350Z and you could easily see why I considered it fat. It does not look good stock but when it has a widebody Veilside bodykit, it shines. I also have some reservation regarding its power because back in the days, my buddy drove it like he was crazy and boy was it fast. However, when I drove my mechanic friend's 350Z, I could not feel the raw power even when I step on it. I also realized that the 350Z have many blind spots and the hood is too flat, making it hard to estimate the front. Finally, I am not a big fan of big engines. Look at how the Evos and STIs only have a 2 liter, 4 cylinder, Turbo engine and have more power than the 350Z has. I certainly do not appreciate the heavy car with big engine design.

My Buddy's 350Z vs My Celica (Front)

My Buddy's 350Z vs My Celica (Rear)

350Z with Veilside Widebody Bodykit from Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift

Although with this much said about how owning a 350Z is Malaysia is not ideal but its prices really makes me ask myself, why am I not getting one. I always this thought that if I ever buy a 350Z, the engine definitely has to go. I have actually seen a 350Z sold in Malaysia that has a RB26DETT engine from previous Nissan Skyline GT-Rs (R32 - R34) implant. That to me is a brilliant idea because with the smaller capacity engine, you get cheaper road tax but still maintain or get even more power than before. Definitely awesome and desirable but I know it is going to be a hell lot of work needed to be done especially since the 350Z is a RWD and the GT-Rs is a AWD. The RB25DET engine from Nissan Skylines (R33 - R34) is a better choice because it is also a RWD but everyone think it is far inferior to the RB26 engines. It does not really matter to me because either way, it is still better than the original V6. Anyway, in the end I have to say changing the engine is definitely a cool but troublesome process. I rather buy one that has everything I want, not just a cheap sports car.

350Z with RB26DETT