Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year to all my readers who are celebrating it. May you have a great celebration and a prosperous year ahead.

It has been weeks since I viewed the Nissan Fairlady Z or 350Z in Perlis. The update is I bought the 350Z and already paid a deposit on her. You might think that I am very happy but the fact is I am not. Supposedly it would only take a week for all the procedures and I could drive home with the 350Z and make it before the Chinese New Year holidays and my birthday. However, due to issues regarding the new car plate, I would have to wait longer. This, unfortunately is quite the norm for me every time I get a new car and this is the 4th time. It began with Toyota Celica, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda 6 and now, the 350Z. Some how, every time I get a new car, the number that I want is extremely difficult to get or expensive to buy. So, I have no choice but to wait and as my father's friend mentioned, I am not in a hurry to get the car so let us just wait. That is true and the seller is more anxious to get rid of the 350Z. I will let him worry about that and enjoy my new year celebration.

Although I do not know when I will be able to retrieve the 350Z but it did not stop me from planning what to do with the car once I get my hands on her. Not only did I came up with a list of restoration and mod needed, I actually started to purchase parts for her. I ordered 2 parts, just in time for my buddy to bring back from Japan as he was coming back for the holidays. The first part is for the Recaro SR6 seats that I have sitting in my room. Readers who read about my Toyota Celica would know that the SR6 came along with Celica and was removed when I sold the Celica. It was kept in my room and finally with the 350Z, I will be able to use the SR6 again. If you have a car with semi bucket seats, you would know the extra hassle the seats have with seat belts. So, I bought a custom made seat belt guide for the SR6. It allows easy access to the seat belt and I feel like it should have been a mod when I was driving the Celica but better late than never. It is leather on the outside with blue stitching (red is too mainstream) and a special strap for the seat belt. Since it was custom made, it fits like a glove.

Recaro SR6

Custom Leather Seat Belt Guide

Installed and fits like a glove

The second part was a simple yet much need part. This will the first manual car I drive and I have always want to buy a shift pattern plate. Most of the time, the shift pattern will be on the gear knob but not all gear knob has the pattern. That is when this plate is very important. So, I had my buddy buy one of this Nismo 6 speed Shift pattern plate which does not cost a lot but sure hell is a cool thing to have. On the web page, it seems nice but when I see it, I was not expecting this. This is because it is too thin, almost like a sticker. I can't wait to put this in the car. It will certainly increase the cool factor of my 350Z interior.

Test Drive: Nissan Fairlady Z, The 1000 km Drive

It started with a spontaneous idea and soon I was cruising in my Mazda 6 heading north with my friend, just to go view the Nismo 350Z. The journey was long and tiring, spanning over 5 states. Luckily, I was travelling in the Mazda 6 which provides some comfort and I decided to sleep a night before viewing the car. 10 am next morning, I found myself waiting at the meeting place anxiously for the seller to appear with the 350Z. I waited for more than 30 minutes and finally the owner texted me but I could not see a 350Z. Then a guy waved at me from a Toyota sports sedan and asked me to follow him. After 5 minutes, I drove into a housing area and I saw the 350Z right in front of me. The moment of truth is upon me. I parked my car and took out a list that I prepared. Yes, I prepared a list for all the mods or problem that I find and make a record of it.

So I started looking around from the rear for the titanium exhaust. I could not see much because of how low the car is but I manage to have an idea how the muffler is. The rear boot's absorber has already given away which is expected given the age of the car. Next I went over to the engine bay to take a look and found the titanium intake pipe and ARC Super Induction Box. It looks great but the engine bay is really dirty. Could use a good wash. I could see the coilovers are Tein but wihout a pillow ball mount. The carbon hood is a good addition but without proper latch, I worried it might fly off. The rims are 2 piece 19" Volks Racing rims but I am not sure of the model and size of tires used.
The biggest issue I have with the car is actually the interior. Most of the silver plastics are scratched or faded but again expected.

Stock Engine

Arc Super Induction Box

Now that I am done inspecting, it is time for an important question. Can I test drive ? It is really important to have a test because engine and transmission condition cannot be known by just looking at it. Since I drove all the way here for 500 km just to see the car, if he does not let me drive it, I would have hurt him real bad. Luckily not only did he let me test the car, he did not even get into the car when I tested it. Being the gentleman that I am, I did not drive it out on the open road. Instead I just drove around the housing area a few times. Before driving, I stepped on the clutch while gear is in neutral and find out that the clutch is quite hard. So, when I reversed the car, I tried not to rev and to my surprise I could drive easily. Once the gear is in, it does not feel hard at all. However, I realized the original Japanese screen has cracked and could not access the reverse camera.

Manual Interior with Nismo 300 km/h Meter

Nismo Semi Bucket

During the test, I loved the semi bucket seat. When I hit the accelerator, the sound from exhaust could be heard but it was not that loud. I could also feel the great torque from the engine and coupled with the exhaust note, I thought I was revving high but when I looked at the meter, it was only 3,000 rpm. The car is definitely in good condition and powerful. There is a sense of familiarity but at the same time something new. I definitely was grinning but I had to hide it from the seller. After all that, I returned the keys to the seller and told him I will contact him later.

Carbon Hood

2017's New Plan

First of all, Happy New Year to all who actually still drops by into this blog. This blog has been neglected mainly due to the lack of car related happenings to me. The last time I posted was about the BMW-Toyota Hybrid idea that I had for my next car but that soon came to a fizz because of the recent change in Vehicle Law in Malaysia. This change in law only allows the transplant of engine within the same brand. So there goes the hybrid idea and for sometime later, I was back to staring at the local car selling website and hope for a cheap buy. However, in light of the new year, something came along and it all started with a lunch meeting I had with my father and his long time friend, who is an extraordinary car sales rep 1 week ago.

 

During our lunch, I talked to him about the recent cheap sports car on the market and mentioned that some of my friends suggested I look for a Nissan Fairlady Z, precisely the 350Z. He then told me that he just remembered having seen a 350Z sold on the Internet and he is able to get me a good deal. It is a 2006 red, roadster (soft top) model with auto transmission. Since the car does not meet my requirement and is way over my budget, I passed on it but to my surprise, my father told me that at that price, the 350Z is really a good choice. Although surprised, I understood why he said so. The 350Z was sold for around RM 260,000 new and after 14 years, it is now around RM 50,000 for a 2003 model. That is around 80% decrease in value and anyone who bought one now would have save on depreciation.

350Z Roadster

Soon after the lunch, I talked to some friends and one of them told me that there is a Nismo 350Z for sale and it is cheap. I joined the 350Z owners club's Facebook page and viewed the photos of the Nismo 350Z. I was immediately excited and attracted to the car because of the spec of the car. It has all the mod that I would go for; Suspension (Tein), Exhaust, Open Pod Intake (ARC with Heat Shield) and has Brembo Brakes, and the Ultra Rare Nismo parts; Cluster Meter and Semi-Bucket seats. I was starting to believe it is a Nismo model but I did some research and found out it is only a stock 350Z with Nismo parts installed in it. Nevertheless, it is hard to come by a manual transmission 350Z with all these mods and selling at a good and cheap price.

Actual Nismo 350Z

Previously I was talking to my buddy who has a 350Z with auto transmission and asked him to sell me his ride for a cheap price. Since the market price for his 350Z is around RM 40,000 to RM 50,000, you can understand why I am interested in the Nismo 350Z posted online. I contacted the seller and realize the biggest problem is the car is located 500 km away from me but since it is a great deal, I decided to make a spontaneous trip up north to view the car. Deep down inside my heart I hope that this would be a good ride and I will be able to buy it. Wish me luck !

Car For Sale

*ps. When I told my parents, my mother flipped and I got into a huge fight with her. This is what
        happen when you have an over-protective, conservative mother and a record of a huge crash in
        the past. However, I will survive.

BMW Idea

Since I viewed the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, I have been constantly thinking about the downpayment and loan issue. I have been thinking a lot and I definitely do not want to be burdened by a car loan because of these simple reasons: 1. Most of the great JDMs are older than 2005. 2. Any car older than 2005 will not be able to get a loan or have a short loan period. 3. Those newer are just too expensive. So, I came up with a plan to get an old and cheap car but with the potential of being a project car. That is when I was reminded of this interesting idea that was once very very popular. Getting an old BMW and put in a Japanese sports car engine. You get the style and luxury of a Continental car but with the reliability of a Japanese engine. We all know BMW engines are great but it is not easy to maintain one. So with this combination, you would get the best of both world.

E46 3 Series Coupe with CSL front bumper

I have always eyed the BMW E46 3-series especially the 2 door coupe variants. It also helps that these E46s are made in the year circa 2000 and market is of abundance of them. I could easily get a E46 for around RM 25,000 but you would need to fork out more at around RM 40,000 for a 2 door variant. I have already picked a color and the exterior enhancement that I would love. It would either be blue or grey with a M3 CSL front bumper paired with a SRS or M Sports rear bumper with dual exhaust. Put on a nice set of Breyton rims and lower with a M Sports suspension set, it will be great. On the inside, I will have a black interior with silver trimmings, a M Sport 3 spoke steering wheel with control buttons and replace the original audio player with a touch screen just to modernize the inside. Also, I would finally have a reason to take my beautiful alcantara Recaro SR6 seat out of my room and into a car. It would be just like the good old days.

SRS rear bumper with dual exhaust

M Sport rear bumper with dual exhaust

Now that the BMW side of the idea is done, it is time for the Toyota half. You might not be aware of it but transplanting Japanese engines into a European car has always been a popular thing in Malaysia. You will see some 1980s Mercedes Benz or early Jaguars with Japanese engines under the hood. It is popular because of the saying that Japanese engines are more reliable and cheaper to maintain. For the BMW, Toyota's 3 liter 2JZ-GTE and 2.5 liter 1JZ-GTE engines are the chosen one with the 1JZ being the more popular one. I started looking up for parts, engine, manual transmission and the list of mods that would go well with the project. I thought I found the perfect project to satisfy my budget and the need for speed. You could see me going online searching every day especially for a suitable and cheap project car but there was none. I told myself I need to wait. Condition is not important because it is more critical to get one as close as possible to what I want to reduce the amount needed to spend on the project.

Black interior with aluminum trim equipped with M Sport steering wheel and touch screen 

Then that fateful day came when I was chatting with a good friend of mine and told him about my BMW idea. He told me it was impossible and I was surprised to hear that. I asked him why and he told me that the government changed its rules and now it is impossible to endorse a BMW with a Toyota engine. This was a recent change from 3 years ago and I went to check. Indeed it was true and with the new ruling, it is only possible to change engine that belongs to the same brand and an increase of capacity by 25% only. Saddened by this new revelation, I felt that my project ended before it even could start. I quickly thought of another alternative and that is to buy a BMW already endorsed with a Toyota engine. It would definitely take away the fun of modding but it will save a lot of time. So, I began looking for such a car and I was disappointed. Not only were such cars rarely found in the market, even if you do find one it most probably would be 4 doors with automatic transmission and be more expensive than what I could afford to pay for. I could only curse my luck in this matter. In the end, I am forced to wait and plan more in order to fulfill my needs of a having sports car. I need a manual coupe variant and I will not give up !!! Or until I find another more feasible project. :)

1JZ-GTE sitting cozily in a BMW. Prefer the VVT-i model

Its back

It has been a little over 2 years since my Celica was sold. I was glad that the car remains in the Celica Club but to my knowledge, the new owner stays in another state and most likely attends only big events. Since it is still in the club, I could sometime see photos of it and keep track on its updates. There was an last year and I had the chance to come upon the above photo on the club's Facebook page. I thought of posting this just for the sake of reminiscing.

In my opinion, I am glad that the new owner remains the original and rare Thunder Grey color and there is no change to body kit. If you look closely, the new owner installed the same 4 pot brakes I used to have from 6th generation Celica GT-4 model. It is not so obvious because it is grey in color but I obviously prefer gold color because when I had the car, the brakes were gold. He asked me to sell the brakes back to him but we could not agree with the price. When it comes to the decals, I feel it is a personal preference. Some part of it I like some part I do not like. Interior wise, I have no idea whether anything have been changed.

That's it from me. Tell me what you think about the new look on my previous ride in the comment section. Sorry it is such a short post especially since the long hiatus from me. As you know I drive a regular sedan now. So, there will be almost no stories to post but I will come by once in a while if anything catch my attention. Ciao for now.

Dream Car Expo 2015

One week before Christmas, there was an expo in Mid Valleys called the Dream Car Expo 2015. I think it was the last car related event before the year ends and I have been to the last Dream Car Expo in 2014. Let me say that this is not exactly what I would consider as an Expo and the "Dream Car" term is quite misleading. I remembered my first visit in 2014, I had expectations but I was soon disappointed and I even went there on the sole purpose of going to the expo. It was just a small hall filled with your regular every day cars that you can view just by going to any showrooms of each brands. I soon realized the purpose of this Expo and it is to help folks who wanted to purchase a car and get some good deals and maybe freebies on that day. I think calling this expo a sales event for every brand would be much more accurate. So you would most likely ask, why was I there again in 2015 ?

Well, this time I did not go there on purpose but I had to do some last minute Christmas present. I thought since I was already there, I might as well take a look at this year's expo. I went without any expectation but I was shocked, surprised to see something I did not expected. I was greeted by a bright red Audi R8 at the entrance. You would have thought it was the 2nd generation R8 that was said to launch soon and it was because Audi participated in the Expo. As you can see from the photo below, it is the 1st generation V10 R8. I found out that this supercar was brought in by a company that sells reconditioned and used cars.

The same company also brought along a BMW i3 and its written on a paper on the windscreen, "1st in Malaysia". BMW Malaysia happens to only sell the i8 here and so this company might be right about this unit being the first but is it really the only one here ? I definitely do not like the i3 but being curious what kind of car is this electric vehicle and decided to take a look. On the outside, I have to say it is butt ugly. Definitely, you can never ever get me to buy this car, much less see me drive in it especially with that price.  However, I do have to say that the suicide doors are awesome. 

Time to head inside the cabin to see what it looks like because this is the first i-series car of BMW that I am in and I was curious to see how futuristic it would look like. When I finally got in, I had mixed feelings. Sure, there are some cool future elements like the blue accent on the steering wheel (Tron inspired maybe ?) but it sure is boring like how all BMW interiors are (no offense here). After a minute the exciting parts get drowned by the "simple" elements of the cabin. 

Next, I found a sports car that makes regular appearances in many car related shows in Malaysia, the Subaru BRZ. This is a car that I both like and hate at the same time but I have met the BRZ almost every time I go to a car show. If you are happy to see the BRZ, you should thank Subaru for officially selling the car here. Nothing much to talk about it because the BRZ has made it into some of my posts in 2015 and I believe every time I see the BRZ it is the same car. You usually have showroom unit but are you interested in this event unit ? If Subaru is selling it cheap, I might just take up on that offer. 

After some exciting entries, I began to walk around and realize that although this year's expo has the same theme but there are some new cars that was only made available in 2015 that I have yet seen on the road such as the Chevrolet Malibu, the new Peugeot 308 THP and the MK7 Volkswagen Golf R caught my attention as well. I am not a fan of Golfs (GTi and R too) but I liked the fact that Golf Rs are AWD with a 2 liter turbo engine. The MK6 models had nice Recaro seats but I was disappointed to find out that the MK7 does not  have Recaros. 

The expo only took 15 minutes of my time (some of it was to wait so I can sit inside the car) but this year I walked out with some nice photos. Definitely did not expect these cars to show up and this shows that maybe I should check out the expo every since it is free admission and you will never know what would be on display the next year. So, see you again in 2016.

Merry Christmas !!

Merry Christmas to all my readers and hope you received lots of presents and have a great celebration.

Thanks for supporting and visiting this blog.