Car Swap - Honda CR-Z

News of my decision to sell off my Nissan Fairlady soon traveled to my good friend's ear. He proposed an idea to swap my 350Z and his Honda CR-Z. He wanted to experience a fast and powerful, RWD car. Since I am selling the 350Z, I thought why not and I also would like to try daily driving his CR-Z. He told me the CR-Z's lighter clutch would be easier to live with on a daily basis. We met up one night, told each other the quirks of each car and went our separate ways with new rides. Previously, I have tested his CR-Z but I reckon, this time it will be a different experience. I was excited to see if it could live up to the nickname, "A poor guy's sports car". This CR-Z is completely stock except for the full body kit and you could read about my previous review here. The questions I am looking to answer would be, "Is the CR-Z, a 2 door hybrid car with a small engine, sporty enough and is it daily drive worthy or not?". I did get my answers by the end of this experience and I compiled it in a short report below. However, I will only cover areas regarding convenience and sportiness.

I will start off with the convenience of the CR-Z as a daily drive car. When you pick a daily ride, comfort would be your main concern as you will spend hours inside. The CR-Z looks like a sports car on the outside but it rides like a regular car. The ride is comfortable and very easy to drive. The clutch is light, making traffic jams an easy thing to survive. When you decide to go to the supermarket, there is a sufficient boot at the back for your bags and grocery. Although it has a small petrol tank, roughly around 40 liters, you can expect great fuel efficiency as it is a hybrid car. I was not used to this because I had to visit the petrol station a lot and all the cars I have driven have larger tanks. However, I was surprised by the mileage per tank of 400 km. It definitely saves some money for other purposes.

Good Rear Boot Space

Econ Mode that saves Petrol

There are several drawbacks to the CR-Z. This car comes with many inconveniences of a coupe. Coupes only have 2 doors and the doors on a coupe are longer than the doors of a sedan. This makes it difficult to get out of the car when parked in a tight space and difficult to access the rear seats. I mentioned rear seats but the one in the CR-Z is hopeless. A child can indeed access to it but calling that seats are too flattering because I would describe that as cardboard. The backrest is too straight and there is no cushion for support. The sitting position of the CR-Z is a little problematic for me. Some people like my wife do not like that it is too low to enter and when I  sat down, I fell on the seat because the seat was lower than expected, causing a little discomfort. It took me some time to adjust to my liking. I felt the position is quite awkward because it was not low like in a semi bucket seat but not tall enough to see ahead. Lastly, it is difficult to look into the rear while driving. The rear glass is useless due to the angle of it and the only access is the rear pane, which is small.

Large 2 doors

Now, let us look at the sportiness of this coupe. The first thing you notice when entering the cabin will be the multi-color cluster meter. The color changes depending on the driving mode; Eco, Normal, or Sports. Aesthetics aside, it is very easy to look at the meter because located in the center of the cluster is the digital speedometer surrounded by the rev meter. Both rev count and speed could be read together, making it easier to focus on the road. The next thing you noticed would the steering wheel and shifter combo. Sporty Honda models like the CR-Z tend to have a smaller diameter steering wheel and the 6-speed shifter has short throws, kind of feels like a short-shifter. These factors, coupled with a light clutch makes a great formula. The steering is light to turn with sharp response, gears easily engaged when shifting and footwork at ease. The CR-Z does not weight much and that makes it very agile and acceleration feels light, making it sporty to drive.

However, the lack of good suspension setup and brakes makes the car less sporty. The suspension is on the comfort side and during turns, body roll is significant. I could see the A-pillar waving in front of me while I turn. The front seats are without side bolster and during corners, it does not support the driver at all. Overall, it is too soft and the body roll makes me less confident to drive it harder. Meanwhile, the brakes on the CR-Z, like what most cars have, do a good job at reducing speed but it slows down the car too much. I only need a slight grip in order to switch lane or enter a corner. When there is too much speed reduction, it becomes difficult for the 1.5 liter engine to pick up speed afterward. Sometimes when driving at higher speed, the opposite happens and I find myself needing to shift down for engine braking. It feels like Honda could not decide whether the brakes should be for sporty drive or city drive. 

Fairly Basic Suspension and Brakes

The worst part of all, in my opinion, is the IMA hybrid system. Honda's hybrid is an assisting system that "boost" the power of the CR-Z. When the battery is fully charged, it really is quick to accelerate but unfortunately, when you needed it the most on the mountain road or on the highway, you will have a flat battery most of the time. Then, it becomes even slower than a regular Honda with a 1.5 liter engine. It charges when there is no acceleration and charges quicker when brakes are applied but it takes too long to charge and too quick to run out of juice. This is especially true in a cross country trip where you cruise all the time and the battery would not charge because there is no braking and feet will be maintaining the acceleration. 

Out of Battery

If I am a young adult who loves sports cars but had to survive living in the city on a budget, the Honda CR-Z would be a great choice as a daily drive. The looks of a coupe with low roofline would attract some attention and when you dress it up with a sporty body kit and wheels, some might mistaken it for a real sports car. At the same time, you get to enjoy the comfort of a regular car and get good mileage. It might lack some sporty features but the CR-Z has enough potential to become something sporty. You can get a better ride if you change the suspension, change the brakes and send for a tuning. If you have extra money, you could get forced induction like a turbo or supercharger. I have seen a Honda CR-Z with K20A engine from the Type R models. The limit of modification is your wallet. However, the owner said the CR-Z is a car that you need to grow to love over time.

4 pot Brake Calipers from Spoon

Sale Process

Hello, readers. I am sorry for the lack of entries in this blog. This is mainly due to my wedding preparations. So, I posted the ad online since January but there was almost no response. When the ad expired, I reposted but at a slightly lower price. Then, one night, I received a text message from an unknown number, around 2 A.M.. A lady from another state expressed her interest in buying my Nissan Fairlady Z. At first, I did not think much about this because it was too late for a genuine buyer to inquire. Not to be a sexist but the fact that a lady is interested in a sports car with manual transmission is quite unusual. However, she made an appointment with me to view the car. On the day of the appointment, she came in a Honda Civic Turbo equipped with full Type R conversion kit along with a guy friend who knows about sports cars. He told me he owns a Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 that is heavily modded. I had mixed feelings with this information. One one hand, I was relieved that my 350Z was being examined by someone who will appreciate it but one the other hand, negotiation would be fierce. I expected they would request for a thorough check on the condition of my 350Z and also a test drive.

I started the engine while waiting for their arrival. When they arrived, only the guy friend looked around the car and sat in the driver seat, while the lady was just on her phone. There was one thing that I did not expect was the checking of the boot area to examine if there was an accident. After around 15 minutes, the guy gave the OK and asked if the lady is truly interested. She agreed with it and immediately transferred a small amount to secure the car. I was surprised that negotiations went smoothly and that I was able to sell at the price that I wanted without a test drive. I was so happy because I got the price I wanted and that means more money for my wedding. We agreed on a date for her to collect the 350Z. A few days later, I arranged for my 350Z to go for an inspection with the land authority that grants a month's time for sales. I also did some last-minute maintenance such as service before handing over the ownership. She later transferred more money to me, making it 45% of the amount paid. However, when the date came, they were not able to come to pick the car because she had difficulty securing the remaining funds. It was further delayed and the sales period to pass.

As of this post, I have received a total of 55% of the selling price and still waiting for them to come and pay the remaining amount. When I receive the full amount, I will sign over the ownership and they could drive the 350Z home. Last I heard from them, they have already prepared the money but she could not get leave from work to travel to my place. I hope I could get this over with quickly.

2019 - New Decision

Happy New Year to all my remaining readers. 2018 has gone and we are now in the new year. It has been a long time since I wrote an entry on this blog. I am surprised that there are still visitors to my blog but I think most of them stop visiting because of the lack of updates. There was no update or new entry, mainly due to the fact I was too busy with work and my latest project, getting married. Yes, you read correctly. I am getting married and partly because of that, I have made another decision to sell off my Nissan Fairlady Z. Some might think it is too soon to sell because the 350Z was only with 2 years and I did not drive the 350Z a lot during these years. There is this saying that when you get married and start a family, you will get rid of your sports car for something more family-oriented. However, that is not the reason I made this decision. It is truly saddening as there were initial plans made such as an exterior and interior makeover but these did not come through. This indeed made it such a regretful decision.

The first reason why I want to sell my 350Z is the lack of usage. Initially, I was bored with my daily car and miss my fast driving days with my Toyota Celica. So, I decided I need a fast car in my life.  and was tempted to try the rich man lifestyle where you have a daily car and a sports car for the weekends. In the beginning, I planned to drive my 350Z at nights and during the weekend to have fun but things were not like how I planned. Firstly, my girlfriend (at that time) did not like the loud exhaust note as it was giving her a headache, the radio had to be loud and we could not talk softly. It was also difficult for her to enter and get out of the car because it was too low and the Recaros were hugging her too much. Soon, I was driving my daily during weekends because I only met her on the weekends. It is a shame to keep a fine sports car at home most of the time and not drive it, especially after all the mechanical work I had done to my 350Z.

Secondly, I need a good amount of cash to prepare for my wedding. God knows how expensive wedding preparation costs and my wife have expensive taste. It would be wise to sell my 350Z since I do not drive it much and it could fetch a certain amount in cash money. This is the good thing about having a sports car in Malaysia. The market value of sports cars is not determined by the age of the car as it is a willing buyer/seller market. I bought my 350Z at RM 45,000 in 2017 and now I could sell it at a price of at least RM 45,000 or more. After putting in so much time and money into restoring my 350Z, selling at the original price does not seem logical but there is also a limit to how much I could push the price. I have already posted on several websites, hoping that I could sell the 350Z before the road tax expires this March. I also trust that my 350Z is one of the rare ones where it has a manual transmission and in good driving condition despite its age. Good luck to me on my sales.

 

Old Lady to Young Lady Part 12

I was assigned for an outstation work trip down the south of my country. The trip would be around 250 km, one way and usually takes around 3.5 hours. I decided to drive my Nissan Fairlady Z and test how it would serve me on a long-distance trip. Actually, this would not be the first long-distance trip because I bought the car from the most northern point of the country but it was in terrible shape. So, this time it would be a proper test. I had some fun traveling south and learned several things. I found out that with its high weight, the 350Z's have a cruising speed of 190 km/h. Also, the acceleration of the Naturally Aspirated, V6 engine is very linear and easy to be done. I had a few cars tailgating me and I did not even have to downshift. I could accelerate easily in the sixth gear to get away from them. It was overall an exciting experience and the 350Z is a really nice and fast car to drive. I even reached the speed of 2However, it was very tiring in the Nismo sports seat on a trip like this.

 On the way back to my home, I had an issue with the 350Z. Out of a sudden, I heard a loud thunk and my exhaust note sounds weird. I quickly stopped at a petrol station and looked under but I could not see anything. When I start my engine, it sounded different too. I immediately called my workshop, Redsun and asked if they were available. I was already near my home, so I might as well visit to have my 350Z checked. When I arrived, the mechanic checked thoroughly with a flashlight and found the problem. It was one of the downpipes that broke, causing an incomplete path for the exhaust gas. The right way should be exhaust manifold, downpipe, mid-pipe, and muffler but now the gas comes out from the manifold. Half the gas flows all the way to the muffler at the end but the other half flows out in the engine bay. The owner of Redsun said I was lucky because the downpipe was still intact with mid-pipe and not fallen out of the car. There I was worried how much a new downpipe would cost me but it was just an easy fix.

As you can see from the photos above, the downpipe had a flange on each end. The flange that was supposed to connect to the manifold broke and still attached to the manifold end. Meanwhile, the flange to connect the mid-pipe is still fine. All there is to be done is to weld the broken flange back to the downpipe and it will be finished. I had the honor of the owner, himself welding for my 350Z. Luckily, he did not charge a premium price for his involvement. The gasket had to be replaced as well from a burn. In the end, it cost me little and everything was back to normal. I had a scare but I was glad everything was solved easily. Thank you, Redsun for saving my wallet and 350Z.

Ridiculous Prices

One day, my friend showed me 2 cars on his phone and asked for my opinion on those. One was a Lexus CT200H and another one, I have forgotten. Judging from the way he drives (which is like a demon), I do not think those suited him at all. Then he told me, it is actually for his girlfriend/fiance. When I was out with them, she told me she wants a car that has a not too big engine that produces 200 horsepower and cheap to maintain. I was surprised by her requirement because she was so specific and knows about cars. Normally, 200 hp can be easily produced by a turbo engine but she specifically said no turbo cars because those are noisy and I suspect my friend was behind this idea. After thinking hard, I suggested them to look for either a Toyota 86 or a Subaru BRZ. The exterior is modern and sporty, it has a 2 liter engine (low road tax), rear wheel drive, could be maintained like your regular car and comes in automatic transmission for the ladies. Since both manual and automatic transmission have 6 gears, the difference is not too big. All these combination means its attractive to both my friend's fiance and on the weekends, he could bring it out for a wild drive. It also helps that the 86 and BRZ are relatively cheap for a sports car, which is good for my friend's wallet. So, my friend, being lazy, asked me to look for one.

While driving, I did noticed a few places with nice JDM sports car for sale and I went to take a look. At one place there was a Honda S2000. First, a little information on the S2000 in Malaysia. The market price for a used unit starts from Rm 145,000 cash. It is expensive due to being extremely rare to find one for sale and those here are mostly the pre-facelift, AP1 models. The one that I saw is a white, AP1 with Amuse GT1 Full Wide Body Kit, J's Racing carbon hood, a hard top, Rays Volk rims and a GT wing. It also has both the facelift AP2's, front and rear lamps. I think the suspension and exhaust system are modded as well. The list of mods will definitely increase the price of this S2000 and it is sold at RM 178,000. Although the S2000 has a legendary engine that revs up to 9000 rpm, I absolutely think that the selling price is ridiculous. Not even with all the above mods, especially the wide body kit, do I think it is worth it. Only the rich could cough up this amount of cash but I think they would rather buy something more luxurious. Regular JDM enthusiasts like me, could only dream of driving and if ever so lucky, to be able to afford a S2000.

Amuse GT1 Full Wide Body Kit

Super Long and Super Low Nose

On the same day, I went to another place where I spotted 2 JDMs. The first one was a Subaru WRX STI Version 10. Many people did not know that the version 10 came in 2 manual and 1 automatic variants. First, there is a JDM version that has a 2 liter engine with a twin scroll Turbo and only comes in 6 speed manual. Then, there is a version that has a 2.5 liter engine with a single scroll Turbo instead. These 2.5 liter models came in either a 6 speed manual or a 5 speed automatic transmission. Surprisingly, both engines make the same amount of horsepower but I heard the 2.5 liter engine causes a lot of trouble. Besides, the different engines, the JDM models gets more equipment. The one I saw was a white, pre-facelift, non-widebody unit, with automatic transmission. This particular one lacks Recaro seats and Brembo Brakes (Front 4 pot & Rear 2 pot), which is something I would want in my car. It was selling at RM 110,000 and to me that is a cheap price for a fun, turbo, AWD car. However, I prefer the sedan version and hope to buy one in the future if prices goes down.

Beautiful multi-spoke Rims

At a distance, I saw a FD2, Honda Civic Type R, parked behind. When it was launched in 2008, it caught the attention of JDM enthusiasts, especially the Honda fanboys. It is a front wheel driven (FWD) sports car with the legendary K20A engine and a 6 speed manual transmission like most previous Type R models (EP3, DC5). As it combines a 4 door sedan with Honda Racing tech for the first time, it became popular even until today. It provides convenience (big boot and rear seats) and a sporty drive in one package. That is why the market price for a used FD2R is not only high but also very stable over the years. It is also the last model to feature a Naturally Aspirated, VTEC engine because the later Civic Type Rs adopted a turbocharged engine instead. All these solidifies its selling price starting from RM 110,000. In my opinion, this is overpriced because it has a similar price to the above mentioned WRX STI. Although, the FD2R is fairly quick for a FWD and comes with equipment such as Brembo Brakes and Recaro seats, it certainly is not a WRX STI. If both prices are the same and I have to choose, the FD2R will not be my choice. It might be a tad bit ridiculous to choose 225 hp over 300 hp.

Lastly, I went to another car dealership to look at what my friend was looking for, the Toyota 86/ Subaru BRZ. When I arrived, I felt I came to the right place because there were around 5 units available. This place however, sells unregistered or reconditioned cars that are imported from Japan and mostly in stock condition. The unit that caught my eye was a red one from the photo below. At first glance, it looked like a Toyota 86 because of the 86 front bumper but I noticed the emblem was Subaru. When I looked closer, the headlights was different than the white 86 next to it. Then, I entered the red one and was greeted by the interior of a BRZ. It was a manual variant and had a lot of red bits here and there. As 7 out of 10 86/BRZ in Malaysia have automatic transmission, you could imagine how a manual variant is a nice find for me. The price range for a unregistered unit is around RM 120,000 to RM 160,000, depending on the manufactured year and if it has some mod. This price range is out of my friend's budget of below RM 110,000 and I advised him to get a used unit instead. After viewing all these different cars, I felt I would pick the WRX STI over the 86/BRZ anyday. The WRX STI is cheaper to buy and have the same road tax but is more convenient (4 doors > 2 doors) and is more powerful with its turbo and AWD. The only downside is the different in age. 

Old Lady to Young Lady Part 11

I have been having difficulty with my Nissan Fairlady Z's car alarm system. There is a security measure where I have to step on the clutch pedal and turn the key when I want to start the engine. Sometimes, I could not start the car even though I stepped on the clutch. This results in me having to open and close the door, and lock and unlock the car multiple times until it starts up. Other times, the remote control just would not work, no matter how many times I pressed the button. One fine day as I was trying to get inside the 350Z to go to work, the door would not open. I pressed the remote many times but the door handle was still lock. I figured it must have been the alarm system but when I went to the passenger side, the door was opened. I climbed in from the left side and opened the driver side door from the inside and it worked. The outside door handle must be broken. Thus, for the next few days, I had to go in through the passenger side and stick the key inside the ignition and roll down the driver side window. Then enter from the driver side by opening the door from the inside.

At first I was not in a hurry to fix this problem but then I was told I had to travel to another state for work. This seems like a good opportunity to take my 350Z out for a spin and enjoy the long highway (around 600 km round trip) but I would have to fix my 350Z. So, I have to replace the door handle quick. I contacted both Redsun Motorsport and a parts seller that specialize in 350Z parts to get an estimate. Lucky for me, the seller has a used one in stock. After consulting with Redsun on the price from this seller, I went ahead to visit the seller. The drive itself was 30 minutes but it took less than 10 minutes to replace the handle. There is a hook-like plastic component inside the handle that broke and you have to change the whole handle as that part could not be repaired. Redsun told me I should be careful with the handle and from now on I will only hold the door instead of the handle after I pull it. I was surprised that such an important part is made of plastic and could easily broken. Nissan should have designed this better.

Original with the broken part

New (used) Handle

After the handle problem was done, I was in a good mood and I remember that there was a bit more I need to do before the work trip. There is a car accessories shop near my office and I decided to drop by. This particular shop just opened few months ago and I have been wanting to visit. One important thing that I need to change is the wiper, in case it rains. The original one was a bit short and the rubber had came out. I am going to buy a longer one so that it could wipe more area. While I was waiting, I thought of something that is needed to be done on my 350Z. The previous owner wnet and chopped of the radio antenna that was sticking out from the rear fender. That is why I could not get any radio reception. Another thing is my fogged up right headlamp. I decided to ask the cost to defog my headlamp and install an indoor radio antenna. It was cheap and I went ahead and got all of the above done. The indoor antenna is just a small bar, the size of a long ruler and the guy had to remove the center console and join the wiring to the touch screen. I wanted to stick the antenna where the rear view mirror was but wiring was not long enough. So, it is now by the A pillar, stuck on the windscreen.

New Wipers

Wiper Brand

Left: Radio Antenna on Rear Fender, Right: Missing Radio Antenna (Mine)

Location of Indoor Radio Antenna

Removing of Center Console

As for the headlamp, there are a few processes. First, the perimeter of the headlamp is secured with masking tape. Then, the surface of the headlamp undergoes some wet sanding down with 3 different grades of sandpaper. Lastly, with some smoke producing contraption, the surface of the headlamp is coated with the smoke. Just like magic, the fog lifts up immediately. Clearing the surface and returning the headlamp to its clear glory. My headlamps are finally matching now. The best part is the total cost to install the antenna, defog the headlamp and new wipers are just a little above half of the cost of replacing the door handle. So much done but at a fraction of the price. That is what I call worth it. I definitely like the service and price at this accessories shop. I might come again for other installation like a new alarm system and the gear shift indicator I bought a year ago.