Motors and Me

Last time I wrote something here, I was about to go karting and was getting all het up about wanting to win, despite it not being particularly good etiquette. At least, not in my head. Embarrassingly, it turns out that Dave, the lad who'd invited me along, saw the post, so was well aware of my... somewhat emotional diatribe. Oh dear. Thankfully, he didn't call me an idiot, even though he probably should've done. In the end, I actually did win, although my embarrassment at having been caught being rather arrogant did take the shine off it a little. Still, my wife and mum got to see me in my element, which was nice. (My mum was only there as it was the anniversary of my dad's death and I didn't want her sat at home alone. I'm pretty sure my dad would've hated the idea of anyone spending the day moping too, so it felt good to be getting on, enjoying life. It is, as they say, what he would've wanted.) And that's us caught up to February last year. Sinc...

A little over 18 months ago, I paid £15,650 for my (then) 4-year old 350Z. Judging by the classifieds on Pistonheads, I'd now be lucky to get £10k for it. Eeek! Mind, when I first drafted this post back in early April, it was even worse. Some cars of the same age were going for just £8k. Had I sold at that point, I'd have lost almost 50% of the car's value in a little over 15 months. I've never known anything like that sort of depreciation. Maybe for a brand-new car, but not one that's meant to be past its initial rapid depreciation period. It's not even as if I paid over the odds at the time. Still, it's not worth getting upset about and the market appears to be coming back, albeit slowly. And the launch of the 370Z will doubtless be accounting for part of the value lost in the 350Z. All in all, I'm taking the decision to ride out the worst of the recession before I start looking properly for car #5. Now to get the various mechanical niggles fixed.....

Long time, no trackday. Two years, in fact. Mortgages suck. This was my first time on track in the 350Z and, while it was enjoyable, it might end up being the last time too. The car's just too heavy. While it made an admirable fist of changing direction when asked, it didn't take long to overheat its brakes, resulting in most runs being curtailed long before I felt I'd pushed it enough. Same old story, eh? Even with upgraded pads with which other users had reported a complete absence of fade. Am I just too aggressive? I don't think so; braking's where you make up most time and where you feel you're really racing. Why lose the fun? That aside, my lack of recent track experience, coupled with my sedate, petrol-saving everyday driving, saw me making loads of mistakes. I suspect it was largely down to me not sighting the track far enough ahead. The lack of discipline in my lines was appalling. Frankly, I was all over the place. My positioning approaching corners...

A few weeks back, I went out for my first (and so far only) drive for pleasure in the Zed. Unfortunately, I had a passenger, so it was mostly pretty sedate. On the way home, however, I turned onto a stretch of road I don't think I've used before and it was... spectacular. Not for the views, but for the sheer rollercoastery nature of it. The road in question is the B6320 between Bellingham and Otterburn is frickin' awesome. Actually, I can only vouch for a small part of that, as I joined it coming off the Greenhaugh road and most of the fun was over by the time we reached the A68. Still, what a fabulous couple of miles of tarmac.

Wow, it's been nearly a month since the previous post. Didn't realise I'd let it slide that long. So... what gives in the world of the Zed? Well, I'm still driving it really gently. At least, I am on the commute. And I'm still getting 25mpg out of it — when I don't spend a week on the bus, that is. Sounds depressing, doesn't it? Well, it is a bit. But, on the up-side, I reckon I'm almost going to halve my monthly fuel costs by the end of the second month of ownership. The first month cost about £260 in fuel. This month, I'm looking at a projected £150. That includes a week and a half of commuting by bus, which has the positive side effect of getting me some exercise (3-4 miles walking each day). I'm also cutting costs elsewhere quite successfully too (no more lattes for me!). With any luck, once I've spent enough time evaluating my cash flow, I should be able to get back to hooning with a relatively clear (financial) conscience. More than t...

Ever since I picked up the Zed, I’ve been closely monitoring my fuel consumption. This is the first time I’ve had a car with a trip computer and it’s an evil mistress. I can’t tear myself away from the damned fuel consumption read-out and it’s making me drive like someone’s grandma. Or rather, the figures coming out of it are doing so: Motorway cruising: 34mpg Weekday commute: 25mpg Weekend socialising: 19mpg And, other than the weekend stats, those figures are all weighted by me driving as gently as possible. It’s eye-watering stuff. And driving like a granny isn’t what I bought the car for. Combining this with my blatant disregard for the cost of tyres and brakes, and with the mortgage I acquired last year, I’m finally having to keep a careful eye on my bank balance. For the first time in my life, I’m no longer in the comfortable position of being able to save money without even trying. This year may well see the f...

3 weeks in, and I’m still trying to get my head round what’s taking me so long to get used to the Zed. One thing I didn’t mention in my last post was the gearbox. This, really, has been the biggest cause of stress so far, as hinted at earlier . The change into 2nd, especially changing down from 3rd, is awkward to say the least. There are times I end up coasting for seconds at a time, just trying to get the damned lever home. It’s worse with a cold engine and with cold weather, but even when warmed up, it’s still not the slickest shift. It’s been such a concern, in fact, that I’ve twice had a local 350Z specialist check it out (more on them in a later post). The first time, the guy just checked the car out while stationary and pronounced it to be typical of Zeds. Thing is, the gate feels completely different when on the move compared to standing still. Standing still, it’s as slick as you like, but if you’re even trickling, it get t...

I don’t normally give cars nicknames. With the Zed, however, I’m tempted to call it The Tank. Not because of its size or muscularity, but as an abbreviation of sensory deprivation tank. Yep, that’s right — and it’s not a good thing. The test-drive concerns I had about the 350Z being too comfortable a car are still with me. Except now, I’ve translated that nebulous feeling of unease into a sense that it simply doesn’t provide enough feedback. Journeys at night and in wet weather can be absolutely exhausting. I find myself trying to heighten my senses to the tiniest cues coming through the steering wheel, chassis and pedals. Often I’ll end up leaning forward in my seat, as if listening to a quiet friend in a noisy pub. Thankfully, however, it’s not like that all the time. When you put your foot down and hustle it a bit, the car starts talking again. You begin to feel you’re dictating things rather than reacting to them. Sadl...

Time to explain the silence on here, me thinks. :) In short: I’ve sold the Mini and now have the red 350Z. Result! The long version’s a little less clear cut in its joyfulness. First, I sold the Mini to a dealer for £6500 (now being sold for £9000). A week or so back, it would’ve been painful to even type that (hence the lack of posts), but now, I’m pretty much over it. Yes, I got a lot less than the car was worth, but: The car needed a fair bit of work doing, They didn’t quibble about the rattles that would’ve put off a private buyer, and It meant I was able to go and buy the Zed All in all, it was still a positive move that ended 2 weeks of the worst car-related stress I’ve ever known. Hell, it was so bad that I’d broken out in absolutely manic itching in my hands, feet, forearms and shins. It drove me absolutely nuts and was affecting my sleep. Anyway, with the cash safely banked, I took a half day off work ...

This post could well end up being a painful read in a few weeks’ time. That’s because I’m about to count my chickens before they’ve hatched. I went to view that 350Z yesterday and... well, I want it badly . It seemed to be in pretty good condition (allowing for the odd mark consistent with its age) and was thoroughly unmodified. Apparently, it hadn’t been out on track either, but I wouldn’t have held it against the guy if it had. Just because it hasn’t been on track, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been driven by a hooligan on the roads. Upshot of all of this is that I need to sell the Mini ASAP to get the cash for the Zed. To this end, I’ve dropped the price on Pistonheads to £7750 and have listed the car on Ebay too. I’ve had another couple of part-ex offers come through on PH (neither of which was what I wanted) and, while the actual bidding’s still very low on Ebay, I’ve had 3 people send me questions...

Right, sod that yellow S2000 — I've got a new object of desire . Right car, right price for its age, right location. Hell, it's even the right colour for trackdays. Only one thing's missing: the offer of a part-ex. So, this week I've currently got off work has suddenly turned into a sell-my-car-f***ing-quickly week. Think I'm gonna have to get pimping it round the local dealers looking for the best price I can get and playing them off against each other. I just wish the damned roads were dry; the Mini gets dirty in less than a mile!

So, the VX220 ticked all of the ’fun’ boxes, but neither of the sensible-shoes boxes. How will the 350Z fare? On the surface, the strongest card the 350Z holds is its kerb appeal. It’s subjective, but to me, the car is a work of art. Perfectly proportioned, and beautiful from every angle. Its attractiveness is not the only string to its bow, however. It’s pretty quick too, even if it is just shy of my ideal 6.0secs to 100km/h. It holds the road pretty nicely too, based on my 2 test-drives. And it’s a tin-top, which is definitely my preference; greater structural rigidity and no faffing with a leaky and/or awkard roof. Crucially, I can even get in the 350Z with a helmet on - a requirement that’s ruled out plenty of other contenders. When it comes to practicality, however, it’s another compromise. The boot is suitable for long weekends away, but that’s about it. Just as with the VX220, you can forget about trips to B&Q. But then, I...

It’s started again. I’ve started out on the test drives. Five years ago, I took a week off work to test drive a load of different cars in an attempt to decide what I would get next. This weekend, I took my first proper test-drives in five years. I can barely believe it’s been that long, but I guess it must be. Even when trying to negotiate a deal on a Clio Trophy, I don’t think I took a test drive. Stupid, or what? Regardless, Saturday saw me searching (fruitlessly) for a particular garage in the Benton area that had a VX220. Clearly, map-reading’s not as much of a strength of mine as I thought. Never mind. I did, however, find and drive a couple of 350Z’s. :) The first was an import with a stupid nosecone and an equally stupid price tag: 16k for an 03 import is just daft. The dealer was pretty close to home too, so I got to try it out on roads I know well. While it felt just as planted as the Mini, it failed to blow me away. Acceleration was on...