Nissan 300ZX as a first car

Good luck with that.
Even I couldn't get a reasonable quote for a supra!

Depends on what sort of experience you have driving, if you've never driven a RWD car before I wouldn't even consider a 300zx, not with that sort of power as a first car, chances are very high that you will kill yourself or someone else.


I'd get something with a smaller amount of power for at least the first 6-12 months or so then maybe think about upgrading, I know it sounds boring but I've witnessed first hand what a high powered RWD car can do in the hands of someone who isn't experienced and its not good, my friend had a 3 series and he's very lucky to be alive.


You won't be able to get classic insurance due to your age, I'd personally say buy something cheaper and lower powered for a year then upgrade, I didn't want a run of the mill first car but I ended up with a golf 1.4, then upgraded to a 200bhp gti after a year, since then I've had very high powered cars and its much easier to get insured, I currently have a 5 series and a mk1 golf and the insurance is less on both cars combined than it was to insure my first car.


With your budget you will most likely be able to get insured on a decently powered car but I certainly wouldn't recommend it, and it will take most of that money, it cost me the best part of £2k to insure my first car and that was a 1.4.

Save your money- you don't need 200+ bhp to get to 70mph.

£650 Bell or Admiral :P

Slightly less for a mk5 Celica GT

Mmmm that's dear. The last thing I insured was £89. fully comp...
My definition of "reasonable" is less than £250.

That's average price for me atm :/

Mondeo's and BMW 3 series are £800-£1000 for me.

The Honda Integra is a quick jap coupé/saloon, it will be tough on insurance but my 19 year old friend was insured on his type R for a bit before he dropped the engine into his mini . So it is doable

Hi mate this is a couple months old but I just saw it. I havent read any of the replies on here but ill give you my experience. My first car was a 300zx N/A, and my second a 300ZX Twin Turbo import (still have both). I was 20 when I got the zed. An amazing car, beautiful and lovely to drive. But I learned the hard way about its costs. Maintenance is expensive, you need mechanics who know the car, you have to do regular parts changes, MOT passes are hard especially now, and thats just of the top of my head. If you dont know about cars and mechanics at least a little bit you will lose a lot of money. The costs and the time it takes to care for the care are very high. If I could go back in time I would stop myself buying the first one. For your first car get one that has low insurance, long warranty, cheap replacement parts, and high reviews. Good luck.

What would you recommend? and please not the common ones

I'd recommend you to first make a budgeting plan, what can you afford per year for a car. In terms of engine sizes I highly advise you to stay below 2.5ltr. Visit car forums such as 300zx.co.uk, and other cars you are interested in (less than 2.5ltr though), and browse the forum sections to learn more about what issues owners are facing. You should post on those forums asking their advise, you will find them extremely helpful and encouraging. You will also find that they advertise their cars for sale directly on the forums too. I regularly see good quality 300zx's for sale on the zed forum at very reasonable prices.

In terms of make and model I can only advise you to get cars which are probably common. You have your reliable bmws, mercs, audis etc. Friend of mine recently got a skoda with 5 year warranty, its a pretty enough car and the warranty is awesome. Try not to look at a car as a status symbol, but rather get a decent car with good service history and manufacture warranty, and think about comfort, petrol prices, upkeep costs, and what you can spend with the leftovers. I have three cars right now, a jag s-type 3litre (which i got by luck only has 17k mileage) and my two zeds. I much rather use the jag because its more comfortable, can fit five people easy, and i am not paranoid about where i park. I am lucky that I have a bit of money, but when i was a student i took two jobs to pay for the zed, it was a pain looking after the zed. My zeds are both very good looking cars, but I would say that the money I spent on them during my student years was not worth the benefits of having a hot car.

Sometimes being 'common' is good because it forces you to focus on what can make you stand out from the crowd -> your attitude and personality. Money comes and goes, status symbols are only temporary, but your attitude of mind is damn near permanent and will get you a lot farther.

Good luck mate.

Honda s2000?

I think the most important things to ask is what is it you want most about the car? Hatch, coupe, saloon?

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