Author Topic: Thinking of joining the club...  (Read 19403 times)

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Offline Abaddon

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #30 on: Mar 26, 2007, 05:28PM »
Don't get a LX. Trust me you'll regret it.
Definatly go for SSS (or Ti if you can't find a good SSS).

Trust = Negative

I have an LX and I'm very happy.  Sure I wouldn't mind a HUD & some fog lights,  but it doesn't mean that I'm unhappy with my purchase.  Goes well, is comfortable and looks pretty.  The rest of the stuff is nice to have but:

-  Meh to climate control, the A/C is great in any case
-  ~35% of all Sunroofs leak (according to my windscreen repairer)
-  who isn't going to tear out their stock audio system anyway??
-  My LX came with velour interior side skirts and spoiler
-  I like my black strip, if I want a strip that looks like wood I'll make a strip out of wood (The last
   owner drilled a hole in the vinyl steering wheel so I'll be changing that soon, and why not fit a short
   shifter or a custom shifter knob, it'll be super-Cheaper than buying a black strip from a wrecker)

In short Alister, just because you are unhappy/uninventive with your LX (if you even have one) don't knock them all or suggest that everyone would be happier even with a heavier...*cough*automatic...Ti

And Cosmic...Have a look at the different cars for yourself, think about what you would do if you bought any one of them.  And take them for a spin before you forget any particular model.
"Like a Fish???"

Offline greenbird

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #31 on: Mar 26, 2007, 07:12PM »
Don't get a LX. Trust me you'll regret it.
Definatly go for SSS (or Ti if you can't find a good SSS).

I'm with Abaddon all the way with this one.
The only difference between an LX and a SSS is cosmetic crap. Some of it is nice, but other parts of it are useless.
The series 1 LX with the cruise control would be my pick over the series 2 LX (which had no cruise, but an airbag). The LX is still a very well equipped car.
If was looking at 2 bluebirds for $6000 and one was a LX in mint condition, the other was a SSS which was a bit rough, i know which one i would be buying.... The one in the best condition of course!
It would be a different story if the SSS was mechanically better than an LX, but its not.
This is all a purely fictional situation, but my advice to you Cosmic, is to set a dollar figure that you wish to spend and buy the bluebird that is in the best condition you can find.
The only thing you will have to decide is whether you want to look at auto or manual cars. Obviously if you want manual, the Ti is out of the equation.
Dan.
93 U13 Bluebird
5 spd
Finer Filter, Hi-Flow cat & 2.25" exhaust
17X7 Concept 5 wheels
2 inch lowered King Springs

Offline Alister

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #32 on: Mar 27, 2007, 11:11PM »
Jeez guys settle down.
The LX is a great car, all U13 models are!
The point I was making why not just find a SSS or Ti?
They go for around the same price these days anyway.
Sure its all cosmetic but hey, climate control and HUD are pretty cool features so why not get them?

Abaddon: I loved my LX. And yes I did own one, I even posted a picture a few posts up from your post  ::)

Offline greenbird

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #33 on: Mar 28, 2007, 08:37AM »
Its alright Alister, we're not having a go.
We're just saying don't discount the LX all together. If Cosmic finds one in good condition, he should go for it.
You are right, all the models do go for similar money, but for a set dollar figure an LX will likely be in better condition than a SSS for the same money.
93 U13 Bluebird
5 spd
Finer Filter, Hi-Flow cat & 2.25" exhaust
17X7 Concept 5 wheels
2 inch lowered King Springs

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #34 on: Mar 28, 2007, 09:45AM »
When I thought about buying a Bluebird due to the need for a family car, I never really expected to find a seriously dedicated online forum supporting them.  My fiancée's ex- car was a 97 Ford Festiva, and I never found any forums for them when it needed work done.  By contrast I could list about 1/2 dozen "Z" forums (only 1 1/2 Aussie sites though), which probably comes down to the car's popularity, age, and - well, the need for help because they seem to get so many weird problems!  :)

So, I have to say it's a real delight for me to see such passionate and excited people who adore and enjoy the Bluebird.  Definitely instills confidence in the decision to become a Bluebird owner for me, knowing not only if I need help, that it is there, but also when I just go cruising one day, and come home feeling buzzed from a nice drive, I can get on here and find people who know how I'm feeling.

Getting so bloody tempted to go back for that 94 SSS!  :}  But instead am looking for a casual job to get a little extra money before the baby arrives, and help hopefully be in a better position to finance a Bluebird when the time comes.

-- All of that may sound a bit wanky, but I'm an Arts/Film Student, so I'm allowed to sound wanky sometimes. :)

Offline Alister

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #35 on: Mar 28, 2007, 08:47PM »
Yeah, you make a good point greenbird...
After all, I did buy my LX because I couldn't find a SSS or Ti in decent condition for the right price.

The SSS is only 30kg heavier than the LX, Ti is 50kg heavier so weight isn't really an issue.

With the SSS you get...
-foggies
-body kit (skirts, spoiler etc yes was an option on LX)
-ski port (comes in handy when carrying long items in the boot)
-climate control (much prefer it to standard ac)
-hud (love it)
-sports seats (SSS buckets rock! replaced my LX seats with SSS Series 2 seats)
-cruise control/airbag (series 2)
-leather steering wheel (minor but the leather wheel feels a hell of a lot better than the LX wheels)
-sunroof optional (a sunroof that has been looked after won't leak)

Cosmic: No worries, you'll find a U13 that you love when the time comes to buy one.


Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #36 on: May 5, 2007, 07:15PM »
I asked "my" brakes guy this week what he knew of 90's Bluebirds... he gave them a good rap...

Today I took my fiancée to a few dealers... Saw a LX (or Ti? rear spoiler, def not a SSS) at a dealer in Slacks Creek... $5990... was only the 2nd Bluebird we've seen that had a good looking bumper - all the others the bumper has looked "wrong"...

Then went to Moorooka Magic Mile to see a 93 SSS advertised online for just under $6k as well... but it had sold.

Now that my fiancée's dad has said they'll loan us the money [for THEIR grandchild], s'pose I really can start looking properly.  Should go test drive that first (and only so far) SSS in Springwood... it's still showing up on carsguide.com.au...

Anyone known a car yard to offer 3 years warranty on ALL mechanicals (for 2nd hand cars)?  The day we looked at the SSS the guy said they had that offer going... sure would be good peace of mind... could try wrangle it out of them...

Offline greenbird

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #37 on: May 6, 2007, 07:33PM »
Anyone known a car yard to offer 3 years warranty on ALL mechanicals (for 2nd hand cars)?  The day we looked at the SSS the guy said they had that offer going... sure would be good peace of mind... could try wrangle it out of them...

Yes, it will be an aftermarket type warranty, not a dealer warranty.
We had one of these when we bought our Toyota Surf about 4 years ago and it proved to be a godsend!
If something goes wrong with your car, they will cover up to a certain amount for repairs. For example they might cover you for $2500 worth of repairs to the engine. Then all you have to pay for is consumables (oils, coolant, etc..) to have your car repaired up to that dollar figure. If repairs go beyond that, you just make up the difference.
These warranties don't cover absolutely everything, but they will cover most of the items on the car that would cost the most to repair (engine, gearbox etc..).
Its good peace of mind that if something does go wrong with the car that you buy, you won't have to foot the whole bill for the repairs.
We chose to buy the warranty for our car and it cost us around $600, so just keep that in mind. The dealer won't give you the warranty for nothing, they will have jacked up the price of the car and then will try to tell you they are giving the warranty to you for free!
After having used this type of warranty before, i would definately do it again. It saved us thousands in repairs with our car......
93 U13 Bluebird
5 spd
Finer Filter, Hi-Flow cat & 2.25" exhaust
17X7 Concept 5 wheels
2 inch lowered King Springs

Offline gee-aye-dee

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #38 on: May 7, 2007, 11:57AM »
By contrast I could list about 1/2 dozen "Z" forums (only 1 1/2 Aussie sites though), which probably comes down to the car's popularity, age, and - well, the need for help because they seem to get so many weird problems!  :)

could you list some of those forums ;D...my mate owns a red 280 with rb20 conversion hes looking for some forums

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #39 on: May 7, 2007, 05:35PM »
zcar.com - biggest one I know
zdriver.com
thezgarage.com - Aussie site

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #40 on: May 19, 2007, 05:38PM »
Found another SSS today... 1995 model, $4999... 

It's the poorest looking of any U13 I've looked at so far... hence the price... no rego even... fair few scratches in the ducco... rear bumper doesn't line up properly... steering wheel was "split" in two places, one quite badly (ie several inches, wide "gash"), stock stereo changed to Pioneer, and accel had some kind of aftermarket pedal...  No offence to any hoons on this forum, but looked like the car had been pimped out and ridden hard... Was up to about 230,000km too.

One point - the steering wheel didn't claim to have an airbag... I thought 95 was the beginning of airbag/abs?  Is the airbag not in the steering wheel? 

Offline JelloBello

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #41 on: May 19, 2007, 06:01PM »
As far as i know, the 3 spoke steering wheels are non-airbag while the 4 'spoked' ones have airbags

Airbag:


Non-airbag:


I could however be wrong in my assumptions about the airbags.

Also, I am fairly sure that abs brakes wasn't offered as an option on AUDM spec u13's, only on the JDM models.
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Offline slim

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #42 on: May 19, 2007, 08:37PM »
Just confirming jellobello, the 4 spokes in series 2 had a airbag
the aussie birds didnt get ABS.
wonder why is it coz japan and america? have different road conditions?
ice and snow? ive heard that is why there was a AWD made
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Offline JelloBello

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #43 on: May 19, 2007, 08:47PM »
slightly off topic but yeh. I believe that the u13 Attesa's were designed for snowy hills in japan, AWD for traction and turbo to compensate for the lower density of air at altitude.
1994 u13 SSS Attesa ftw. Project thread here
13.876 @ 98.83mph

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #44 on: May 19, 2007, 09:57PM »
Thanks Jello,

I was holding the U13 S2 in a lot higher light as I thought it had both the airbag and ABS, but sounds like there's not really that much (safety wise) difference - will definitely go check out that first SSS I saw (1994) and take it for a test drive.

As long as it doesn't have any nasty sounds/handling issues on the road, and the a/c etc works ok, and the dealer agrees to the 3 (or 5?) year full warranty - I'm thinking $6990 isn't too bad a price to pay, with 170,000 on the clock.

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #45 on: Jun 21, 2007, 04:57PM »
Howdy again ya'll,

Just checked out a 94 Ti... asking $7,450, with 240,000km... torn door rests... damaged carpet... all glass tints hazy/peeling (except front windscreen)... cracked black dash bezel... and average quality steering wheel...

Yikes!

Really regret that we missed the $6,990 94 SSS now... supposedly when we went back, we'd missed it by 1 week... but you know what car dealers are like...

No other SSS's on the online directories at the moment... will have to hope something comes up in the next 3 months before bub pops out... :}

Offline greenbird

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #46 on: Jun 21, 2007, 11:21PM »
Hang in there mate. Something will pop up when the timing is right....
Dan.
93 U13 Bluebird
5 spd
Finer Filter, Hi-Flow cat & 2.25" exhaust
17X7 Concept 5 wheels
2 inch lowered King Springs

Offline brent_ford310

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #47 on: Jun 24, 2007, 07:23PM »
hey mate... ive got a 1995 Ti done 220,000... check it out at carsales...

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/private/NISSAN/BLUEBIRD/details.aspx?Model=BLUEBIRD&__Nne=20&__N=4294963846+82+4294966599+834+285+257&Make=NISSAN&State=Victoria&silo=1003&state_id=82&distance=25&Cr=4&seot=0&__sid=1135EF856E33&R=1364132&__Ns=pCar_PrivateSpecialFlag_Int32|1||pCar_ImageCount_Int32|1||pCar_LastModifiedDate_DateTime|1&trecs=15

im in vic where r u located...??

i have a guy interested atm, and we've held it for him until he is available for inspection but if he isnt keen then ur a possibilty...

just have a look n let me know any questions email me [email protected] or add me to MSN

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #48 on: Jun 24, 2007, 10:21PM »
Hi brent_ford,
I'm up in Brissie, so would be a bit hard to inspect :)

Offline brent_ford310

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #49 on: Jun 25, 2007, 01:02PM »
yeh shit ey... oh well u'll get the right bird when it comes up...
i went to canberra to get mine like 16hr drive... haha but i love it so very worth it..
anyways good luck

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #50 on: Jul 2, 2007, 05:40PM »
A non-SSS with heads up..?  (That was possible right, as an optional extra on the lower models?)

http://search.carsguide.news.com.au/racq/find-a-car/power-search/search-results/car-details.do?make=NISSAN&model=BLUEBIRD&make2=&model2=&make3=&model3=&keyword=&priceFrom=&priceTo=&body=&newBody=&transmission=&lifeStyle=&yearFrom=&yearTo=&location=All+Locations&postcode=&radius=10&stockNumber=&sortFields=R&asc=true&pageNumber=2&searchType=4&dealerId=&includeFeatured=false&featureAd=false&vehicleId=121455&vehicleType=3

Cheap for a 95 model, though it's not registered, and is a private sale... I had been planning on only using a Dealer, so I'd at least have 3 months to find any problems, but given that there's only 1 Dealer offered SSS in Brisbane area, I'm starting to consider private...

Offline MAG86

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #51 on: Jul 2, 2007, 06:36PM »
hey congrats with the baby, hope all the preparation goes smoothly!

one thing you might want to look at is fuel consuption? im unsure what its like for the DE,,  but in my U12 its sometimes around 13 to 14 lt per 100km! ( V8 like!)
are you thinking of selling the Zcar? dont whatever you do not trade it in , you wont get more than $500 on a sub $10,000  purchase

good luck!

and brentfords car looks really good, if i didnt already have 2 skylines (L24 pwered too!) and my U12 i would probably buy it...can have 4 cars its just not right
[0O\======/O0]

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #52 on: Jul 2, 2007, 06:56PM »
Q - I thought the SSS had rear spoiler standard, but keep seeing them without... (including brent_ford's)  Am I wrong?

Thanks for the congrats :)  Have made some great scores off eBay to set up the nursary, which is good for our student budget.  (And I'll clarify, cos I don't want anyone thinking I'm 19 :)  I'm 29... fiancee is 27... we both decided to go back to Uni, which has been great for the grey matter, but hard on the greenback).

If at all possible I'm going to garage the Zed... (which gets around 12-14L/100Km)  Redbook says that the U13 should get 6.4 - 9.5L per 100km... Is that completely out of touch with  reality?

Using redbook.com.au as well, I checked Camry, Falcon, and Commodore... and they all basically run at 6.8-11.5L /100Km (Highway-City driving)... So right now that's a selling point I'm pushing on the fiance... :}

Offline NIZ013

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #53 on: Jul 2, 2007, 07:38PM »
Yes all SSS's came standard with the rear spoiler, but were an optional extra. The one Brent is trying to sell is a TI where it's the luxury model, not a sporty model so it doesn't have the body kit. And the one you provided the link for above appears to be an LX with the spoiler.

After having my bluey for nearly 3 years i would definately recommend one. Absolute pleasure to drive! I used to do a combination of highway and city driving and used to get 12-13k's per litre (7.7-8.3 L per 100km's), which i thought was great. I'm not going to say that i drove it like a granny all the time though so i'm sure the fuel consumption would be better if i did lower rev gear changes (mine was manual).

As for safety. Well mine was written off last Tuesday night and considering i was hit by a semi and a 4wd with a bull bar, it held up really well, especially seeing as every panel sustained damage. There were no major crumple zones on the car. The main thing being that i was not hurt at all. Mine was a series 1 with no airbags.

When i was looking at buying the bluey i was tossing up between a VR/VS commodore and a SSS bluey at the time. The bluey won out for me, being a 4 cyl and with all the features that it had over the commo. I'm sure your fiance will appreciate the 4 cyl rego as opposed to the 6 cyl rego of a falcon or commo.
« Last Edit: Jul 2, 2007, 07:42PM by Teena »

Offline cosmic

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #54 on: Jul 2, 2007, 10:02PM »
Teena!  So glad to hear you're ok!!!  Sounds like a nasty smash!  Glad you were able to walk away.

We just went for a drive to the nearest Nissan dealer to see if they had any 2nd hand cars... (at 8pm, so no annoying staff to hassle us; even though means you can't get into the cars to play)  And I left the lights in my Zed on... funny thing - headlights only were on...  *sigh* No tail lights.  Brake lights work, but no tails. And from what I can tell, they mustn't've been working for the past 18 months or more, since the interior dash lights stopped working...  Another reason we need a new car... my Zed really needs to be garaged and restored.

Thanks for the ammo regarding registration!  Hadn't thought of that.  The Zed, being straight 6, costs over $650pa to register.  Should save a few hundred going with a 4 cyl. 

Such a shame the green SSS that I found months ago sold; supposedly the week before we went to ask for a test drive...

Offline greenbird

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #55 on: Jul 2, 2007, 10:47PM »
Yeah, glad to hear you are okay Teena.... Sounds nasty.
Anyway back to the talk about Bluebirds.
I completely agree with everything that Teena has said. Spoilers were standard on SSS and optional extras on all other models.
I have a manual S1 LX which has 243000kms on the clock now and i still consistently get between 9.5 and 10 L/100 out of it (and although i don't flog it, i don't pussy foot around either). 7 L/100 is definately acheivable on the highway. My recorded best was about 6.75L / 100 driving across the Hay plains from Wagga Wagga to Adelaide.
My mum has an automatic S1 SSS with just over 100000 kms on the clock. I borrowed it for a fortnight over xmas when my wife pranged her car and was driving around in my bluey. I was shocked at how much extra fuel the auto guzzled. Roughly 20% more than my manual car which has over double the kms on the clock!
My advice is to go for a manual and forget any auto's if you are concerned at all about economy.
That's my 2 cents anyway!
Dan.
93 U13 Bluebird
5 spd
Finer Filter, Hi-Flow cat & 2.25" exhaust
17X7 Concept 5 wheels
2 inch lowered King Springs

Offline Alister

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #56 on: Jul 3, 2007, 03:09AM »
cosmic: HUD was not an option, it was only available in the SSS model.
If you look at the dash of that car, you can see its missing the HUD display unit on the dash so no HUD.

greenbird: I don't think auto U13s use a lot more fuel than the manuals. Check the fuel economy thread.
From memory, my LX auto was down to about 8L/100KM highway and city driving and driving it hard too.
Check the thread for exact figures.
Out of interest, you said your mum has a SSS S1 with roughly 100 000km. Serviced every 10 000km??

Sorry to hear about the acco Teena. The main thing is that you didn't get hurt.
« Last Edit: Jul 3, 2007, 03:11AM by Alister »

Offline greenbird

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Re: Thinking of joining the club...
« Reply #57 on: Jul 3, 2007, 07:15PM »
Out of interest, you said your mum has a SSS S1 with roughly 100 000km. Serviced every 10 000km??

Yeah mate, its got books up until she bought it and I started servicing it for her. Maybe it needs to have the computer reset so that it can re-learn and tune itself, as this has never been done as far as i know.
It's certainly not down on power and there is definately nothing wrong with it, but it just uses more fuel....
Auto's tend to suck a lot of power out of 4 cylinder cars, but the bluebird doesn't do too badly in auto form as it is a fairly large and 'torquey' engine.
93 U13 Bluebird
5 spd
Finer Filter, Hi-Flow cat & 2.25" exhaust
17X7 Concept 5 wheels
2 inch lowered King Springs