Buying guide · 2003–2009 · VQ35 V6 · 280–313 PS
Nissan 350Z Z33
Everything that decides whether the one you are looking at is a good buy or an expensive one.
17-page guide, A4 and phone · 3-page inspection card · instant PDF · VAT included
In the guide
What the Nissan 350Z Z33 guide covers
- 01Every fault this engine has, and how much work it is
- 02The pre-cats, and why they matter to the engine behind them
- 03The rear arches and sills on European cars, and how to look at them
- 04What is simply twenty years old — and can be left alone
- 05The inspection card: the whole viewing on paper, in order, to take with you
- 06What to say to the seller, and what to keep to yourself
From the guide itself
This is how it reads
This is what one of the ten looks likeLast Real Engines
8 · Rear suspension bushes and differential mounts
A day · part and press work
A vague rear end and clunks over bumps — though a knock over bumps is likely to be worn anti-roll bar links, so rule those out before blaming the bushes. The multi-link rear has a lot of rubber in it and twenty years is twenty years.
Within a year or two. Now, if the rear end is vague, or if it clunks and the links are not the cause.
And this is how the card readsLast Real Engines
- 2 · The cold start · stand behind it
- 3 · The measurements · BEFORE the test drive
- 4 · The engine bay, engine off
- 5 · Underneath · this is where the money is
- 6 · Inside
- 7 · The test drive
What €24 buys, put next to what it saves
Worn rings on a DE engine is a week or more in the workshop, and the diagnosis costs almost nothing while the repair costs almost everything. The guide is €24. It will not stop any of that from being needed — but it does tell you which of them you are looking at before you agree a price, and that is the whole of the difference between paying for a car and paying for someone else's postponed maintenance.
VAT included · sold by Lemon Squeezy as merchant of record · questions first? buyersguide@lastrealengines.com
Start with the free guide
The six questions that decide whether this car is a good buy
- DE or HR — which engine is in it?
- How much oil does it use, in miles per quart?
- What does the long-term fuel trim read?
- Has anyone done a manual oil pressure test?
- On a manual: does the clutch pedal feel normal, and does it stay normal?
- Have you looked at the rear arches and the sills?
Start with the free guide: what this car is, and the questions that decide whether the one you are looking at is a good buy or an expensive one.
Before you buy
Questions
What exactly do I get?
The full guide as a PDF, 17 pages in A4, plus a phone edition to read at the car; and the inspection card, 3 pages to print and take to the viewing. €24, VAT included.
How is it delivered?
Straight after payment you get a download link for the guide, the phone edition and the card. No subscription, no account.
Can I get a refund?
EU consumer law gives you fourteen days to change your mind. For digital content that right ends the moment delivery starts, provided you agreed to that at the checkout. If the file will not open, or you were sent the wrong car, write to us and we will fix it or refund it.
Who handles the payment?
Lemon Squeezy, who sell the guide to you as merchant of record. They charge the VAT at the rate of your country, send the invoice, and email you the download link. We never see your card.
Why are there no prices in it?
Because a price we cannot verify is worse than no price, and because a price would be wrong for most of the people reading it: workshop rates across Europe differ by a factor of two or three. What does not change is how much work a job is, so every point says whether it is an hour, half a day, a day, or a week in the workshop. Ask your own workshop for its hourly rate, and every hour in the guide becomes your own number.
Is this advice about a specific car?
No. A guide tells you what to look at; it is general information about the model and not advice about a specific car. Have every car inspected before you buy by someone who knows the engine.
Going to look at a Nissan 350Z Z33?
Take the guide and the card with you.
17-page guide, A4 and phone · 3-page inspection card · instant PDF · VAT included