[If you are here looking for details about the Fairlady Z, it has been sold. This is the story of how and why I bought it and my closing thoughts.]
Permit me, dear reader, to weave you a tale. It is a story which commences with nostalgia and proceeds from there, through “The Search”, success, a period of tormenting delay, reaching the Prize, and thence descends into despair and torment, before, finally, stumbling to a deserved, but, perhaps, painful, ending.
And … I’ve just been informed that my Poetic License has expired, so I must immediately Cease and Desist using such overblown flummoxery. ahem
My Son’s First (and Second) Car
Approximately two or so years ago, my younger son was just on the cusp of learning to drive. He wasn’t able to yet, and had not even yet taken a drivers’ course, but he was eager. At the time, he knew what car he wanted — an early generation Mazda Miata (in manual, not automatic). He saved up and then found a used one through a private sale.
The car he found seemed (accent on the word “seemed”) to be in decent-ish condition. The owner had converted it into a “Drift Car” — by lowering it significantly and also welding the differential. My son, though, really wanted the car and it was, indeed, his money he would be spending on it, so — with my help, he purchased it and had it driven (by the previous owner) to my ex’s driveway. [It would have been to mine, but the simple fact that the car was barely a couple of inches off the ground meant that coming into my driveway was simply too dangerous.
He then proceeded to start working on the car, beginning with attempting to raise it back up to a decent height. And thus started a short series of him learning about cars and having his own personal setbacks. The first thing he discovered was that the mechanisms by which the car was lowered were stuck, so undoing that required a significant additional investment. [This was even discovered by removing the shock absorbers and related equipment, asking the teacher of the auto-shop at his school (a vocational high school) to bathe them in oil over night, and even then they were unmovable].
Another of the teachers at his school, however, also discovered that the frame of the car was cracked — to the extent that the teacher contacted me and explained he was unwilling to release the car without explicit permission because he feared that the car was not safe to drive.
Through some discussion with others who were Miata fans and some trickery that I would swear in court I was completely unaware of, he was able to trade the Miata for a similar generation Honda Accord (again — with a manual transmission) which he still drives as of the time I’m writing this.
So… Where’s the Nostalgia?
While he was initially searching for a car, however, I was reminded, very nostalgically, of the first car I owned which had been the car I wanted to buy and drive — a Nissan NX2000. At the time I bought it, I was driving a Honda Civic sedan which my mother had purchased for my grandmother, but she had become unable to be comfortable driving safely any more. My mom owed a Nissan Maxima station wagon (which, let me tell you was a beast – you wouldn’t think / expect that a station wagon had a 3.0L V6 engine hiding under the hood) and I drove that whenever it was available. [Since we lived in Jersey City and my mom worked in Manhattan, she wasn’t using it to commute, so this was semi-regularly.]
My First “Desired” Car
I was working in Parsippany then, and it was about a 30 mile drive each way to and from work, so I really wanted a different (better) car. Since I wanted to be the “master of my own destiny” and make my own decision regarding the purchase, this involved a lot of research regarding new cars at the time. After a few months, I had decided upon the Nissan NX2000 (never having actually seen one “in the flesh”) because almost all of the contemporary reviews were glowing and the T-tops intrigued me. [It was a 2.0L I4 engine in a very small sporty coupe hatchback body.]
Since my mother had been (previously) involved in a minor accident with the Maxima, it had a bit of (repaired) frame damage, but “something” wasn’t quite right with the internal electronics system — although even the Nissan mechanics could find nothing wrong. Consequently, since my mom was not a fan of driving in the first place, she consented that she would reclaim the Civic and I could use the Maxima for trade-in value whenever I purchased my car.
First “Desired” Car – Bought it!
At work, I had been chatting with my coworkers one day about finally being ready to buy the car I “really, really wanted” when they mentioned that, as part of a deal with the company we worked for (a very large telecommunications company), twice a year, local car dealers would have a special sale just for us — the employees of this company. And, as luck would have it, the “next” sale was … this weekend!!!
So, after work, I went to the local Nissan dealer and asked about an NX2000 – in automatic. [I hadn’t yet learned to drive a manual, and wasn’t about to learn just then.] The salesman said they had one available for a test drive and would I like to? Yep!
The above image is not of my car — be warned (mine was white), but that is a contemporary NX2000.
When he brought the car around for me to test drive, the front fender and headlight shape was what struck me first. At first glance, actually seeing it “in-the-flesh”, it’s … odd — almost to the point of being “ugly”. But everything else I’d researched told me “This is the car!”, so I took it for a test drive.
It drove smoothly and I loved the feel of it. The only one available with an automatic transmission, however, was the one I’d test-driven, and it was in white. [As every previous car I’d owned – and barely been involved in the purchase of (a Ford Escort hatchback coupe and the Civic).] They had other colors available if I would get a manual, or if I’d be ok with the “lesser” NX1600 (a 1.6L engine and no T-tops), but my heart was set on this car.
I decided that I didn’t care about how “ugly” the front was … or that it was in white … I was buying it.
That was a Friday. The next day, Saturday, I was back with my mom, the Maxima, and the title for the Maxima to make the deal happen.
The Car That Taught Me to Drive — Well!
I owned the NX for several years, including through the stretch almost immediately following the purchase when my office location changed from Parsippany to East Hanover — thus modifying my 30-mile each way commute to a lengthier 50-mile each way trip.
But I had a car that drove well and, more importantly, I enjoyed driving.
I was still a relatively new driver and still learning all of the ways to handle a good car.
One such moment came one day as I was exiting a highway on a turning (and correctly sloped) ramp. I don’t even remember when and where it was, but that moment has stayed with me since then.
As I was coming around the ramp, I somehow suddenly found the “sweet spot”. The car around me felt like it just sank a tiny bit downwards and gripped the road. It was an exhilarating feeling and I suddenly understood what I’d been doing wrong and what to do better from then on.
Sadly, several years later, as I was close to home (having since moved from Jersey City), a deer leapt out in front of the car and I wasn’t quite quick enough to avoid it. While the car was still driveable, there was what amounted to irreparable damage to the front end and the frame.
Fast Forward Back to My Son
During the time my son was initially searching for a Miata, I spoke fondly, several times, of my old NX, and suggested that it was unfortunate Nissan had stopped production of them so long ago. In some sense of perhaps wanting to share the experience with me, as he was searching for a Miata, he also was browsing for a used NX.
And, lo and behold … a used one — although an NX1600 and in manual transmission — popped up. We arranged to see it and for the current owner to give him a test drive (since my son still didn’t even have a permit at the time). After he had his, I asked the owner to give me a test drive as well. [By this time, while I knew how to drive a stick, I was quite rusty and had / have other issues which would have made it unwise for me to even try.]
However, there were some definite issues with the car and the owner was unwilling to budge enough on the price, so we thanked him for the opportunity and went our separate ways again.
Why Not Look in Japanese Markets?
I was then afflicted with what can only be described as a “nostalgia boner” for my old NX, and would occasionally search local(-ish) ads to see if anyone was selling one — to no avail.
By this point, my son was driving and already had his Accord. He was well aware of my somewhat … pining … for my car of yore. He suggested, since it was more than old enough, why not look at what might be able to be purchased and imported from a Japanese market?
This was an intriguing thought and so, early-ish last year (2022), I began looking at Japanese dealers who are specifically aiming to sell exports to other countries. In the United States, the regulations say that for a Japanese car to be legal to import and drive on regular roads, it must be 25 years old or older. And, to add to the “Wow!” factor, in addition to being an import, as a truly “Japanese car”, it would have right-hand drive.
The combination of possibly being able to find “my old car” and the novelty factor lined up both with with what I was looking for and more than a bit of my personality, so I started to learn the ins-and-outs of the different model names, comparing US model names with their Japanese counterparts. For example, what I knew as a Nissan NX2000 was known is Japan as a Nissan Sunny NX Coupe Type B (FB13). I discovered, though, that they are apparently as rare in Japan as they were over here, and there were never any to be found.
As I was searching, though, I stumbled upon something quite interesting and also nostalgic. At the time I had first purchased my NX, there was a higher-model sporty car – the Nissan 300ZX (Z32). It had a 3.0L V6 engine and, in that era, also had T-tops. When I bought the NX, it was also – for me – prohibitively expensive. [In Japan, the model is known as a “Fairlady Z”, by the way — to explain the title of this post.]
However … there were quite a few available – of an age that allowed them to be imported.
Purchase … and Delay
After doing a bit of continued research and finding an absolutely gorgeous one that was both reasonably priced and relatively low mileage (approximately 147K km — Japan also using metric, not Imperial units — which equates to under 100K miles), I decided to purchase it.
[Side story: Before deciding to, I contacted my auto insurance company to get a “preliminary quote” — just so I could confirm it would not be too painfully expensive to insure. To my surprise, I was told a number, including both comprehensive and collision, not just liability, which was significantly lower than the premium on my existing (much newer) SUV. I didn’t say anything out loud, but the voice in the back of my head was screaming at the phone, “You realize it’s a sports car, right? And I’m going to drive it like it’s a sports car!!!”]
Having made this decision (middle-ish of 2022), I started the process of purchasing it and then figuring out how to actually get it once it arrived. The seller would handle shipping it, so it would arrive at a nearby port, but from there, it would need to clear Customs and get to my door.
I wound up contacting a “Customs Broker” who were able to handle the arrangements on this end, so that portion was covered. All that was left was the waiting.
And Waiting … and Waiting …
While I’m sure you are aware of this, most of the globe was still reeling and recovering from the effects of (functionally) turning off the lights and then, several months or a year later, turning them back on. The car was sitting at a Japanese port for several months waiting until a shipping slot could be found on a car transport ship so it could make its way here.
Finally, though, I received notification it had been assigned one and next came the long (but, thankfully, trackable) wait as the ship made its way across the Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal and then up along the coast until it finally unloaded my car (as well as, I’m sure, many others) at a nearby port.
While it was taking quite a while for it to arrive, I used the intervening time for more than simply tracking the ship, but also “Making Plans“. I wanted to replace the audio system and, to put in a DDIN unit (“Double DIN” — referring to the height of the unit and front panel), I would need to also replace the center console face panel. Luckily enough, after-market ones were available, so I was cataloging a list of all the things I wanted to get and the changes I wanted to make.
Arrival … and Subsequent Disappointment
Through the Customs Broker, I arranged for the car to be loaded on a flatbed trailer and delivered to a nearby mechanic. [For safety, cars being transported are emptied of fuel and have their battery disconnected.] While I had been told the car was in perfect operating condition, I didn’t want to try and deal with having my son reconnect the battery and the lugging gas cans full of premium gasoline home just to fill the tank. This way, both of those issues could be handled easily, at the same time, by someone my son knew who would, I was certain, do a good job at it.
As soon as the mechanic reconnected the battery and put some fuel in the tank, the car started right up — purring as its 3.0L V6 engine fired right back up. He gave it a once-over and declared it to be working well, aside from a couple of minor issues which would not need immediate attention.
After that, the mechanic requested that I not leave it sitting in his lot for an extended period of time. I understood and agreed. However, I had learned that the process to get a local title (necessary to insure and register it) would possibly take at least a month. Since the car was untitled, uninsured, unregistered, and, thus, plate-less, getting it the short distance from his shop to my driveway was … a possible issue.
Admitting to absolutely nothing, one possible approach to doing this would have been to have my son drive the car (slowly and carefully) to my house (along quiet back roads) with me driving my car immediately behind him to hide the fact it had no rear plate. Whether or not I conducted myself in such a clearly illegal manner, I leave to the reader’s speculation.
A day after it had mysteriously been transported from the mechanic to my driveway, I attempted something I had not done yet — which was to actually sit in the driver’s seat of the car.
Only to find myself experiencing almost soul-crushing disappointment. About 6 years ago, I suffered from an experience which left me somewhat … mobility-impaired. I have also, since my youth, gained quite a bit of belly. Then, just to compound my issues… I have always been ever so slightly … “misconfigured”, as it were (comparatively-speaking, I possess shorter legs than would realistically be expected for my torso).
All of the above combined to make it impossible for me to be able to comfortably be in the car and reach the steering controls and the pedals simultaneously. Then, adding insult to injury, my impairments meant that I needed assistance in even getting out of the car.
Re-Sale
I dutifully sent off the paperwork necessary to receive a local title for the car. This would be required in any event for me to legally sell the car here. I also did some initial investigation into possible avenues through which I might find someone who would be interested in purchasing it.
Unfortunately, much of this left me feeling a bit of despair as I could find no one with even an initial sense of interest in the car … including, much to my surprise, a local “Z-Car” Club — which I thought would be an “easy” sell, as it were.
Once the title was finally returned to me, I began the search for a buyer in earnest. I made it clear that the issue was not with the car, but with me, the owner, and was only interested in recouping what I had paid for it, not in making any sort of profit from the sale.
After quite a bit of time with little to no interest (or offers which ignored my statement that I was absolutely unwilling to budge on the price I wanted), over the prior few days, I suddenly had a flurry of people responding they were interested in the car. For each of these, I ensured they were aware the car was unregistered and plate-less, so I would not be able to provide them with a test drive. They would need to either bring a flatbed of their own, or a dealer plate to enable them to drive it.
And then, finally, yesterday, someone came by … and purchased the car, driving it away and back out of my life.
Empty Space In My Driveway
As soon as it drove away, my heart felt both lighter and slightly more burdened. I knew I had financially recovered from the cost of this whole exercise, but at the same time … I can’t help but feel a touch of folly and even a small sense of guilt.
Clearly, my youth is long since behind me, and, apparently, I am not even to be permitted the “no, this isn’t my midlife crisis, damn it!” car of my dreams. And, realistically speaking, it was probably an ill-fated decision from the outset to begin with.
But leaving my garage this morning as I headed out to my typical late morning brunch at a local diner, I couldn’t help but feel sad. The magnificent red sports car that sat there for so long, teasing and taunting me, is gone. And, with it, definitely that nostalgic fragment of my earlier days have departed as well.
So, as I say … Fare thee well, my now-departed (from my driveway if not my heart) Fairlady Z.
