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Hi everyone,
I've been posting here and there on the forum since I started looking and after I bought my 6MT sedan.
I think it's appropriate for me to make a formal introduction.
I bought my 2009 6MT sedan in IL and drove the car back to Texas over 2 days.
I paid 14000 for it with 66k on the clock. It might not be the best price paid but I like the look of the 09 front-end with the oem lip and blacked out grill.
I've since discovered some maintenance items that need to be done.
Last weekend, I changed the power steering fluid, cleaned the throttle bodies and MAF sensors and ordered new AEM Dryflow cone filters for the Stillen gen 2 CAI that came with but has a filthy looking K&N filters that I think are beyond cleaning.
I just did the RJM clutch pedal. It was a bear but I love the end result.
Will be getting new front tires and an alignment done soon.
Also planned very soon are preventative galley gasket replacement along with water pump, thermostat and radiator cap. I found a shop that works exclusively on Z cars called Austin Z Clinic that gave me a very reasonable quote of 1200-1400 for the galley gasket replacement. I figured I should do it for the peace of mind.
So far, maintenance cost has been fairly reasonable, although I'm trying to stay away from mods until I'm more financially ready to take them on.
It came with a Stillen cat-back exhaust as well that I find to be too loud when I'm WOT. It's also loud on cold startup. So far from my research, only the Greddy Spectrum Elite seem to have the most similar volume and tone to the stock coupe exhaust sound. That will probably be my first mod.
Here is the only picture I have of the car taken shortly after buying it in IL.
The wheels I think are the optional 20" 2009 FX35 wheels that were painted black. I was planning to get new wheels for the car but after seeing them in person, I've come to like them. The only thing I don't like is they have quite a bit of curb rash and they're pretty heavy. (I tried rotating tires already)
I've already learned a lot from just searching and reading posts that have already been written on the forum. Hope to contribute as well as learn for many years to come.
Nice find.
Ditch the wheels and the grill. Otherwise she looks good. I wouldn't worry about the gallery gaskets. They could never fail. So save the money. The car will tell you when it needs it done. Ditch the hot air intakes. The factory intakes are like cold air. Your losing power and torque with those.
Thank you for the warm welcome. I definitely was on the fence about the grill. It's grown on me though and there are some angles where it looks good, like from the side.
If those 20 inchers are like 40 lbs each, then I can save quite a bit from just going to Sport 19s. That should make a difference in how the car feels at low rpms, right? I mean, the car does feel heavy at low rpms and the motor needs about 2.5k before it starts to have some go. Does anyone with significantly lighter wheels feel a difference?
Hey! I’m in San Antonio and I pretty much just bought the same car, 2012 black sedan 6mt with 70k miles.
In in the process of getting all the maintence up to snuff, I really like this guys channel for maintenance help. He goes by MotorvateDIY on this site as well.
leinad, nice! I posted in your thread I think. I've watched some MotorvateDIYs. He kind of convinced me the Stillen catback isn't loud but I think it is when the windows are down
I think the same of my ARK Grip. It's sort of loud when in the car but it's not as loud outside. I was video'ed at Motorsports Ranch Houston at full throttle and it was sadly quiet from that vantage point (in the stands next to the pit). Maybe the Motordyne or Meisterschaft is truly loud.
