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      06-17-2005, 03:09 AM   #1
Armen52
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350Z Experiences?

Hey guys,

I am loathe to even explain why I am asking this question but, what, if any, have your experiences been with the Nissan 350Z? The new 2003+ models.

If you or a close friend have owned one I'd like to hear about it.

Thanks.
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      06-17-2005, 07:59 AM   #2
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Armen, I owned a new Silver 2003 model. Drove it for 5 months and sold it. I don't have an E90 yet to compare to so I'll compare to an E46.

Pros:


350z is called a Japanese muscle car for a reason - it's got great off the line/down-low torque! That combined with its super sensitive drive-by-wire gas pedal makes for awesome acceleration from a stop. Clutch is light and easy to use. Generally, the VQ35 engine it has is very torquey and accelerating/passing is a joy.

The car is a great cruiser and is not twitchy and is stable at high speeds. In stock form, I'd say it handles better than a stock E46. Nissan took care to make this thing setup to handle great from the factory (just look at the huge cross-brace in the trunk). Its suspension is sprung real tight and there's minimal body roll. The car is just super tight. Actually a lot of older owners who bought the car without really test driving complained how the car gave them back pains cuz the suspension was so hard, but I like my suspension like that (so this can be a pro or a con depending on the person).

Looks are subjective, but I thought (and still think) the car looks great from the outside. Aftermarket mod options are plenty. Decent (not great) value for its price.

Cons:

While it has great tourque down low in the RPM range it quickly runs out of breath up high. The e46 has more reserve power in the highest RPM range and the engine feels much smoother if revving high. Some people might like a very sensitive drive-by-wire throttle but I hated it. The slightest dab and the car would surge forward... sometimes it'd was a real pain having to modulate the clutch very carefully to avoid this surge. The e46's gas pedal has a much more natural resistance and progressive feel to it. I hated how the 350z sounded at a high RPM, felt like the engine was working way too hard. Shifter vibrated in the Z, especially at high RPM's... made me feel like the transmission was gonna give out in any high RPM runs... you could literally see the stick vibrating at a top RPM run.

Handling was real good on the car, but it lacked the razor-sharp nimbleness I'd expect from a "sports car." Steering was assisted too much in the Z... took away from the feel of the road.

One of my biggest peeves about the car was that it looked so great on the outside, but the interior quality was crap! When I first saw photos of the interior I thought it looked like it may have some quality to it, but when you actually own the car you come to realize that quality of the materials in the cabin just aren't that great. Also, the shape and positioning of the cabin just made me felt like I was sitting in a $30k tub. The worst is on a nice day when everyone else has got their windows down and tons of light and air in their car but you've got these little slits called windows rolled down, with your elbow propped above shoulder level cuz the doors are so damn high. Oh, and the trunk, with that cross-brace is absolutely useless. I had more useful storage space in my S2000, literally.

Anyways I sold it not because I didn't like it (it was still a fun car to drive and looked damn good on the outside) but becuase my payments on it were real high and weren't justified considering the cons I listed above. Hope that helps.

Armen, I must ask, are you considering one instead of E90?
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      06-17-2005, 01:31 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwocky
Armen, I must ask, are you considering one instead of E90?
Jason, thank you for your extremely thorough and detailed response regarding your experience with the 350Z. After reading your account and doing some research on my own regarding its reliability I have to say that no, I am not considering one instead of the E90. I found a message board for 350Z owners that had 20 pages of posts about tire feathering and alignment issues, 18 pages of posts regarding transmission failures and replacements (many multiple times on the same car), and 15 pages of posts regarding paint defect problems on the cars. After seeing this it was clear to me that the 350Z was not an option.

I'll explain why I even asked this question. After working throughout college to pay for nearly all of my expenses myself, my father told me he would put up 10G's as the down payment on the car you see I've ordered in my signature. Now it seems he has changed his mind and he is unwilling to provide that down payment for me.

Essentially that means I can empty my own savings to make the down payment, or borrow it from somebody else, with no interest. That said, it would mean I would be essentially borrowing $46K to buy this car. That is just not a very smart transaction for a person right out of college, regardless of the salary of my job, which is more than enough to cover what would have been the payments on the car after a $10K down.

So you see my friend, I am stuck here now, after putting in a tremendous amount of time and effort on picking this car, researching it through and through, picking the options and colors, then finding a dealer to work with, possibly all for naught. It is not fun to do all that and wait 3 months for your dream car to have it taken away from you.

Nothing is final regarding my decisions at this point but it does not look good for the E90. The only other options I'm considering right now are puchasing a '01 or '02 330i in decent condition to drive a couple years before I get the E90 or some other car, or just keep my Integra for another 7-8 months and get an E90 then.
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      06-17-2005, 02:18 PM   #4
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So are you saying you want to purchase a car at around $36k? Well, that's my target price point also, so I am getting the 325i. If you can equip a 325i with your most needed options, like sport package and xenon, and maybe BMW assist, I think you can easily make it under 35K.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Armen52
Jason, thank you for your extremely thorough and detailed response regarding your experience with the 350Z. After reading your account and doing some research on my own regarding its reliability I have to say that no, I am not considering one instead of the E90. I found a message board for 350Z owners that had 20 pages of posts about tire feathering and alignment issues, 18 pages of posts regarding transmission failures and replacements (many multiple times on the same car), and 15 pages of posts regarding paint defect problems on the cars. After seeing this it was clear to me that the 350Z was not an option.

I'll explain why I even asked this question. After working throughout college to pay for nearly all of my expenses myself, my father told me he would put up 10G's as the down payment on the car you see I've ordered in my signature. Now it seems he has changed his mind and he is unwilling to provide that down payment for me.

Essentially that means I can empty my own savings to make the down payment, or borrow it from somebody else, with no interest. That said, it would mean I would be essentially borrowing $46K to buy this car. That is just not a very smart transaction for a person right out of college, regardless of the salary of my job, which is more than enough to cover what would have been the payments on the car after a $10K down.

So you see my friend, I am stuck here now, after putting in a tremendous amount of time and effort on picking this car, researching it through and through, picking the options and colors, then finding a dealer to work with, possibly all for naught. It is not fun to do all that and wait 3 months for your dream car to have it taken away from you.

Nothing is final regarding my decisions at this point but it does not look good for the E90. The only other options I'm considering right now are puchasing a '01 or '02 330i in decent condition to drive a couple years before I get the E90 or some other car, or just keep my Integra for another 7-8 months and get an E90 then.
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      06-17-2005, 02:38 PM   #5
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Yeah I could. But I am moving in less than three weeks, the dealers up in Seattle are not dealing below MSRP, and the color combo I want in the E90 is not common enough to find on the ground here in LA, meaning another long wait then shipping the for car to Seattle or something.

And I wouldn't have the 162's
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      06-17-2005, 02:44 PM   #6
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Actually, the more I think about it, the more resolved I am to find a way to get the E90. I am too attached to the car at this point to let go and be happy. Getting this car was never about financial prudence anyway.

Its really a shame that the 350Z is such a terrible car from a reliability standpoint though. I feel bad for all the owners dealing with those defects/not-recalls.
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      06-17-2005, 06:47 PM   #7
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Armen, props to you for your resolve on getting the E90! Only you can determine how much the car is worth to you and if your method of paying for it is worth it or not. I for one am the last person able to lecture someone on fiscal responsibility when it comes to cars (I'm on my 5th car in 3 years ). Cars are my single biggest hobby and for me it's worth being a little irresponsible, but to others my behavior is just insane (and they've let me know about it )). It's cliche but you only live once and if this is what you want then go for it! But if you decide that it'd be in your best interest to wait to get the E90 a few years down the line, then that's a great decision too.

Glad you did your research on the 350z reliability problems which I forgot to mention. I didn't keep the car long enough to experience tire feathering or transmission problems, but what was most annoying for me was this little grease streak that would be left on the windows whenever you roll them up/down!!

Let us know what you decide. P.S. would choosing a 325 with the options you absolutely want get you to an acceptable price point? It may involve more waiting, but might make you more comfortable with how much you spent on the car in the long run?
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      06-17-2005, 09:34 PM   #8
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Hey guys,

Thanks for all you help and suggestions. I went to the dealer to drop off proof of my graduation that was required for approval for financing through the new college grad program. I saw a 325i in the exact color combo I ordered with ZSP as well. I just love the E90 too much to give it up. I am sticking with my car and I will make it work. I am moving to a new place where I know few people and I need something to cheer me up

That said, the 325i in Arctic didn't look shabby at all with the ZSP wheels, what are they, 161's? I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe if I was ordering all over again back in May I could have driven the 325 to consider it but its too late now. I need a car up in Seattle.

Seeing the 325 today made me more sure than ever about the colors of my car though. It was sitting in the shade being prepped and it looked fantastic. That bluish-gray tone we seem to love on Arctic.
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      07-14-2005, 10:32 AM   #9
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some issue on the 350Z
http://wcbs.dayport.com/viewer/viewe...Category_ID=48
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      07-19-2005, 03:46 PM   #10
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WOW, im almost in the same position. Getting ready to graduate next year and looking at cars already, thinking about doing ED and going on vacation w/ my parents during spring break since my dad has been working in germany (flying back and forth) so free hotel, etc...

I have about 18k to put as a down payment, lots of saving plus this is my first car, so I can really get almost every option I want. However I will not go 1 cent over 40k and I want to see where I will end up living first so that I can decide if I need AWD.
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      11-19-2008, 09:52 PM   #11
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Jason the Admin loves him some 350Z. THis thread is really old by the way!
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      11-19-2008, 09:57 PM   #12
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Had a 2006 350Z Enthusiast before my M3, it was a great car. Miss it a lot. Loved the seating position and low center of gravity. It was so low to the ground. Can't ever replicate the seating position in the M3 and I've tried

My lease buy out was 17K for only 25K on the clock. They can be had for very cheap.
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      11-19-2008, 10:00 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3-ADDICT View Post
Had a 2006 350Z Enthusiast before my M3, it was a great car. Miss it a lot. Loved the seating position and low center of gravity. It was so low to the ground. Can't ever replicate the seating position in the M3 and I've tried

My lease buy out was 17K for only 25K on the clock. They can be had for very cheap.
What do you think of the new 370Z?
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      11-19-2008, 10:07 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kabalm18 View Post
What do you think of the new 370Z?
My 350z was faster than a 330CI. So in comparison, I would assume factory for factory the 370z would be faster than a 335I. But with not much benchmark and data out there, I can't really tell you much. 350z is a great REAL sport car if you are on a budget. It has great engine, great power, grand handling and the Interior isn't bad.





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      11-20-2008, 10:29 PM   #15
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I know this is an old resurrected thread, but here's my .02. I owned a 2007 350Z Roadster for a year before buying my current E93. It was an awesome car and very good value for the money. It was fun to drive, looked awesome (got a ton of stares and compliments), and had a big gas tank (20 gal) with a pretty good range.

A few things I didn't like about it: In the winter, the transmission would not shift from 1-2 until it was warm. Forcing the shift would result in grinding. I've owned other MT Nissans and they've all done it. The engine was very buzzy and rough at high RPMs, and it really didn't feel like 300 hp. There was incredible turbulence with the top down, and your hair would slap the top of your head like crazy on the highway (quite unlike the E93). And... the gearing was a bit short in the lower gears, requiring frequent shifting. Other than that, I loved it!!!
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