Nissan 350Z. Should I get one!?

Question

Right now I drive an Acura RSX Type-s. I'm thinking about trading in for a 350z. Excluding the limited space available inside, which isn't an issue for me, would it be a good investment?

My concerns are as follows:

1.) Nissan seems to have flooded the market with Z's. On Autotrader or eBay for example there are a ton available for sale, which seems to have quickly lowered their resale value.

2.) This would be my primary traveler. Would I quickly tire of the stiff ride and sportiness or do owners feel they maintain their fun factor?

3.) Given my money situation, I would likely get a 2003 model, which I know has had issues with irregular tire wear in the front. Are there any other documented defects that would reduce reliability?

Thanks for your imput!

If there are any owners of the 350z out there, I'm really also looking to see if they regret their purchase or are still happy with it. Thanks!

Answer 1

If money is a factor and you can only get an older one which is probably out of warranty, don't get one. All 350z cars are hard on tires because they're are aligned for performance at the sacrifice of tire wear plus they cannot be rotated due to the tire size from front to rear (rears are wider), but you might be putting rims on this car anyway right? There was a bulletin for lower control arms but the tire wear is worse on the rears for obvious reasons anyway. Brakes get worn out quicker than most cars for some strange reason. I was putting brakes on a 350z's at 15k miles ??? And half needed rotors. a $500 + brake job at 15 - 22k miles. Of course you must get one with Brembo brakes.

The clutch job on a 350z is well over $1000 due to the inability to resurface the dual mass flywheel which lists at $1057.00 + tax, is not covered under warranty after 12k mikes and believe me you can't put the scorched f/wheel back in (ok, Nissan may goodwill the flywheel if you show that you regularly maintain you car). All these costly repairs would make anyone trade it in, which is what a lot of people do.

Don't get me wrong. I worked as a tech at Nissan for 3 years and i loved to drive the 350z's, they got great power and are built solidly except for the wear items (brakes tires and clutch). They are mod friendly and many Nissan dealers are mod friendly. If you gotta get one, get it new or become a mechanic.

Answer 2

The 350zx is not a daily driver. Resale value, kidding right. They don't hold value z's are not an investment they are an expense.

I own a 240z, 260z,280z,280zx turbo, 1985 300zx, 1992 twin turbo 300zx ,lexus SC400 and a crappy 350zx oh forgot my little old 510. Love my 510...

I would drive the twin 300zx over the 350zx and wish I had never bought it. It is heavier. Does not handle as well as the 300. Bigger engine ok so, my twin will walk circles around the 350 proven 3 times on 2 types of tracks with qualified drivers. This is what we do on the weekends when we are bored we race each other.

350zx had out the door troubles. I recall being towed all the way from Las Vegas to Marina Del Rey with 3k on the odometer. Got some garbage from the dealer that oh we never had these problems. treated me like a dumb blonde female. Then shifted gears when I displayed various cards showing what I do and or have done for a living.

Tire wear well, no big deal if you buy a zx or any sports car you are going to go through tires. I don't run factory stock tires on my cars anyway. So I may go through them faster than you anyway.

It is going to cost more much more to fix this one when it does break. Me being the Z lover says nissan made a mistake. Again Nissan is not Nissan anymore.

It is stiff. It is bouncy. If you drive smooth roads ok but in Los Angeles the masters of crappy roads it becomes a pain. However my twin is stiffer than the 350 but that is my doing not Nissan's.

You want comfort buy a Lexus the coupe is sweet and I prefer driving it over the 350zx any day. More money. Yep but worth it.

Answer 3

You can look up any recall info on Edmunds or KBB.

If you invest in the 350Z, try to get the track version if

you're into sure performance like I am. It sounds like

you are if you have the Type-S RSX instead of just the

standard RSX model.

I recommend going for a test drive in a new one, and

then driving a 2003 to see how much different they are

to give you an idea as to how they wear, and you will be

able to compare the differences with your current car.

It should be noticeably faster, but I had a hard time with

how high the side sills were and the lack of rearward vi-

sion there was. I felt kinda like I was in a bathtub while

I was driving. You might consider taking a Honday S2k

for a test drive as well to give you some options as well.
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Answer 4

The 350Z is a decent daily driver, but you're correct in questioning if the stiff ride would be tiring. But my 50+ year old best friend drives 15 miles each day to work and loves his 2003. You should spend a weekend in one if you can - it would be no different in a Boxster or a Vette.

The reason the early models had bad tire wear was due to the way the cars were strapped down on the boat they were shipped across the Pacific on. There is a countermeasure fix (weld piece) and you should check to see if it was done.

Zs are common midlife crisis cars, and that may explain the number on the market. hey have terrific drivetrains and are a relative bargain -- plus nothing else looks anything like them.

Answer 5

Personally I am an Acura person, but I have worked in the car business for five years, and have been employed by both Honda (aka Acura) and Nissan dealers. So let me see if I can help you out at all...

If the space isn't an issue for you, and financially you are in a good spot on your loan vs. trade-in values (assuming of course that the vehicle was loaned and not bought out-right) than I would very much look into the change of wheels. On a personal note I love the styling inside and out of this car.

As for your specific questions:

1.) In an attempt to answer why there might be so many cars available for re-sale, I offer a couple possibities:

When the 350's first came out there wasn't anywhere near enough cars to meet the demands of buyers, so they may have possibly over-compensated in production.

Personally, I think that this car was aimed at a younger, more impulsive demographic. Personally I dealt with buyers and many potential buyers that I felt weren't considering all of their responsibilities when deciding what they could afford for a car payment, much less for the insurance on top of that payment. I feel like it is more than likely that many of these buyers realized later that it was too much car for them and they couldn't afford it...in these cases (especially if you are buying from a private party you need to make sure that the car hasn't been "driven into the ground" and be especially suspicious if any after market parts have been added...i can tell you more about this if you need to know)

Also, Nissan builds their cars with a rediculous amount of personal options in an attempt to satisify their customer's wants...racking up dollars and debts on the way.

2.) The "stiffness" you were talking about might be reflective of which car you had test driven the SE models on Nissans are considered sport models, and are equipped with a much tighter suspension system, while the SL models are considered luxury and have a much more absorbant feel to their shocks as a result of the road conditions. But I also remind you that this car was designed to make you feel like you are part of the road you are traveling on.

3.) I don't really feel comfortable answering this question because I feel like I don't know enough to answer this completely, but I would again advise you to be very careful when purchasing a used vehicle along these lines of preformance and to make sure that it wasn't being over driven, or being used for racing... it's always good to analyze the habits of the previous owner - even if you are being judgemental.


I hope that I was helpful to you in some way.
Happy hunting.

Answer 6

I think Nissan Skyline V35 is better and stronger than Nissan 350Z.For me I would choose Nissan Skyline V35 because this car very powerful and well known and it's Japanese Legendary Car and the car was in the Movie Fast and Furious 3.Even I like the Shape of 350v it's beautiful looking car. But In the End It's up to u. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 7

Autotrader 350z

Answer 8

I would offer different side get a infiniti g35 very similar to the 350 but has a back seat and a trunk and personally i think they look better also infiniti has a longer warranty than Nissan 4/40k basic and 7/70 power train and it is more status quo than a Nissan 03 g35 run around high 20's