kisens

Thinking about making the switch from a Chevy pickup to a 350Z. The only thing holding me back, is I know almost nothing about 350Zs(maintenance, normal problems, etc.) Any tips or advice would be appreciated!

lumper1

Same as any car, read the forums search for topics concerning maintenance in the right section to get an idea of what years had what problems.

Did you land on a Z for sure or you still searching for the car you want?

How do you go from a pick up with all its space and usage to a 2 seater, lol?

I have a pickup chevy 2500 I couldnt live without my Z is my toy car, its just for fun, not very practical for much else.

Anyway good luck, you can search the forums and find answers to almost anything you want to know, a little reading will go a long way.

My advice is buy the newest year you can afford, and get the model that has the things that are important to you, if your going to be in it a lot maybe you want all the interior options, if you are going to take it to the track mostly then maybe a base, etc..
They are pretty cool cars, good luck.

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kisens

Well, I had been thinking about either making a race truck out of a short-wide, making a race car out of a Trans am, 350Z. I just don't have the need for a pickup. I use the bed, just not like it's meant to be, and don't haul anything. I've always liked Z's, and have wanted one for a while, I guess I just decided now was the time.

lumper1

Awesome, well welcome to the forums, like I Said a little reading about the various years and models will probably help you figure out what you want.
The 03, 04's are priced pretty good and modding them is cheap and a lot of bolt ons, lots of stuff available for options so a good way to go, the 07 and up have the hr high revving engine and some prefer it over the de engine available before 07, so you will want to narrow it down, figure out a budget, and go from there would be my advice.

Good luck,
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kisens

Thank you. I'm actually looking to basically just make a modded DD. Very little to no track time.

From what I've read so far, 07+ is for me, but what's the average price on em? Fuel mileage? Mpg is not a big deal at all seeing as I drive a lowered pickup.

What's your thoughts on straight pipes? Like I said, I don't know Nissan, I only know how to make a LS sound like a demon straight out of hell.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

my mpg on hr with full bolt ons and tune averages 17.4 mpg. to make it loud and aggressive sounding, i would suggest the motordyne tdx2 and art pipe combo, but that is going to be about 2200 right there alone. these cars (especially the hr's) are not cheap to mod

oldschool350z

iTrader: (1)

I would just ge t any stock 350z and make sure it's got low miles.

The hr will be pricey you will not find one that has lower miles for less than $16,000 with clean title.

lumper1

I just saw an 07 on ebay in California for 10500 buy it now, it has 70k I think miles, but thats an amazing price I thought and it was very clean, silver.
Also found a convertible loaded for 12500 also an 07, here are the links.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221404826976...84.m1423.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360900169726...84.m1423.l2649

I paid 13k for my 07 with 36k miles on it.
Both are 6 speed manual trans by the way, the ebay one and mine..
generally people are asking 15+ for an 07 with 50k or under, and that is pretty standard but if you look a lot you can find deals.

Myself I dont mind a salvage either if it is done right, I am not worried about resale and if the damage was minimal and the work done right you can save a ton like that.

Ive done a ton of looking for the past 6 weeks and I Can tel you for an 07 if you can get one for 105 to 14k your doing well.
There are a couple out there for 125 and 12 right now too I saw I think they were automatics though, not sure your preference, I Wanted a manual tranny myself.
Check ebay though, lots of good deals, especially because you can widen your search, you can go look at any you find, and shipping is pretty reasonable too if your in the lower 48.

Ive bought out of state many times, police cars and bikes anyway, bought my z in state but only by chance, the others I was going to look at were in NY, I am in CT.
Anyway hope that helps, god luck, def let us know if you land on a deal, there out there.
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kisens

I refuse to ever buy a convertible. Lol. Idc if you're giving me a Ferrari for $5k. I can't stand convertibles.

But I've found some 03-07's for like $12k at the most. Any like major problems I need to know of when buying a Z? Any recurring problems on your guys' Z's?

One of the main reasons I don't know if I want one, is everyone knows how to work on my pickup. LS engines are very easy to work on how easy are 350s?

lumper1

well the coupe I posted for 10600 looks like it could be a great deal if you drive it and confirm it was taken care of, 70k miles on an 07 for under 11k$ is pretty good!!

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travlee

iTrader: (8)

i would stay very very far away from that car.... go further down in the description, it has a salvage title.

you posted IF it was done right it wouldnt be bad...... but that is the key word. OP if you are not in a hurry, take your time and look around

lumper1

right, as far as salvage goes you have to go inspect the car, some are nothing more than a minor issue that was repaired, get a car fax, go see it in person, unless your buying to re sell later you can do well with a good salvage, but you have to use common sense and go see the car in person.

The same car without a salvage is going to go for 12k$ and up, most are over 15k$
Anyway yeah its always buyer beware as I said before I wouldnt be afraid of a salvage but I would go look carefully and drive it and get all the info you can until you are comfortable, I have seen many salvages that ended up being great cars.
That being said I spent 13k$ on a low mileage two owner 07 so you can find deals out there if you look hard especially if you have cash.

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travlee

iTrader: (8)

it is amazing what just under 3 years will do... i bought my one owner 08 with 35k miles for 21k.

i disagree with the minor issue statement, in texas it usually has to be totalled out and repaired to get the salvage. then again, every state is a little different on that

kisens

I kind of am in a hurry, I don't mind salvage / rebuilt, just depends on why it got that way. I don't but for resale.

lumper1

Its also the insurance company that often determines to "total" a vehicle, then it would need a reconstruction or rebuild title and inspection after salvage or rebuild to allow it back on the road.

I have seen many that were stolen for example, a bumper was damaged, the head unit stolen, and other minor body damage, the insurance company totals it because of the cost to repair would exceed what they are prepared to pay for the car if totaled and there ya go, a good body shop would be able to easily repair the damage, install a new bumper, get a stock radio installed etc.. and sell it for a profit.

If it is a water damage I would stay way from it, if it was damaged severely I would stay away from anything where the frame might have been stressed, or the electrical compromised like a fire.

But I have seen several instances with stolen Z's where you can get them rebuilt from minor damage and have a pretty solid car, and if it is going to be a car to get modded anyway you can do a lot worse.

Again, I didnt buy one, I chose not too, not saying it is the way to go for everyone, I am just saying there are legit deals to be had if you look very carefully at some of the salvages and you are determined to save as much money as possible on the original investment.

Otherwise finding an 07 or newer for under 12k$ is going to be a challenge.
Just my opinions on the matter, either way OP good luck finding a deal that works for you.
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npr350z

iTrader: (1)

Buy an 03 and put an ls in it. Best of both worlds.

lumper1

Travlee, you also bought it in 2010 or 11? so you had it earlier, but I hear ya, in only three years to see them go so low sucks.
I just bought an 07 with 36k for 13$ but I am sure 3 years ago it would have been much more.
Thankfully lots of people bought them and kept them low miles and covered in winters etc.. and now they are hitting the market so lots of great cars choose from.

Nada trade in on my 07 is 9250$ and what their taxing me on at dmv.
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travlee

iTrader: (8)

i bought it in 2011

Michaeln93

I am going to get my first 350z ever too, and it will be my first car. I've fallen for it when I first saw it in tokyo drift when i was 12-13. Although for some reason I'm loving the look of a 240sx better. I am currently driving my bro's 2001 bimmer 325i convertible right now but I hate it.

I also got a question for you guys;

Should I buy it off CL or should I just save my money to buy it off a dealership?
If off CL, how much mileage is okay if I were to spend over 8-10k for it? Also what's the lowest year you think I should get for this kind of price?

travlee

iTrader: (8)

stick with the bmw, obviously you havent done any homework on this car