Sp3ktor

Hey guys I've been looking around at possibilities of a "new" car and am really liking the 350z. After doing some searches I've read that overall it's a great car but if I'm understanding it right the early models were prone to transmission problems? If it helps I'm looking at the 2003-2004 models. If anyone could give me there opinions/experiences with them I'd really appreciate it.

dboyzalter

iTrader: (3)

My opinion is if your going to buy a car thats 12 years old you shouldn't get upset if things need attention. Especially if they have 100k miles on the clock.

With that said get it checked out before you buy it and make the leap of faith. Its a sports car it does sports car stuff. Some people abuse the **** out of these cars and they clean up and work just fine...

Nissan will sell you a Bruce J if you need one.

Sp3ktor

Lol, I by no means expect the car to be perfect as long as it drives I'm fine with it.

MSGWrench

Have it checked over by a competent shop if you are not confident of being able to do it yourself. I just bought an 04 Roadster Touring with 27k on it and couldn't be happier. There are a lot of nice cars out there.

rancor

The early models have issues with the transmission( grinding 3rd gear I think but generally the syncros going) this wasn't truly fixed until the CD0009 transmission. The early years also have issues with tyre feathering.

There are a lot of abused cars out there so be careful, the older the cars get it looks like oil burning issues are also rising. I would recommend staying away from the base models as they are truly stripper cars, no cruise control even .

The last generation the 07-08s have the nicest interiors and just all around upgrades but are mostly 4 years newer so if you can afford it I would recommend it.

Don't try to rush it, just wait for the cleanest least molested one you can find.

dboyzalter

iTrader: (3)

If your going to modify the car anyways the base model could be the way to go. You dont need to deal with tire warning lights and slip lights and traction control. And you can get yourself a limited slip and new gears while your at it. Only thing I would miss is the heated leather seats.

Sp3ktor

I'm not that worried about heated seats considering I'm moving down to the Carolinas haha, I plan on leaving it stock until I'm out of college then putting some money into aftermarket parts. The car unless I'm lucky and find someone trying to get rid of it will likely have over 100k miles.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

do research

/thread

dboyzalter

iTrader: (3)

You should wait till you move before you start looking, no rust in southern cars unless they are right by the beach...

Sp3ktor

That's the plan haha, not taking any chances getting one here (Maine) all the stuff they put on the roads eat the underside of the car.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

agree, look for one in the south..... most of the time they don't put all the chemicals on the roads to get rid of the ice

travlee

iTrader: (8)

what is your budget ?

Sp3ktor

Not nearly as much as I'd like it to be haha, right now it's around $7-8k which I know isn't the best but I've seen a few floating around on Craigslist with lowish sub 130k miles which again I know isn't great. Hopefully if I wait long enough a good deal will pop up.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

want some no BS honest advice? (if not, too bad)

save more, don't rush. you can find a newer, lower mileage one. patience is the key. when i bought my 08 back in 11 i paid 23k for it, fast forward to jan 2015 i sold it for little over 14k with all the parts listed in sig. wait and you will find the one for you

Sp3ktor

Trust me I don't mind honest advice haha, I really do appreciate all the comments though they really do help.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

** i did sell it to a buddy that had seen it since day one and knew the parts on it. i paid cash for the car, so didn't have to pay off a loan or anything and i didn't want to part it out, so essentially sold it to him for KBB

SmoothZ

iTrader: (13)

Not all states in the north use chemicals to de-ice the roads. Might want to look into that if you can't travel to find your Z.

Like trav stated, take your time looking for a Z in good condition and don't settle.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

i completely understand people want things and want them now..... do people buy the first house they look at? nope, and it often takes months if not a year to find the perfect one for them..... do the same with a car

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

I'll chime in....one...I definitely think you'll be happy buying a good Z....and for eight grand you can find a decent one if you can be patient, even with under 100k.

You won't be able to nab an 07 or 08, but I wouldn't worry too much about the early models having tire feathering issues heh...that will have been taken care of by now as it just required some suspension adjustment. The oil burning issue exists but it's more of a situation than a problem as long as you keep up with monitoring your oil level. Oil burning affects lots of the models, but rarely it is it a big deal...a bigger deal is an oil leak from engines with over 100k on them...the seals can go and then it's expensive to fix. Clutch/master/slave as well of course.

Personally, if you're going to wait to look around, I would save a little more while you're waiting since either way you're going to need some money for mods, minor maintenance or repairs, tires within a year probably, etc.. You'll need to budget for buying new rear tires about once every 12 to 18 months, even just daily driving...and do your tire research very well....some tires definitely are not long lasting on a Z....high torque rear wheel drive really wears through softer tires.

Hope you find a great Z,

Saved

Bak3rme

iTrader: (1)

Whats up man. I believe the Z is a great sports car to get. even tho its almost a 15 year old car when it first came out, the car is very well balanced.

I bought my 2003 Touring 350z 2 years ago after searching around locally. i looked at about 6 or 7 Zs over a span of about a month. The one I wanted was too high but eventually I got a good cut on the price. I knew what I was getting into and what issues might occur. I bought mine at 85k.

*knock on wood* till this day the Z drives great. I know syncros do go back on the older models but mine seems to be fine so far with no grinding. make sure you check to see that all gears go in easily, 3rd gear is usually the first to go IIRC.

There were issues that I later found out and maybe you can look into this when you buy yours:
valve covers were leaky (driver side, common issue)
window motor eventually went out (another common issue)
AC didn't work (never even fixed it to this day)