All i've been hearing lately is bad stuff about the '03. Is it really so bad, or are the problems fixable? What i'm really worried about is, if i buy it from a private seller, and i have problems with the tranny or tire feathering, can i still bring it to a dealership and get it fixed if the warranty is still good?

i hate dealing with dealerships, but if i find myself in need i wanna know i can go to one if i have to.

Please let me know waht you think, i love the Z so much and i'm in desperate need of one, but i think i can only afford an '03 model.

 

I've had an 03 and now an 05 I put 14k miles on the 03 had the tranny replaced twice had streaky windows and tire feathering. The 05 has 6k miles currently and no problems at all.

 

with the 03 you will more than likely have the tire feathering problem which will not go away. The tranny will probably start grinding but one new tranny should fix the problem. As for all the other little things its anyones guess. Some get all of them, some get none of them.

 

Why not start a thread and ask who is satisfied/happy with their 03'? This would give you a different view maybe. People that have had problems love to tell you about them. I have'nt see any threads saying how much someone loves a particular year model though...

 

I have an 03 w/ 11k miles and no serious issues. I had the window grease, rear latch, and seat bolsters fixed under warranty but nothing else has come up and those are so minor (more annoyances than anything).

I wouldn't worry too much about getting an 03. Just make sure you take note of the transmission and tire wear (and noise) during the test drive(s).

But now that you have 3 years of Z's to look at, you might as well go with an 04 if the 03's all have high mileage. But you can great a really nice deal on an 03 and if it has low mileage then I'd go with that.

Oh, BTW, I couldn't be any more pleased with my 03.

 

I have had my '03 since November of '02. I was a pre-order.
I had tire feathering, had it fixed and it NEVER returned.
I had the window streak problem, took it to the dealer and they fixed it and it NEVR returned.
I have NEVER had an issue with my tranny.

I drive her hard and I put her on the Hallett Road Track a couple times a year and do not foresee any issues.

A lot of the people you read about having issues abused their cars during break-in and by the way they drive. Plus, this was the first production run for the 350Z, you are bound to find some issues.

I will keep my '03 because it is the first edition of the 350.
If you are shopping an '03 because you can save some money, get one still under warranty and check out the original owner too see how he/she treated the car.
If you can afford an '05 why not get it? It is 2 years new after all.
But no matter which you pick, BUY ONE! You will get hooked. I bought my first Z in 1976 when I was 17. I have owned one ever since and right now I own 2 of them.

 

See what i mean???? ^^^

 

Don't be scared away from 03s. The "forum" effect amplifies most of the problems. I have an 03, and I've been unfortunate and gotten most of the problems: rear hatch not opening with one push, grease streaks, tire feathering, my passenger side seat heater isn't working, and recently my 3rd gear started to grind. I admit this sounds bad, but all these will be fixed under warranty as soon as I get some time to take my car into a dealership. And none of these problems interfere with me loving my car to death, like someone said before, most are just minor annoyances.
Good luck on finding a Z man, you won't be disappointed !

 

The tire feathering seems the most noticable problem; however, you should get an extended warranty on the used 03 if you buy one. I would get an leftover 04 or wait to get a leftover 05. I would save the money to get what you want. If you do plan on getting an 03 and it does have issues, plan on spending on a car that is a money pit. Not everyone is not experiencing all problems, if you have a nissan service taking care of the issues, than it is in your favor.

 

if you can find a killer deal on an 03, then just do it and have warrenty cover whatever comes up.

I think a used 03 and early 04 are better cars to mod and 2004.5 and 05's are better for keeping stock.


reasons for thinking this is

the 03's and early 04's have not so great suspension and will do tire feathering - more reason to replace it

you can adjust the idle on the 03 and early 04's for things like cams

TS and AA have flashes for 03's and early 04's, don't remember if they did get all the bugs worked out of the 2004.5's or not, and nothing for 2005 yet

and it's always a better idea to void your warrenty on a car/parts that has less warrenty left than a fairly new one with lots of warrenty left

 

Aside from minor feathering my 03 Brick has had zippo problems in 27 months & 21000 miles. None-the-less, if I was buying today used, I'd avoid 03 & go an 04. Probabilities are against you for 03s.

 

i had my 03 for 2 years now.. i have no problems with it...just little ones like a rattle hear and there but not noticeable at all...i luv my car..lol..

 

so far i've had window streaks - oh the horror! fixed

front tire feathering - got free replaced tires

driver side window motor went bad - replaced

passenger side window motor acting weird - goes back down 1/3 after you auto roll it up. I'll get that motor replaced soon enough under warrenty too next time I bring it in

my car is an aug 02 build date and I'm actually glad about it cause it means the dealers will be more willing to replace my tranny when it decides to start grinding - well if it does

 

my 03 had feathering at 18,000 miles and i got it fixed, it has not returned since. Also....it is for sale and I am local and will give you a great deal. my 03 is for sale for $12,000 less than a brand new 05.

 

I have had my O3 Touring since Jan. 03 and put on just over 25,000 miles. Unfortunately, I experienced the window streaks, tire feathering and the rear axle clinking. I began to grow weary as I heard additional horror stories, but all of my vehicle's problems were corrected/replaced with no additional problems thus far. Prior to this, I have purchased new about a dozen imports and never experienced such a problem. I do not regret the Z though, I have enjoyed every mile I've driven and, at least for me, it was definitely worth it. Fortunately, I bought the extended warranty which was a decent price and lowered my interest rate at the time. I do hope I will never have to use it. Good luck to you.

 

I don't regret buying my '03... yet. It has window streaks (haven't bothered to fix it, it's that bothersome) and the seat makes a clicking noise (they probably won't fix it due to custom leather seats, heh), and... it.. had... feathering (not too bad really and dealer gave me front tires without me asking). I've since changed wheels and tires and there's no issue, yet.

 

I just bought a '03 6MT Tourning about a week ago. It has 24,000 miles on it and had come off a 2yr. lease. The dealer I bought it from origionally leased the car and had all the service records. Not that it's any surprise, but they never mentioned any issues with the 2003's. The only thing I've noticed is there is sort of a growl when I'm stopping that starts at about 25mph and goes away at 10mph. Am I doomed for problems? I checked all the tread when I bought the car and it was even on all 4 tires. The back tires were a little more worn, but I expect that from a rear wheel drive car. It doesn't drift at all and it feels solid as a rock at high speeds with no road noise other than what I would expect from a sports car. Does anyone know what causes the low speed growl? The car does still have warranty left, so I guess if there's any problems I can take it in but it would be nice to not have any problems.

Thanks!
Kent

 

I think the low speed growl is the onset of tire feathering...

The only problems I've had are streaked windows and the hatch not opening on the first try... after 10,000 miles. If you get the '03, I'd probably get an extended warranty just in case you have a "bad" one... quiz the seller... you might find out if it's a lemon.

If tire feathering is the big concern, with the money you save, upgrade the suspension... I THINK that fixes it... no?

 

I like my '03, same problems as everyone else has mentioned, Car still kicks asp. Hey to tell you the truth, I never thought I would get 20K miles out of my tires on a sports car. In fact, if you do get over 20k miles on your Z you should be ashamed of yourself.
Also, I like owning the first year of a special car.

 

uPsHIFt......save your money and wait. I know it's tough to do but time really does fly by. I would recommend only a '04.5 with a built date of 12/03 or better....or a '05.
Do some shopping around you might be surprised that there are some great deals on '04's. lol ps...I bought my brand new '04 ZR last May on the internet, flew down to Tenna. I saved a lotta money on the deal ($99.00 over INVOICE) & drove home, what a ride home!!!!