Hey guys this is my first post, but I have been reading and researching for a week or so.
I went yesterday to Harte Nissan in Hartford Conn to see what kind of deal i can get on a left over 04'. They had one left. Black on Black Touring i got the sales guy down to 31,900 from 35,100 without really trying. He didn't even talk to his manager. I know he has a kid on the way so maybe he was desperate.
Anyway that is including the $1,000 Nissan Rebate deal. To make it a better deal there is 3% financing on leftover 04' models till the end of the month.
My favorite color for a Z is the Daytona Blue. Black would be my 2nd fav.


My questions:
Is this a good deal?
Is VDC a necessity, do alot of people here get it?
What trim is the best one to get? I have read it is base, unless you are not into aftermarket parts
I do want to do some tunning with the car, but nothing right away.
I do want the stock 18" rims/tires as I won't be getting any new ones for a while. Does that mean I need to get a touring?

Last Tid bit.
My wife and I are buying a house, and we are signing at the end of the month like 28/29th I don't want to buy this before then and jepordize my credit and not be able to get the house. That means if the 04' deal that I mentioned is a good one I will have to go out the day we sign on the house and get it. =) Do you guys think that the special on the leftover 04' will be around in april?
Should I just get an 05'?
It is a deal I am after I will wait till Sept if need be to get a deal on the 05'

Any Help/Remarks/Advice is welcome.

 

My questions:
Is this a good deal?
- The deal sounds decent, but keep in mind the car is already a year old, so I would look for an '05 unless you plan on keeping the car for many yrs. Also, get the color you want, don't settle.

Is VDC a necessity, do alot of people here get it?
- VDC is not a necessity. The base and enthusiast models don't have it, but it might be nice if you plan on driving in snow or at least in rain a lot.

What trim is the best one to get? I have read it is base, unless you are not into aftermarket parts
- I think you get the most for your money in the enthusiast model. My opinion would be to get the enthusiast model or jump to the 300 hp track model. With the money saved by buying the enthusiast, you could at the very least get a nice set of aftermarket wheels/tires, and possibly leather seat covers to replace the cloth. My only complaint abou tthe enthusiast is that you can't get leather seating.

I do want to do some tunning with the car, but nothing right away.
I do want the stock 18" rims/tires as I won't be getting any new ones for a while. Does that mean I need to get a touring?

- Based on these two things, I would say get the enthusiast model even though you like the stock 18's on the touring. As stated, you could buy aftermarket wheels or a used set of stock 18's and still come out ahead.

Last Tid bit.
My wife and I are buying a house, and we are signing at the end of the month like 28/29th I don't want to buy this before then and jepordize my credit and not be able to get the house. That means if the 04' deal that I mentioned is a good one I will have to go out the day we sign on the house and get it. =) Do you guys think that the special on the leftover 04' will be around in april?
Should I just get an 05'?
It is a deal I am after I will wait till Sept if need be to get a deal on the 05'

- With the house situation, I would wait till you everything squared away with that before getting the car. In all honesty, forget the '04 and get an '05, you may not get $4K off sticker, but you can still get a good deal if you do your homework.

 

Close the house & go get the Z.

$31900 is a good price assuming it is a new car with less than 100 miles on it.

Your in snow/ice country so VDC is well worth it.

If you do pass on it, do get at least the Enthusiast model.

 

Thats 31,900 w/o tax and title and such just to let you know.
Well I might have forgotten to mention it is not going to be my daily driver. I won't be driving it out in the rain at all, let alone the snow.
Im just when the best time is to buy a Z. I know now they have stopped production and they have leftover 04' w/the rebate and special financing.
Couple this wiht going at the end of the month when they are trying to push out units. = Good deal.
I can wait till after summer, or even see what happens next month for nissan's specials

 

Definitely get the house stuff settled first. Then see what the dealer's have. And DEFINITELY don't settle on a color. Get exactly what you want unless you can save a boatload of money getting a used one.

$31,900 seems like an OK price. Nothing spectacular, but fair.

I'd personally stay away from the Base model simply because it doesn't have a limited slip differential or HID headlights. Both of those are really nice features to have IMO.

A nice tip for getting them to drop their prices....go on the very last day of an even # month. The dealer's Blue Book values change on the 1st of every Jan/Mar/May/July/Sept/Nov. I bought my car on Oct 31 and they were way more willing to flex on the price because they knew the next day the value of the car would be slightly less.

 

Cool thanks!
The end of april is perfect. I am leaning on getting an 04' it seems like no one has any blue left. I'll keep looking if I need to i'll go 05' and get enthusiast Blue.
That 3% rate is nice though 5% on the new 05' isn't that bad beats my credit union

 

Maybe we can help each other out... I've got an '04 Daytona Blue Enthusiast that I picked up in December under the 2% financing deal. You can see my reason for potentially having to sell it here: https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-nissan-350z/113107-how-bad-will-it-burn-might-have-to-part-with-the-z-already.html

Only 700 miles on it and it's been spending most of it's time in the Garage out of this weather. Maybe Nissan can transfer the 2% loan to you?

 

Dude i sent you a PM on that, its cool that you live in CT too. One other picky thing is....
Does it have side/Curtain Airbags?

 

Side Curtain Bags.
Cargo Package.
Spoilers.
and standard Enthusiast stuff.

 

Like everyone else said, that's a good deal as long as it has low mileage and its in good condition. VDC definitely isn't necessary, especially since you said you aren't going to drive it in the rain or snow. I daily drive my Z, and VDC has saved my butt in the rain a few times though. The enthusiast is pretty good if you plan on modding, but I wouldn't go for the base.
Good luck with the car/house and welcome to the forums man!

 

Thanks for the responses everyone.
I went to some dealers tonight to do some "feeling" one dealer inparticular was very nice and they were giving me $200 above invoice. I would like to of couse, save some money and buy Jay's (Cashburn) car from him. Hopefully we can work something out.

BTW what benefits does the touring model give? I saw a ultra yellow one. Looked nice

 

Biggest differences with the Touring vs. the other trim lines is that the Touring has several "cushy" interior features...heated leather seats, Bose stereo, etc. As far as the bang for the buck factor goes, your best bet is probably the Enthusiast...not much more expensive than the base, and it's got several useful features that the base doesn't (LSD, HID lights, cruise control).

Best of luck with your purchase....we've got a very active Z community here in Southern New England and there's always room for one more.

 

Thats good to know!

I have been looking around for a few days, but I can't seem to find any blue enthus. around anywhere. Are they popular or did they not make that many?
I don't see that color around alot.
I found a yellow one, which is cool, but I'd rather save the $500 and get the Silverstone.

Hey CelticP
Where did you get your Z at?
I was looking and Bancroft Motors has one I like.

 

I had a really hard time finding a Blue Enthusiast near me. They are tough and only 7% of all Z being made(excluding orders) in 2005 are Daytona Blue. It's a tough one to find, but for me, it was well worth the wait. I got a compliment on it from a guy AT the dealership when I went to pick it up. When the manager pulled it around front the guy in the showroom came out and offered money right then and there for my car. They told them it was sold to that guy, and he pointed at me. So he talked to me for like 30 mins. Love this car!

 

Oh great! It is going to be real tuff to find. My chances are slim to find blue let alone be an enthusiast.
I found 2 yellow enthusiasts, might get one of those i guess.

 

A 2005 Blue would be a lot easier to find than an 04. And don't give up, get what you want. And just to put it in perspective, Lemans sunset, and Ultra Yellow are each only 5% of the total production of '05. The reason they are easier to find is because it is a new color all the dealers want atleast one. Just look around and you can find a blue. I did, although they had to drive a couple states south to get it lol.

 

I had a dealer try to locate a 05 blue, they are too far away and the dealer would charge me to have it trucked in, or else drive it. I would rather have the yellow. I found a yellow and im am getting pretty excited about it. I used to think that the yellow only came in touring models. So thats why i was turning to blue.

I get the impression some people on here don't like the yellow, why is that?

 

Oh I like the yellow a lot expecially in person. But I like the Blue better. There is a lot of flake in the yellow. I bet it looks beautiful in the sun.

 

ok Cool

Anyway back to buying, I was quoted $200 over invoice. Is it possbile to go below invoice?

Am I being just plain greedy? =)

 

If it is an '04 you can get well below invoice. If it is an '05 that is a damn good deal. I went in expecting $500 over invoice. I told the guy before we started talking about deals that, "I have this friend that works in a Nissan dearship in Ohio and could possibly get me the friends and family rate for $500 over invoice. Can you come close to that?" and to my surprise he went and talked to his manager and came back with. "We can do $99 over invoice." My jaw dropped. I gave him a hand shake and sat down and started placing my order lol. So $200 over invoice for an '05 is very good.