I am thinking about getting a used Z and at this point can probably only afford the 03 Z. I've been reading about all the horror stories concerning the 03 model, but I wanna hear from 03 Z owners who are actually happy with their Z's. TIA

 

im a 03 owner...and i love every minute in the car...the horror stories you hear for the z, you'll hear in any other car forum for any other car...people on this site tend to overreact on some problems that are not that serious...i never had to get a tranny replaced...no tire feathering...no window streaks..a little rattle hear and there ..but overall the car is great...best bang for the buck.. it sits so pretty..i currently own a daytona blue z for already 2 years and still turn around and look at it when im about to leave ..its worth it

 

Mine is an 03, and I bought it used. It has tire feathering, but to tell you the truth I don't think it's that huge of an issue that would deter me from purchasing the same car again. I was a bit wary of buying an 03 seeing as it is the first year of production, but it has not given me any problems in the time I have had it (knockonwood)... If you want an 03, just look for one that has been taken good care of and get a Carfax, like you would any used car, and you should be fine

 

30K+ miles & lovin it more everyday .

As far as the fixes. Sure, I had my share warranty fixes but it wasn't too bad. I've just been real fortunate not to have gotten the dreaded tranny issue.

Good luck!

 

i previously owned a Porsche boxter and a bmw before that i recently acquired the 350z and i must say this car has amazing handling and insane acceleration. I love it

 

Gotta 03. Feathered and replaced tires, got rattles, gone through 3 window motors, at 43K miles....... and still think its the best car i've ever had. I've had over 50.

 

have an 03 and only problem i have is the tire feathering. but aftermarket rims and tires eliminated it until around 25,000 miles it started to make some slight road noise.

I'D STILL BUY IT AGAIN....NOT SELLING IT AS YOU CAN SEE

 

I love my Z there is not a car in the world that would make me trade her in!! Unless its another Z, and even then I would cry!! I have gone through one set of tires and a window motor, and hey all that gets fixed for free!!! I have never been so emotionally attached to any object in my life!! I saw her on the lot, I wanted her, and I bought her!! She was the best impulse buy of my life, and always will be!!! Sorry I'm tearing up a little!!*reaches for a tissue* There are no words.. you just have to feel it!!

 

I have a 03 Touring. I have the window streaks, the front tires replaced due to feathering, problems with the hatch latch, replaced the hatch struts and various rattles but I still get excited every time I drive the car.

I would do it all over again.

 

2003 Brickyard owner here. VIN 1596 so mine too was one of the first.

I replaced the tranny fluid with Redline synthetic and my shifting has been fine. The only TSB I had done was the tire feathering (got the front wheel swap and when I wore out the other side of the tire I got new ones under warranty) and I got a four wheel alignment done for free with the new specs.

I had the "pulling to the right" TSB done as well. I have a touch of the window grease streak but I wash and polish the car so much it is hardly ever there and it isn't worth it to me to get it fixed.

I absolutely LOVE this car. I would definitely do it all over again.

 

This thread speaks for itself:

https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-nissan-350z/113841-2-yrs-4-months-later-i-still-take-the-long-way-home.html

 

03 here. Love the car. I have had problems as well and my vin is 15,000+. But all in all I love the car. I have met alot of great people who share the same enthusiasm for the Z. And not to mention 03's in my mind are the most mod friendly of the Z33's to date.

 

Build date 12/02. Currently have 10K miles. The only issues have been the window streaks & hatch not opening properly... both easy TSBs.

I've put 7500 miles on the Potenzas and 2500 miles on Blizzak WS50s... no feathering yet...

Tranny's been fine, but I will be tracking it this summer... THEN we'll see how the tranny is...

 

had mine since oct 02 and have 17,400 or so miles on it.
<-----------------------------------
window streaks fixed, pulling and tire feathering fixed, trunk hatch problem (still lingers when cold out) and as you can see to the left, I STILL
LOVE THIS FREAKING CAR!!!!!!!

 

Got mine in October of 02 I have 51,110 miles on the car and I have n't had any problems!

 

03 w/ 12k miles and no serious issues. Had the window grease, rear hatch, and seat bolsters fixed but it's free to have them fix so what's the big deal?

I couldn't be more pleased with the car. It seems like every day I dig it a little more.

 

Have had my '03 for 2 and a half years and I can still say I Love It!!!!

 

Luv my '03! 13,000 miles and no issues except replacing evenly worn rear tires once and doing the penny fix on my hatch. Wouldn't trade it for anythign on the market right now!

 

20K miles - I love this car. Had the tire feathering - who cares. Sports cars eat tires and brakes. I drive the livin **** out of it and it just keeps giving.