jvolpe

[COLOR=blue]
ok - i received my 350z this past monday, 11/11, and absolutely love it. There are, however, a few things i would change if i had the choice. I wanted to post a list of likes and dislikes and also hope we can get a large thread out there as a resource for everyone.

Silverstone Touring, 6MT, Nav, Aero


Likes:
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* Look and style of the car (cant even tell you how many people have stopped me everywhere i go in only 4 days of having it!!)

* handling cant be described in words. lets just say you feel like the car is on rails and can corner like a mother!

* Dash console tilts with the steering wheel. for us short people, this REALLY makes a difference in your vision.

* The power of 1/2/3 gear above 3/4000 rpm. There is a lot of power in the high rpm range.

* All the stainless steel accents in the interior. Really makes the interior sharp.

* I actually really like the bar in the hatchback with the Z on it. I really think that adds a lot of nice flare to the look from the outside.

* AWESOME gas mileage!!! i have been averaging about 24 mpg, and im not light on the gas pedal...

* The gauges on the dash are really resourceful. You can see your avg miles per gallon, avg speed, outside temp, tire pressure in all 4 tires, RPM indicator, speed (and a few other non-essentials) all from one digital dial on the dash.

* the rear of the car is so phat looking. it has a lot of style and was beautifully designed.

* what you actually get for the price of the car. there is no way you could get a car out there that performs as well as this car, has all the bells and whistles of high end cars, and was under 40k out the door!!

* more to come on this one. i've only had the car 4 days so this is a work in progress.


Dislikes:
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* if you forget to set your destination on your nav before you take off, you cant set your destination without basically stopping, and putting on your e-brake. granted you can do that at a stoplight, but if your ride is all freeway, you are hosed. i know it's a safety thing, but if you already have the destination programmed, its a 2 click process.

* the bose system (after it was fixed) sucks ***. words cant describe what a piece of **** this system really is. If you haven't gotten your car as of yet, and are wondering if you will be happy with it, trust me, you wont. i expected to be pleasently surprised, and i was actually pissed driving it for the first time. if you've had a bose system without a sub, that system will put the touring bose system with the sub to shame. i will be ripping this system out very shortly.

* the 350z label on the trunk.. the Z itself is made out of metal, but the corners of the Z are really sharp, and will pinch either your sponge, your waxing applicator, or your cloth when you are washing/drying your car. It has ruined many towels and i have only had the car 4 days. bummer on this one.

* the torque of the car, says its 287lbs, but feels more like 100lbs. granted, i know the suspension is really tight, so it doesnt throw you back as easily as cars with high torque, and soft suspension. was just hoping that there would be a little more pinning going on when accelerating. the car doesnt feel fast when you are coming off a dead stop, but, it's more than compensated by the pickup you get at higher rpms.

* the windows have a film on it from the factory that i havent been able to get off. i'm actually thinking that its supposed to be like that. it looks like a checker board so to speak..

* the jury is still out on the look of the low profile tires. i love the performance gains of low profile tires, but they just look tiny on the car.

* groceries in the cargo area really isnt practical. by the time you get home, unless you tied the tops of the bags, everything is a mess.

* the low clearance of the front/back of the car. i have a pretty steep driveway, and unless i come at it at a 45 degree angle, i cant make it up without taking the front bumper off, or dragging my pipes on the concrete.

* more to come on this one. i've only had the car 4 days so this is a work in progress.


Jason

SandMan

Paint chips easy and is way too thin, with loads of orange peel. That is really the only thing that gets me. It isn't so bad that I would sell the car, but it's.. well... there.

I love everything about the Z, especially the Brembos and Rays. Plus the fact that this car already has an aftermarket craze about to explode. I love the stares that I get, the wows, woahs and DAYYYAAMMM!! Handling kicks ****, haven't fully opened her up but from what I did experience, it is pretty damn sweet (5k rpms).

NowUZme

Likes in no particular order:

• Styling of the car. nuff said.
• Mileage. Still breaking it in, but it's already looking great. This is my daily driver!
• Power. Again, still breaking it in, but from the couple times I have flirted with 4k+ revs it is feeling pretty sweet.
• Handling. I really need to take it to a track (which I have never done) and find out what the car's and my own limits are, because I certainly can't find any on the road yet.
• Price. This is a lot of car for the money, any way you slice it.
• Reputation. This car is drawing attention from onlookers not only for its great looks and styling, but also just from the Z heritage. It's an instant success.

Dislikes in no particular order:

• Console box lid button not working. I know it sounds petty, but....
• Muddy sounds from Bose stereo. I do not have the amp fix yet but planning to get it done.
• Rear visibility. Nothing but one big blind spot when looking rear through the sides. Need to look directly out the very small read windshield to see anything. Even then is a little scary. Guess I will get better at it and get used to it.
• The constant wiping of brake dust from the rims. Maybe this is par for the course for any sports car but I am hoping the need for very frequent cleaning off of the brake dust will lessen over time.
• 2nd gear during normal driving. It's just too short, can't stay in it long enough when driving under normal conditions on the roads. Maybe this will change after break-in and I will let it ride up to a much higher rpm in 2nd gear and it will all work itself out.

themyst

iTrader: (1)

Likes -
Eccentric styling, power, handling, interior design, HID headlights, mod potential, pretty much everything major I love!

Dislikes-
Glove box placement, Hatch contents are completely visible... tinted windows are a must, flimsy cupholder, cheap center console plastic, intermittent panel rattles when stock radio is at a moderately high volume, notchy shifter, poor stock radio (decent bass though), aluminum finish on 18" wheels chip easily

The dislikes may outnumber the Likes, but the dislikes are nothing that i haven't experienced in my old 2001 celica. If anything these "dislikes" aren't significant at all... I LOVE THIS CAR!

jvolpe

SandMan - what exactly is orange peel? i dont really know what to look for. havent seen any paint probs as of yet, but maybe im not looking for the right thing.

Jason

z350z

Jason, I agree with all your likes, but none of the dislikes (I don't have Nav or Bose so that eliminates those).

Here's a minor dislike I have, which I haven't seen mentioned anywhere: the clock/radio display is very difficult to read with polarized sunglasses. I wish it was more like the trip computer readout, which is super-sharp and clear under all conditions.

Oh, and having to clip the passenger seatbelt to avoid the rattle is a pain.

But other than those minor things, I LOVE THIS FREAKIN' CAR! (Still, after over 5,000 miles.)

SandMan

Ok it's hard to see until you get the right lighting and angle. Just take the car into some sunlight, then look at the paint at an angle keep moving around until you see like bumpy pain that slightly resembles an orange peel.

DCABF

orange peel shows up real well under flourescent (sp.???) lighting

ToddLuc

Fortunately, there are zero fluorescent lights anywhere on the street.