Vladimir L

I want to buy a used Z to mod. I have a few questions is the track model worth the money? I also want to mod the **** out of it. Have about 15k saved up but wont **** it all away prob will drop 5k from my savings, and 5k in credit cards worth of mods. Well I want one badly I think the STI and Evo are just ugly and not true sports cars since they are sedans. I think the Z is the best option I can either stroke it out and keep it NA or stroke it out and go turbo. Do you guys know if I can stroke it keep a 9:2:1 compression keep it NA for a little while then do turbo? Well just give me suggestions and I love your websites I hope to own a 350z in about 2 weeks. Also what can I expect to pay for one? SHould I buy one with alot of miles since im stroking the engine out?

boomn29

Also curious which model to get.

I heard the Enthusiast is the model to get to mod? Is this true? Something about the ECU makes it easier, like less problems or something.

Owners thoughts plz..... thx.

joust75

iTrader: (1)

Depends. I bought the track model in 2002. I was the 6th guy to get it from my dealer.
I got it for the brakes and the lsd. Aftermarket brakes are expensive and the cost justified it.
If you want to get aftermarket brakes dont get the track model. It may have three hundred HP but it has less torque.And you can get bigger brakes for less than the premium on the track model.
Get a base and you can get up to 300crank HP easy with a couple of relatively cheap bolt ons.
Highly reccomended is the AAM plenum spacer. great bang for the buck.

If I had it to do over I probably would have gotten the base and gotten a big brake kit. The cost to the track model is similar if you were to do this.

Armitage

iTrader: (15)

Do you realize how much money its going to cost to do what you want? Turbo kits cost anywhere from $5-8k for the kit itself. Then theres the labor involved in installing the kit, tuning, and other misc. stuff. By the end your, talking probably $8-10k.

Stroker kit might be less expensive as well, but either way, your going to kill your warranty. Are you going to be able to afford car payments, insurance, costs of modifications, and any maintenance that might occur as a result of something braking?

To answer your question, the best model to buy to mod IMO is either the Enthusiast or Performance. If your looking for complete bare bones, go with the Base.

boomn29

Mods carry certain issues. Reliablity, warranties, and $$ are just the start. Go to like the DSM, Evo, or Nasioc boards and see how much people are dumping into those creatures. $5k is nothing just in the engine and tuning. Then you have suspension, rims, tires.... $10k flies by pretty quick. But, then you have a car that puts down 400+ to the wheels and runs 11's.

It's just personal preference, that's all.

Armitage

iTrader: (15)

Z won't run 11's with 400+ whp, maybe close to 500 whp w/ slicks.

But yeah, thats my point. It sounds like he's just buying a car now and he's already talking about dropping $10-15k worth of work into it. And then if it blows up, your gonna have to pay for whatever the rebuild costs.

boomn29

That's true, it probably wouldn't. That's where the AWD really helps out! That circumstance right there might keep me from getting one. Still like the car though, just hard to add much power it seems. I'm not wanting to put $10k into a car like the previous guy, just wish a s/c kit was easier and cheaper to hook up.

Armitage

iTrader: (15)

I am planning on going the N/A route. I'm hoping for 300 whp and high 12's maybe on some street tires. Thats enough for me.

BigMoeTaki42

Since you're gonna "mod the **** out of it", buy the enthusiast. You're more than likely gonna be getting new brakes and rims anyway, so there's no point in paying more for the brembos and Rays that come with the track models. But like other people are saying, don't plan huge mods like a turbo kit if you're on a stringent budget. A lot can go wrong, and there's a lot of costs besides the cost of the kit and installation.