Impostor

Hi folks,

I've been reading the forums like a madman b/c I want a Z. Initially, I wanted a Touring for the leather seats, Bose, and Nav. But as I read more and more, I see that there are problems with the Bose. So I figured, "maybe a Perf model."

Then I read about the problems with the fuel system that won't let you fill it up to full, the tire feathering problem, the ECU dieing, etc... Now I'm kinda hesitant on the 350Z.

So I started looking at the soon-to-be-released WRX STi. Well, base on the WRX forums, the WRX have its share of problems too.

What do I do? How do you guys justify/convince to yourselves to get the 350Z when you know that there are problems to deal with?

Impostor

ares

iTrader: (2)

I have touring, and have bose fix, sounds fine, good even, not aftermarket sound, but thats a given. I dont think youll be disappointed but that all depends on what your expecting. if you dont like the fixed bose I can PROMISE you wont like the STi radio.

as for fuel problems, ummm I havent had them, it seems to be a select handful that do have em. maybe dealing with level of ground, or who knows what else. out of 10000 Zs sold so far, not many have this problem, I wouldnt let it stop you.

tire feathering, this is an issue. it seems nissan is working on it, and they arent going to leave you hanging. a few even got new tires, not bad. request a alignment before buying the car. that could help.

I donno what "ecu dieing" is. if you mean safe mode when you modify, then yeah, that will happen. again, dont see why you would turn a car down on this basis. be more specific on this point. whatever it is, I havent noticed it I dont think.

but remember on the Z or STi, people dont come on and say, my cars perfect, they only post problems, makes it look worse than it really is. all cars can have problems, you just gotta take the chance I guess. if its that horrible, there are lemon laws.

Pooh2002

Take a more thorough look at this board. You will find quite a few threads extolling the virtues of the Z, many from new owners (like me) who have only a few miles, but several from folks with up to 7000 miles on their cars. Also remember that people are about 1000 time more apt to complain than to praise. Some people have had some problems with tire wear - Nissan has been good about trying to fix them. The Bose doesn't sound all that great (I have made a few comments on that issue myself). The sound system is a small part of a car.

Is the Z perfect? No, but it is a terrific ride at a good price. Drive one and see if it talks to you. If it does, then go for it. If it seems like just another car, buy something else. There are about 9,000 people out there driving 350Z's who are very happy with what they bought.

Impostor

Ares - I was referring to the thread https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=15435 which talked about the onboard computer going dead.

Pooh2002 - You're right. I guess part of this thread is to ask for peopel who've their Z for a while and are happy with it to speak up. Makes people like me who are still in the shopping stage feel much better about what we're about to buy.

Impostor

WashUJon

The number of satisfied owners really do outweigh the dissatisfied ones. Even most owners with these or other "problems" have had them resolved with no fuss. That's what the warranty is for. Nissan is taking care of its Z customers very well. That's a good portion of why I decided to buy the car.

SandMan

The only problems I am having is the damn weather sucking all the time. But other than that I have never had anything bad *knock on wood*. I think the negative things you are reading are from people who report their problems. I mean how spammy would it be if we all posted things that worked right? We would have messages like "Cupholders working well" or "Horn works AWESOME". We don't really want to read about that . Well at least I don't. So you see it's not everyone who has problems, just a few unlucky ones. But you gotta think, damn this is a new car, of course it's going to have bugs to be worked out. Well if you are still thinking twice, just wait until next year or later 2003 models, they will have most of the bugs worked out. Hope that helps.

ares

iTrader: (2)

am I correct to assume we are looking at 3 dead touring models out of about 10000? Im POSITIVE there must be more than this. the failure rate on cars is higher than this. its luck of the draw like I said, a bad thing, but nothing you can do. good news is that in no way will you have to worry about getting stuck with a dead car. they WILL fix it, or you'll get your money back.

I donno what to say, there will always be lemons, thats what the law is for. but since touring is the most sold model, I wouldnt be too worried. I drive a touring, and I can honestly say Im not the least bit scared. if it happens it happens, what am I gonna do? buy a more reliable car? that leaves infiniti, toyota, or honda; were not far from the top here.

Impostor

SandMan - Sometimes I think that maybe I should wait until the second model year. Then I look at you guy's pictures of your beautiful Z's. Then I say, "I GOTTA HAVE ONE NOW!!!"

Ares - From following that thread, it looks like 3 so far.

I think once I sit down and test drive one, it'll all be over. In a good way. It doesn't help me when my wife is telling me to go get one! She's supposed to be the rational and budget conscious one.

Impostor

ares

iTrader: (2)

if thats all there is to it, here ya go

Impostor

Dang it Ares! You HAD to show a super black one didn't you? That's the color I want too!

Impostor

OtownZ

You also have to consider there are several on this board who seem to think that for the price of the Z they should be getting Ferarri quality or something.

I have had zero issues with my Z so far. It is a beautiful car with damn good performance. All cars are going to have issues. And you also have to consider those that have had a bad experience are going to make a lot more noise than the 99% of us that haven't.

I was also looking at the WRX, but dude--- that thing is ugly. For slightly more I got a much better looking car that is going to hold its value much longer.

Impostor

Otownz - I agree with you. I not much of a nitpicker. I drive a Chevy S10 right now so I can haul my race bike around. That thing creaks and squeaks like there's no tomorrow. So I'm used to that. I just want to enjoy the Z the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

I looked at the STi. The paper specs look very impressive. My friend with a '02 WRX wagon loves its AWD. But damn, the STi giant wing is going to make me look like a boy racer! That wing has got to go even if I have to dremel it off.

Honestly, I don't know why I'm so worried about this. I mean I sunk 10x as much $$ into my house, and I wasn't 10x as worried.

ares

iTrader: (2)

see the 0-60 thread, unless you plan on rally racing, or you live in an area with horrible winter weather. they are not so great, and you sacrifice alot for that AWD.

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

I have a Performance Z that now has 600+ miles on it. Not many miles but zero defects have shown up.

You are visiting a board with 10,000 fanatics. Same problems are expected with any car and people here will, by nature, point out everything.

I had the "gottahaveitnows" & bought the car from a dealer 300 miles away. I'm a happy camper.

Go for it.

Old Skooler

Just to back up Rat, I've had my CS Base for over 2 months now, with about 4900 miles on it now. I have yet to have a single problem with it. Whaddya waitin' for? Go get yer Super Black!

Impostor

Ares - Unfortunately, I do live in Chicago area w/ the crappy winter weather. Fortunately, the Z won't be my primary car for winter time. I'll be driving my RWD S10 w/ 300lbs of sand in the back during winter.

The Rat's Z - Congrats on your Perf Z!!! Did you pick it up or how was it delivered to you?

Old Skooler - You are not helping me be objective about this by telling me to go get it!

Seriously though, I appreciate you guys chiming in. It really does make me feel a ton better already!

Impostor

Blue Batmobile

iTrader: (22)

Whatever the case, you're gonna get 1st year production bugs. By the time I get one, most likely it'll be a 2004 model.

Bat™

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

Impostor,

Car was delivered to me. Dealer origionally wanted to deliver on a flatbed for $450. Gasp! When I remained silent (ha!) he suggested having a couple who works for the dealer drive it up for 200 bucks. Done deal. A side bene, for me, was that took care of 300 of the breakin miles. Car was the dealers until I signed for it so any damage was his risk.

Worked out just fine.

JimH

The 350 exceeds my expectations! I bought it Oct. 29 and I just passed 8,600 miles. As you can see, my Z is on the road an awful lot.
The high points are (in order) "wow factor" from other people, (I am now looking for back streets to drive because it is becoming embarassing/tiresome to avoid the finger pointing and positive shouts from onlookers!), suspension, (road feel/security is superb), power, paint color and economy, (I get 28+ hwy and 21+ city).
Low points? Tires, I suppose. The oem rubber is pretty sad. Some owners had to replace before 5,000. Several reports of uneven wear, cupping and excessive noise as the fronts wear. I was happy until 6,000 miles when I too noticed cupping starting to show on the inside of the fronts and the noise @ 8,000 miles is becoming bothersome. This is an alignment problem as well as poor tires imho, and I am going back to my dealer shortly to seek a fix. The 350 offers no camber adjustment and I am not sure toe in/out adjustment will rectify this. I will post my findings.
Welcome aboard to an altogether different and pleasant experience that the 350 affords its owners. I highly recommend the 350 to you. Regards, Jim

Impostor

JimH - Thank you for that post. It is very good to get a report from an owner with many miles like you.

Impostor