I am going to be going over to the dealership later this week and wanted to ask you guys some questions. I am curently intrested in a 03/04 model, but am going to the dealership to see what kind of finance deal I can work out on a new 2006... Now will the 06 feel different than an 04 or 03? Will it sound the same, etc. Ooo and I will be getting a 5at as this z will be my daily driver in sometimes heavy traffic.

I know auto but sometimes you cannot have it all

 

If you are getting an 06 auto it has the same 287/274 VQ as the 03-05 so there won't be a difference power wise. The diffferences will be cosmetic, interior, fr bumper, head lights, tail lights and wheels.

 

The '06 has all of the needed improvements, Go For It!

 

05 or 06....either way you cant lose. i would suggest staying away from the 03-04

 

For a non-350Z owner, all 350Zs are about the same. What is your budget? You just have to decide new or used?

 

well I just priced out an 06 online at just around $32,000.... So lets say 30,000 otd would make me happy... California is an expenisive place to buy a car. Do any of you know what if any special financing nissan is running at this time. I have a perfect credit score btw.

 

And I forgot to mention... The reason I wanted to go used was so I could put the money I save into mods... But I guess that is not happening... Cause I am now under the imprestion the the 03/04 z is bad?

 

03\04 isnt bad, just the 06 has some nice additions and its worth it to pay a little extra. I was going to go for a leftover new 05, but got a really good deal on an 06 so I just got it.

 

No argument from me. Look at all the 2003s and 2004s sitting on the side of the road broken down. Most 2003 and 2004 owners get about 10,000 miles on their 350Z. Then they take it straight to the junk yard.

 

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+1, I'm starting to think my 04 is a 05 or 06 even. I mean, its still running its at 12k, I've had zero problems with it. It still looks new and drives new. Mine can't be a 04. Someone is trying to trick me. How dare they switch a sell me a 06 and tell me its a 04. Bastages!

 

double post

 

I own a 04 enthu model Z and its plagued with problems. It died on the road due to some kind of electrical problem. Dealer claimed it was clutch and tried charging me about $1k to fix it. Car ended up at nissan for a month while I complained about their cheap clutch dying out at 10k miles. Car came back out of dealer with new clutch and 2 weeks later its back in again. Starter problem, SES TCS OFF SLIP lights all on, side mirror broken, tranny problems. The undertray was also not screwed on tightly and screws came loose on freeway, thought I blew a tire too. Well both dealer + 03/04 problems, SO stay away from these years. 05/06 is the way to go, of course you might be one of the unlucky ones with tranny problems still. GOOD LUCK, its a great car. Save up for turbo =)

 

If you bargain right and get approved say through a credit union before you go down there, you could probably get that 06 for a few grand more than the preowned Z...Good luck.

 

That's just horrible. I heard the same for the '05 and '06's too.

So if anyone is thinking of buying a Z, please don't -- there are already too many on the road here in So-cal.

 

Since you're in SoCal, take advantage of the fact that there are so many dealers within an easy drive.

When I bought my 05, I got quotes from 6 or 7 different dealers. Wondries in Alhambra had exactly what I wanted and beat everybody else's prices. All in all, a pretty good buying experience.

Love the Z. Once you get the hang of the manumatic trans, it's terrific.

 

+1 this is the best way to do it, i found the z i wanted looked at the sticker, i then told the dealer i would be back. i had the credit union approve me for 29,995 which is the most i was willing to pay, went back and as easy as that i saved 4 grand.

the best thing was they offered to get me a lower interest rate if i went through nissan credit. when i agreed they ran my credit and were pissed to find out that i was approved for alot more than 30 grand.

 

If you are getting the 5AT, then the 05/06 models will have
the "rev-matching throttle blip" feature for manual downshifting...

I test-drove one, it is way cool...

JR

 

jus go for a 04-05 and spend the rest on mods! i hav an 04 for about 1 1/2 years and no problems at all

 

I got an 03 and have almost 45k on it. Yeah, it had it's problems but it was all covered under warranty and TSBs. I test drove later models but for some reason I think that the 03s handle better and are faster. I think the 03s were lighter and had more aggressive suspension. The Z has gotten a little bit heavier over the years and the suspension has been changed to tame the stiffness and feathering that people have complained about. I changed tires to the Michelin Pilot Sports and had all the TSBs done and I haven't had any problems since. If you can find a low-mileage 03 or early 04 that has all the TSBs done, just change to a tire that is less prone to feathering and you're good to go. I personally like the the 287hp engine better than the 300hp engine in both 6MT and 5AT because it has more torque.