hi im going to purchase a 350z in a month or two and i went to the nissan website and checked out the trim levels. I dont have that much money so i either have to buy the base model or the enthusiast.

Base 350z-$27,450
-300hp
-6mt
-18 cast aluminium alloy
-automatic temperature control
CD audio system

Enthusiast 350z-$29,150
-all the base 350z features
-traction control system
-viscous limited-slip differential
-power seats
-aluminium pedal

there is a $1700 difference between the models..wuld it be better to buy the base model and use the money to fix it up or just buy the enthusiast and slow down on the mods a bit????

i was just mainly curious if $1700 was worth it for those options.

i'd appreciate it if i could get some input on this
thank you

 

For TCS and VDC its worth having for sure. I wish I had VDC on my touring.

 

You dont have VDC on your touring?...

 

Most people would pay to have TCS and VDC permanently removed. Glad you like it though.

 

If you are talking about 06s then it is a tough call. In 03-05, the enthusiast was defintely worth the $2K more but the 06s are much more even. Is cruise control, auto-dimming mirror, aluminum pedals, and a half-a$$ed LSD worth $2K to you? I personally don't use cruise controls or care about the mirror. I would change the LSD to a nicer atermarket unit no matter which model I got and who cares about the pedals. The enthusiast doesn't have power seats so remove that from your thoughts. Only the touring and GT models have power seats. If you plan to mod your car, then base is the way to go. If you are going to leave it stock then I suggest saving a little more and getting the touring which is cheaper in 06 than it was any other year.

 

I hope you aren't planning on paying full msrp for this car? You should be able to get a base model for 24-25k. Not sure about the Enthus., I bought the base one. I'd go with the base model if I were you.

 

Touring with AT does not come with VDC. So Im guessing an AT touring. Dont know about the 06's tho.

The 35th with AT did come with VDC I think.

 

oh ok thanks. i have 6MT thats y i was confused. Concider resale value as well. Different Z's ahve different resales. Even though anybody thats knows about cars would agree with the reasoning for upgrading even better then a stock Touring Track etc. If a base has better handling then a Track there are plenty of people that would buy the Track because it is "better" then a base even though the base may out perform it. just my 2 cents. any other thoughts?(not all people but just a decent amount)

 

hey thx for all the input everyone...
so if i am going to mod the car i should get base???

and what price wuld be considered a good deal for the base 350z

 

buy base model...

and save money on aftermarket parts..

 

Depends on your area but I would push for $25K out the door, possibly $26K.

 

the enthu doesnt have power seats. but i think the jump is worth it. the maintenance of the stock VLSD is a lot easier than an aftermarket LSD. Real LSDs can get a bit annoying for daily driving. so, if u dont really track ur car or push it THAT hard, it might be easier just to stick with the vlsd.

im not sure if uve driven rear wheel drive cars, but rain can be tricky if ur not used to it. tcs can be helpful in certain situations.

do you have a garage? the enthusiast+ mirrors have the home-link (i think thats what it is called). its kind of a hassle if u wanted to buy that seperate n put it onto a base if u have the option of just buying it from the start.

 

man LSD alone is worth getting Enthusiast 350z

 

Search for posts by 350Z base owners. What do they ask?

 

And Touring owners are trying to disable VDC. Go figure.

 

Looks as if the grass is always greener on the other side?

 

Now that the base models come with an hid I see little reason to get the enthusiast package. An lsd is good to have but is it worth 2k, for that price you could get a really nice one installed. TCS and VDC are really a matter of prefrence, I have a base and am honestly glad I dont have them.

 

I have a Track model and unless I'm auto-crossing, at the drag strip, or on a road-course, I leave the TCS/VDC on. I really don't think its that invasive to turn it off and I like having it around in the wet weather in case some ******* cuts me off and I need to make some sort of emergency move.

I would go for the enthusiast, especially if the base still does not include the cruise control, aluminum pedals, and TCS. The LSD, while "half-assed" still doesn a better job than no LSD and it sounds like you aren't going to be able to afford an aftermarket LSD anytime soon, since most cost upwards of $1k+, not including installation.

 

I have a 2003 base and even though people say they are most problematic I still love my base model. I haven't expierienced the TCS/VDC and LSD but I am really glad I dont have to turn off the TCS/VDC everytime I want to peel out or race. My two cents, a penny for your thoughts...