6MT problem in a 350Z I'm looking at
 

Our local Ford/Chrysler dealer (I live in a rural town of about 18,000) just took a 2003 350Z Touring in on trade. It's only got 13,000 miles on it, has been locally owned by an elderly man, and appears to be in excellent condition. They're asking $25,000 for it.

It's a car I'm definitely interested in, but I do have one concern: When I took the car out for a test drive this morning (with the salesman in the passenger seat), the transmission would often grind going into 3rd gear, regardless of whether I was upshifting from 2nd to 3rd or downshifting from 4th to 3rd. And the grinding didn't happen every time; it was intermittent.

During the test drive, I made the salesman (who admits that he doesn't know anything about Nissans) aware of 6MT problems that 2003 Z owners have reported. And I asked him, should I decide that I'm serious about the car, if the dealer could handle (working with a Nissan dealer) having the transmission serviced or replaced under warranty so that I wouldn't have to deal with it on my own if I bought the car. He said that he would check with his manager and would call me ASAP.

My question is this: If the car is indeed having transmission problems, could I use it to my advantage in the dealing process (e.g., make them get the transmission fixed/replaced a contingency in buying the car), or would it be a better idea to pass on this car altogether? And if I could use the transmission problems to my advantage, any suggestions on how to best handle that?

Thanks in advance for any help that anyone can provide.

I would but the car and then bring it back to Nissan. You are still under factory warranty for 36k and if they will not fix it the selling dealership has to fix it for 90 days or 5000 miles.

PS the car is not worth 25k though they probably took it in for trade for about 19.5 - 20 at most. Im a dealer.

the powertrain warranty is for 5 years 60k, so no worries on that. I would not buy a car you know is having trouble. For that price get an 04.

If I decide to buy the car, I was thinking of offering $19K for it. As far as the warranty goes, I don't know what the service date for the car was, so the bumper-to-bumper warranty may have already expired. But the powertrain warranty should still be in effect, right?

To get the tranny fixed/replaced, would I have to go through a Nissan dealer first, or would it be better to go directly to Nissan USA? The nearest Nissan dealers to me are 50 and 120 miles away. And if Nissan wouldn't do anything, do you mean that the Ford/Chrysler dealer would be obligated to fix the problem for a certain period of time?

Anytime you notice something wrong on a used car, don't buy it... it's not worth the trouble..

"Anytime you notice something wrong on a used car, don't buy it... it's not worth the trouble.."

Yup. +1

Why buy a potential headache? Find a 350Z that you are happy with the transmission.

I agree. You're still going to have to take it to a Nissan dealer to get the tranny fixed so you might want to make the drive and check out what's on the lot. However, like you said, you might use the grinding tranny issue to lower the price on this car.

FWIW, I paid $21k for an 03' touring with 19k miles about six months ago and I searched for three weeks before I found this car. I think I got it for a good price but I had to fly to another state and drive it home.

i paid 24 for my touring last may with 16k on it from a dealer, it still had a few months of factory bumper to bumper and I used it, got a new tranny, and both window motors replaced. good solid car. wouldnt go over 22 or so for an 03 touring now though...

I'd buy a car with tranny issues if they agreed to replace the tranny before I signed for it.

a good bit of 03 350Zs have new trannies put in them, Mine has a new one.
Saying I wouldnt buy it would mean that I wouldnt be willing to buy my own car if it were for sale.

If they fix it and you can get the car for 3K+ less, go for it.

For $26k you could probably get a brand new 2006 model. Hope that puts things in perspective...meaning if you are actually considering a $25k used car....go '06 base. Just as good if not better!

even if the tranny dies and nissan replaces it, are they just replacing it with another faulty transmission that will inevitably die again? I've seen several times on this board people replacing their tranny more than once. Get a 2004.5 and up...I think all the problems were fixed by then

Thanks for the help, everyone. At this point, I'm thinking that if I do decide to buy a used Z (if not a new '05 or '06 Z), I'll be looking for a 2004.5 or newer.

I really appreciate everyone's input.

^ good choice and good luck

That's why they replace the tranny with a updated tranny.

they've updatd it more then once. the first updates from what I understand also had issues.

I replaced my 03 tranny at 19K miles and to this date 30,300 miles I've yet to have any issues.

The original tranny was replaced in my 03' as well around 16k miles. So far so good.

Just food for thought....if you get or have an 03 and get the trans replaced...you will have the newest version...the one that is even newer than in the 04's.....I believe the current version ends in 009...