Before you guys all decide to flame me or call me a moron, let me explain what has happened to my Z since I took delivery:

1. Car stopped steering, needed new rack and pinion and steering pump.
2. Car was broken into (read other thread)
3. Still have chronic 3rd gear grind (dealer cannot replicate this issue, hence refuses to reward me new tranny)
4. Loud clunking sound coming from the bottom ever since the steering mechanism was repaired. (Again, dealer refuses to acknowledge the sound)

All this has pretty much made me consider trading in the Z for something else. I bought a new car to make sure the car will get me to work reliably for the first 30k miles without any serious issues... the car has 5800 miles and the cars been in the shop more than not.

I guess where i'm going with this post is... What do you think my payments would increase to if I were to trade up to another vehicle of comparable value? And any suggestions? After this car, I no longer want anything to do with Nissan. I was thinking maybe a BMW x5 or a Acura TL-S.

Maybe this will all boil over and I'll love the car again in a few days, but as it stands, I think this car is nothing but bad luck... time to move on?

 

Sorry to hear, Myst. Maybe you are just in the dumps a little right now. A crappy car with a crappy dealer can add up to a major headache.

As good or bad as the car might be, every now and then a bad one comes through, and lotery wise seems you got a bad one.

Breaking into : now, you have to admit that by buying a Z you are asking for it. When I was driving my Ford Pinto I didn't have to worry about that, did I? Neither did I worry when I drove an old Lincoln Mark VII, yet they DID break into it to steal my radio and CD Changer. How safe you think the BMW will be? Or an Acura? They steal those around here ike hotcakes!

Part of a decision like buying the Z is what to do about security, alarms, etc. All of the sudden where I park and who is around seems more important. But then, I asked for the attention, didn't I?

Just to ask : no other dealer nearby? Competition can bring the worst and best out of people. If you go somewhere else, even if it is a little out of the way, and you explain to them your problems they might want your business enough to pay attention, no?

Anyway, hope you feel better soon.

 

That sucks man. If your dealership will not honor your claims about the grinding and the clunking, I would consider moving up chain of command...I mean, nobody likes being called a liar and that's basically what they are calling you. They are some threads here about warranty issues and how to resolve them. On the other hand, the X5 sounds sweet, or how about the M3 .

 

M3 is 50+k. your gonna take a hit on the Z, then add all the tax your spending... youd basicly double the price paid of the Z. not to mention Ive read a few things about M3s that would make me shop elsewhere.

I know there are other cars besides the M3, but all cars have problems, and more importantly all cars have lemons.

Id say take the advice given before, and climb the ladder. squeeky wheel gets the grease. cause enough trouble and theyll fix what you need. tho the grind may not be fixable... many new cars grind, I know the RSX, which has a pretty good transmission in it. if the grind kills the tranny, you have a warrenty, and you can reproduce that. but steering needs to be examined.

breakins... thats not nissans problem. cant really yell at them for putting out a car that attracts attention and might be a target for breakins...

 

Lemon Law?

Bat™

 

You may be getting close to the guidlines to qualify under the "Lemon Law."

 

What troubles me more than you getting rid of the Z is the other vehicles you'd consider. A f**king SUV??? TL-S is NOT a sports car. It's barely a sports sedan. I had a CL-S before the Z for two years so I speak from personal experience.

I can't fault you for being pissed as I'm a big complainer too, but if I was getting rid of my Z I'd go really cheap and pick up a Mazdaspeed Protege, or middle of the road with a RSX-S w/Jackson Racing SC or MINI Cooper S. If I were to spend comparable money, it'd be the STi or RX-8.

I'd drive a Buick before an SUV.

 

You need to talk to an attorney or someone in the state;
sounds like a lemon law case.

 

I'd try another dealer first. You may get lucky and find one who knows what they are doing (chances are slim, but who knows).

Can you replicate the gear grind? Have you changed fluids to redline or anything like that? Some have said that helps. If you can get the grind, maybe you can take the dealer for a ride so you can point out the sound.

Can you jack up the front of the car and wiggle the wheels to make a clunk? Maybe you can show the dealer that way?

I love my Z, so I'm sorry to hear you are having a bad experience, but at the same time, sometimes a person just gets stuck with a lemon, and either waits it out in the hopes of the "lemon law" kicking in, or just pawns off the car on some other unlucky bastard. Either way, good luck.

I would look at the RX-8 and STi as alternatives.

-D'oh!

 

Given your prospective replacement vehicles, I question whether you’re more unhappy w/ the Z or choosing the wrong type of car. If it was just the Z’s specific problems that had you dissatisfied, you’d probably be looking at cars like the S2000, Boxster, Vette, etc. – not a TLS or X5!

 

Have you tried different dealers for service? Or have you tried calling NNA? I dunno if either of these would work, but just a thought.

 

get the x5. u will not like the tls coming from a performance car.
the x5 will outhandle the tls anyday. bmw u just can't go wrong.

lil raja

 

It honestly just sounds like you don't want a sports car. If your alternatives are the TLS and the X-5, I'd say you are looking for things to go wrong on your Z so you can justify dumping it. I'm getting SOOOO tired of these 'im dumping/should i dump my z' threads...these types of problems happen on all cars, especially 1st model years! Stop whining like little girls!!

The issue here is Z owners are enthusiasts and therefore **** and picky about their cars so they post every problem they have on the internet. People that don't have problems don't post about that, so that's all you're gonna see; the problems. I've owned 10 cars in the past 11 years and EVERY ONE has had problems like these. My Acura CL type S's tranny died at 1500 miles! A honda! My BMW Z3 was a first model year, and that had problems out the wazoo. The crummy part about all this is the whiners are so vocal on this forum that new people come here and are like OMG the Z is a POS!! Which is just not true. Annoying.

 

I second that! These problems are somewhat minor and there are many of you who think the car should be perfect. One important note, do not buy a first year model. Let the manufacturer work out the bugs but, if you really have to have it, prepare to face the consequences $$$ Grow up!!! One more thing. Why do some of you write prolly? Is it pc slang for probably?

 

Hey Bat, whats up!

 

Amen! I wrote Nissan and I got results. And this was just to buy the car. At any rate, I have found that Nissan (Corporate) has been good at unscrewing most dealer screw-ups.

Just a tip, make sure the tone of your letter is not angry, just state the facts and use true names of all of the people you talked to. Never yell at the dealer and always be professional. Nissan will call the dealer to get their story, too. If they get the DOM involved that will usually get the attention of the owner. Owners hate problems and bad press. Good luck.

 

CORRECTOMUNDO!!!!

I prolly should be gettin back to work now.

holla
p.
*dust*

 

do not take crap from the dealer. i'm not familiar with them, but i'm SURE nissan of american must have some kind of customer relations representative you can talk to. also, DO check lemon laws in your state. don't let a screwy dealer service dept. prevent you from driving the car you wanted.....as for your possible replacements....huh? don't get it....

 

You've got a lemon, so get rid of it. If car spend more time in the shop then on the road, it's shouldn't be difficult with good lawer.

Then by another Z. Fact that you've got a lemon doesn't make Z bad. To try something really shoking, go to BMW conferences, and see what PROBLEMS those guys have. Then you will reconsider your choise

Anyway, if you CONSIDERING changing sports car for an SUV... you probably shouldn't have buy sports car in first place.

 

I agree with VLAD. You've got a lemon but don't knock the Z altogather. I would just get rid of it and go for another one. Don't let one lemon ruin the Z rep. Just my .02