Why in the heck would you go from an M3 to a 350Z? I had every known issue with my car and it was a brand new 2004 w/13k miles when i got rid of it....biggest POS i ever owned.

 

I had a 330ci, i was going to get a M3 But I can a Z and a new place to live and a few mods for the money of a M. I liked my 330, but thats all a M is with more power and better suspension.

 

Trust me bro...i babied my car and it DID NOT have any modification (except for bodywork). Overall, the build quality is crap on the Z as well as the mechanical engineering that goes into it. The 350Z is NOT a 300ZXTT nor will it ever be at the level of a 300ZXTT. The 350Z was not engineered for forced-induction, so putting turbo's or superchargers would be a very very bad idea. BMW's (for the most part) use Iron cast engine blocks, which ultimately, can withstand forced-induction far greater than an aluminum block which the Z's VQ uses. Don't get tricked into thinking that the 350Z is a "true JDM" sportscar like it predicessors, IT'S NOT!...it is a mass produced, poorly researched/engineered, prematuraly released sportscar. My opinion, get the new 335i turbocharged....that thing is sooooooo sweet, and FAST! You will get both of your ballz handed to you if you get a Z and even try messing with the upscale sportscar out there, i don't care what you do to the VQ motor. Finally, good luck with the trans on the Z....if you think its gonna make a great daily driver...lol...think again. Everyone says the trans is capable of 600HP....yeah right! If you still can't decide on a car, yet want a FAST, reliable, daily driver, with plenty of potential.....get a SUPRA!!!!

 

but at the end you still love the Z.....you still hanging aroung here....

 

I have both right now and I gotta tell ya. I rather drive my Z any day of the week. It's just more fun to drive. And I like peoples reaction when they see it. The bimmers just nice for a nice chill drive.

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I still hang around the forum because I like to see what kind of problems other Z owners are having.....not because I love the Z. I owned a 300ZX and it gave me problems too, but, it also had over 100k miles on the odometer. Its sad to see that Ford and Chevy are able to make affordable sportscars that dont have nearly as many problems as the 350Z does. All, im saying is, don't rush into purchasing the car....do the research and see whats out there. If you want Fast, Luxurious, Reliable, etc...look into the IS350....that thing is SICK! If you just want *****-out-fast and reliable and somewhat luxurious....get a Supra!...thats what im looking to purchase.

 

Supras can be reliable and have plenty of potential, but you will pay to play to have it run at its highest level.

 

Did you get it running yet?

 

She's running. I'm just waiting for the body/paint shop to finish up (another 2 weeks). I been itching to race Z roadsters.

 

Ok, before i go on i don't want you to think that iam starting here anything. First of i wouldnt start with miss informing people about BMW engines. There motors are all Aluminum blocks, the entier e46 line up. Except the S54motor that is in the e46m3 wich is cast iron. The 330ci dosnt boost well to turbo nore to supercharger, the vrotex or the asa superchargers get roughly 300whp with some good tuning. The trans on the BMW is a good one but than again the i havent seen on 330 past the 400whp mark. The reason to BMW's great handeling is due to nearly 50/50 weight disturbution. It all light weight engines. Same goes for the 335i(wich is I not CI, due to the fact now for the first time the coupe come's in X drive meaning 4wheel drive). I dont like the new 3er because first they use here is a good one GM trans in it. Google it you find it ironic. And for the supra its a old car, i really dont want another car thats what 15+years ago. The Z got this new age look to it that i like, and yes its a cheap car it prolly is a crapy DD car, but il get one under 25k and spend the rest of it setting it up to my likeing. I thank you for your advice on the Z as i don't know much. But Look into BMW a little more before you state facts. "Marvephonix" is a E46 guru he has a sit it My330i.com check it out you love it. The E46 3er is a great DD car, but not a tuner you can but in return you wont get much power out of it, and thats what iam looking for. And as for the Trans no trans on any car that is priced under 50k can hold 600whp with out mods, my C5 trans blew, my brothers E39 M5 trans omg shreded. I love BMW's but sometimes they can be POS, go to E46fanatics and look under general ZHP introduced in 04 for the coupe has a ton of problems. Just my 0.02 cen.t Sorry if all of this was sort of hard to follow i had a hard day at work and I bearly can keep my eyes open. Any more Z thoughts or warnings would be great, i loved to know about the 05/06 problems or even the older one's iam doing alot of reading up in this car. Thank you guy;s your really a nice crowd here.

 

GodSendsDeath,
I may have been too general about the Iron cast block on the bimmers, your right majority are in the M series cars. Now, the trans on the Z is a total POS, not only in material (brass syncros, moly-coated gears, etc..) but in engineering. Try swapping to a different ratio trans. like something similar in the NSX and see how the Z will fly!....but wait, Nissan can't do that because material tolerance will not allow for it. The reason the V160 trans in a Supra is sooooo beautiful is because it was a) designed by Getrag and b) uses metals that can tolerate stress four times there strength. The Z is not a car to be modifying....with F/I it is a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. Now, about the Supra....are you seriously gonna give me the excuse that its a 15yr old car???....or that modifying it is expensive???---->see how much power you can push out of a Z with an intake and exhaust and compare that to what a Supra can do with the same setup. Age is not a factor for the Supra, or any Toyota at that...don't believe me?....drive a Supra around town and see how many stares, wow's, and ooooow's you get. I do agree with you on the price factor, the Z is fairly affordable....that is why every 16yr old and their mothers' have one. If you wanna play with the big boys, best to possibly wait for a used GTR when they make it here....but, knowing Nissan, they will probably butcher the hell out of the car and its reputation.

 

Ticking time bomb, lol. Iam sorry no offense you have no idea how many time's we have heard that about the M3. Go to E46psi.com and look at some of those video's especially the one where the M3 breaks into the 11 seconds. lol 500whp+ and it gets a 11.9. Anyways, as for the supra, that car my friend is a total POS. Why you say if i want a straight liner il go with something that is powerd by the good ol LS1 5.7 cast iron, where i will fly. Remember "there is no replacment for displacment". One of my best friends has a 95TT supra and his pupy goes through tranys once every other month, its boosting a sad 750bhp. I hate that car, it dosnt handel worth **** and looks like *** compared to cars nowadays. And ive looked into the trany as you seem to say it's a ticking time bomb. I honest dont see the problem with me going with the TT from APS. But than again you owned a Z and i didn't, did any one else have this trany problem and if so what did you guys do about it. Thanks a bunch, some links be great guys. Iam really haveing a blast with the Z read up here. The more i read the more i like this car here.

 

Exta Z you have a very interesting view on the Z and everythin about it... about the tranny... I dont know much about it but there seems to be more than enough people running 500+ hp without a single tranny issue from what ive read... and 99% of the built motor 350z are perfectly able to handle the power and put it down wrong. if anyone from the 350z crowd, not an outsider, has any input on what i have siad plz post up

 

GodSendDeath,
is your friends Supra a 6spd or auto?....that makes a huge difference, as the auto's could only handle some 500HP. Shame on you for calling the Supra a POS...there has NOT been a single recall for the Supra to date!....maybe a few TSB's on how-to-do it yourself, but nothing major like the 350Z's fuel filler recall, notorious grinding in trans, tire feathering, rear axle, do you want me to continue???--->oh, and these are just the "known" problems that Nissan is very aware off. I see your one of the good ole' "there's no replacement for displacement" boys' huh?.....you have got to be kidding me, right? I can show you a dozen R32 GTR's (R32's...yea 14yrs old...yea 2.5LTT) that will gladly define replacement for displacement for ya! As far as looks, a Supra has a distinct look....like a 350Z....you either like it or you don't! I live in Chicago as well, so how about we do this....get your Z, get it hopped-up and by spring, I should have a Supra at about 470-500WHP....and then we will really see who really made the right decision?

 

Oh you live in chi town cool. You can see my guys supra, he got the AUTO. And i can tell you right now, go to any forum or call sound performance they build one of the fastest supras. Supra is FASTER in auto, i know sounds crazy but it is true. The manual one is that is the weaker of the two, you must have them confused. Supra is a monster of a car don't get me wrong, but honestly i think its time to put it to bed, its been done to death. No prob, like i said next spring if you want deff you can come with me and my crew we go to the strip you can see Doug's R34 skyline total monster, and leonards C5 eats it for breakfast all motor vet and now is getting a blower. The skyline is boosting 650bhp. I don't know if you know the good old saying "Horsepower wins arguments, and tq wins races" lol i know its silly but for 1/4 thats what matters. I really dont care much for the 1/4 other wise i would get my self a thirdg en RX7 and pawn on every car at the track and i did, its lame to me. I like to autoX rather. Since you live in chicago who would you recomend to do any Z work. I know of AMS and Sound Performance.

 

If i still had my Z, and would recommend a reputable shop....check out GRD (Genesis Racing Developement)...those guys are pros at installing APS systems...good, consistant record. Btw, the Auto trans supras are the weaker of the two, but they are the faster in 1/4 due to long rpm holds in every gear....but they are the weaker of the two. The V160 6spd is TANK...it was designed by Getrag and is actually sometimes known for being transplanted in other sportscars due to its high structural rigidity and peak tolerance levels. Good luck!...keep us posted

 

Erm... You claim in a previous post that the Z has poor Mechanical Engineering, but you make a nonsense claim that the Z transmission "Uses metals that can tolerate stress four times their strength.".... What? Im a professional structural engineer, and what you just said leaves me scratching my head. Stress four times its strength??? Thats impossible, especially since transmission gears must load elastically. If you were to load a base metal to four times its elastic strain potential, you would be well into the plastic strain region. Transmissions are not designed to deform inelastically, nor can any metal tolerate "stress four times its strength." Stress capacity (P/A elastic) IS strength capacity.

Aside from that, I dont see how the "Mechanical Engineering" on the Z is somehow inferior. What specifically is inferior about it? Sure the interior has too much hard plastic, and the paint is brittle, but mechaincally, the Z seems to be just as stout as any other car I have owned. If anything, the Z unitbody is somewhat overbuilt due to platform sharing with the FX and G35. Every car out there has issues, regardless of brand. BMW has issues with their 7-series (father's 750il has had electrical issues, failed stater motor, valetrain noise, and the 7-series is supposed to be the pinnacle of BMW german engineering.) Hell, even my mother's Toyota Land Cruiser has had its fair share of issues: (dash lights going out, wiper motor failure, DSC controller freaking out and refusing to let the car start, center locking diff getting stuck on). With the Z, the only issue I have had has been a small plastic interior rattle in the hatch area, and one quart of oil consumption per 2500 miles. Other than that, it runs like a champ. Would I like to see some improvements in the design of the Z? Sure. But I can make that same claim for pretty much any car. Usually things that end up being percieved as "Mechanical Engineering" issues are more often that not related to cost cutting measures on the part of the company execs. Nissan obviously did not want to repeat the pricing mistake otherwise known as the 300ZXTT, and hence we are left with the plasticy interior. But that is something I am willing to live with in a 300hp RWD sports car for only 30K+.

 

I think the Z is a steal, I love the way it looks and drives. Like i said i had many BMW's and they are great, but i need a change and you cant beat the Z for less than 30K what you get is great. As for the interior its OK, its a sport's car and i like it. I can make it my own fabrication magic lol. Again guys thanks a bunch. Any info is good info.

 

Derrate,
Re-read my previous posts and try to comprehend what I wrote...nowhere did I say or even try to get at the point that the Z has a stout trans!..no where! I owned a 300ZX before the 350Z, and even though it had more problems, those problems did not appear at 13k miles and were not "known" issues with the car. Nissan isn't really the JDM Nissan it used to be, 90% of the parts are from Renault...a French car maker who is notorious for making cheap, unreliable, safety hazard cars. Like I said, I agree that the cost of the 350Z is hard to beat, but from what GodSendDeath used to drive to what he will be driving is a pretty poor downgrade if you ask me....just my two cents and experience. I got lucky and was able to resell my Z for $28,500 w/13k miles and two years of ownership....but, will I ever buy a Nissan again, NO PHUCKEN WAY!....absolute garbage! Since your a "structural engineer" and not a "mechanical engineer" you mean to tell me that transmissions in cars are not designed based on load tolerance?...which is also translated to how much stress (strength/pressure) is applied to the actual metal parts in the trans case? Same concept is applied in a turbo motor with forged metals....why do you think a 300ZXTT motor can withstand more HP without shooting a piston out the side of the motors' block? Look at Lamborgihni's....they have N/A V12, yet almost 80% of the parts in the motor are forged....leaving you with a very strong motor to start modding. Nissan did go the cheap route with the Z and thats why it has soooo many problems...yet, what is Mitsubishi, Subaru, Audi, etc...doing (that Nissan can't) by creating these potent and very reliable sportscars?

 

I know this is off topic, but hearing people refer to me as GodSendsDeath is kind of wierd lol. Its Edvin.