Let me start off by saying that I have enjoyed the 350z. Mine is a 2003 touring DB on frost leather 6MT everything but the navi. ive replaced the transmission (under warranty) and i have about 8,000 miles left on the warranty. I like the car... but I dont feel I am in LOVE with the car. my previous cars have been a 93' 240sx in which I made the SR20DET swap and ended selling the car for $6000 after only having about 5100 in it. then I had a 89T supra. an amazing vehicle, upgraded the turbo and OH MY GOD that thing rolled like no other. a honda prelude...which i gave to my little sister and a ford probe GT which I blew up. When buying the Z I had hopes of falling for the car. it had everything someone could ask for so I thought. heated seats, leather, 6 speed gearbox, a torqey engine, a nice exhaust note, and overall decent looks.

However, a few things worry me about this car.. for one, the THIN F*CKING PAINT. that really bites.. and then the interior build quality how everything shakes and rattles.. well not everything but im sure most of you know what I mean. and then theres the resale value of the car... seeing as I dont plan on owning this car till it rusts through, and as the resale values are already plummeting thanks to the mass-production of this car... it kinda sits as a large toy. most of my cars have appreciated in value to some degree (less the prelude and probe), and I think I want something more of an investment that I can enjoy and fall in love with everyday.. dont worry, im not eying up s2000's or EVO's...rather Supras, NSX's, and the like. understanding that any car will need maintenance, and general upkeep, the Z just seems like it could hold so much more. what I mean is... 287 HP kinda just makes me shrug.. sure you drop a few hundred dollars into a popcharger, exhaust, clutch/flywheel, UD pulleys, plenum spacer and MREV+, and maybe some nitrous you have a 12 sec car... but for that money plus the car, you could have a supra or nsx. we all know the supra is just a powerwhore in whom you sneeze the right way you make over 400whp... but the presence of the car is something special.. almost unique.. the ability to stop traffic or pull into a gas station and have at least one person ask what kinda car it is.. with the Z, you have to mod the crap out of her then do more body work, and add wheels, and fresh paint to bring the same looks.

And no, im not someone who just drives a car for status... if that were the case, id just as easily sit myself into a jaguar, benz, or bimmer... but I want that feeling.. the feeling when you get out to your car in the morning to go to work, you are excited to turn the key.. or you look forward to nice days just so you can spend 4 hours detailing it then cruise it up some country roads... I guess the Z also lost some of its magic when a teenager asked me what I drove, and I replied "a 350z" and he shruged and said to me "yea, my mom has one of those". so once again im not looking for brute power... for that there are other cars namely the vette, and im not looking for status... im just looking for a car that inspires me... and the 350Z as of right now... has been found lacking...

any thoughts? maybe someone here can convince me that the Z with worth keeping onto and modifying...

 

Ok, bye.

 

ENTER !

 

Not much of a journey if you've only been on here 5 months.

 

I think with every car you fall in love with you need some type of personal nostalgic experience with it in order to have that type of connection. With my Z I fell in love with it back when I was in school in 02 looking at the debut of the Z33 in the International Auto Show. I still remember the specific one I saw too. Black on Black Nismo 350z with deep dish rims and the Nismo Kit. Then when it hits the market I remember seeing one zipping by me with the oh so sweet exhaust note and the perfect curves of the Z complimented by the Nismo kit/spoiler. I don’t think I even think twice when I had to get another car. It has to be the Z – nothing else will do.

Oh and on a side note the NSX isn’t all that – it’s getting really old and with a design that’s been seen for 14 years they really need to get a new one.

 

paragraphs are your friend.

If you dont like the car, sell it. Everything you look for in a car is what i found with my Z, as many others i'm sure.

 

I appreciate the helpful responses. and I will go back and create some paragraphs so its not so difficult to read.. sorry about that.

 

ARrrrrrrrr.. man overboard.

 

like the title says "....jumping ship"....

PLEASE......JUMP

 

real mature guys... All I was asking for was some guidance from fellow Z owners to someone, namely myself, who had become disillusioned to the Z car dream.

 

The Z is not a dream car...really. Coming from an owner of a Supra, you feel tired after driving it. The Z is much better in that aspect. The Z also handles much better than the Supra. There will be trade offs no matter what car you go to. Finding a clean NSX or Supra will cost you a pretty penny. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you can find a clean Supra for the same price as a used Z.

 

you don't drive the car for status and yet you care what some kid says..

i dont think people should buy cars with the hope that they'll fall in love with them. i fell HARD for this car the first time i saw it and had to wait two years to get it.. hardest thing ever

hey if you don't like it.. move on. if you change your mind... come back. what's the deal?

 

I guess you are right. I can go out, try other cars, and come back to the Z if I find nothing else can compare.

 

You should go test drive other cars and then ask yourself what you're looking for in a car and figure it out.

 

Not me.

 

It looks like u cant shift if ur transmission messed up

 

I bet if you hadn't have had problems with your Z, you would feel different. There is some risk with the wonderful glory of having the 1st year model. I've had Zero problems with mine and like it much more now than the day I got it (16,000 mi ago).
BTW the little kid was lying. If his mom had a Z, he wouldn't have asked you what yours was.

 

Yeah and if his mom did have one and he knew what her car looked like, then he asked you what you had after looking at it....obviously the kid's a tard and I wouldn't pay attention to him.

That's not the point. You're looking for something exhilirating that is going to make you smile every time you drive it. So one option is losing all sorts of money selling/trading your car then paying someone's markup on a different car...or could another option be to spend those thousands of wasted dollars on your current car to transform it into something you want?

You already have a great platform to work with, and chances are good that you won't be 100% satisfied with any other factory stock car either. Also don't fool yourself into thinking that any car driven daily is an investment. Finding a sucker to buy your old car for more than you paid is one thing (and awesome if you can swing it), but in most cases you cannot sell the car for the price you paid. And anyway, technically you need to sell the car for the price you paid + the inflation rate over the period of ownership for the principle paid, which means that from a financial standpoint you need to sell the car for an absolute dollar amount that is more than what you paid. It's not very likely.

If reliability is your main concern, then maybe trading in for a new 2007 is a decent option. There is no guarantee that Nissan has worked out all the kinks yet, but at least it would reset your warranty clock. Then if money is a concern, find something to invest your money in that has a higher APY than the APR for your new car loan so you can at least be making a little money (or breaking even, depending on the difference between investment APY and loan APR) while you pay down the car. (Most mutual funds will pay between 10 and 13 percent per year, for example).

Point is...cars are not investments. And sports cars are toys. Toyota Corollas are more sensible. You don't want to drive a Corolla. Check that...I don't want to drive a Corolla.

 

+1000

/thread