Hey all,

Well past two days I have gotten behind the wheel of an automatic Z and finally today a manual Z. Drove both and had a very postive experience!! I first drove the automatic cause that was all that dealership had to offer me. I figured what the hell, I can at least see how the car drives. The car felt very planted on the road, and I felt very much in control. So today when I drove the manual Z I was actually very surprised... the car just connected with me in a way I didnt think I could with any other car besides my MINI. The gear changing was very fast, smooth, yet it was a little notchy and mechanical feeling( which I love). The clutch pedal was what I had hoped for. The travel was short, firm feel and felt natural with leg movement. The brake pedal was proportionate with the gas and heel/toe was easy. Thumbs up for the Z. I think I am sold! Overall this really feels like a kick *** car.

The guy at the second dealership had one in black with cloth seats manual 05 with 13k miles... had brembos on it and aftermarket wheels it looked like. Thats exactly what I wanted as far as my options.. a very base car so I can do up the car how I like! He came down to 26,300 for the car.. he said they put fresh rubber all around on it when it came in on trade, and im guessing if it had such low miles maybe it was some guys' weekend toy. I am not totaly sold on the price... I am sure I can get him down some more. Thought some of you may of wanted to know the update. I have a question... I was looking at some wheels for the Z and came across a SEXY set of rims. The O.Z. superlegerra III in 18x8.5 front and 18x11.5 rear. With running such a wide rear, will I get any problems when I go to lower the car with tuned suspension? I am looking for handling, not looks so the car won't be getting slammed. I like those and I also like the BBS RS-GT's. I am used to the BBS rims... but those O.Z.'s are niiice! What would you guys recommend? How is the quality of O.Z. rims? Thanks!

 

I personally love the Z. have for years now. My next wheels will likely be 9.5 all around. Don't know about the OZ's.

 

I paid 28K for a brand new 06. Make sure he lowers the price some.

 

$26K for an '05 with 13K miles is too high. You should be able to negotiate the price to around $20-22K. Remind the salesman that you can buy a new '07 for less than $30K. Look around some more and save yourself a few thousand dollars ($s that you can use for mods). I know how you feel about feeling attached to a 350Z but you want to make sure you invest your hard-earned money wisely.

 

Yeah, they tell me that they cannot go lower cause they bought it at 26k which I know is a lie.. they bought that car for under 20k. They don't seam to be budging.. I mean the car has the brembos on it. Could that be the price increase? It seams like a base... but those brembos arent base model pieces right?

 

If they're the factory brembos, it should be the track or the Grand Touring.

 

moflow if I post a VIN, can you tell?

 

Regarding the O-Z wheels, they are the only wheels I will buy.

I have them on my Sentra se-r and Audi S4, both are track driven and the Audi has been in a few off road rallies. Those wheel have gone though hell, and until I landed on a rock from a 2' jump, never lost their shape.
Quality is top notch, very light and strong, easily among the best wheel companies out there. There designs are hit and miss, not to many look good on the Z IMO. The 3piece superleggeras are the best looking.

Also the same exact wheels they use in F1, WRC, GT, LeMan, etc you can buy for your car, only difference is the lug holes plus they are factory wheels for some Lamborghini, Ferrari and a few other exotics.

 

I did a little research on my VIN

JN1,A,Z3,4,D,6,5,M,6,09556

JN1 = Japan car(manufacturer)
A = THE ENGINE TYPE
Z3 = 350Z(Z33)
4 = 2-DOOR HATCHBACK; 240SX COUPE
D = AIRBAGS W/ 3-POINT BELTS
6 = CHECK NUMBER ALWAYS 0-9 OR X
5 = 2005
M = PLANT CODE : TOCHIGI
09556 = SERIAL NUMBER

So, after checking all this, it still doesnt tell me what exactly this car is. It does not have navigation, it has cloth seats, manual tranny, but it has brembo brakes. Could it be an upgraded model and not the base... and that's why the price is higher then what I thought? The price of 22-24k is what I had estimated for a base car. Anyone?

 

Sounds like a track model....I think it came without the leather seats, though I'm not totally sure. Check weather or not it has TCS and VDC. Enthusiast models only had TCS. If its a track it should have VDC. If it has neither its a base. VDC also came on the Grand tourning and Touring, but I believe those both came with leather. I'm no expert on the Pre 06 models so if someone else could chime in that'd be helpful.

Also if its an 05 track, you should have the revup motor in there in which case the redline would be 7000.

 

If it is a track model, then the KBB value is at 28k+

 

sounds like a track to me, no leather interior or Bose stereo but VDC and TCS

 

Was the nav even available on the Track model? Or is it just that no-one ordered it that way BECAUSE it is a Track model? Either way, 26.3k is really pushing it, but then again, that's what $tealerships do. And if I'm not mistaken, only the anniversary (manual) models in '05 got the rev-up motor, then all manuals in '06. Either way, good luck!

 

I am going to call them up today and see with them.

 

Does it have VDC?

Does it have controls on steering wheel?

If it has VDC, its most likely a Track model.

If no controls on steering wheel, its a Base with Brembos added.

 

He just got off the phone with me. He says it definitly has the VDC and the TCS.

When I go to the the actual car in person, how will i tell.. they are just switches with the name on them, correct?

 

Can a base model have VDC?

 

Nope. Base has neither the VDC or TCS IIRC

 

Sweeet

I may be getting a track Z I'm stoaked now. I gotta act like I don't care though to the dealer LOL.

 

Look for button labeled "VDC" on left below steering wheel. TCS is part of VDC. If it says "TCS" it is not a Track.