I have owned 3 bmw for the past 10 yrs and have constantly had small problems with the bmw's , the z is an amazing bank for your buck,

It drives handles much better, is a lot faster and personally look at bmw's now as a sissy car.
I recommend buying the car now before the market picks up and the prices also go up..

Having the z now for over 5 weeks and 2K miles it is quite obvious to me that nissan copied bmw in a lot of areas such as quality, special features and especially the layout.

remember the z is a sports car that wants to be driven fast, but the newer bmws are cars that can be driven fast but you just dont feel like driving fast because of the interior and the seats, its a luxury sporty car. thats all.

also remember that when you first drive the z the car will feel boxy and big, after a few weeks it will fit you like a glove and the whole car will feel smaller and smaller, I always felt that I was driving a modified cadillac in my old 2001 330i.

good luck

 

Well Thanks for all the info guys. I cant wait to buy my Z!!! I test drove one, but didn't really get to drive it drive it. The salesman was with me and I felt bad about beating on it. I will test drive it again and hopefully get a better chance at acuatlly driving it. What do you guys think of the leather, is it worth the up grade? I'm going to get an entusiast model wondering if I shoud up grade to leather?

 

If I were doing it again I'd get Enthusiast, then install sport seats and nice radio. Don't let Blose affect your choise... you'll want to change it anyway.

 

as far as I have experienced, the only cars that dont have a handful of warranty repairs are honda and toyota. They spend all the money on QC and long term reliability.... but in the end you have a honda or a toyota.... no thanks!

Building this car is a task you and I could NEVER imagine. Its is extremely complex, and extremely cheap given what you get. Any car that I would give a **** driving at this price point WILL have issues. Its called life. Compromise. Ironically, it seems cars like the Z at 3X the price point have EVEN MORE PROBLEMS!!!

It is my humble opinion that the Z car is the the most amazing car overall on the road ever... I really feel this way. And the fact that nissan has fixed every problem without any questions makes me even more satisfied.

The trials are a small price to pay for being a BIG PIMP!

 

Joe all tourings have leather, so it is not a touring , could be a red flag if that's what they are telling you.

 

9 Months, 13,700 miles

12/02 - BCM replaced
1/02 - Vanity Mirror replaced for noise
2/03 - Tires feathered - Toe in out
3/03 - Front tires replaced
Current - Suspension pop and axel crickets . . .to be fixed

You know what, its still the best car for the money . . .hands down

Out of pocket expense:

5 x $20 oil change = $100
35 fill up’s x ~$25 gas =$875
Tranny fluid change = $80

Mods and stuff = $590

Zaino = $115

You want to buy my car? I will make you a great deal. First bid is $50,000. Yes fifty thousand.

Go buy a new on and find out what I am talking about!

 

I truly ADORE my Z. It is the best car I have ever had, or even had a chance to drive.

It helps me get up in the AM knowing I will be driving it to work. I can't wait to get out of work to drive it home.

After 4 months (puchased Jan 19th) and 5300 miles, every second in it is a thrill and fun. Yes, I do have a little bit of grease, and the Bose could be a little better. Thats it.

I would go as far as to say it is not just a car, a means to get somewhere. It is an experience. And truly a work of design art (exterior). I would not change a thing.

I bought (vs a lease) my Z. I expect it to be with me for a long time, I can truly see myself going to my garage 20 years from now and having my baby there.

I would buy another one in a second.

 

I know you are deciding on which model to select when you get your Z so i hope my experience helps you look at it from another persons point of view. Besides deciding on leather or not, there is a lot od issues involved. I purchased an enthusist with the idea of upgrading wheels and tires as well as stereo. I did those things and happy I made that choice for the most part. This is my feelings on each model (remember, just my opinion ok others will disagree naturally because they purchased different models for different reasons):

Base: If you are short on cash but really want a Z, this is it. Good for modding to race too. Light wt but you might miss cruise control later, headlights, and most of all limited slip.

Enthusist: Limited slip added, cruise control, headlights. Has a little of the nice stuff but is basically a car best to mod a lot.

Performance: You most likely liked the enthusist model but thought it was worth the extra money to get VDC and 18" wheels. for me, I knew I was going to buy after market wheels so it came down to that i did not think I need to pay extra for the VDC.

Touring:
You pay extra for the touring for the leather seats/heated and the Bose stereo. Listen to the bose. Is it worth the extra money or could you do better upgrading with your own stereo system? You can upgrade to leather for under a $1000. If you love the Bose when you hear it, this could your model.

Track: I love those Brembos and Ray wheels are sweet. In the end, i knew as much as I like the rays, I liked after market wheels better and i could go much bigger on the tires. After realizing i would sell the rays anyways, then it came down to how much were the Brembo's worth to me. The thing i did not think about is I could have sold the rays wheels for about $1600-2000 thus replaced them with wheels i liked and still had brembos. If I was going to do it again, i would be debating between the track and Enthusist levels.

Again, this is measuring the models based on what i want to do with my Z. Depending on what you want to do, each model will appeal to you for different reasons. I hope this helps and good luck picking out a model you like...

Jeff

 

CarFan, did you have a earlier (Z31, Z32) Z? This is my 3rd Z, 1988, 1993, 2003. Each one has gotten better to the point I can't friggin belive this car. It is one hell of a car IMO. It is a blast to drive and I should be pulled over and ticketed for the S eatin grin on my face. 3500 miles since Feb and ZERO problems. I got the ENTH trim and I'm very pleased with the quality and performance of the car. Go for it and have fun!

 

I think that all the complaints ar exaggerated. I live in the EU ( THE NETHERLANDS) and ordered my Z march this year "from a picture". First Z will be in the netherlands about sept/oct. 2003. Reading about all the SO CALD problems with the Z i had buyers remorse.

Not anymore, WHY. I posted two new threads on 350zmotoring.com. One about the paint ??? problems and one about the Bose ??? problems. I asked Z owners to react and send me a mail with only three question. How many of the Z owners have true PAINT problems, how many complained at Nissan USA or Nissan or will doe so in the near futur. Same questions concerning BOSE.

I explained that i should send all the answers to Nissan Europe, reason. If i confront Nissan Europe with ALL THE Z PROBLEMS in the USA they will certainly try to solve these problems before the official introduction sept./oct. 2003 in Europe. If Nissan Europe had send me comments or (possible) solutions i should post them on 350zmotoring.com. The American Z owners could then confront their dealer(s) with the reaction/solutions of Nissan Europe.

No one has send any reaction . I believe NOW that the most of the complaints ar false ar inconclusive. At this moment i'm for 90% certain that i did the right BUY

 

this has sort of become a "how i love my z, let me count the ways" thread...but thats ok, i'll chime in a couple things too first, the bads:
-it feels heavy and sluggish at first, still does but the break in helped a little. feels like you have to gun it to get a response

-rear taillight design could flow a lot better

-could be lower in roof height. i wouldnt mind sitting closer to the ground, and the appearance would be wider and sleeker, plus lighter due to less volume

the goods:
-engine note
-interior is renault inspired design...me being a designer, that = in my book. doesnt appear cheap at all to me
-fast as poop
-tight driving experience, susp, handling, good stuff
-beautiful front 3/4 view
...the positives outway more than just in numbers

 

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=15500

 

Are you saying that all Touring owners are morons????


Only dealer can love that Blose.... and only when he shows car to customer...

The truth is I didn't turn on Blose once during that short drive when my car was delivered. I supposed it should be okay. Big mistake...

 

if you need convincing to buy this car.... and with all the material available on this site for your research.. you are wasting our time.

As Curly Bill said to Wyatt as he was leaving Tombstone.... "BYE !"

 

Nope. Not a Touring model. You have to get at least the Performance to get 18" wheels, and it has cloth seats. So, you probably drove a Performance that they wanted 31k for.

A Touring would have had leather seats and they wouldn't be selling a Track for 31k I wouldn't think.

WayneTN

 

Okay that's what I was thinking also! Yeah, it had 6k miles and the already famous early driver seat wear on it! I'm not sure if $31k is a fair price....

 

31K is BS man. He is trying to stick it to you as many car sales men do. I am considering either the performance or enthusiast model and I am not paying 31k for either. Get a copy of the invoice price at carprices.com or any other web site that publishes them and take it to the dealer. Tell him you will pay 3% over that price and nothing more. Nissan gives all dealerships a kickback for selling a unit of product even if it is sold at invoice. Trust me. They will act like they can't, and tell you how popular the car is, limited availability, yada yada yada. Tell him you have found dealerships in other cities to sell it to you for this price and you were just trying to save yourself the trip. If you come in near the end of the month your chances are even better. I have been shopping around for a few months now and I have foundthat dealers will sell at this price. they may say they can't, but they'll be calling you the next day. My uncle is a car salesman and we have never paid sticker for any vehicle. This includes all 6 mercedes my parents have owned as well as my assorted toys over the years. Don't let them stick it to you man. Zee you on the road

 

you cant be the original fairlady Z talkin like that???

 

I think Fairlady Z summed it up quite well!