I'm looking into buying a 350z sometime in the near future. Right now I have a 97 BMW 328is, and its just time for a change for me. I've driven a 350z a few times, and I really liked the way the car felt overall. As I'm a college student, I will probably be buying an 03-04 with the lowest mileage and most reasonable price I can find.

I would like to know what kind of maintenance to expect, how reliable they generally are, and what kind of market there is for mods. I just want to get an overall feel of what to expect with this car. Thanks

 

You're probably going to get flamed for apparently not searching. People here are big about that.

Anyway, I own an 03. The transmission sounds like gravel in a blender in N (but it shifts confidently). I have streaks of grease on the windows when I roll them up or down. There are reports of premature tire wear up front, make sure your car is aligned properly. I have almost 20k on my Michelins, though, and they still look like they can go at least 20k more. I guess my car got the problem fixed before I bought it.

Other than that I love it. Mine is a promotional tool so I drive it every day. The engine seems pretty bulletproof. I redline at least a few times a week (naughty I know) so I can say it can certainly take some decent punishment. Over 80k miles.

I'm really not going to go into more detail because you need to do a search. There's YEARS of material on this specific subject.

Good luck.

 

...you can expect to be asked to search, nicely of course

 

welcome...and kudos on a creepy user name lol j/k. In terms of maintenance, I suppose that would depend on the condition/miles/previous use. Clearly regular oil changes are not much to worry about especially given you seem committed to buying the car itself. Other then that, you can get your hands on an operating manual.

The reliability is great if not better then most vehicles however, that is speaking of a new vehicle. Your reliability on a used would be equivalent. assuming its had no major issues. Test drive, inspection etc. are key.

Search throughout this site, especially the sub forum areas. The mod list and potential is really only limited by your imagination.

So...to sum up, maintenance...probably same/less then what you have now (for basic things). Reliability is good...assuming it hasn't spent any time at the bottom of lake. Mods? Restraint is key. I wasn't going to add anything to mine. My Z is nearly a full time job and I am N/A.

Best of luck!

 

Thanks for the reply. I searched and found some info, but I just wanted some personal opinions. Do the 04's have the tranny problem as well? I have found an 04 enthusiast with 40k for 20k, from a dealer. What do you think about this price. Thanks

 

expect to be broke once you see how much upgrades are......( join my club)

 

would join...will you take a personal cheque written on a cocktail napkin? Tis all I can afford. I just picked up Volks & headers

 

a monthly car payment

 

wasent their a thread on who had the highest monthly payment????? i think the highest was like 1000?

 

I would not but anything older then a 05. There were a lot of issues that were cleared up on the 05 model. I am sure there are a lot of 03, 04 that had no problem.

 

You are right. Because all his questions have been asked and answered about a thousand times. So much so that it clogs up the system for people like me who do searches.

 

The Top 100 Most Asked Question On My350Z.com

If you woulda spent the ~1 minute to look around the "New Thread" button, you woulda seen that.

/thread

 

Routine maintenance is what you would expect from similar fuel-injected vehicles with electronic ignition.

Reliability? It’s a performance sports car.

Mods? This forum is about mods. Read and learn.

 

Hey man welcome to the club. Just wanted to give you a heads up. If your looking to buy and then add performance items consider a base model. It comes stripped pretty much and you can find an 04 with
29 k for around 17500. I know I did. Look online and don't worry about where the car is you can have it shipped from NY to LA for under $700. I bought one from florida with a clear title. The car is immaculate and I didn't pay extra for the stuff that I will be replacing anyway ( IE Big break Kit, These things are 2-4K regardless of what model you buy).

The Track and enthus. models come with larger wheels and Stock Brembos and thats about the only difference as far as I can tell. If you are going to be buying wheels for the car anyway and buying a Big break kit whats the point in spending another 3-4K upfront for the car.
Hey just my thoughts and opinion
My payment is only 300 a month

 

Since when did the Enthusiast model come with stock Brembos? And cars don't come with "breaks"... they come with brakes.

Actually, you gave a lot of wrong info in there.

Tony (frickin' noobs)

 

you can buy mine and then you can expect it to be the best thing you ever did in your life..

 

Wheels, brakes, LSD, Xenons, VDC/TCS, seem to be the big things missing on the base model

 

My bad sorry for the mis-information. good luck spending the extra money
bboypuertoroc thanks for the english lesson
NOOBIES ROCK don't forget everyone was there once

 

tires are pricey and don't last very long.

Mods are expensive

 

Imo later the model, lesser the problems with the 06 being the exception (thats where searching comes in) an 05 would seem a good bet.

good luck in your search..



Come now... Not all of us finance (aka paymore) ya know.