It has taken awhile, but Consumer Reports has collected sufficient data to publish 2008 reliability. And it appears that the last 350Z model year, 2008, is the most reliable. The assumption that 2003 is a lemon while other years are stellar is not supported by scientific data. In fact the 2003 is as reliable as either the 2005 or 2007.

 

i thought 07 and 08 are supose to be the same.

 

I am guessing there is not enough time yet for things to break.

 

how are the brakes on the 07 better than 08?

they're the same exact brakes

 

Thanks.. Welcome..

 

If you watch those carefully, over the years, more and more white and black dots appear as the cars on the roads start experiencing problems and more people start reporting them.

I can pretty much guarantee that it won't look that red next year.

 

Yea, something isn't adding up. I highly doubt that 06 has a more reliable engine than other years with all the oil consumptions reported. And I can't see 07's having more reliable transmissions than other years due to all the slaves and trannys that needed to be replaced so far.

 

thanks for the info davidv.

 

Keep in mind not everyone had oil consumption problems with the 06's. Most people that don't have the problem will never start a thread saying "Hey! my car does NOT burn oil!" It was profound enough to cause Nissan to act on it, but the true number of people affected will probably never be revealed.
For example,
I don't personally know of any 06 owners (half a dozen or so) with consumption engines besides the members on here that report it. However, I do know of two local 07 and an 08 owners with random engine surging that the local dealer has not been able to do anything about. Yet, I don't think that issue has really been brought up on here.
Oil consumption is a "bigger" issue to complain about so I think that's why it is repeated so much on here.

Also, the clutch problems with the 07s are probably minor compared to getting trannys replaced in the early cars.

 

I'm looking at the 03's, where the "transmission minor and major" have black dots. What does the minor and major mean?

 

Transmission, major. Transmission rebuild or replacement, torque converter, premature clutch replacement.

Transmission, minor. Gear selector or linkage, coolers and lines, rough shifting, slipping transmission, leaks, transmission computer, transmission sensor or solenoid, clutch adjustment, hydraulics (clutch master or slave cylinder).

 

I know I'm going to get flamed but, I really can understand the chart at all. What is the legend about the dots, what does each specifically symbolize?

 

^Basically, black is bad (no waisis), red is good.

 

nice glad im just picked up an 08

 

Guess you're right about that. A lot of 03's needed new trannys, but mine's still good so far with 40k, but I drive pretty easy. Luck of the draw I suppose.

I'm actually feel bad for recommending an 07 to my friend. I told him the HR is the way to go, so he got a CPO'd one at the dealer with 10k on the clock. Its only been a few months so far and its already needed 2 slave cylinders and a new transmission. Its good that its under warranty so its all covered, but a real pain to keep having stuff break and you never get to drive the thing! I understand that its hit or miss though..

 

"...he got a CPO'd one at the dealer..."

What does CPO'd mean? Did a chief petty officer do something nasty with it?

 

Too early to stamp the 08's just yet. This chart isn't really factual IMO
Good find davidv

 

Even the 03/04 tranny replacements are overstated on here. Just about ANY Z is a good year to buy. They all have minor pluses and minuses. This car is still the most reliable overall of any car I have owned. Naturally, an 03 will have more time to have a failure especially in comparison to an 08. I'm sure the long term consensus will even out across all the Z's.

 

Yep they are. Nothing changed. That is why I take these reports with a grain of salt. They even said the GS from Lexus had a ton of problems and it doesn't. lol

 

I haven't had a SINGLE problem (NOT ONE) with my 2008 enthusiast purchased June 08. This is in drastic contrast to the 2001 audi a4 1.8t I owned before hand that averaged 18 full days in the shop a year. That's just under 5% of the year in the shop. Not to mention the car was purchased for $14,000 and I spent a little over $7,000 on maintenance and repairs in the 4 years I owned it.

END RANT. GO Z!!!