This is my first post here... so hello and greetings from Poland
Tomorrow I'll be checking out a 350z I want to buy. The car is really nice - it has only about 50.000 kilometers (30k miles) and it seems that it is in good condition (judging from pictures and a brief conversation I've had with the current owner). Of course I will be having the car checked at the local Nissan dealership.

I have a question about issues common to '03 350z - tire feathering and grinding noises during gear change. Does anybody know if those issues concern both US and European versions of the car? From what I've heard there are some substantial differences between US spec and EU spec? I've searched/googled but haven't found a definitive answer. Is it possible to check (and how to do it) if the car I'm about to buy is having those issues? Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks and sorry for my poor English

 

I can't answer any of your questions, but welcome.

BTW, your English is much better than many of those hear who grew up in the US.

 

Differences are minor. Its the same car.

 

Welcome...............and I don't know the answers either. But let me tell you, your English is much better than my Polish. Please............do not apologize for your command of the English language. Please show us some pictures of your car.

 

Keep the suspension properly aligned and the feathering should not become a problem.

 

welcome!!

ironically, fixed

 

kinda like better than yours?

 

Hi and welcome to the Forum, I read your post and would like to offer the following responses to your questions:

RE> “I have a question about issues common to '03 350z - tire feathering and grinding noises during gear change. Does anybody know if those issues concern both US and European versions of the car?”

Both the issues you mention are the same for US and EU 350Z’s.

Tire Feathering: The 2003 Z you are considering won’t have any tire-feathering problem if your shop has the proper alignment equipment that is calibrated properly. The reason this happened in the first place is simply that the early Z’s were not aligned correctly when delivered from the factory, and summer-performance tires are wear-sensitive to even minor misalignment. Nissan discovered the problem very early, but the issue became extended simply because many dealerships had alignment equipment that was not calibrated to the degree required by the 350Z.

Transmission Grinding: This is an inherent defect in the synchromesh of some early (model year 2003) 350Z transmissions. Not every 2003 350Z has this problem. You discover this problem by shifting quickly from 6th gear to 5th gear, or shifting from 4th gear to 3rd gear. If you detect any grinding when doing this, the car needs a transmission replacement.

Hope this helps,

--Spike

 

Welcome to the forum!

Dont be afraid of these problems unless they are very bad (don't worry to much about the feathering at all). Every car has its quirks.

 

Thank you all for you answers.

Here are some pics of the car. If you spot something suspicious, please let me know

 

Ive spotted it. Its black and not Daytona Blue.

 

The pics make the car look good.

Interesting interior... looks as though the seats, shift ***, parking brake, and steering wheel are custom upgrades.

The tires must be winter performance models?

--Spike

 

I believe the items spike mentioned are original and stock to the
"track" model photo'd above. nice looking car. carpets are pretty
damn clean. car seems pretty gem.

care to illucidate on pricing in eur or gbp? surely this is expensive.

good luck!

 

About 13k EUR... unfortunately

I've got the day off work tomorrow since I have to travel to another city to check the car out. I hope it's worth it I'll keep you guys informed.

Whish me luck

 

Didn't the 2003 Track Model in the USA have fabric seats (not leather)? I thought that the only 350Z model available in 2003 that came with leather seats was the Touring.

I looked at the 2003 Track Model (USA), and almost bought it, but thought the 2003 Performance model was a better value (pretty much the same, sans brembo's)

--Spike

 

Hi, i live in iceland and i have the same spec 350z, it was called Grand touring by the dealership. track + luxury

 

Welcome, it looks legit but I know from past experience that looks can be deceiving. test drive it and you will get your answer but make sure to enjoy it but don't blind yourself to problems.

 

The Grand Touring wasn't available in the USA as a 2003 Model. I don't know about the 2003 EU model.

--Spike

 

And I'm back. To make a long story short... I didn't buy it The car was in a much worse condition than I had expected. Leather on both seats was worn/cracked - really weird considering low mileage of the car. My girlfriend owns a BMW and after 110k. miles interior of the car is in a much better overall condition Finally everything was clear. It turned out that the car was a "test car" in the local dealership for two years. I just wonder how many people test-drove it back then... And I know that test cars (especially sports cars) can have a really hard life - "Look ma! I can take it to the red line! Look ma, again!" Still it wasn't all that bad, but not worth the $.

 

too bad, keep looking