Hi everybody,

The 04's are now out, and seemingly some good deals can be had on the 03's. However, as we know it, they are essentially the same car with some minor changes and minimal price difference too when new.

I am just wondering down the road, say 5-6 years from now, if I decide to sell the Z, would it make a BIG difference in terms of what I'll get for it say compared to a used 04? Or will be depend more on the mileage and condition of the car more so than the year it was made?

I am curious because I was looking at a well-conditioned and low mileage Porsche 928S4 before I bought the Z. Now, between 87 to 91, my understanding is that the car had remained relatively unchanged. And what I found was that people's asking prices for the 928S4's made during those years were more reflective of the mileage and condition than the year.

Wondering if the same would happen to the 03/04 Z's???

Any thoughts??? Thanks.

 

Adding one year to the vehicle's MY (model year) will matter in a few years when you try to sell the car. An '03 will fetch less money by virtue of simply being one MY older. It doesn't even matter when they were built, even if both cars were built within a month of each other. The older MY car will depreciate more.

 

Even though there are no really bad problems with the 03', tire feathering, window streaks, the 03' will have to live with the stigma of being first year. So all fixes for the later VINs will be ignored and lumped together. Teh 04' will be considered the 2.0 year, with all issues fixed.

But then again, are you buying to sell or keep and drive the hell out of it?

-Xray

 

Thanks guys for the replies.

No, not that I am in the business of buying and selling cars. I was just curious. I love the car and intend to keep it as long as possible. Especially where I am, the long winter season will ensure that my Z will still be low mileage and good condition even in years as I won't be driving it all year round.

Thanks again for the information.

 

I owned a 1987 928S4, good thing you bought the Z. That 928 was expensive to maintain. Traded it for a 1992 Lexus SC400, now that's a nice car. Selling your Z yourself versus trading it in will make a bigger difference than the model year. I bought the last 03 the local dealer had it was manufactured in 5/03, they started to make the 04's in 6/03. Nissan does continuous improvements and they don't wait for model year changes. I took the $2000 discount off MSRP on the 03 and will be better off in the end since the Z is for my wife and she tends to keep cars forever. JMHO

 

Maybe way way down the line the 03's might be worth more to a collector for being the first model year of the 350 as well as the last year of the 350. In the near future 1-10yrs or so the 04 will have more value than the 03 if everything is comparable for the year including mileage, body condition etc.