Well I test drove a black 2005 350z today, manual transmission, 88k miles on the odometer and WOW! It was an amazing test drive to say the least. I have to admit however, the clutch was A LOT less forgiving than other m/t's I've driven in the past. Really put me in my place, haha. I know it is due to a performance clutch, and I've heard how stiff the clutch is, but WOW, still caught me by surprise. It catches pretty hard. Didn't deter me at all however, just made my ambitions to buy and tame a beast like that one that much higher. I can't wait to have a Z in my garage ASAP

 

Nov 2009

Well lets get one. You have 12 months to get a Z. That's the rules.

 

Don't worryit's coming ASAP. I'm just trying to set aside some money for mods first, I know I'll find something I want to enhance after enough track days.

 

Getting excited about mods before you buy the car? LOL I like this guy already.

 

I bought mine to race it in B Stock. Still trying to figure out what happened with that.

 

LOL........ya me too.........

ha..ha.. I remember having my exhaust before I even had the car....the day i bought the car i drove it home, next morning i drove it to a shop and had another mod installed...........oh man wow......

-J

 

Your half a decade late test driving a 350z. They have 370z out now, are you going to wait another 5 years to test drive it too?

 

maybe he has 14 grand to drop but not 30

 

Sorry, I'm only 18. I know I'll get flamed just for that, but I just can't afford the 370. I'm doubling up on my payments on my '05 Xterra so I can sell it ASAP and use the money for a Z. Obviously due to monetary constraints I'm limited to nothing newer than an '05, so no HR for me, but I don't really mind since what I test drove was an '05, thus contained a VQ35DE. Either way, I'll be starting a payed internship for Environmental/Mechanical Engineering soon, THAT is when the flow of mods will really start

*Edit* But while I have your attention, how would you guys say your Z's have lasted in the long term? I know Nissans usually last pretty long but since it's a sports car I wasn't sure if there would be any major differences in the engine life.

 

I think Z clutch is pretty good. My only other comparisons are 02 Si and a mini scooper- Si had way too much travel after the sweet spot and scooper was all butter, so I couldn't feel anything and it bothered me beyond belief.

 

I know exactly what you mean about soft clutches, I learned on a 2009 Saturn Astra coupe. Nice little car and all, but performance wasn't impressive. And it made me think I was the God of driving manuals because I didn't stall once and the low HP and Torque made mistakes almost impossible to see. The Z magnifies them, lol.

 

I personally think I made a mistake by purchasing the Z I did. I should have gotten the Grand touring. Be patient and get the one you want and always check the carfax.

 

How much are you willing to spend? I'm considering the sale of mine.. PM me if your interested.

 

Im considering selling mine too, let me know I really want to upgrade to the 370 :/

 

119k on mine and the valve covers have never been off. We'll see what shape the engine is actually in when i pull it apart in November yo freshen it up for next race season. For now, its going to be flogged like a dirty ***** at the track for the next two days.

 

*Edit* But while I have your attention, how would you guys say your Z's have lasted in the long term? I know Nissans usually last pretty long but since it's a sports car I wasn't sure if there would be any major differences in the engine life.[/QUOTE]

Consumer Reports shows engine life reliability is above average for all years.

 

Well, like I said, I'm only 18 so I won't have a lot of money (in Z terms). I'm paying off the extra ~$3,000 I owe on my '05 Xterra and selling it to a friend, the set price is $14,500. So if I'm buying from a private owner I have about that much. However, I would like to find one bone stock so I can really make it mine, and I might go to a dealership, I have some good connections and can get a slightly newer one with lower miles, since I can give a down payment of like $14,000 and have small monthly payments after that, so I can afford an overall newer Z. I'm just lucky I found someone to co-sign

 

Yeah buying from a dealer is retarded, you pay your states sales tax rather than paying private seller tax...in IL its 6.25 state tax for dealers, rather than the 115 dollars in sales tax i paid from buying from private dealer. have fun with that

 

FML, money problems destroyed my chance at getting a Z
Motorcycle here I come..