I am in the market to buy a Z and i have looked at a few and beat my own *** for not getting the first one (well it was a G) but was a little more than i had money wise. I have 10k cash and i have found a 04 6 speed a doctor owned it and drove it to work daily almost all highway miles. The car is a 1 owner and it has 118k on it perfect shape no imperfections at all. My question is while high mileage its mostly highway so it doesn't affect the car like stop and go miles or harshly ran miles as it was babied. I know that i will eventually need to replace the motor in it hopefully not for a while but would it be worth while as in not be a big hassle to put a 07 motor in it? or is it a ton of work?

Also i drove on yesterday with Kinetix Manifold, Penlum Spacer 5/16, Nismo intake, Borla Exhaust and it had decent power, and i like that.

IF i do get the one with 118k on it i want to put a Intake, Exhaust, High Flow cats, Penlum spacer on it. How much if not ran hard but every so often will this reduce my engine life?
Knowing of most engines that if you increase how it draws in and releases air if not abussed will increase life because it doesnt have to work as hard to do what it does .

Thanks for the help.

Once again sorry for the newbish questions just something i like to discuss with the community before buying as its my first Z and dont want to mess up. Different car compared to the cars i am coming from (mostly boosted 4 bangers srt4, audi tt, cobalt ss, cooper s ... )

 

z's run for a long time with very little maintenance n/a. Their are a couple of people on the forum with over 200k on the odometer and have replaced very few things. Good luck on your purchase. Just get a compression test and if everything is fine the engine is good to go.

 

Wrong forum you want a 350z owners fourm you are On the I'm thinking about buying a z website. Non of actully own z's we are all just thinking about buying them

 

Hello. The Z car is definitely a nice purchase. If the car has been driven softly, as you've suggested, then 110K miles doesn't really matter that much. In the 90's, when most of us grew up, our parent instilled that dreaded 100k mile mark in our brains because their crappy, 90's American cars would fall apart as soon as they reached it. With up keep, cars can do much more.
The engine swap isn't bad but probably not necessary for a long time and definitely not worth it just for the fact of having the HR. The time and money you spend on such an endeavor would be greater than if you just wait and save a few months and just buy an 07 or 08.
Any how, good luck. The Z is a blast to own. Each drive is as exciting as the last.

 

You should be alright as long as the past owner didn't beat the living crap out of it and neglect maintenance.

Nissans are pretty reliable, and replacing the motor shouldn't really have to cross your mind anytime soon. Unless you want to buy a spare block to build on the side. You could try talking the seller into letting you or him take it to a good shop and have it checked over.

I know I don't regret buying mine, its been almost a year and I still get that heart stopped, goose bump feeling every time I get to or think about driving it like it was meant to be.

 

These cars take the miles very well, mine is sitting at 133k now, i beat the living hell out of it and the valve covers have yet to come off.
Swapping to the HR motor is possible, and will be very freaking expensive. Not worth it.

 

+1 w Terrasmak...
just spend like 3 grand more right now and have FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR less headache over the ENTIRE spectrum of owing the car..

buy a newer car w less miles and an HR engine, larger brakes, better lights and interior etc... its a no brainer.

Im sure the exact same scenario seller is out there, but w a 2007 model for you at maybe 13-14k.

 

How do you know it was 'babied'? My car is in perfect condition, both mechanically and comsmetically; and I drive it like I stole it! Because he's a doctor? Well, I'm an engineer and my doctor friend drives his Audi even more aggresively than I drive my Z. Take it to a good mechanic and pay him to go over it with a fine tooth comb.

 

DE and HR motors are almost identical, the difference is almost not even noticable. Cars around the 90k will need service for wear and tear. If you can find a car that is over that hump and has the service records, go for it!

 

The DE and HR are far from identical.
I highly doubt the guy put 118k miles of just cruising... Everyone trying to sell their car is going to say that just because they can. When I sell mine I'll probably say something along those lines as well :P
Id use 5k of your cash as a down payment towards a 2007+ Z, You wont regret it

 

premium gas, and high quality synthetic oil, the majority of z's will should last till 200k. not to mention owners who typically care for their cars more than the average joe....

I wouldnt believe any1 if they tell me "they are all highway miles." everyone says that, some its true, most its not. plus he's prolly lieing if he says he NEVER drove it hard.

I drive 65 miles a day round trip, only hitting one street light on the way, so mine are almost entirely highway miles, but miles are miles, if you didnt drive them theres no way to guess how hard or where the car was driven

my biggest regret, buying an 03 outright and not financing the extra couple grand to get the 07. more than just the motor....

 

Agree. A high mileage 350Z (100,000 miles for example) will cost more to maintain than one with, say, 50,000 miles.

So pay up front for 50,000 miles or pay for upkeep of one with 100,000 miles.

 

I have owned my Z for a year now and it's my 2nd one. First Z was a ragged out 03 touring but it ran good. My second and current is a 2005 base 6spd @ 98k miles. Previous owner had all the work performed at her grandfathers Chevy dealership (oil changes, brake work etc.) and I just can't describe how well this car performs. Before I took ownership it had new pads, rotors, fluids, tires and rear axle click fixed. As it sits now it is stock and I plan to keep it that way until my LS1 swap. The paint is flawless as the car was previously garaged though I do not have that luxury but I wash it about 2 times a week and I have a car cover.

Now that was the good... the only couple bad things are the shocks/struts need replacing with a nice set of coilovers and sometimes the transmission grinds going from 6th to 5th (happens VERY rarely).

Also I need to change the plugs soon... 100k will come up on me quick!

I say take your time finding a Z... there are plenty out there and if you pick the right one it will put a smile on you face every time you drive it and look at it. I know mine makes me smile a lot.

 

In my opinion the only thing appealing about 03-05 in your situation would be possibility to own it outright almost right away, if not right away.

10gs is a lot to put down on a car, shoot, most dealers will cream over 3k these days.

If I was you, I would buy an HR(if that's the kinda engine you'd be going to anyway)((for lots of moneys as mentioned above)) and call it good. If you look around and are willing to drive certain distances, you could MAYBE even get into a Nismo 07-08 and finance the remaining amount for around 20-28 grand. Which is great for what you get. If i was paying down a Nismo HR right now i would jizz myself.

I wouldnt trust anyones word about how or where they drove it. I dont know anyone who installs a pool to "just put their feet in it, instead of swimming" same as sports cars-who buys one to drive it like a Buick Regal? Not saying its a piece of ish, but just less chance for HUGE failures.

I have driven a 04 back in 07 before I knew what an HR was, and it had intake exhaust and headers, and I thought it was a rocketship... fast fwd to me getting an HR in 2010. Actual rocketship Then i drove my boys 06 Rev up and it was night and day difference how the power is distributed.

CLIFFS
Get an HR with huge downpayment-try to find Nismo
03-05 Got upgraded to HR for a reason-pay attention to Nissan
If a car was driven like a Regal for 113k miles its probably not a real Z

HR or bust

 

 

10K in cash? Wow, good job in saving.

Frankly put, ANYONE can say mostly highway miles. The fact of the matter is, it's 100k+ miles. Nissan's generally do last long, but have you considered buying an HR? Might as well.

DD? Track car? Project car? And if you are planning on swapping engines, might as well find an 03 salvaged for 8K. You swapping engines will void any chance of you having warranty anyway. Truly look at the money and time that will be consumed.

2003 Z33 for 8K, pay a few g's for a Titan motor swap / LS2 / Turbo and you have a beast on your hands.

 

oh you silly hr owners thinking your engine is sooo superior : P

I had a 04 Z and my parents had an 07 Z. felt pretty much like the same thing to me. is it better? yes.

 

i wouldn't recommend spending $10Gs on a vehicle with over 115K miles and then dump another couple grand in mods - only to decide to do a motor swap later.

i went from a DE to HR - save the money - take some time and go with the HR. tho "butt dyno" can't feel a "difference" between the two - the potential max power increase are greater for the HR (dual throttle bodies, better airflow, higher rev). however - there are a lot more after market mods for the DE (for now).

speaking thru personal experience - if you're wanting power and worried about engine life... you'd prolly want to go N/A (normally aspirated) and with your basic bolt ons and tune... you won't obtain a whole lot of power for a "cheap price" and you'll only want more in the end.
if you go FI (forced induction - turbo, supercharged) there's a lot of up keep and you gotta have deep pockets.

as far as financing vs. buying out right... drop $5Gs down - you can use your other $5 for mods or better yet investment to help pay for mods/car payment.
adding mods doesn't help the value of your car anyways. so unless you plan on keeping ur Z for a very long time, plan to drift it, track it, or whatever outside of daily driving it... to me - horsepower means nothing if you can't handle it or if u don't know how to drive it. especially if its just going to be your daily driver.
Z's are great cars - i love mine and baby her. buy it cuz u want it and like it. if u want to have fun with it - spend the money on a solid suspension set up and good wheel/tire setup. u'll notice more difference in that than ur basic bolt ons.

have fun and good luck hunting!

 

Have you seen a HR vs DE drag race before? HR will pull on it very hard with equal drivers. I have an 04, and can gladly admit to the superior engine 07-08 models have. Dynos have even proven superior: 230-40 DE whp vs 260-270 HR whp. Not to mention a 7.5k redline. It is superior hands down. Don't be bitter about what you have. All Z cars are great.

 

I personally felt a difference, but it isn't mind blowing per se, but it can be felt. But trying to save some money, some may have to go for an older model. And all Z's rock, we all drive awesome cars on these boards.

That being said, I myself opted for an 06 as the price difference was over 2K. How does the 06 compare to HR's? I only know the difference from 03+ - 06 models. The 06 is rev-up model, redline 7K (7K+ with chip/program) and just under 260 whp. I'd love to drive someone's HR. Either way, our cars are clean and mean. Leaving fart cans behind in the rear view all day.