Wow great catch ortonz! Makes since.

If anyone knows of a good deal I'm willing to do shipping.

 

350zhack you have to think subjectively. You're looking at this as if you have money to buy cars as a a hobby then think of it like that. You're worried about reliability of the car and how well the engine held up then this car is not the car for you. I am not saying that the Z is not reliable but I am saying a sports car that used to cost $30k+ that is now >$20k is going to have wear and tear that cost significantly more than a econobox.

A clutch on a DE alone is $300-$1000 depending on what you're options are allowing you to get. On an HR its even higher. Just think about the little things that matter because they will add up.

If you are set on buying the newer better one then you will never be satisfy. There will be a 370z to upgrade to from the HR, then maybe one day it might become the 380z, maybe the 420z, etc. Its a vicious cycle, just put more important things into perspective.

 

Fixed

 

Your absolutely right about the sports car issue. I have had many sport cars/muscle cars. I'm not saying there will never be an issue but I would like to be able to drive it for awhile before dropping a new tranny or even worse engine internals.

I wish I had the income to buy cars as a hobby, I'm just fascinated by the cars lines and the potential that these cars posses.

 

Lol thanks jersey, iPad likes to takeover sometimes.

 

autocorrect sucks!

 

Yes the paint on the plastic on some interior parts may get scraped if you're a bear and mauling everything inside, but the Z i picked up was pretty flawless and I've been pretty careful with the interior since I've owned it so my car's interior is mint. The 06+ interior has slight differences over the 03-05. The shifter area is different. You get that leatherette padding on the side of the door so you don't feel you got jipped buying a car with a door panel that's entirely plastic (looks a lil higher class). You also get that sliding door with cup holders. It's an extra place to put stuff like a cellphone. You also get a 7500 rpm redline if that matters to you.

And Yes the HR may be more expensive to fix, but if the car itself doesn't break down as often or have issues, then you save $ and time at the shop. Just because a car is cheap to fix doesn't mean I'd like to be fixing random crap here and there every month. Older Z's have their issues and the 07+ were the final years of the 350z so most of those issues have been knocked out. Biggest thing to watch out for in the 07+ is the failing clutch master cylinder.

Also I think it's wiser to pick a car that has been pushed, but not overpushed. Kinda like the human body; don't expect yourself to be able to run a marathon if you never run. But overall, just check the car out that you are buying. If the car is in crap condition, most likely the previous owner didn't take much care of it.

Also if you are low on budget, think of this situation. You can buy an older 350z granted it is several grand cheaper, but prolly with the transmission synchro / grinding issues. Maybe cost you a couple grand to fix that. And if other stuff go wrong, you'll prolly be spending more $ fixing those as well. Why not just invest that $ you will likely be spending in an HR model? I personally came from a Honda / Lexus family so I'm not used to the whole sending the car to the dealer to get fixed. I only really take my cars to get maintenance done. I buy my cars to be driven, not to be sent to the shop to get fixed. Everything comes at a price. If you can't afford a legitimate Z now, then don't rush your purchase. Save up and you'll have less headache down the road.

 

Man Deteria, you must have been burned or something by the non HR models. The way you talk is as if ALL people that own non HR's end of fixing there’s more than yours.

I say again, I buy my cars to drive not to sit in shops, but you have already written off any cars that are not 07+ models.

As far as the interior, I really could care less on the cool points. As long as it’s not fading or falling apart I’m ok with it. My looks of interior are really the least of my worries.

I will not be getting a 07+ unless one comes into my budget. I am in no rush, but to say if I can’t afford a "legitimate Z" now, well that’s a bias opinion to me. You are saying that because your car is a 07 350z then all others before that is crap. You say you have personal experience, did you ever own an older model? Also just because the one car your friend owns is falling apart does not mean that all of those cars in that year range are junk. He probably got a bad deal to be honest.

 

Hey guess what I just ran across

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

Could be nice, but I would have to buy it and ship it to me.

 

Man, guess i might be getting lucky today....or just didnt look out this far before.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

too much tint, ugly wheels, high mileage



this one's a good find. very clean, decent miles and is an HR too

 

Yea, I need to find out what it will cost me to ship one of these. Hopefully not to much.

 

Might be cheaper for a one way ticket and a drive back. Just check into it

 

Yea thats a idea. Would kind of be nice to drive it before buying it. But 9+ hrs in it.....idk lol

 

My 2003 350Z was bought this past March with 45,000 miles on it. It was a 1-owner, clean title and carfax. Pretty clean overall, just needed some tlc on detailing.

The only things needed replacing were the belts, and that was just from almost 9 years of use. Besides that, I've had no troubles with it.

So there are good non-HR versions out there. You just need to have patience and do your homework. It took me over a year to find mine.

Good luck with the search 350zshack! I'm sure you'll get one soon!

 

I have family that have older Z and G (with the older transmission that grind). Both of them were on at least their 2nd transmission and motor. I've driven my cousin's 03 Z for a week before I got mine. It made me set on getting an HR model. Also keep in mind, the older a car gets, the more power it loses.

 

Thanks cgkp0925! I really am trying to as much research as I can befoer I jump to any conclusion. I also am just taking my time and seeing what is available.

Its kind of nice not really having to buy another one fast, so I almost feel like I have the control on the sale lol.

 

I'm not saying there are absolutely no good non HR models out there, but do you really want to take the risk?

Just go search around for 350z reliability per year model. 07+ had the least issues. Since you are getting a used car, you're taking a gamble on how the previous owner treated it on top of it being old age/high mileage. Doesn't hurt to eliminate one of the possible risk factors in getting a used car; hence why I'm recommending the 07+

 

Ok, you really should be careful on your word usage. Just because a car gets older does NOT mean it WILL be less horsepower. There are so many factors that would need to be looked at before that assumption is made about any horsepower lose.

I do appreciate you giving me tips and what not, but you have to remember that there are other 350z owners out there that DO own the non-HR and there just fine and I would put money on it some run better than some HR's.

 

You take a risk all the time when you get a used car....its just that; a "USED" car. Meaning however the person "USED" it before you bought it could have treated it like crap and you endup gettting a lemon. Thats why doing research, test drives and going over the car in detail can go along way, but to just write of older because its just older......you must not classic muscle cars then.....