RedShft

is that off Independence?? maybe ill have to drive my buddies supra up there .

Charlotte is where im living now. that is one reason im concerned about storage, im living here to go to school, but i make frequent trips back home to Greenville, NC to visit my family and friends for the weekend. i know my luggage bag will fit in there. but i also plan on throwing in a sub or two...then there are also times my mother or sister will just hook me up with sh*t they got for me while they were out shopping and i occasionally find myself packing my prelude up to the max. i thought about checking out a G35 coupe, but i prefer the more raw "hardcore" sporty look of the Z.

gooters

Running the credit check is BS. **** them, it is just a sales tactic to make you feel more obligated to buy. Go to a different dealership.

Also, it dings your beacon score a couple points to have your credit run, not a huge deal, but I wouldne put up with that.

I had a dealership tell me that, so I went elsewhere to buy.

P.S. When you do shop for a loan, do all your shopping within a week or so. All the credit inquiries will show on your report, but most lenders will treat it as one inquiry as it is obvious that you were shopping for one loan at the time.

EnthuZiast

iTrader: (4)

Don't let them do that. It hurts your credit score.

MyZ4U2C

Yes thats off Independence. If you go on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month-every month, they have a cookout too with free food. That was a nice treat! I'm from Raleigh but went to Charlotte to get my car. As far as storage, you can definitely get a luggage bag in the "trunk" and a laundry basket in the front seat next to ya if you're in college and take the dirty clothes home for mom to do ;-)

RedShft

haha....to hell with that dealer asking for a credit check. i just went to another one that's here in Concord, NC where i'm goin to school. soon as i walk up to the 350 a dealer comes out and asks "how you doin? do i need to go get the keys?" i didnt jump on it at first making it sound like im some kid that only came there for that. i started shooting the **** with him. asking if they had any other Zs on the lot (there was an auto hardtop, an auto roadster, and a 6speed roadster). after about 5 mins...he asks again, "so you wanna take it for a spin, we'll take the roadster so you can feel what the 6 speed is like" this guy was totally cool, he even let me drive it off the lot....he never drove it. he even told me to take it down this twisty country road to she what she had. i explained to him that im gonna have to wait til i graduate college, which will be in may. he said Nissan has some graduate program where if you can show that you have a job lined up in the next few months...then you automatically qualify for the top tier, as long as you dont have obligatory credit....which i dont. but overall i was happy with how the Z felt. handling/steering felt about as responsive as the RX8....and w/o a doubt accelerated better. not extraordinary quick, but enough for it to be fun and satisfying after spending nearly 30K. i felt that with the RX8, after a few months i wouldve been disappointed w/ the acceleration after spending 28K and all the reliablity/power issues they are having. although it was still a fun car to drive. but oh well, i guess yall know all this anyway. but i think come late spring/summer time im gonna definately be seriously considering a Z or a G35.

Nothing

Not sure about the credit check thing, but I have to be honest that I was a little shocked at how easy it was to test drive the Z. I went this weekend and with nothing more than a handshake and telling the guy my first name, he let me test drive the car with my friend... we were all alone. I was thinking... WTF? This guy only has my first name... I could run off with the car? There was a blinking light on the dash though that could be lojack? Not sure, but I was almost skeptical that the dealer was too trusting. Then again, this was a pure import dealer that had a few G35's and 350Z's and the rest were ferarri, mercedes, etc... so maybe they are extra polite to their clientele.

N.

GreenE69s

same crap happened to me with the lancer evo. all the dealers around here wanted to check my credit...well, F them...I got the Z instead.

PerfZ

iTrader: (3)

FICO rules have changed (supposedly) so as not to have multiple inquiries affect your score. However, since the "rules" seem to be top secret, guess we will never know. Seems like an awful lot of Z owners have had this type of probelm; I had to practically beg for a test drive which is totally asinine for a car purchase.
Dealers - are you listening?

Zinmyfuture

An unauthorized credit check by any dealer is illegal and the dealer may be fined by the Federal Trade Commission for doing so. They can only run a credit check on you if you are planning to finance your purchase through the dealership. A test drive is NOT an application for credit...doesn't matter if it's a Nissan, a Hyundai, a Ferrari, or an Austin.

I was able to test drive the Z without a credit check...hell, they didn't even ask to see my driver's license!!!

So if any dealer requires a credit check for a test drive, play hardball...mention the FTC regulations regarding unauthorized credit checks and they'll back off

MatchStick

I am currently shopping Z's (cross shopping with used M Coupes). They didn't require a credit check from me. They were actually very accomodating. I called them first to set it up. The funny part is, a credit check would only do one thing for them: weed out teenagers from real buyers. I mean, if you're 30 and have a crap score, it doesn't mean you can't buy the car, just that you'll get a crap rate. It would only help determine those who had no credit at all (which is also bogus - banks are in the business of lending money. they WANT you to take out a loan, the car dealership WANTS you to buy the car).

I have it on good authority that leases through Nissan all the get the same money factor for tiers 1-3 anyway. As someone said, it's a trick to make you feel more obiligated to buy. Don't believe the hype - if you live in a semi-urbanized area, it's not like there aren't a ton of Nissan dealers in this country. Walk, and teach these losers who is in charge.

oh, and first post

HEUGE

I have only once submitted to a credit check prior to a testdrive, but the insanity of this was that it was not for my 350Z, instead an Isuzu Vehicross.

I had driven 1.5 hours to the dealership, but before they would let me do a test drive or start paying in cash, they demanded a credit check. Never mind the fact that we had spoken over the phone for the last few days arranging the visit and that I was driving an already nice car. They just had some incredibly bad business practices, but unfortunately I did submit because the Vehicross was a rare car that I had a real interest in buying immediately. Fortunately the dealer ended up ruining the deal in the end, and I preordered my Z.

My advice for anyone now: Screw the dealer if they ask you for a credit check before a test drive.

Jeff F

I had a dealership pull this BS on me too. I was with my wife wanting to drive a Z. Its not like I am some young punk kid. The salesman pulled it first and I told him it didn't sound like he wanted to sell me a car. He went and got the manager and the manager pulled the same thing. I told him I didn't need a credit check as I was paying cash and just wanted to drive the car. He still refused. I didn't waste anymore time with these jerks and moved onto the next dealer.

The next dealer I saw gave me the test drive and got my sale..In Cash.

funkymonkey1111

The credit check idea is just bad business, and is evidence of the fact that these Nissan dealers are just small timers. What's the credit check going to show? Just the ability to obtain financing of the individual doing the test driving. That presents no real evidence of ability to purchase.

If you walk into a dealer of heavyweight cars (Ferrari, Porsche, etc), present yourself as something other than a punk, 9 times out of 10 they're going to copy your license, and throw you the keys for an hour. They know how to make a sale, and how to impress a customer. Remember, these Nissan dealers are out there pushing Sentras, Xterras and Quests most of the time, and are not serious sports car dealers.

gooters

Nice!

themyst

iTrader: (1)

That is somewhat true. All inquiries in a 21 day period are counded as one hit against your overall FICO score. Lots of inquiries won't hurt permanently. They go away after 90 days. I say, let them run your credit, no big deal. If anything, I want them to see my nice 772 score so they know they can't screw me on financing.

scubasteve

iTrader: (6)

My local dealer tried the credit check scam when the Z first came out. It actuallly discouraged me from purchasing the car and I waited until after the divorce to get the car. I was equally baffled when the dealer stated that they had to have a credit check first. When I went back, I had a pre-approved loan and they didn't even question me after I told them. They consider pre-approved loans as cash and drool when they know that. Just my .02 worth.

sm16

Quick question - can a credit check be done with just your driver's liscence?
And do they have to tell you that they're running a credit check?