I finally traded in my 350z for a BMW 330i Sports/Premium package. I owned my 350z for 16 months and while I did enjoy the car all I have had is problems. The transmission, tire feathering, window grease. bose system, suspension noise and a car that pulls to the right.

I must tell you all that I test drove many cars trying to find a replacement. Some cars were faster but the overall quality of the car, suspension and workmanship were the best in the BMW.

I wish you all luck with your 350z's. The Z is a beautiful car, however Nissan has not treated us with the proper care and respect that we all deserve.

From the begining Nissan has had an opportunity to do the right thing with many of it's customers that were unhappy with the product they had put out into the market. They have chosen not to do the right thing and I have chosen to never purchase a Nissan product again.

Good Luck Nissan!!!

 

Yeah Nissan is the ONLY car company that has ever had a problem with a car that they manufactured.

 

Looks like you had all of the problems mentioned on this site. Good luck with the BMW, got friends that have loved them and hated them. I've never owned one but alway wanted an M5. My most trouble free exotic was a Acura NSX, it did wearout rear tires every 10K miles. My 928S4 Porsche cost a fortune to maintain, brakes and little things that would break/malfunction. I guess most sports cars will cost more to keep on the road. I am sure Nissan will fix the problems, which come with a new model. Even if you have to buy Michelin Pilot sports on your own nickle and they only last 15K miles the Z is still a hell of a car for the money. I still consider it the best looking and best value.

 

My 928 was a money pit also.

My dad had terrible luck with his BMW. He still says BMW stands for Big Money Wasted!

 

B M trouble U

 

Goodluck with your 330, never driven one but they're very nice though from what I've read and seen.

Again to each their own, I'm not gonna preach on what automobiles you should buy, but I think you're being a little harsh on Nissan. Again the problems you listed were pretty much the main "big" problems Nissan has had with the 350z so far. Keep in mind this car was brand new, they're obviously going to have some kinks to work out. And you said you had your Z for 16 months, so maybe because you had one before Spring '03 that could have partly accounted for so much of the problems. Many of the issues were fixed even in the latter part of 2003 from what I understand. Although there were a lot of Z's that had to get transmissions replaced, tire feathering was an issue, etc... you have to also keep in mind the number of Z's that have NOT had one problem. I for example have not had ONE issue with my Z, save for a TINY bit of the grease streaks but that was easily fixed and there have been ZERO problems since I got my car in July '03. *knock on wood* of course

My point is I'm sure a majority of the people who own Z's are gonna be pretty satisified, and it's not like Nissan has just done NOTHING or told us to screw off. I mean you already have your 330 now, so it's probly a little late to just consider you may have had a lemon and get another Z instead.

Ah well though, just my .02 have fun with your bimmer

-drew

 

Have had ALL or SOME of the "problems" stated. Nissan or my dealer has resolved or is monitoring ALL of them. Good luck with the BMW!

 

We [family] have a BMW, and itz a great car, and ive also heard of BMW's running over one million miles on the same engine. Feel bad for those of you w/ bad experiences with the vehicle, but seems odd that a vehicle that seems to be so reliable should have so many problems . Stumps me because our BMW (X-5 3.0) is solid as a rock. just my .02... but good luck with the Bimmer...

Desi

 

A friend from work bought a BMW 3-series about 3 years ago (it was the first year of the newer style). He's a mature guy in his mid-30's who does not abuse his car. He's had to have tie-rod ends replaced, the dealer screwed up his interior while performing another service issue, and he's had a few other issues that required service that I've forgotten.

My point is not to put down BMW's. My point is that it doesn't matter what you buy, there's always a possibility of having problems.

I will probably not buy another Nissan either due to my dissatisfaction with their dealers' service, but I'll be keeping my Z. My '01 Mitsu Eclipse GT was virtually problem free, but I traded it in anyway because it wasn't the car I REALLY wanted. Since I really like my Z, I'm willing to put up with a bit of crap to keep it.

 

Could have gotten a 2004.5 Z or whenever the new suspension came out. Only thing that might be left is the window streaks, which don't bother me much..

My 04 Z had NO problems. I am now debating between the 04.5 Z or my friends NSX. BOth are great, RELIABLE sports cars.

I also considered the 330. Just didnt do it for me. Had a great interior, but it needs a few exterior adjustments to look good imo. Handles well, but not AS well as I'd like. Its a quick car, but not as fast as I'd like. It doesnt catch attention how I'd like, and there are only about a billion of them on each street.

Not trying to put it down at all, it is a nice car. Just no Z IMO.

 

Bimmer reliable????? I dunno about that, most mechanic that I know of told me that Bimmer is number 1 problem car from Germany.

 

I havent had one single problem with my Z. I love everything about this car so far. The most annoying thing about mine is that the engine is so smooth that many times i forget to upshift from 4th to 6th.

 

What is the "right thing"?

Attempt to fix the problems? Done.

Buy your car back from you, because you don't like it? Sorry, not gonna happen. This isn't mazda.

 

Sorry to hear of all your problems which led to your decision to get rid of your Z and buy a beamer. Luckily, I have not yet encountered the problems you have had with the exception of the Bose replacement amp.

In 1984 I purchased one of the first 300ZX's which was a totally new design including a new engine. This car had all sorts of potentially troublesome features like digital dash, voice prompts (fuel level is low, left door is open, headlights are on, and others all in a sexy female voice) I had absolutely no problems with the car and it was passed along to my daughter when she started to drive. We finally sold it after 12 years of virtually trouble free performance. I mention this to show that Nissan was once capable of bringing out a totally new car that was reliable and trouble free. I am sure they have learned many lessons from the issues some have had with the 350.

Good luck with the BMW......I know you will enjoy it.

 

Sorry to hear about all of the problems that you had with the Z. You sure did pick a GREAT car to replace it though. I know you will love the BMW. Post pictures of it, i would love to see it.

 

I have had five BMW's in my lifetime, the 330i, 325i, M3, 540i & 850i. They are all good cars. Sounds like you really wanted a sports sedan instead of a sports car. Ths Z is cruder than these cars, but in my opinion much more fun to drive. However, for a daily driver the BMW's have a nice luxury feel to them that can make a daily comute more pleasant. You bought your Z when they first came out, and it is very common for a car manufacturer to have problems to work out with a new model. Remember the BMW M3's blew a large% of thier motors when they first came out with the increased HP version. Don't get your hopes up, you hold on to your BMW long enough and you will have problems with it as well. They are not built as well as they were 10 years ago.

 

Sounds like an issue with your dealer and not really with Nissan.

I've had mine now for 4 months and 8k miles...have not had a single issue yet....of any kind.

Come to think of it, this is the first new car I have had that has not had to go back to the dealer for soemthing, be it minor or major, in this timeframe.

My issue though is not always the car, as its a piece of equipment, so law of averages tends to rule supreme. My yard stick is the dealer and how they treat things. So far, the best overall ownership experience I have had was Subaru with my old 2.5 RS. Honda ownership was marginal (had 2 S2K's); Audi was a nightmare. Nissan is off to a good start, only because I have yet to have a problem.

BMW has their hsare of major and minor issues too.....hopefully you'll get luckier this time around!

 

I used to work on Mercedes, and believe me they had problems too. My '95 M3 has been reliable.

 

I hear ya Z1 Performance: Ive had my car since September...just hit 8K miles yesterday and not a single prob. All it has done since ive gotten it is get quicker....this car takes longer than most to break in IMO. As far as quality, its just as buttoned down as the Acura CL that i got rid of to get this car. I have the Touring model however and it does add a nit of luxury to the equation...just like my old Ack......

 

Good Luck! Nissan has fixed my problems so far and been very fair. Replaced Bose Amp. fixed grease spots on windows. Tires have not been a problem as of yet, but I have no reason to believe that Nissan and my Dealer will also work this out, should it become an issue. This is a new generation Z car and as such, can and will have minor problems.