I am thinking of buying a 350Z Performance model. I read a lot of good things in this forum about the car, and I want one more than ever.

Tell me though, for those of you that own one, what DONT you like about it? What would you change about it if you could? Has your opinion about the car changed over time?

I would appreciate any feedback you can give me!

 

The only minor gripe I have is that there's no hatch release button inside the car. Other than that, no complaints

 

Let’s see...

...I hate people staring at me all the time when I drive my Z.
...I hate people in parking lots or at gas stations always striking up conversation with me about my car.
...I’m tired of my friends always asking about my Z; “Did you drive it today?”.
...I’m tired of my friends making fun of me when it rains or snows because they know I won’t drive it in bad weather.
...I hate kids in POS cars at traffic lights wanting to race.
...I’m tired of having to park ¼ of a mile from stores in the parking lots.
...I’m tired of having to watch out for SUVs changing lanes in traffic because they don’t see me.

Yeah, unfortunately I have a lot of gripes about my Z. My advice, don’t buy one.

 

Besides the obvious Blose stereo?

1. Interior fit and finish
2. Shoulder belt (rubs on my neck all the time)
3. Some kind of 3M clear protection on the interior (near the B pillar). The seat belt has marked up the plastic interior when letting the belt go.
4. few hundred pounds lighter

 

Things I think could be improved:

1. The track model should already come with NISMO S suspension and sway bars + about 330hp. Rays wheels should come in 245/275 combo from Factory. If they did that, I would have got that model in a heart beat.
2. Dashboard should be made of one material, matching of interior materials are disjointed and clash. Stereo wek bose or not, just tear it out and do it right.
3. Poorly designed suspension caused ride on fwy to be messed up, forced me to change springs. It is stiffer now but rides correctly. Guys that own a Z know what I am talking about.
4. Sunglass holder overhead is worthless. They know better than to design it that small.
5. Rattles in dash, got them fixed so it is not a deal breaker.
6. Window streaks, got them fixed too.


In summary, nothing serious on my car to hate it. IMO. if all i got to complain about is items #5+6, then it is a good car. Thank goodness no tire feathering yet at 5500 miles. Maybe new toyos and wheels or new suspension are doing the trick? Maybe I am just lucky?

Jeff - zland

 

i wouldn't have minded a transmission that works properly from the factory (instead of the one i had replaced).

other things i could live without:
- window seals that stay wet for 3 days after you wash the car.
- leaking from the rear window washer spray.
- lousy stereo.

nothing here is a killer, though.

as for the sunglasses holder, it works fine for me. oh, and it's a great car, you should buy one.

 

I've done 2050 km now, and NOTHING so far.

I revved her up to 5000 rpm yesterday for the first time, and wow!

 

Outside of the stero I have two pik-nits:

1) No front storage you can reach while driving. This one was solved by a $12 holder that straps to base of the seat.

2) No armrest. This was solved with a $65 aftermarket rest designed for the Z.

See below for other issues.

 

I think you're going to have a few complaints regardless of which new car you might buy. I've had a Performance Z for over a year. Sure, there's a few small things that could be better, but it's still a lot of car for the money, both performance-wise and quality-wise. I'd buy the same car again - same color and everything.

Keep in mind that some of the complaints you've read about are from enthusiasts who really notice every possible detail and try to figure out how any imperfection can be improved upon. This is not a bad thing, but it makes for a long laundry-list of "complaints" since this is a world-wide forum. No one Z has all of the "problems" that you've read about. (If it did, it would blow up and fall apart going down the driveway.) But, you probably will find some little things wrong with any Z or any other car. I haven't seen any big problem mentioned that, if I had that problem, I would wish that I hadn't bought the car. It's under warranty - get it fixed. If you go three years and it's still unacceptable, then get rid of the car.

Check to make sure you can handle the car payments (if any) plus the expense of the insurance (check around for the best rate). Then, go for it.

0.02
WayneTN

 

My Gripes

1. Having to look back at my Z 3-4 times while walking away from it after I've parked.
2. Breaking the tires loose when I just wanted to pass the guy next to me.
3. Having NSX, Porsche & Vette owners staring at my Z.
4. Finding that I'm doing 90-100mph when I was only trying to merge onto the highway.

Seriously though, I've had the usual problems (tranny, tire feathering, Etc.) and had actually considered trading my Z for another car. But after looking at all of the vehicles currently available in my price range I would rather have my Z. In a few years Nissan will perfect the 350Z and will probably add more power then it will be time to trade up .