Hey guys!

I'm looking to get into 350z and I found one on CL that I liked. It's a 2003 enthusiast model with 122k miles on it. I had it inspected / checked out at a local bucky's and they said everything looked good. They don't do compression / leak down test, just a basic look around. However after reading threads on here about the 2003 tranny, it makes me very paranoid..

The owner has stated that it's the original tranny and it hasn't given him any problems. I test drove it and it didn't seem to have any tranny issues either. However, I didn't really get on it super hard or try to shift extra quick on it to try to make it grind. Maybe I should do another test run?

I'm just really curious if I'm walking into a ticking time bomb. Are there actually any 2003 / 2004 z's out there that have exceeded 100k miles and never needed their tranny / syncros changed?

Here is a picture of said car:



Also here are the specifics he had listed on the car in CL:

-Clean title
-122k miles
-2nd owner, purchased in 2006 with 35k miles.
-Changed oil every 2-3k
-Mechanically well maintained
-Tranny and differential fluid flushed and changed with redline synthetic very recently

Mods include:

-Nismo cold air intake
-Nismo Catback exhaust
-PPE equal length long tube headers ceramic jet hot coated (just bought these and ran me $1200 and yes they are installed)
-Nismo shocks / springs
-Nismo front and rear sway bars
-Nismo Shift ****
-Nismo floor mats
-ACT prolite flywheel and exedy stage 1 clutch installed at 117k miles
-MB battle wheels 18x9.5 +15 front and rear
-Brand new EBC red stuff brake pads
-Rotora brake rotors
-Stainless steel brake lines
-Recently replaced driver door window motor and has an extra motor for the passenger side

The body is pretty straight and everything is relatively clean. He was asking 8.5k but we negotiated on 8k. Do you guys feel that it's worth it? He seems like a pretty honest guy and actually works at a family owned restaurant in my small city. I highly doubt he would want to sell a car on the verge of a breakdown when I know exactly where he and his whole family works.

I would love a second opinion so any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated!

This my first post on here but just saw the buying / leasing section that had similar threads. I'll post this in there too but mods please PM me if you want me to close one of them down.

 

8k? for all those upgrades? yeah ill buy that right now. id pay up to 10k if it was maintained well

 

89k on my original 04 tranny, no problems here.

 

That was well modded and taken care of.. The Z will last up to 150K without issues if you take care of it.

Since the clutch has been replaced you are good!

 

i wouldnt wait

 

Seems like a pretty good deal. VQ motors will last up to ~200k+ if they are maintained properly. Will this be a DD or weekend vehicle? What is your budget?

 

Think I would pull the trigger on this one. New tranny will cost you about 2-3k and less for a used one. Transmissions for these cars are pretty good and it sounds like he took care of it pretty good.

 

Get it, looks like a great deal

 

This will be my DD and honestly, I only drive less than 7k miles a year since my work literally 5 minutes away from my house. I believe it's around 6 miles round trip to my work.

As for my budget, I have pretty decent credit so my loan is pre-approved for 10k (3.24 interest rate) but I'm trying to stay below 9k with taxes / registration. I was originally looking towards an RSX (more economical than my sc300) but always had a 350z /g35 in mind. It just kinda came down to whatever I could find a good deal on first.

Wow I appreciate the help so far! Keep them opinions coming!

 

I highly don't recommend getting any loans. I don't give a fck what theu say about building credit. Avoid loans at all cost unless its your last resort.

 

I agree loans really suck. Even at low interest unless you can get 0 or 1%. I had to get a loan when I got my z because I had no cash and was younger.

 

Try to find a well maintained unmodified car if money is an issue. The price is cheap but not if you have to dump a bunch of cash into it at some point soon. Financially, you should buy a used Mazda 3, Honda civic, or something else with low miles. You only live once however. My first cool car was a Mitsubishi Starion Turbo and when I needed to fix it I didn't have the money. I did have a blast for 3 months however.

 

Lol oh loans... to be young and in debt.

IMHO if you keep hunting you could find a lower mileage 03-05 DE Z that would fit your budget.

Don't jump on the first/second Z that catches your eye... I know it's tempting but the used car game is one of patience.

Just my 2cents

 

if you cant pay cash, you can not afford it.. look at DC

 

I have an 04 that I bought 7 months ago.
My 1st and 5th gear syncros are notchy.
I cant even put it into 1st gear with the clutch fully in, until im going 5mph or under.
and 5th I have to find a sweet spot so it doesnt grind/catch.
But honestly....Its no biggy, it got annoying at first. But its easy to get over

I say take it for another spin, and try to give it a bit more power

 

Neeko, that's actually a safety feature for the tranny all manuals are like that. Basically you would do a lot of damage to the gear if you downshift at higher speed into first.

I agree the trans is notchy it's really just how our cars are. As long as your drive it good then it will last. There is a video online of some guy blowing through his gears and breaking his transmission

 

The car has tasteful mods, looks good and seems that everything is well sorted. The tranny has new clutch, new fluid, no grinds so looks like a winner.

If you decide to get is, don't worry about financing it. as long as you have a good job that you can pay the monthly and eventually pay it off earlier.

People say that "if you do not have cash you cannot afford it" TRUE, to a certain point. How about put half down and finance the rest to build your credit, make your money work for you.

I do not care what other people say, but a GOOD CREDIT is A GOOD CREDIT, there is no way around it... unless you have 300k cash to buy your first property (Condo) but still you have no credit.

 

Wow, a lot of negative views towards the loan. I thought I was getting a good deal on my interest rate too. I made sure that it was doable and that I made enough to cover the loan monthly costs and then some. Actually I made a plan to pay it off well before the loan expired. About 72% of the loan would be payed by March, 2014. I honestly could pay off the whole thing by that time but I like to buy / sell stuff to make extra money so I have always liked to keep about 2g's stashed away for that.

However, you guys do have an interesting point in not buying anything that you cannot afford / buy outright with your own money. I'm sure that is coming from experience and truly I appreciate it. I'm always willing to learn from the experiences of people that have been in a similar situation. In the last few years I've taken control of my debt and actually learned how to use a credit card. As in only buying things you can afford, paying the balance off immediately before the monthly interest hits, and reaping the cashback rewards from it. I never pay with cash anymore and the whole experience is quite eye opening as you go from the slave of the credit card, to the master of it. Sounds a bit like bondage but you guys know what I mean haha.

The big reason I'm considering the z is because my sc300 is over 230k miles and while drivable, it needs a ton of suspension maintenance / engine work. I was planning on keeping and fixing it, but I recently got into a minor accident maybe about 2 months ago and now my desire to fix it is just about out the window. It sucks having the thought of someone else driving it but by the time I'm done completely fixing it, I'll probably cost me about the price of the Z itself. and would be worth about half of the z.

I know that's a lot to read but that clearly explains my situation. I'm just a bit of bargain hunter and after looking up the prices of the mods, it really peaked my interest. The car checked out ok from a basic inspection so figured it might be worth the risk to one up my situation. I haven't spent this much money towards anything yet so it's new territory. The numbers seem right but I just haven't been in the situation so it feels a bit daunting.

Feel free to lend more of your thoughts. All your opinions are definitely appreciated!!

 

One thing that will suck about your Lexus is maintaining it. Those are high miles lol. I wouldn't put too much thought in the z having issues. Unless it was a 2006 with rev up engine then I would worry.

It looks well cared for and worth the money. An auto loan is a good way to build credit. You never think about credit until you need it. If possible put some money down and get a $5,000 loan or something. I had no credit when I bought my z and I'm glad I got financed. It's getting harder and harder because banks will deny you within minutes depending on your credit or lack of

My take: you live once and if you get the same thrill of driving the z like i did then get it. It's fun everyday to drive and worth the money.

 

OP:

Here's the best way to look at paying cash for a vehicle. It's liberating, It's satisfying and it's smart IF you will not be financially strapped by paying cash for a big ticket item.

What's the point of saving and saving to buy something cash if you have no emergency fund or money saved after the purchase and something happens. Banks are out to make money from intrest; that's what they do, but 3-4% on a used car is a good rate. ESPECIALLY on something that's 10+ years old. If you finance $8500 at 3.8% over 3 years, you are paying close to $280 a month. With a decent job and good rate on insurance (and please look into GAP insurance through your insurance carrier until you have paid down 50% of the loan) you will be in a good position to save some money for an emergency fund, have a low car payment, establish credit and drive what looks to be the car you want. People who have been fleeced with leases and financing a $30k car for 72 months on a $3k month income are those that get themselves into trouble. Your income will dictate your outcome here. If you are making atleast $2k a month gross and have expenses less than $1100 a month; you can easily afford $280 a month with plenty of flexibility. I work as a sales manager at a dealership and you are in a good place if the statements I made above fit your situation. Happy driving and good luck!