My 03 is bought and paid for..
I have the chance to get an 08 with 60k for 11k.


Is it worth trading my car in for an HR?
I'm personally leaning towards no, but I wanted to seek out opinions..

 

There will be many who will jump at the chance to upgrade to an HR-equipped Z, but the cost to trade in your '03 on the front end of the deal and then pay extra for the '08 model makes it not worthwhile IMHO. Probably the biggest factor is how you feel about your current ride. If you like it and it's in good shape, why spend thousands of dollars?

 

Yeah, that's where I'm stuck..

I have bad knees so I purchased mine as an auto, this HR is a 6 speed.. I really don't know if I can even handle pushing in the clutch all the time..

 

Trade in? No. Sell the '03 yourself? Possibly. How many miles? What condition?

 

My 03 is in pretty good shape.. I did an 07 front end swap..



I have 120k.. I really don't think it's worth it..

Thanks guys for your input, it's really helped.

 

OP, while it sounds like you've made up your mind - for better or for worse, take your pick - I thought you might want to read one guy's take on the DE v. HR "battle". As honest and candid as I could be. (I have no reason to like one or the other better.)

https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-n...omparison.html

Never mind the "Nismo" stuff. There's comparative "opinion" content on just the DE v. HR componentry.

Follow up note in the thread gives the full perspective (although you probably need to read the first, threadstarter post to get the context).

Warning: my posts of this nature are fairly long winded so be prepared with some coffee or something.

Cheers,

Mic

PS Post #500.... Dayam, I gots too mush time on me hands.

 

Read that right through my lunch break. All your posts seem full of helpful information.

 

I would not want another car payment. Not worth it for the 20 hp extra.

 

If you've got bad knees, then I would think the decision would be simple. Stick with the auto. Or you could get a 2015 NISMO.

 

Have you seen the 08? For the year and milage, $11k sounds like a deal that's almost too good to be true. I could be in really bad shape. On the other hand, if it's in decent shape, I'd say go for it. Nissan had almost all the kinks worked out by the 08 model.

 

That's really tempting IF there are no hidden issues...seems too good to be true to be honest.

Now..to help you beyond the word of caution...if your knees are the main thing holding you back, the one thing that could largely alleviate that is buying the $280 Adjustable Fulcrum Clutch bracket...I have one and you can make the clutch be as light as you want, or be firm, or somewhere in the middle. I went for middle-firm and LOVE LOVE LOVE it....transforms the car, and 99% of the people who buy it LOVE LOVE LOVE that part and all say the same thing. So I think that would be a really important thing for you to know and research...there's actually a big thread in these forums on that bracket so you can read through it all if you like if that helps you decide. My hip used to get bothered by the stock clutch but now I'm at zero annoyance since the clutch bracket changes the leverage so much..make it smooth and the transitions are much much smoother as well in terms of going from no-engagment to the clutch grabbing. The stock clutch is pretty aggressive, and some Z's are definitely worse than others. The clutch bracket fixes this issue COMPLETELY and then some. Your knee be ok I think unless you have some major ACL issues or whatnot...which, either way...you're smart to take into consideration....knees much more important than fun.

Now...the 08 has a much nicer interior, and...a much higher resale value, and much better headlights cosmetically and in terms of light output...they alone are worth about a grand used, they're about $1400 new...so the deal is really a great deal IF it's real...which I highly doubt.

One thing you could do to offset the cost is sell the rims that are on the 08, as they are worth money as well, and just roll on a a cheap set you buy used for a while until you can throw money at rims. You could find a set of rims for around 100-200 bucks I'm sure, but sell the 08 rims for much more, put that savings toward the 11 grand and you're down to 10,600? Maybe lower?

If you wanted to be a nut about it you could buy brand new very high quality Depo headlights for $370 that will drop right into that 08, but sell the Bi-Xenons that came with the '08 for what...$900+? That nets you a profit of about $500+...now put that $500 toward the 10,600 and you're down to 10,100.

SELL your 03...don't trade it in...but if that's part of the deal then the dealer will rake you over the coals on the trade in...that's where the false appeal of 11k comes in I think...they might offer a low price but thats only because they're going to lowball your 03 by a few grand and have you finance the difference.

You'd also get a slightly nicer suspension by the way, the 08's have revised springs that ride a little smoother.

The HR engine is also more mod friendly in terms of putting out more horsepower and they sound better with Motordyne exhausts than DE engines do..in my opinion...but...they definitely can be more easily tweaked on the NA (naturally aspirated) side of things to a better degree than DE engines can. Add some ART pipes and a plenum spacer with the MREV 2 and you'd have a much more horsy engine than your DE.

Hope this helps, personally...I'd do the swap in one point zero seconds if it didn't cost too much to upgrade. You could always get your 11k back if you wanted to go back to an automatic...that's a screaming good deal IF it's real.

Saved

P.S. - The six speed issue...if your knees can take it....I think you'd love the Z twice as much once your health is free to enjoy the shifting/car connection....with the automatic your can enjoy the handling more, but shifting really lets you feel connected to the engine as well...fun stuff that we're all really Blessed to get to enjoy. Most people in life never get to even own a sportscar, and with us Americans better off than 85% of the planet....no matter what you decide...enjoy your ride for the rare treat it is.

 

Private sell the 03 then buy the 08. 08 has better transmission and single ball joint on the knuckles up front. 03-05 they were stuipid and have 2 ball joints, but dont sell the replacement for the one that goes bad so you have to buy a whole knuckle.. Plus 08 is newer