Just curious, which dealer did you buy from and which did you go to for repair? (i.e. Melloy or Reliable). I bought my Z from Reliable but have never had to take it in for service...

 

Bought from Melloy, Reliable sales staff was on drugs. Heard good stuff about Reliable service, but this morning got treated like s___. My scheduled app't. was ignored, told to "come back Thursday" and "you're never getting new tires from us." Went to Melloy this afternoon and actually got treated like a human being. Going in tomorrow for first TF TSB. We'll see. Supposedly they have a new tire machine, so MAYBE my wheels won't be scratched.

I still can't believe they (any dealer) will make ANY effort to really help me out (hey, a full set of S03's and a proper alignment would be nice). And yes, I have a NNA case number...been on the phone w/Marcel quite a bit lately.

And, BTW, I'm not a "real" doctor...Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.

 

Hey Doc, have you considered trading yours in on a new one?

If you like the Zzz but not the problems a trade in would solve the issue.

 

Trust me you wouldn't be any happier with a BMW the service for my BMW centers suck plain A$$..... The funny thing is no matter what forum you go to for any vehicle you will always see the negatives to owning that certain vehicle...

 

My biggest dissapointment is with the harshness of the suspension. The car bangs over bumps instead of absorbing them. Supposedly a change of tires, shocks, and springs are necessary .

Another pick I have is with the cheapness of the interior.

Otherwise I like the handling and engine.

I just wish the car had a lot more refinement.

 

wouldnt be happy with benz either. they LOST my moms car. ok ok they found it, but it did take them 2 hours. we are talking a 30min stop in for a bulb change(one of many blown bulbs) then they couldnt reproduce the problem, but couldnt find the car to bring it back(ignoring the fact that they couldnt reproduce a blown bulb...) then they found it and realized it was blown. DUH.

you want to think these premeir expensive car makers have better service, it just isnt true.

I have no doubt the best service you'll ever get is at a saturn dealer, they are ranked best in customer satisfaction year in and year out. too bad the cars suck.

 

I, too, bought my '03 Track used (from a Chevy dealer) with 9450 miles on it. They were asking well below blue book which made me wonder if they new what they had on the lot. Anyway, it had tire feathering (w/crazy road noise at 20mph), window streaks, driver seat shift on hard cornering, front suspension pop/clunk noise every once and awhile, and the infamous 2nd-3rd gear grind (this appeared later). The dealership told me that the guy traded it in on a ZO6. Whatever. What probably happened was that the guy saw all of these problems and thought the car was junk. Maybe that's why the price was so low...

Anyway, I've had the dealer fix ALL of these things in two visits. Fortunately for me though, Regal Nissan has been great to work with. So, after getting these problems fixed, it's like a new car all over again. Sure I could have sold the car and not dealt with the problems. But I love Z cars (my 4th one) and I chose to get everything fixed (it costs nothing but some of your time and, of course, it's a bit of an inconvenience) but it is worth it. Is for me anyway.

Best of luck to you.
dg

 

I think everyone forgets that cars are machines. Whether they are new or old they wil have something go wrong. I have seen more problems though w/ sports type oriented cars. I have owned 5 sports cars---three being first model years and each has had its "brand new problems" I ended up trading in my S2000 for an Infintiti Qx4. It is real nice but I miss the performance. I will be buying a Z in a few years since I have found driving sports cars is more pleasurable. Many don't understand that sports cars are designed for driving fun, not a piece of art--well---some are
Any way, I have just learned that cars will never be perfect, unless of course you want to spend your time in a dealership and also spending your wallet trying to make a perfect car. Every car that I have owned has either had a minor or major problem fixed under warranty. Maybe the only solution to all of this is to buy a used ca, that way any problems that come up will be expected!

 

nearly 18,000 miles and I've had a few problems, but nothing that wasn't fixed, replaced or taken care of otherwise... BTW, did I mention that I love my car???

 

hmm... were you aware of the g35 when you bought the z.

 

I hear Lincolns have a supple ride ...

 

Umm, have you driven the Z's competition? With the exception of the Rx8, most cars like it ride even worse (ie S2k, E46 M3, etc.). Hell I just drove an RSX and it was pretty similar to the Z. The bottom line is you can't have superlative handling with a supple ride. The M3 is an awesome car, but rides even worse then the Z - on the highway the M3 makes my butt go numb from all the vibration. The S2k is also more harsh than the Z, and it seems more susceptible to crosswinds as well. The Rx8 rode a good bit smoother but had body lean that made me nauseous.

The bottom line is sports cars are always firm...they have to be to get good handling. That's why the G35 feels like a boat after driving a Z (I drive damn slow in my bro's g35c). That said, for most people, the G35 is probably an ideal combo...but real enthusiasts want the feeling offered by the Z.

NzZ

 

I bought mine used too. 9,500 miles on the car when I drove away. I have 16,800 on her now after 4 months. Tire feathering, Bose, and the grease streaks... Did an alignment to the tires from the dealer, had the Bose TSB'd, and the grease? "Eh...." I love this car so much I just sold my '01 Honda Coupe two days ago..."bye-bye..Honda"

 

I love my Z. I have a daytona blue touring, completely stock. Thus far I've had:

1. The window grease TSB fixed
2. tranny replaced (gears catching 1st to 2nd and third to fourth, notchy shifting when not catching.
3. Head unit replaced. Cd's skipping in cold weather. Bose sucks.
4. Headlights replaced.
5. Clunking noise (TSB) fixed.

I've had all of the above fixed in three visits (2 visits were regular service). My dealer, Nissan of Santa Monica is very good. I showed them the problem, they fixed it. Simple. Never once did I have the feeling they were trying to get out of doing additional work. Ask for Sam if you go there.

I suppose if I had to fight with my dealer to get the car fixed, I'd be blasting the Z for having so many problems. But my dealer made it so I don't have any problems. Now I'm a big Nissan fan.
Customer loyalty=#1

 

Yes, I was aware of the G35 but I did not want to pay more nor do I like the looks of the G as much as I like the looks of the Z. I'm not expecting the Z to be as refined as my SL500 sport roadster, but I don't expect a crashing/bouncing/jouncing suspension, and interior rattles worse than you'd find in a 10k econobox.

Lincoln? They don't build sports cars. But sports cars don't need to be harsh and rattly.

 

I bought my '03 Track new and I've had the grease streaks, badly feathered tires, excessively chipped paint, and a few other minor annoyances. I am getting very close to trading it in. I expected problems since it was a very early first year model, but I also expected the dealerships to be more receptive and willing to work on fixing problems. I've had my car to the two local dealerships, both times I outlined every problem I've had with the car and the exact circumstances that caused them to occur, even down to which roads to drive on, but when I get it back it is either, "We can't reproduce it", or just, "Uh, we can't fix it".
I've had a few issues successfully taken care of, but only after having my car in the shop probably 10+ days so far, sometimes not having car my for a few days at a time because the idiots dismounted my tires and then figured out they couldn't mount 18 inch tires. I have a dealership willing to give me new tires under warranty, but I have been waiting since November for them to become available. What I don't understand is the local dealership is supposedly the #1 service dealership in the state and they SUCK - I saw them burn out in my car right in front of me (in my 240SX) and scratched my wheels, put grease marks on my headliner and put a fray in my seat.
I really like the Z, the ride and handling doesn't bother me and overall refinement is good for a sports car, but anymore dealing with incompetent dealerships is really taking the joy out of the ownership experience.

 

My Eibach springs took care of the harshness, although there was an element of the stiffness I liked. Suspention is softer now. Still, a good compromise.

 

Anyway, back to the heart of the thread.

21K mi. Still love my car. 8mo. old daily driver. Had tire TSB done @ 19K. Looks like i'll be good to around 25K.

 

Sports cars may not need to be harsh, but most of the ones I've driven are that way. Try a 911 with sports suspension, or a boxster with sports suspension. Try an E46 M3. They have rattles as well, although I don't know if they're as bad as the Zs.