Hello,

I am currently in the market for a 350Z Touring Coupe. I have two options, I can buy a 2003 model or order a 2004 model, the '03 has 10K miles on it and is $4,000 cheaper than the '04.

Which one should I get? Thanks!

 

You'll have a lot of people telling you to buy new. New is great, but a lightly used car is a much better value. People make the argument that 04s have less problems than 03s...yet nobody can prove it. 04s still feather, still pull to right, and trannys still grind. 04s do have some small updates (kneepads, seat belt arms, etc.) that are hardly worth the $4k to me.

As for "abusing the car"...I've never heard of anyone who bought a low mileage used car whose problems could be attributed to abuse.

Bottom line is you should take the used 03 if it's in good shape. If you're not able to assess that, stay away. $4k is a lot of money, and the cars are almost identical.
NzZ

 

Depends on how much risk you want to take.

For a $4 K saving, I'd go new.

If you go used have the car checked carefully by a quality mechanic not associated with the seller who is knowledgeful of Zzz issues.

 

04 touring 1190 miles no problems. Also, u never know if the previous owner followed the break in procedure.

 

03. you can bargain more for the 03. all of the bugs still remain for the 03 and 04 except i think the transmission. feathering is still there along with the little nagging issues. thats what im doing getting a late build 03.

 

2004 is the way to go

 

If I were in your shoes I'd buy a '03.

 

03 touring 11000miles no problems.

its really a crap shoot whether the car has problems, 04 might have a less likely chance.

the build date on the 03 would factor in for me. a car bought and build in 02 would be different than one of the last cars built as a 03.

for 4000 Id go new... but thats only cause I think the price should be lower.

 

This question is asked here about once a week.

If money is no problem buy a new car.
No one really wants a used car. It's just more affordable and you'll be buying someone else's driving habits and problems.

Nothing Like a new car

 

2 things amaze me.

1) This question gets asked daily. :-) I think it should be an FAQ by now.

2) People keep saying the 04s have less problems than the early build dates (02s and the like). Let's take a look:

Feathering - Still present in 04, no matter what any fool tells ya.

Gearbox issues - I'm not sure if they're actually problems, simply the design or what, but they still exist in 04.

Window Streaks - Although they have been fixed for 04, there were some 04 cars with them. And they resolve with time, and if you're in a hurry the dealer can fix 'em for ya. What's the big deal here?

Bose System - free update for the 03 that makes it identical to the 04.

There were the probs with the early cars...and guess what, they still exist! Amazing eh?

SO...after all this, what the hell is the difference b/w build dates? I'm sick and tired of hearing this crap about 9/02 vs 6/03 vs 12/03 etc. etc.

Someone please show me where the 04s have truly been improved, and i will shut the hell up, I promise. ;-)

Sorry I had to take a stand against unwarranted statements. The bottom line is Nissan has done nothing to fix the issues with the Z. The sooner we all see that, the sooner we can all try to get some resolution here.

Sorry, it's been a rough day.
NzZ

 

I'd say the majority of 04 owners
Do Not have the issues that were present in "Some"
03 models. I have no issues with my 04 TRACK.

A few issues have appeared here and there with the tens of thousands of Z's produced.

There are many threads on this.
Here is one https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....0&pagenumber=1

Your odds of problems with a Brand new 04 are far less than a used 03 w/ 10K miles.

Either way your getting a Z. Enjoy

 

Well, The ONLY reason to get the 03 oviously is to get a cheaper price. If you can afford it you should get the 2004.

"04s still feather, still pull to right, and trannys still grind."

No..they do not. Not anymore.

I have owned two 2004 Z's. One an early model 04 and my current Z, a later model 04.

The early one, DID grind on occasion, but no one had ever reported needing a new tranny in an 04. It did pull to the right but that was going to be permanently fixed with the replacement of a couple parts that The Z;s all come with now. NO ONE has had feathering that has reported it on an 04.

My current late model 04, has NO problems, NONE, 110% perfect. It drives as straight as an arrow, has never once grinded, and I don't even have the window grease streak.

Also, a lot of people have had no problems with their 2003's either. So if you get the 03 you probably wont have problems, and if you do theres always warranty. But the fact is the newest out there is going to have less problems develop, or less of a chance I should say.

Even in 04 there was changes to the gear box, and we are currently on version 8 as told to me by the tech.

"Feathering - Still present in 04, no matter what any fool tells ya."

NO theres not, guess I am a fool...huh..

Find me one 04, and better yet one later model 04 with feathering, I'd love to see it. And I will stand corrected if you produce one.

Edit: My early model 04, pulled to the right, like I explained above, and couldhave possibly led to feathering, don't know and never will.. But like I said there were some parts changed later on.

 

Blue liquid's post on this page
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....1&pagenumber=1

Jor888's post on the same thread...
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....0&pagenumber=4

Rands post on the same page

Rands on this page
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....0&pagenumber=5

Kcobean on that same page

And all those posts were from ONE thread. I'm sorry, I'm not patient to dig through the others, but if you read them you'll see what I'm talking about. I visit a LOT of Z sites (only really post on this one), and have seen that a LOT of 04 Z owners (even roadster owners) are having feathering and tranny grinds.

And furthermore, can you tell me what Nissan has done to fix the tire prob? What part was changed? Nissan even admitted that the 04.5 suspension does not address feathering. The reason feather probably hasn't cropped up yet is b/c dealers are doign alignments/rotations that help delay the problem, and many of the late 04 owners don't have many miles on their rides.

Whew...and now for the tranny - People with 03s are getting the latest trannies put in - even later than the 04s. They are getting new clutches, new throwout bearings as well in some cases...
and guess what...things are better, but there's still a grind or two to be seen.

I went to Baker Jackson Nissan in Houston TX, TODAY and drove an 04 Z , the tranny STILL ground just a little going into second.

I'm glad you feel better about having a late model 04, but the truth is that whatever problems existed have not been adequately addressed. And people should not be misinformed that a later model is the panacea.
NzZ

 

Well like I said, we are now on version 8 of the gear box according to nissan. So I do have the latest (as my Z is brand new)

My last 04 did grind, and pull to the right, but it was an early production model.

My current one has not ever grinded and it is much more smooth then the last. And as I said drives as straight as an arrow.

I went to Nissan to address the pull to the right and they said my Z was just barley old enough to have missed the new parts. I do not recall which exactly they are but next time I go in I will double check to see what they are.

WEll, Maybe some 04's are still having some problems, but it is oviously not a big deal like it was on the 03's.

Guess I got one of those perfect Z's, with not a single defect.

 

NO DEAL LIKE A BRAND NEW DEAL!!!!
That what I would do.

04 Enthusiast
Le Mans Sunset
Aero Kit
Splash Guards
F R Matts

 

doy uo think the 2005's will have any tranny issues or feathering or pulling to right?

 

I have a feeling '05's WILL have feathering problems based on a few reasons...

1) No one knows for sure what causes it nor how to fix it. Not even Nissan far as I can tell.
2) Some '03's have it, some '04's have it, some '04.5's have it. Notice a trend?

Not EVERY '03, '04, or '04.5 owner has reported that they have feathering (making it even more strange really). My '03 didn't have it... until it did.

I wish people would not post that '04's or '04.5's don't have the problem, because it has been posted that some have. I also wish people would stop posting that it's been fixed, as that would indicate that someone knows WHAT the problem is/was.

If you've fixed it, or know what the problem is, tell Nissan. They think it's due to toe-in alignment. Mine is in spec (new specs), we shall see.

 

This is a no brainer; the 04.

 

Chicken I absolutely agree. There is a bunch of BS on here about 04.5s not having this problem...I like to call it wishful thinking. The tranny issue is similar - many people with 04.5s and/or the latest trannys on older cars continue to have 3rd gear grinds. All of which really means that the 03s really only had very minor issues over the 04 (bose, window grease).

NzZ

 

I based my own decision (same situation as the original poster) mostly on price. Simply put, these things are expensive. I ended up with an 03 Track w/ 8k miles for around $6 less than a stock 04. Essentially it's the same car and both drove identically. If you can afford the extra $, go newer. But an 03 w/ 10k miles is practically new itself.