DerekA

My dad is wanting to get rid of his Z (Enthusiast 07') mainly because he never drives it. My research has yielded some positive results on the longevity of the car. Although, I've read mixed things on the lifespan of the transmission. Hoping for some helpful insight from you knowledgeable folks that I should look for/into before buying.

I've been planning on buying a car in the near future but with this, I'm wondering if I should buy this instead...

rancor

The transmissions in the 06-08 are just fine. You don't say if it's a manual or A/T though. Manual can(will) have slave cylinder issues so if you replace the clutch you should also replace the slave cylinder with an upgraded one. You might be close to a clutch anyways.

DerekA

Appreciate your response. Ah, my apologies. It's an automatic (my dad's lazy). He bought the car pre-owned and maybe put 10k miles on it. As far as I know, no issues under the hood. The interior seems to be deteriorating a bit but that's not a big deal.

iideadeyeii

iTrader: (6)

I've NEVER heard about auto transmission problems on the Z except in high HP applications

DerekA

If I'm understanding correctly, as long as regular maintenance is maintained, this big beautiful beast should last for years/miles to come?


Anyone have any experience on using this car as a commuter car?

travlee

iTrader: (8)

i daily'd mine for 3 years.. no complaints

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

My pre-order '03 track Z is not a four season car here in Colorado. But it's been a reliable DD for 14 years outside of that. If you're purchasing an '07 from your dad, I can't think of a better situation for getting a serious performance machine...

Atreyu'z 350

I drive mine 128 miles a day 5, sometimes 6 days a week with no problems. I have an '05.

DerekA

Oregon doesn't experience the seasons as heavily as Colorado may but, naturally, I would assume this car isn't fit for snow driving. I'll just have to use the wife's car during the winter . He's selling it for $9000 which doesn't seem too bad for near excellent condition. I appreciate your input, sir. Thanks!

DerekA

That's inspiring to hear! How often do you do regular maintenance?

Atreyu'z 350

I follow the recommended intervals via the owners manual. 3,000 mile oil changes, regardless of me running synthetic or not. Air filter every 3rd oil change. Trans drain and fill every 15,000mi. Coolant flush once a year, maybe twice. I've only had the car for 18 months, so the regiment begins. Everything else I inspect frequently and repair or replace as needed.

Frostydc4

iTrader: (3)

^^^what he said


You really have to try hard to blow these 5AT.

zwei_the_c

I recall someone running a single-turbo on a Z33 5AT with no issues.

The AT are pretty cheap to replace considering nobody wants a 5AT if you blew yours. ha ha

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Not to take this too far off-topic, but at every Nissan Sport track day for years, the Zs with autos would overheat in short order. Although this was back in the day, the OEM automatic trannys didn't like shifting up and down that aggressively at higher speeds. These were all with unmodified VQ35DEs. Kinda frustrating when a 15-minute session became a 5-minute one when the trannys stopped shifting.

bboypuertoroc

iTrader: (4)

I drove my Z in the snow with no issue. Just don't be a dumbass and you'll be fine.

HOMiEZ

iTrader: (1)

Early 2003 owner. 120k on the odo, daily driven and still on original clutch and no other maintenance on the tranny except for oil changes.

Swaglife81

Longetivity is the last thing to worry about on these cars. Nissan/Infiniti designed this car for dependability.

Bushings are about the only items that are really guaranteed to have some issues and that's not a big deal. The Throttle Bodies seem to be finicky with no average lifeline but that's about it besides normal wear and tear items

The​​ VQ is a proven 200K plus mile engine properly taken car of. A 07 with 90K miles my only concern would be old tires manufacturered over 6 years ago. Tire compound is done after 6 years.

Water Pump I've never heard of ever going out on these cars. My 03 has 208K on the clock and still gets amazing MPG and sounds/idles like new.




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dynamic21

I put 300,000+ miles on my 2003 as a daily driver in stop in go traffic + 300 miles every other weekend on the highway. That thing was bulletproof except for 3rd and 5th gear synchro grinding. I miss that thing, but it was due for new tires and the transmission was really bothering me so I sold it years ago.

I'm in a 2007 now with 130k on the odometer. It's used for daily driving and weekend cruising. So far, the two major things that have caused downtime was a cracked radiator and a slave cylinder issue (which you don't need to worry about with the AT obviously). Both issues were covered under warranty. These things are awesome, really. Key is to keep up the oil changes and maintain fluids - that's really all there is. There might be stupid little things that break here and there like door handles and plastic pieces, but those are minuscule in the grand scheme of things.