thatpreludeguy

I'm currently between the Z, G35c, and an S2k for my next car. Needless to say none of them are perfect and all have their ups and downs. My question about the Z/G35c is how do you guys feel the car will hold up down the road? It seems that many of you have had good experiences with dealers taking care of the TSB's for greasy windows, tire feathering, etc... however do these fixes seem to be holding up?

I'm ok with the car being a first model with some issues as long as the dealer is making repairs that are going to keep those issues from re-occuring and not just band-aiding them. Whatever car I get next will be my only car and I plan to put at least 20k a year on it for the next 5-6 years so I dont want something that's going to develop major issues just outside of warranty.

Any opinions?

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

If it was my only car, I'd go for the G35; it appears to be a bit more versitle than the Z.

NzZ

The VQ has a reputation for being very reliable. The other mechanicals seem solid, but are otherwise unproven. The S2k is also a good choice, although they consume a LOT of oil, and are much more costly to repair. Also, I doubt the S2k motors and trannys last that long if you flog the car.

NzZ

thatpreludeguy

Most S2K's consume about a quart every 5k, typical of most Honda VTEC motors so I dont sweat that at all. And repairs are simple, I mean if you're talking about clutch or rear end jobs then sure it's expensive but I doubt any more then that on a Z.

My real concern about the Z/G35c is if the front end keeps giving problems, the grease streaks dont stop, the interior rattles become more over time, issues like that. Really I want to see if the fixes the dealer have made are holding up and if the owners think the fixes are permanent instead of temporary.

NzZ

Former S2k owner here..I'm sorry, mine ate a lot more oil than one quart every 5k. It was more like 1 qt/2k. Granted I drove it quickly, but surely Honda expects owners to do so. S2k engine parts are far more expensive than the Z, b/c the motor is not a shared product. Believe me I know what I had to pay to repair some of mine! My S2k had a lot of little probs too and I had an 01. Top wore prematurely, taillamps faded, oil consumption, tranny grind, rattles galore etc. The Z's problems are fairly similar to that.

Getting back to the front tire issue, I can say one thing about the tire issue for sure: NO ONE knows what the hell is going on, not even the people at Nissan. I am beginning to doubt that nissan will fix this problem. I only expect about 10,000-12000 miles out of a set of high performance tires anyway...so if I get 9 or 8.5k, it won't really bother me. Besides that, you only have to replace the fronts.

NzZ

ares

iTrader: (2)

also should be noted... from what Ive seen and read. the tire issue is not a tire life issue... you can drive a feathered tire the full distance, it just gets noisy, I guess that depends what your standards are. I suppose Im an easy customer or just plain ignorant.

I dont know if my tires are feathered. I hear lots of road noise, engine noise, whatever. I just dont care... a rattle? I think I have much much fewer than most, or atleast I assume I do as none of them bother me. I figure when people say rattles they mean like a marble shaking in a tin can, cause thats what Id need to hear to really take notice and be bothered, way I look at it, its a moving vehicle, 3200lbs, 287hp with 6pistons reving at 6600RPMs hitting every crack and bump in the road. how COULDNT it rattle? hell the chair Im sitting in squeeks and it doesnt do anything. maybe one day Ill own a bentley or something and Ill know what it could sound like.

grease streaks? I really dont notice them anymore. I just figure there are worse things to worry about in life than a small streak.

maybe I should expect and demand perfection, but then again, Im glad I dont. cause then Id never be happy.

buy any one of those 3 cars, drive them all, and think hard. but whatever your decision, may as well realize now none of them are perfect, and if you wanna be happy, accept that.

zand02max

iTrader: (22)

What the.... 20K a year, are you saying mod wise? You meant to say 2K, right? I mean thats like 100K in the car.

I am not sure I read that right. Anyone else read it the way I did?

NoExcuses

I believe he is talking about 20k miles on the car per year. not 20k dollars in mods.

zand02max

iTrader: (22)

LOL, its time for bed, Night all, LOL, I totally read that wrong. LOL!

thatpreludeguy

Correct. Man if I had an extra $20k to blow a year I wouldnt care less if the repairs held up, I'd just buy new parts all the time. Well although I know neither compare to a Z I might wind up getting a CL Type S or possiibly an '04 Accord coupe 6 spd. I really want something a little more civil and practical and the lower up front cost make them both pretty attractive. Who knows, once its' warmer out I might have too much of an urge for speed and wind up with a Z or S2k. God I hate having to choose a car right now.

R.J._Vancouver

I was the same boat. My choice was between an `04 S2K and an `04 350Z Performance model.
I bought the Z. The thing that I did not like about the S2K was the lack of torque. Yes, they did bump it it up for `04, but only by 10 ft/lbs. to 160. I also don`t like that you have to wind the hell out of the motor to get the power out of it, and here in Canada, they want about $3000 more for the S2K than the 350Z.

NzZ

When I started out looking at cars, I wanted an accord 6 speed. Then I drove one....very nice, but uninspiring. BTW I was looking for a replacement for my 95 accord v6, prob the best car I have ever owned. Anyway, I then thought G35...tried it...to wallowy for me..tried the Z, it fit like a glove. The moral of the story is you have to try what's right for you. All of the cars you mentioned are excellent choices. I think all will be of similar reliability. Those new accords just aren't up to typical accord standards...at least not according to JD powers and the three models I test drove. But then again, that's true of every car - the Z, the Accord, the S-class lol.

NzZ

shinz

iTrader: (3)

i'm on the same boat with ares. I don't know if my tires are feathered, from how people expalin it, i don't think i have that problem. About the road noise from the tires, yea it's kind of loud, but i expected them to be loud. As for rattles, I have some rattling, not a whole lot, but combine them with the tire noise as well as exhaust, and i don't even notice. I'm not even sure if i have rattles, because i only hear them at WOT, when everything shakes. The only complaint i have is after washing my car, when i roll down the windows well over 24hrs after the wash, the windows are soaked when rolled up.

JimH

I may well be the single most qualified one to speak on this topic! AFAIK, my Z was/is the single highest mile Z on this board. I passed 50,000 miles one week ago. https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....hlight=Marilyn
Problems? My oem B-stones went 11k. My replacement Nittos went over 38k.
No rattles, no pulling to left or right. Yup, grease streaks, but too many horror stories for me to let a tech take my door panels off!
I had the first set of Eibachs for the 350 in the USA and it was/is a terrific mod. I had the clear bra installed early on and it was the smartest thing I have done for "Marilyn" yet. No seat problems.
I guess the only two things that bother me would be the hatch struts no longer are strong enough to pop the hatch the first time, but only after a 2nd hit on the button. And secondly, I am on my third windshield now and it is showing pitting again. These seem very "soft" to me.
Overall? Very, very pleased with the car and not in the least fearful of seeing 100,000 miles sometime in 2005. Regards, Jim

grifferjr

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JimH
[B].
I guess the only two things that bother me would be the hatch struts no longer are strong enough to pop the hatch the first time, but only after a 2nd hit on the button.

i have also begun noticing this. when i pop the hatch it comes up the usual 1-2 inches but when i go to pull it open i find that it is still latched. only mine has to be shut again and then reopened to get it to let loose. i tried simply pressing the button again but it still wouldnt let go. do you know of a fix for this? have you talked to a dealer about it. i am about 2-3 weeks from my next oil change and was planning on discussing this with my dealer. if you have any knowledge i would appreciate it. i think i might start a thread in the repairing section to see if others might have some thoughts.

oh yeah big congrats on the mileage. not trying to blow smoke up your *ss but damn thats awesome.

BigBadBuford

My Z has just about 16k miles on it and I am most likely going to trade it in on an '04 Accord 6 speed. In terms of overall reliability it doesn't seem too bad, I can't see the drivetrain giving you any major problems for over 100k miles. The Z does have its fair share of issues though. The road noise from feathered tires drives me insane, the paint on the rocker panels and behind the rear wheels looks sandblasted, my brakes squeal at certain speeds, and it seems like the car develops another rattle every couple hundred miles. If small things don't bother you, I think you could be happy with the Z, but to me all these issues really bug me and totally take the joy out of driving it.
I'd definitely take a look at the Accord coupe. I think the handling and power is fine unless you really start pushing it and it just seems a lot more refined. I heard the early ones had some issues with rattles too, but the '04s seem to have these issues taken care of.

thatpreludeguy

I think I'm best getting something else now and in 3 or 4 years look into the Z again. I trust Nissan as I've been in dozens of very used Maximas that still seem to ride nice and tight. The lists of issues people have had will drive me nuts if I happen to get one of these cars. I think the rattles and rock chip issues will be more prevelant for me in NJ then say someone in AZ or TX since they dont have to contend with the horrible roads I do. For now I'm looking into an '03 CL Type S 6 spd. They have limited production (under 2700 units), decent power and handling and ride solid enough that I wont hate it for the little things. Resale and reliability should be fine and like I said in 3 years I'll bet there's hardly any issues with the Z so I'll appreciate it more then.

It's so hard to resist because the damn car is F-ing sexy but if I get one of the bad ones it'll out a bad taste in my mouth .

NzZ

My S2k had far more trouble than my Z (an 03). Bro has a G35 and a CL Type S. He says the CL is a girl's car, and he would have preferred Z to G but needed rear seats.
lol

NzZ