Hi, I’ve been looking into 350Z’s for the past month or so and I’d like some advice from others who are experienced and enthusiastic about this car. I’ve heard lots of things from the ‘03 to ‘05 having terrible transmissions and the ‘07 and up eating oil. I’d just like some advice on models to look at and explore. I’m in WI, so it would just be a summer car, for the 4 months it’s not snowing here, but I’ve had my heart set on a 350 for a while

 

06's are the oil burners. 07/08 (and 09 verts) have internal concentric slave cylinder failures

What are your plans for the car?

 

The 6MT in the 03-05’s aren’t terrible. They just aren’t basically bulletproof like the cd009 tranny Nissan used in the later years.

Welcome to the forums!

 

In reality - anything you purchase with moving parts is susceptible ... so hedge your bets by taking any vehicle you purchase to a 3rd party / independent mechanic to have a thorough inspection and then tuck away some cash for inevitable car repairs - because they will be required at some point in time.

 

I do a lot of work on cars myself so I know a good deal of how they work and how to fix them, I definitely will be taking whatever I choose to a third party mechanic for an inspection on everything. I want to get the car for something fun to drive around and eventually modify slightly. Not too much modification, because that never goes well with teenagers modding cars. I was pretty intrigued by the enthusiast trim. The car would mostly be used for fun and enjoyment of owning a Z.

 

I'm the sole owner of an 2005 Enthusiast [5AT] with 123k and up until this point, I had little to no issues with the car other than regular parts/maintenance. And TBH, this is the first I'd ever heard of the of '05 models having tranny problems. Unfortunately I've just encountered one and still waiting on a replacement with lower mileage to be shipped down and installed. Other than the camshaft sensors going bad and killing the engine on a drive into work one morning and now this, overall it's been a pretty damn reliable little car.

 

Hi Tylor. The 2003 and I believe early 2004's had transmissions issues. My problem (I have a 2003) was a failing synchromesh in 5th gear. If you buy a 2003, check if it has had a transmission replacement. Nissan swapped out many of the 2003 transmissions. The fix was a CD009 transmission (now CD00A).

 

So if I find a 2003 or early 2004, I should make sure it has a CD009? Or the CD00A?

 

Sounds like either of those is fine, as they are the successors to the problem transmission version. I have a 2005 Enthusiast 6MT with 125k miles. I am the second owner (previous owner was a co-worker of mine, so I have access to the history of it). It was a reliable car for him, and though I haven't driven it too much yet since I bought it last year, it is working well. Having 125k miles,I will need to replace the shocks and bushings - MI roads are not kind on those parts.

 

I was definitely leaning more towards the enthusiast model, just wanted to see what actual owners of them had to say about the reliability; etc. I appreciate everyone’s help!

 

Upgrading the rear diff bushing to an aluminum one [SIKKY] and switching out the other suspension bushings with a Whiteline kit was probably some of the best $$$$ ever spent on mine IMO.

 

I’ll keep that in mind! Thank you!

 

If you buy a 2003 or 2004, you are probably getting a car with significant miles on the odometer. If you do not notice any problems with the transmission (and your mechanic agrees after the test drive), you are probably good. Not all the early transmissions are problematic. The transmission problem was fixed about half way through the production of 2004 models (in which the improved CD2009 transmission was installed).