Hello all. I am new here. I have wanted a 350Z for a very long time.

I just had a fully tuned BMW E46 but sadly some woman T boned me and completely destroyed it. I am no stranger to tuning cars.

I need some help picking out my Z. Please help me!
I
am open to all opinions and advice. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks all

I've learned my lesson buying cars in the past and know it's best to consult those who already own

First off, I want to spend between $5-8k. That's really all I want to invest right now.

I'm thinking of picking up a base model and tossing in either a VLSD from ebay or just grabbing a KAAZ clutch type and tossing it in after. I know the 2006 have a better engine although they are slightly heavier. I know the 2008 has the best engine but they are much more expensive. Is the better engine worth the extra money?

I have also read the later model year transmissions are better and their synchros are stronger. Oh yeah, I only want a manual.

This is what I'm thinking: try to find the lowest mileage 2006 base or enthusiast model I can find down in the southern states (I'm in Chicago and cars up here are hell to work on with the rust plus they are more expensive.). I think I can swing this with the $5-8k. It doesn't need to be a perfect, pretty cosmetic car. I just want it for my own personal driving fun.

I cannot stress enough that I am open to all opinions and advice. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks all.

I added a picture of my poor, dead BMW to share my grief. RIP. I am excited to get into a Z though so it's for the best.

 

You need to do more research

 

Noted on doing more research. I definitely plan on doing that. Asking these questions of you guys/gals is part of that research

 

Depends on your goals. If I had to do it over again, I would just get whatever I could find the best deal on which would probably be an 03-05 base and then put in an aftermarket clutch type diff. Brought the Z to a trackday when my typical track car was broken and quickly found out how bad the stock VLSD was.

 

DE if you plan to go FI.
HR if you just want to play around NA.

Too many variables to give you solid advice on this situation. You are better off determining which build route you want to go, searching for a few cars, THOROUGHLY inspecting them, then posting a couple for us to give input on (not decide for you). From there you can make your decision.

 

Well, I don't want to go forced induction. I like NA cars. I prefer sensation over speed. The 03/04 cars are much cheaper right now. What I'm wondering is much better of an engine the 07 model is. Also, the transmissions worry me as I have heard those synchros can go back pretty quickly.

This is really just a car for me to play around with. For going out to the country and carving some roads, doing some drifting before work sometimes, and taking it to a couple of track days a season in the summer.

It doesn't need to be gorgeous but I don't want a junker. How important is mileage? For the BMWs mileage was EVERYTHING but I feel that's not the case with these cars

 

03-06 can have synchro issues, 07-08 have crap csc's. pick your poison

 

i sold my hr with 80k miles on it, a ton of nice parts, and they guy that bought it never had an issue with it. i wouldnt worry so much about mileage as i would preventative/routine maintenance

 

I can sell you a beautiful Z (any year) with 40k miles for $6,500. You have no idea that of those 30k miles I ripped through 4 sets of tires, rarely drove below 5k RPMs, and ripped the back bumper off , replacing it with a good quality knock-off with a decent color-matched paint job. Then again, I could sell you a beautiful Z (let's just say same year as above) with 80k highway miles that has been garage kept and never saw above 3k rpms for $5,000.

What am I getting at?

At face value you may believe you'd be a sucker to not take the first car. You cannot judge a car based on mileage alone unless you PERSONALLY know the seller and how the car has been treated. Verifiable records from a reputable shop do help, but you should ultimately look the car over thoroughly yourself, or have it looked over by a mechanic, or both.

These engines are reliable out to at least 200k with regular maintenance.YRMV.

 

Wow - happened at Ridge and Clark ( ) ! Whoa. (I left Chicagoland 3 years ago).

As others have already mentioned, the (documented) maintenance history plays an important role when judging the merits of a potential vehicle. I like your idea of getting one from the south or southwest - our rust belt cars are always more difficult to work on. I'm dealing with that now, on my 128k mile 2005 Enthusiast that spent its life in Michigan and was driven in the winter, as well, before I bought it. Every bolt on the underside of this car is going to take patience to remove, and will be replaced with new when work is performed (bushings, shocks/springs, etc.).

 

are you looking for a manual or auto?
just a driver?
weekend fun car?
will it see a track or SCCA event? how often.

are you going to modify it?
how? exhaust and intake? or turbo. or full suspension set up?

need input Stephanie.

 

Crap CSC'S on 07-08? Forgive my ignorance, what are those? I have not come accross this issue yet in my research

 

Haha! Number 5 alive!

CSC = Clutch Slave Cylinder. For those, I believe it is located inside the transmission bell housing, whereas on my 05 Enthusiast, it is mounted to the side of the transmission. There are kits with an improved CSC for the internal ones, from what I've read.

 

OK on CSC. Thanks for that info. I'm no stranger to work on cars so that won't be a big deal. Seems like a much milder poison than rebuilding the trans because the synchros are dying.


As for the use and build of the car it will be mostly just for fun. A couple of track days a year, mostly canyon carving, and I do like going drifting early in the morning when no one is around.

I don't plan on doing a huge build, probably just intake, exhaust, tune, poly bushings all around, and I'm most likely going to grab a clutch plate lsd as I hear the vlsd sucks (had a helical in the bmw). If I go any further than that I would try to pick up some sort of adjustable shocks (can't get too crazy with suspension in Chicago/illinois/the Midwest in general)

Is there a decent way to vet these sellers on how they treated their cars or a mechanic is my best bet? I won't be buying a Chicago car as they are always rusted out in comparison to a southern car

 

my oem went out at 37k miles, replaced with oem and it went out about a year later. after that i went with the zspeed hd one and never had an issue. my advice, if the op is dropping the trans for any reason... do everything in there, clutch flywheel etc

 

I suggest a 06 with a manual trans and brembos.

 

Question about the brembos: are THEY that much more powerful? Are the disc's actually larger? I'm used to just dropping in high temp motul fluid and track rated pads. Usually does the trick for braking

 

1. 03-04 DE - Strong engine - bad snychros (Unless you can find one thats been rebuilt or babied like me)
2. SOME 05-06 Have the DE REVUP Motor and its known for burning oil but fixed trans issues , Can be just as good as the DE IF its taken care of properly its whole life(DO YOUR RESEARCH ON WHAT MODELS HAVE THE REVUP )
3. 07-08 HR Motor , duel intake , less issues then both the DE's but you will pay more (You will pay more for an HR )

I would say go for a DE or an HR but if you can find a REVUP that doesnt drink oil like mad then there is nothing wrong , Do tons of research and most importantly on anything DONT rush and buy a bad car.

 

brembos are bigger. and better. they dont show it on a 1 time stop test..
they show their strength on continued stopping power. and resisting fade.
and the pad selection from the aftermarket will be better.


motul fluid and good pads are awesome for the street.
a 30 minnute session on the track? the stock brakes will show weakness.

 

I personally like the 07/08's. Harder to find forced induction kits, but they are around. They supposedly handle torque better than the 03-05 De's. My first 350z was an 6 speed 03 track edition. That had the typical problems: Leaky valve covers, bad 2nd/3rd synchro, stupid F'n window motors/regulators ( replaced twice). (Common Nissan problem).. VLSD terrible.

Currently have a Stillen supercharged 07 Nismo. Definitely better than my 03 track edition. Unfortunately, too stiff for normal streets. I don't daily it at all, so not much of an issue. I have the stock VLSD which IS the same as any of the R200. VLSD. Planning this winter for a Quaife. Stock clutch CSC has been holding up. Stupid F'n Window motor/regulators issue still present. Replaced them once already.

As everyone said, if you keep your maintenance tight, then you should be golden. Since I store my Z for close to half the year, I change brake/clutch/oil beginning of every season. Diff/Tranny/Engine Fluid every 2 years. Get a model with Brembo brakes w/ SS lines. Motul RB600 fluids, Toss in a large oil cooler and larger oil pan /spacer for an extra quart or 2. Maybe add a larger Diffy cover and its ready for some track events.