FrankCade

I'm seriously considering getting a manual 350z. What are your guys thoughts and/or past experiences with this car? Is there anything I should watch out for?

travlee

iTrader: (8)

curbs and telephone poles

zwei_the_c

Jersey Barrier.

DarkZ03

iTrader: (11)

Great car, kinda nothing bad to say about it really

Bak3rme

iTrader: (1)

ur asking a biased group here, I'm pretty sure most people here will be biased towards the Z, maybe if I were you I'd ask on the car subreddit.

Sparklan

Just picked up a 2008 350Z last year, so it's still pretty new to me. The stock interior is crap, just know that going into it. Noisy cabin, which can be a good thing. For me, I love hearing the road, exhaust, the linkage of the six speed, etc... The Z has a very mechanical feeling and does not even attempt to remove you from it. So, if you're looking for quiet this ain't it. If none of that bothers you it's a great car to "drive".

Zelduh

Ingress & egress is a bit of a chore, but once you're in, it's a very well balanced, capable fun little car. I love driving it, just cruising & minding my own business.

It is amazing how every single drop of washer fluid goes directly into the window switches even if your window is only cracked 1cm.

Bmsluite

iTrader: (1)

It's a fast car. It has ZERO sound deadening. It handles well but it understeer pretty bad so you'll have to mod that out. The transmission could be better but it's pretty solid IMO. Steering feel isn't anywhere near what a porsche or an old BMW is but is leagues beyond what you'll get from a mustang. It has quick reflexes and feels very fun.

It also doesn't take much to tighten it up and make it a REALLY fun car. Some good dampers, some good brakes, freshen up a few bushings, a set of sway bars and you'll have a really good time.

I don't think you need to be a super experienced driver for this to be a first sports car either. I think it's a very forgiving chassis. It is very predictable. It won't bite you in the *** like a porsche will when you screw up.

Its not a luxury car so you'll hear every rock that hits the underside. The interior rattles with loud music. The seats are pretty decent though. Pretty good mix of comfort and holding you in place.

In my opinion it's the best mix of performance and sports feel for the money out there right now. I would buy one. I did buy one. So I put my money where my mouth is. Go drive one.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

It's a quick car, far from fast

Franknbeans

iTrader: (1)

UP to you, but I would look at an older 370Z. They aren't very expensive. I picked up a 05 a few years back for a summer / track car. Everything was great and comfortable until I changed the suspension. Now it's a bit rough for the roads. Still doable, but now I give it a second thought before taking it out over the CX5.

Sparklan

You picked up an 05 370z?

Zelduh

Thats a little too kind, lol.

Maybe it's just that mine's an 06 RevUp that makes it a mutt?

jhc

The suggestion was to look at Z34s as the prices are good, If I'm reading this correctly FB bought an 05 Z33.

jhc

Bang for the buck, really good car. Mr. K and his team really thought a lot of things through with precision.
The Bad- Concentric Clutch slave is mounted inside the 6MT housing and tends to fail. $$$$
Interior surfaces are quite prone to scratches/damage.
The audio systems were sub-par (Bose/Clarion) even when produced.
The window motors were under-engineered and last 2-5 years.
The Good- True entry level sports car that is a blast to drive!
There is still a huge following and support from dealers and aftermarket for parts and service, I don't see that changing.
There is a huge amount of online data regarding any item you can name for help with DIY repairs.

It's a great, affordable car with a sturdy drivetrain if maintained properly will run 2-300K miles before rebuilding. It has advanced ABS and Traction Control to correct driver error(which can be bypassed) so many these days are crashed. Worth noting- According to the NHTSI the mortality rate for this vehicle is indeed quite high. The car is quite easy to drive, and some drivers disable the stability controls which is designed to prevent out-of-control driving and it doesn't end well, so there's that.

My ZR had 43K on the clock when I bought it, it's at 108K 9 years later, runs like a Swiss watch. GL!

DarkZ03

iTrader: (11)

A slight bit off topic, what do you consider quick or fast? IMO fast = 0-60 under 4 sec, quick 0-60 between 4-7 sec. The sheer fact that you can break most speed limits in 2 gears, pretty quickly doesn't strike me as slow.

Bmsluite

iTrader: (1)

Technically fast is related to top speed. Quick is related to acceleration. Of course this is all subjective. I consider anything under 6 seconds quick. I consider anything that can hit 150 mph fast. I've not driven any supercars and I don't plan too so this is how I feel about cars.

There's the Hayabusa effect. Where once you have been in or driven a super super crazy quick/fast car all other cars feel/seem slow. I have managed to avoid this by not taking rides in Lamborghini and such. I don't want it to ruin my fun

Franknbeans

iTrader: (1)

no. 05, 350z But I would look at getting a 370 because the yearly once are just as cheap.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

i need to play with the 0-60 timer in my car, on paper it says 3.8

i know on my first corvette you could hit 61 in first gear

i havent had my 350 in 5 years now, at the time i remember thinking it was quick, but since then most of my cars have had close to 500 whp

MicVelo

This has always been how I've categorized the diff between "quick" and "fast" as well. Don't know if it's right or wrong but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

On topic... I consider a stock Z (like mine) neither quick nor fast. Sprightly, yes. Gets out of its own way, yes. But my other car is both quicker and faster so, no, the Z is no rocket comparatively.

Bmsluite

iTrader: (1)

The problem there is the 370Zs out there for similar price to 350zHR are not in good shape at all. The only ones I could find when I searched not a year ago were all salvage title or in really bad shape. A decent example 370Z is 15k on the lower end. Whereas, a decent example 350Z HR can be had for 8k. That's quite the disparity between the two. The disparity closes the gap when you look in terms of the difference between the two. The 370Z is definitely not twice the car the 350Z is, especially an HR. Yet, they are twice the price.