ISH

Hey Everyone,
I sure missed my Z. But now it's back and I could not be happier. I originally had one of the first 03 Z's (vin#459). I was enjoyed the heck out of it until all the problems started popping up: transmission, tire feathering, creaking in rear suspension, window streaks, bad driver's side window regulator. But after enduring 27 service visits over the course of a year, I had enough and initiated a Lemon Law case against Nissan. NNA didn't even put up a fight and bought my car back. As difficult as it was, I decided to jump ship and get an 04 Acura TL 6spd with NAV (What was I thinking!!!!!) My decision was more out of frustration given the reliability problems of my Z. The TL was a good compromise between luxury and sportiness but it was no Z. After a few weeks I found myself miserable driving this TL. Even all the tech goodies like 6 channel DVD-Audio and bluetooth could not make up for the horrible torque steer and light steering. Boy did I miss my Z. So I did something about it and after calling 30 or so dealers in the tri-state area, I finally found a Silverstone Touring 6spd with NAV. So to make a long story short, I traded in the TL, took a $6000 hit, and drove my new Z home with the plastic still on it and a smile on my face. Everyone on the highway thought I was crazy for driving the car with the plastic still on it. But who cares, my car is one month old with 8 coats of Zaino and not one single swirl or microscratch. For anyone that still has not gotten a Z, I highly recommend that you take delivery with the plastic still on the car. Hell I made the dealer write on the contract," Customer does not want the car washed or plastic removed." They also thought I was a nut. Anyways, I just had the clearbra installed (front and rear bumbers, headlights, front fenders, and hood). A GREAT INVESTMENT! My previous Z was in the bodyshop every six months because of all the rock chips so this time I had learned my lesson.

What will I miss about the TL?
1.Luxury interior- great leather quality, real aluminum trim, cool blue lighting
2.Quiet Cabin- I will really miss the quietness of this car
4.Backseat
5.Trunk
6.Traction- great in the snow

What I won't miss?
1.Non-existant exhaust tone- I had to rev it up to 6000 RPM just to hear it
2.Torque Steer- One big nightmare. Too much power going to the front wheels.
3.Light Steering- I never knew which way the car was going to go when I hit a pothole
4.Boring Exterior- Hey, there's nothing on the road sexier than a Z except maybe a 911 or a Modena.


Overall, the TL was nice but nowhere near as sexy or as much fun as the Z. Perhaps when Acura makes a RWD or AWD TL I might consider one. But for now Z all the way.

For all who are considering getting a Z but might be nervous about all the problems mentioned on this forum, I would say go for it. My new Z (2004.5) is problem free after 2000 miles. My previous Z had problems from day one which I'm sure were mainly due to it being one of the first Z's off the assembly line. The tranny is much smoother than my 03 Z. The window streaks are gone, and even the Bose system sounds better. Don't know about the tire feathering yet, it's hit or miss I guess.

If anyone has any questions regarding my Lemon Law experience feel free to PM me.

ISH

HaNkYs_Z

Welcome back man!!

marques

welcome back!!! keep this!!!

cedusett

That sounds awesome. Has anyone else had rear bumper clear bra's installed? I'm not sure what this might accomplish?

2004z

iTrader: (3)

Wow, you had a horrible first experience with the Z, traded it for another car, then took a $6k hit to get back into a Z?!

That says A LOT about the Z!!!

FairladyZ

You need to be slapped. To think you could have kept your original Z and had every problem fixed, all are TSB's now. And oyu would have saved yourself from a 6G hit.

milanista

Glad you got back to driving something you really enjoy. After reading your post, I must say that you must be one obsessive/compulsive ***** over your car. I bet you ask passengers to remove their shoes before getting into your car, or you have a box of shoe slip-on paper covers in your center console....

ISH

Believe it or not the rear bumber clearbra helps. Whenever I park in the city, there are plenty of morons who feel that they must squeeze their flugly cars into the smallest of parking spaces and wind up kissing my bumper. The clearbra protects the paint from chipping as well as against all those front license plate hits.
Eventhough the protection is minimal and I'll probably have to replace the the film in a year or so, its better than having the bumber repainted and my car over sprayed or swirled at the bodyshop.

ISH

OK, you are forcing me you get into all the details

As I said in my previous posts, Nissan bought the the Z back from me under a Lemon Law settlement. Being that it was a lease, under the NYS lemon law, if the car is leased and it is determined to be a lemon, then the consumer gets back everything that they paid for the car minus any mileage over 12,000. Translation: I got back a nice fat check from Nissan. So basically I got to drive the car for free for a year an a half.

Therefore when I purchased the TL and returned it, I did not see myself losing $6000. Instead, being the postive person that I am, I considered it as getting a smaller check from Nissan.

The bottom line was that it was a WIN,WIN and I do not regret anything. More so, after driving the TL for a few weeks, I know have more of an appreciation for my new Z.


As for FAIRLADYZ, why don't you go slap yourself for me and write on the blackboard 100 times,"I will not make stupid statements again without knowing the full story!"

FritzMan

My biggest issue with the TL was that the rear seats didn't fold down...

IMO, that's 1/2 of the reason to getting a four door (ie: hauling my mountain bike).

I do find the TL quite attractive though.

FairladyZ

ISH

FAIRLADYZ next time put a smiley at the end of your sentences so that they won't be misinterpreted. While it might be acceptable to talk like that in Texas here in NYC it is not.

And by the way, just because I love my Z it does not make me a nut. If that was the case, then half of the members in this forum should be commited.

FairladyZ

I did have a smiley, You just read it too fast. Who cares anyways back on topic.

bobowah

iTrader: (5)

hey ish,
you know acura is coming out with an AWD RL.

But welcome back to the nissan bandwagon. I had a 99 TL and 01 CL-S. Fun cars at the time were good cars but the 350z is much more fun.

The TL was a nice roller... I kinda miss that in LA traffic. But when it comes to the canyons... 350z wins hand down.

-Jeff

ISH

As a matter of fact, Jeff, I just received a cool email from Acura for the prototype RL. Go check out their website. THey have a interactive flash.

Don't get me wrong, Acura makes a hell of a car. There always ahead of the curve when it comes to putting the latest technology into their cars. And if you thought the Z was a good value for the money, go get an Acura- you'll be amazed at hom much you get for yor buck. I paid 4K less for a loaded Acura TL 6spd with NAV than I paid for my Z.

Then there's Acura's service. It's like heaven on earth compared to the Z and they even give you 4 years of free road side assistance. But there's something magical about the Z. Probably when I'm older with family and kids, I'll opt for an RL. For now there's no better car to drive single.

bobowah

iTrader: (5)

I got that same email about the RL.

I had heard that the TL was going to be an AWD... but it makes more sense to do it on the new RL. RL sales are minimal b/c the TL sales are eatting in that market.

maybe my next car if I make some money... have the RL and the 350z. hahah...

DuckyZgiirl

I know this might have sen said before and dont have to insult me but if you missed the back seat and luxury interior why didnt you do a compromize and gotten a G35 coupe. Also you must go to the wrong Nissan dealership. I know may Nissan dealership that give the same service Infiniti is. And I know people who have free road side assistance with their Z.

ISH

The reason I didn't get a G was because it felt more cramped than the Z. The driver's seat was way too uncomfortable. I believe this is the biggest pet peeve of all G owners. In my opinion the backseats are useless and the trunk is not that big anyways.

My list of things I'll miss from the TL was more an attempt at comparisons between both cars. All stuff we already know that are different between a 2 door sportscar and a luxury sedan. My purpose was to point out how many creature comforts you can give up for the fun of driving a Z.

As far as service goes, it is a widely known fact that Nissan service is not on the same Tier as Infiniti's or Acura's. It's more like Toyota and Honda service. If you have a good experience with a Nissan dealer its more the exception than the rule. Trust me I went to 5 different ones before I found one that actually cares.


P.S. I don't mean too insult anyone. But sometimes there are too many comments on this board which are unconstructive and immature. The post aimed at Fairlady Z was due to misundestanding. Over and done with.

Scoop's Z

HAHAHA thats funny man i tradded my 03 tour on a TL too. I love the TL, keeping it. Just got tired of all the little probs with the Z. I do miss the Z but the TL is just a little more pratical to drive everyday. Maybe sometime down the rode after the Tl is payed for I can pick up a nice base model used z. You are right about the front drive though hard to keep in a stright line with all that power going to the front wheels. Feels strange going from lots of power to the rear and in control. To the front spinning and pulling to the right like crazy.

NzZ

In the past week I've driven a friend's G35 sedan and another friend's 04 TL. I don't think either car captures the feel and excitement of the Z. That said, I didn't really appreciate some of the creature comforts (bluetooth is useless to me as is DVD-A). To me the Z is a much more visceral machine - many more pleasing noises, more roadfeel, and a quickness of the controls that the other cars just can't capture.

The Acura definitely had the nicest interior and sound system going...but it somehow felt boring to me. The Z's interior just felt so much more sporty to me. The G was somewhere between the two cars. I will say that Nissan/Infiniti need to upgrade their bose systems...both the G and the Z sounded like I was listening to a headphone speaker in a tin can. The Acura system sounded good, but somehow not as "full" as the Bose system in an RL that i drove earlier this year.

I'm enjoying every minute behind the wheel of my Z, and luckily my dealer has been pretty good to me thus far. Let's hope they keep it that way!
NzZ