Boomer

A number of us on this board preordered their cars and waited for months to get it! No test drives, no sitting in one, I saw my first Z in person when mine arrived at the dealership. If you have to have a test drive, be prepared to wait for some time, get lucky and find a demo at a dealer or find a friend who'll let you drive one.

Almost all of us put down a $1000 non-refundable deposit when we ordered the car. Its a very scarce car, so when someone had to back out of the deal, the dealers usually have someone in line ready to take the car and they'll give you your deposit back. I'll be straight with you, if you have to have a test drive before you buy, pick another car or wait for 12-18 months. Test drives aren't available on this car because most dealers don't have demos, and if they do, some yahoo with more money than sense can walk in and offer $10,000 over MSRP and, no demo anymore.

Some of the new owners are beginning to have meetings in your area, you need to browse this site for times. You probably could wangle a sit in one but driving one of their new babies? I wouldn't for a stranger but some people have softer hearts than me, mine isn't broken in yet and Nobody drives mine except me and my mechanic with me in the car. Since you are in a heavily populated area you might find a dealer with a demo with their help. The only demo I have heard of was in Broken Arrow, OK. Good luck.

nbdyfcnsqnc

I put down $2000 in September (not in the Nissan pre-order program). But I have it in writing that it's refundable any time at my request, and I will test drive first. Non-refundable means "no go" for me.

Boomer

What you guys have to understand is a lot of us preorder people have owned earlier Zs; I owned a 1972, the first model, for 7 years. There are thousands of people out there own one of the earlier Zs also. Plus, ignoring some idiot reviewers, the 350 has had teriffic reviews in several countries. It has the performance of a Boxster for $20K less. I could care less that its not a Porsche, BMW, Audi or Mercedes. I read every road test of this car, even one in Japanese, translated for me. I knew I could get my $1K back because its a dealership I've dealt with for years And when I picked up my car, the demand was so great, I could have offered the car +$5K on the internet and gotten it.

Besides the loyal Z fans, the sterling reviews and the visual impact of the car, its a relatively large 2 seater and I am 6'5" and 295lbs; I fit and I'm comfortable. I was concerned about that, I admit, but I was reassured when we preorders finally got a special cd from Nissan with all the specs. Also, I'm retired at 58 years old and I considered the M3, Boxster, Audi TT( I had a 91 MR2 Turbo for 7 years), S2000, too small. The Acura RSX-S was more fun than any of the above, and I fit perfectly in it. I was ready to buy one when I found out about the Z and the $10K+ was no problem. The $55K for the M3 fit my budget, but my feelings weren't hurt when I found out later my Z would be $20K less and better looking besides with performance that's close enough for me. Oh, I bought my first new car in 1965, a Triumph TR4 in British Racing Green. I love sports cars, especially my new 350. I forgot to mention, the preorder folks got theirs at MSRP.

Enforcer

I am one of those previous Z owners who put down my $1000 deposit for 16 months and never asked if it was refundable. The question wasn't whether I was going to get a Z, the question was when.

For the non-Z-fanatics, go check other dealers, there are thousands, and find one that will give you a refundable deposit and MSRP.


Enforcer

rouxeny

I pre-ordered in April and I was very sure to find out if my $1000 was refundable. At that time, I had never seen a Z in person, and had only seen a few pics. Also, I wasn't sure what my financial situation would be at the time of purchase.


I would think that people now would still have refundable deposits. If you don't buy the car and take your money back, they'll just sell it to somebody else.

Boomer

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rouxeny
I pre-ordered in April and I was very sure to find out if my $1000 was refundable. At that time, I had never seen a Z in person, and had only seen a few pics. Also, I wasn't sure what my financial situation would be at the time of purchase.


I would think that people now would still have refundable deposits. If you don't buy the car and take your money back, they'll just sell it to somebody else. [/QUOTE

Exactly, as long as the demand is high, you should be able to get your deposit back and someone in line will buy it.

D'oh

As Enforcer said, there are tons of dealers out there. Search around and you will find one that will give you a refundable deposit. The dealer may not be close, but if the deposit is more important than the proximity that will be your best bet. Another option is to find out if there are conditions under which the dealer you already talked to will refund the deposit, and have those conditions documented. For example, if you find someone to take your place, or if there is some kind of damage to the vehicle, or if you are unhappy with it, they will give you the money back. It may be that if you can get some of those exceptions noted, you can still put your $1000 down, place the order, and get your money back if you end up not liking the car.

The reason many dealers only allow non-refundable deposits is because there are plenty of people who will still order from them.

My "non-refundable" deposit was $2500 BTW.

-D'oh!

Enforcer

That's the point, to us it is leading with insight. Check around, you can find what you want, that's what makes competition work.


Enforcer