well guys I am trying to decide between a brand new 05 base model or a used 04 enthusist. I live in florida and will not be taking the car to the track and I am not sure if I will get the manual or automatic.

 

Enthusiast is the best bang for the buck. You will get HID headlights, LSD which helps in cornering, TCS which helps with traction, cruise control, etc etc.

And we are talking USED prices, so you'd get an Enthusiast Z for less than Base 2005. If it were me, I'd spring for the 2005 Enthusiast. What, an extra $25/mo extra financing??

 

+1

 

2005 all the way (base or ethuz)

 

depends.... do you want to keep the car for 10 years? get the 04 if you want getride of the car in 3-5 years get the 05.


In Apu's voice "Thank You! Come Again!"

 

If it were me i would get the enthusiast or a used performance....

 

If you have time, shop, shop , shop. There are some great deals on used Z's, especially on ebay. A low mileage Performance model went for $17,500 recently. The deals will only get better as the weather gets colder. Trust me.

 

There is NO LSD for the enthusiast. Only the performance, touring, and track has it. The LSD is called VDS on those trims. Enthusiast only gets TCS

 

Not the case, Chris. All models above Base have both LSD & TCS. It is the VDC that is only on Perfor., Touring (manual), & Track.

 

chris, brickyard rat is absolutly right....i am surprised you don't know that even though you have a z

 

man, and i always thought VDC was LSD........
btw, doesnt touring auto have VDC as well? i checked nissanusa.com and didnt say auto touring doesnt have it.

 

VDC only comes on Zs, above Base, with manny tranny.

I've never read an explaination as to why.

 

If you ever watch videos of D1 Drifters driving a 350Z they always shut the VDC off, it is an electronic system that controls oversteer and understeer, in other words the VDC is for people who dont know how to control a RWD car (A supra or Rx-7 never had vdc). Plus the VDC does not work well if you plan on going with a wider wheel, The LSD does come in handy for hard cornering and straight line launches I had a 03 base and sold it to get an 04 enthusiest model, it is a much better buy, my base brand new was 25,600 and my enthusiest new was 27,000 which has Limited Slip,HIDS, and drilled pedals,auto dimming mirror and the dreaded TCS which i always shut off, it doesnt get along with my 19 inch volks.

 

Are you sure the reserve price was met?

I'm having a hard time believing that a 350Z Performance went for $17k unless it had 60k+ miles and some issues.

 

We all know the differences between the two cars. IMO, whatever you do, buy new. When you buy used, especially a car that's this new, you never know why the owner got rid of it. You should be able to find new 04s left on some dealers lots.

To me, there's nothing like a new car. Nobody's done anything to it. It's like a canvas ready for you to make it yours. That's JMO. But, but new

Lou

 

in the same situation, but ended up with an 05 enthu. there are so many little issues w/the 2004 that i read about that i became way to paranoid in the end to settle on an '04. plus, the 05's all come standard with outside heated mirrors, larger outside mirrors, standard tire pressure monitor, revised clutch (shorter and lighter) and im sure little other things im forgetting.

good luck on your purchase!

 

+1 Enthusiast gets you a lot of cool stuff for not really much more $.

 

I have a 05' base, and the best thing about it, you can do what u want to it... no vdc, etc..etc... I will be installing Nismo LSD. Thats all you need.. You can track and not worry about traction issues( if tracking is your thing) . Plus New colors for 05' like ultra Yellow which is a 35th anniv Main color! Good Luck!

 

Enthusiast comes with LSD AND TCS but not VDC.

 

2005 Yellow Enthusiast
Enthusiast is teh best bang for buck, and you really haev to wonder why someone is selling a 2004 Z.

<Yoda>Has problems, it does. Avoid like the plauge, you must.</Yoda>

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