hey guys,


i am an owner of a Z touring '03...I was looking through the roadster threads and it seems to have caught my attention. Im really thinking about trading my coupe in, but was wondering if there were any downsides? Any performance difference? if anything it should be a little bit faster (if even noticeable) considering the soft top..but some roadsters are heavier than coupes. Also, what am i looking at in terms of pricing..? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

The only down side is people constanly complimenting your car...hehe

got mine $38,500

 

It mite be slight slower do to the wt. increases, but once you drive it you wont care how fast it goes. It is the first car I have ever owned that the more I drive it the more I love it. There are some very nice and fast cars on the market, but for the price I can drive it every day without guilt. I paid about $35,500.

 

I recently traded in my 03 DB Touring for a 04.5 SB Enthusiast. The only hit you will take is your trade-in. If you can sell by owner you will get more for what they pay for at the dealer. Oh yeah, ZR feels more heavier, top looks better down, and it attracts attention. No regret accept I should have picked silver rather than black. Black is a pain in the @$$ to clean. Good luck!

 

THere is one downside if you are tall. With the seat slid all the way back the seat in the roadster does not recline as far due to the roll bar.

If you are tall I recommend sitting in one before putting down your money or selling your current car.

 

I'm 6'4" and 190lbs. and fit perfectly. Beautiful car.

 

I never owned or even driven a coupe so I can't give an evaluation but I do sometimes think owning a coupe would make track racing more an option. Not all tracks recognize the Z roadster roll bars as being up to track safety standards.

 

I paid 37,500 for my Sunset Touring 6MT ZR. I have absolutely no regrets in chosing the roadster over the coupe. It's a ride I don't mind taking the long way home

 

I absolutely love mine. It is about 240 pounds heavier than the coupe, due to the extra chassis stiffening and the electrically operated top. It is a bit noiser too. I believe the handling is on a par with the coupe, and the 2004.5 suspension tuning gives a much better ride than the 2003s. Straight line acceleration is a bit lower due to the extra weight, about 6 full seconds to 60 MPH. But man, cruising with the top down makes that trade off well worthwhile.

Paid $36,800 for 2004.5 Daytona Blue Touring with frost leather, side air bags, and NAV.

 

You do have 1.5 inches more headroom in the roadster with the top up than you do in the coupe. Of course you won't want to drive it with the top up very much.

I'm 6'0 and 240 pounds. My ideal driving position doesn't require the seat to be quite all the way back, and the headrest doesn't *quite* touch the rollbar to give me the ideal arms out driving position. The rollbar covers are *very* bulky. You can remove them and gain another 1.5 inches of clearance if you need it. Just wrap the bars in sponge tape for that racer look.

 

Nah... black is no problem (see link below):
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=86170

Nothing else looks as good (sorry guys!)...

 

What you need is both!

 

I've owned both a '03 Coupe and the Roadster. The Roadster does have a better ride, due to the increased weight.

The Roadster is also geared different than the coupe. You get more MPH per redline shift. Makes that damn rev limiter harder to hit.

No VDC, just TCS is kind of a bummer. No Tire Pressure Monitor System is also something that I miss.

Trading in my Coupe for the Roadster has been nothing but bliss. Those that have done like me seem to say the same thing. NO REGRETS.

 

I too traded in a '03 SS Touring Coupe for a '04 SB Touring Roadster. Absolutely no regrets. The retuned suspension on the '04 rides much better than the '03. The Roadster does generate a lot of conversation. It's great fun.

 

Hard for me to really consider comparing a Z Coupe with a Z Roadster. Not that I dislike the coupe, however owning this ragtop is simply and absolutely completely different... The ride, the feel, the gawk factor...

To compare cars we need to shift our thoughts to a Z4 or another such car. Nor can I say I would own a coupe with my ZR either, and the experience one will quickly feel in (or out of) a ZR is not just related to the cloth being up or down... Although the 20sec auto stowaway still thrills me!

I have owned quite a few cars in my 49+ years so far, (including ragtops, a corvette, and a loaded 396 SS) but my ZR became my favorite fast. The only way anyone will ever pry my ZR baby away from me is if Nissan does release a Grand Touring ZR in Jan 05 with "TBD" hp (and then I may not part with it even then - two ZR's?).

 

I love my Roadster. The only negative is that most track organizers do not allow convertibles. SCCA lets me run SoloCross but not the road courses, same with Track Masters.

Here is a premoded pic.

 

Gary King,

You can run your roadster on the road courses at Pocono (I've been doing it with NASA and PDA) and I think you can run it at Watkins Glen also but not at Lime Rock or the it may be the other way around. Check with NASA and PDA to confirm.
MWest300zx

 

Due to the extra ridgity of the chasiss the roadster handles better and since its geared differently because of the weight it accelerates better...if it wasnt for my baby this baby would come first!!!

 

I'm not so sure about that, you might want to check that. The weight penalty is a big deal. No matter what gearing changes you make the weight is still there. That is why manufacturers work so hard to trim weight.

 

Do you know otherwise?