d!abolic

iTrader: (1)

I'm in Toronto and about to buy a black 03 Touring with 20,000km for $36,000CND from a dealer. What do i need to know in order to do this right? Should i request some kind of a history report? From who? Should i have someone inspect the car? What else?

BOZ23

iTrader: (1)

Don't do it.
1. front suspension problems (tire feathering. 2 sets of tires in 6 months)
2. tranny problems 6spd manual (replaced tranny twice)
3. car pulls to the right
4. Bose amp recall
5. rear hatch not opening
dude, do a search on 03 Z's. The 03 models has so many problems. I traded mine in for an 05. Don't let the dealer fool you and tell you there is nothing wrong with 03 Z's.
check this link out carefully http://www.nissanhelp.com/Bulletins/350Z/2003/1.htm

Sensation350Z

36,000!?!?! WTF!?!
you can get an 05 for 28,000!

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

$36,000 canadian is far less than $36 K US. (I don't recall exchange rate)

At least have the car inspected by a good mechanic.

BigMike

You need to know that there is a more than likely chance that you're going to have problems. I don't know how Nissan dealers are, but you can walk into a Chevy service department and give them a VIN number and they will tell you all of the warranty work that has been performed on that vehicle. See if you can do that with the car you're looking to purchase. Also, look under the hood at the top shock mounts and if you can it up on a rack, look at the front suspension. You will be looking for signs that it has been adjusted a lot. You can take it to an independent alignment shop and ask them if there is evidence the front end has had many adjustments. If every suspension adjustment bolt/nut has lots of wear, most likely the car has had major feathering problems that are most likely unresolved.

Personally I'd steer clear of an '03 but that's just me. I know that not all '03s have had problems. I'm sure there are a lot of 03 Zs out there that haven't had any problems. I just wouldn't want to take the chance.

Good luck with your purchase!

d!abolic

iTrader: (1)

Newer than 03 isn't an option, as they simply don't sell them here. The only 04's i can find are all roadsters, each and every one. They cost $10,000 more. The 05's are even more expensive.

I want to have the car thoroughly inspected before buying it. The info about tire feathering and the suggestion for taking it to an alignment shop are great. What else do i need to know? Will the shop know what to look for? Do i need to take it to an alignment shop and then a regular shop? Or just one of the two?

cobrasak

really the tire feathering issues and the others arnt that bad, but make sure and see how many times that tranny has been replaced. more likely than not it has, maybe even a few times, one of the reasons why i sold my z for a s2k. I think they may have resolved the issue in the newer models, well i sure hope they have anywayz

d!abolic

iTrader: (1)

Could you tell me more about the transmission issue? Why would it have been replaced SEVERAL times? That sounds extreme.

cobrasak

well, in my case my 3rd gear kept on grinding, and i believe the syncros went bad. This happend a few times, albiet they replaced the tranny both times under warrenty, i was just affraid after the warrenty what would happen. I think it only happened to a handful of z's, but every person i know with a z or a g35 coupe has had the same problems and had there tranny replaced because of it. In fact i think there was a tsb out for this issue and the clutch petal as well, and i dont think that helped the problem any. Maybe someone more current with the cars has a better solution response to it

cobrasak

https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-nissan-350z/121326-dealer-says-new-tranny.html

here is another recent post talking about it

EdgeOfSanity

iTrader: (1)

the synchro's in the tranny's seem to go out for a lot of people with pre 05's. It isnt isolated to just one gear, its all of them. Normally replacing the transmission once should fix the problem but for some people, myself included, it keeps coming back. I have a feeling its because nissan uses refurbed transmissions when they replace one. A lot less people have the problem than this board would have you think. When you get your car just run it through the gears quickly a few times. If your not having any problems you are probably not going to have them at all at 20k km.

bixby

iTrader: (2)

The one & only thing you need to know to get her off the lot is.......................................................... .How to drive!

Seriously, I don't think you need to worry about much if anything. My 03 has had very few problems & what I've had have been fairly minor. I did have the tire feathering but it didn't show up till 14k miles. Other little things like window grease and fuel door not opening on first try (it was more like 10) were resolved. Well sort of. The window grease on the driver side glass has returned for the 3rd time but I think I'm going to live with it. It's not as bad as it was initially and is barely noticable.

Check the manufacture date (inside driver side door). Most of the major problems like transmission were on preorder & early build cars. If the build date is 03/03 or later you'll more than likely have fewer issues.

In any case ask questions. With that mileage it more than likely has new rubber all around so you'll probably not notice any "growel" on a test drive (tire feathering). The grease problem is easily identified by simply rolling down the windows. When you roll them back up you'll see a vertical streak about 1/2 to 3/4" wide of clear grease.

Check the fuel door by pressing the latch once then see if it actually poped open. If it didn't thats another TSB.

Pop the rear hatch with the remote. It will pop but if it doesn't release all the way (meaning you have to hit the remote or rear release again), another TSB.

Ask what TSB's (Technical service Bulletins) have been performed.

If you discover any of the issues I've discribed then chances are none of the service bulletins have been performed.

You may even want to do a search on this forum for TSB's so you know whats else is out there.

Good luck!

JP_WRX

Excellent post bixby, thanks, because I'm in the same position as the guy who posted this thread. I believe it may be a preorder vehicle, too. (03 Touring 20k mi.)

Can you tell the mfr. date from the VIN? If so, this is it:
JN1AZ34E83T004126

Last question - are these TSB's fully covered by the warranty?
Thanks!

bixby

iTrader: (2)

Go here to see how to read the VIN. It will only tell you the model year not build date. You need to look at the door plate to confirm that.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/specs/vin.htmlOh, and TSB's are usually fully covered whether the vehicle is under warranty or not because they are manufacture defects. There are exceptions like tire feathering where nissan put a 21k mile cap on replacement. Mostly because if it hasn't shown up by then then it's probably not going to.

I had fuel injectors replaced on my Z31 at 187k miles. Not only was it free, they also provided me with a rental car while they did the repair.

d!abolic

iTrader: (1)

UPDATE:

Carfax came back absolutely clean. Had the car inspected by Nissan and my mechanic today. Looking good. Transmission bolts haven't been touched. Minor tire feathering, the Nissan guy said its better than most 350's he's seen. Says the rubber is apparently original. Not sure if this is good/bad, so let me know guys. If no objections, i'll buy it Monday.

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

If your happy, gooooooooooooo for it!

EdgeOfSanity

iTrader: (1)

If thats the only problem and tires are original at 20k km i say go for it. Replacing the front tires every 20k doesnt sound bad at all compared to some others who get it every 3k miles.

kpiskin

iTrader: (5)

I bought a used 03 and am very happy. Don't let everyone scare you.

This is what I did. I read up as much as I could about the car and any problems (looks like you're doing this), and ask all the pointed questions you need to ask. I was specifically concerned about feathering and found out my car had the repairs done to it as well as had some TSBs taken care of. The previous owner had all the maintence paperwork and had all the answers I was looking for. If your seller does not know basic information about the car, then no matter how much I personally liked the car I'd walk away. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. You may also want to question about mods. I think the more mods the car has on it the more likely it has been raced and may have problems the owner might be trying to conceal. Also see if the owner will agree to you taking it to your local Nissan dealership for a quick inspection. This usually cost $50-100, but I'd rather pay that up front that get a lemon. Another thing to look at is the driver's side door jam to see the build date. This will tell you how much warranty is left over. A number of 2003s were actually built in late 2002, so your warranty may be up this Fall. If you don't detect a problem within a couple months of purchase you could be shelling out serious cash unless you immediately buy an extended warranty. Hope that helps.

bhobson333

I have a 2003 Track model, delivered 12/06/2002. I have driven the **** out of this car every day after a very quick but gradual breakin. I hit redline within 100 miles and I take it to 6000 RPM almost every time I drive it. I take it to the track two or three times a year and drive it as fast as it will go, full-throttle, speed-shifting, hard braking.

After 3500 miles I changed all fluid to Royal Purple synthetic, I change the oil when it looks cloudy or at 7000 miles, whichever comes first. With normal driving I make sure I let it warm up before I rev it more than 3500 RPM and I make sure I put the freaking clutch down before I try to shift it. I rev-match and down-shift always. I have had the tranny grind on shift a time or two, but it's always when I'm being lazy on the clutch.

I have had the normal TSBs done, window grease, rear axle ticking, rear hatch and gas door not opening. All have been free and have solved the problem the first time.

This is a solid car, and I expect that it will remain a solid car for many years. I may catch some heat, but I suspect that many of the problems people have had with this car may be related to people who are used to FWD automatic sedans moving to RWD manual sports cars. I think that this car responds better to being driven hard; it's easy to drive hard and hard to drive easy, if that makes any sense.

FWIW

Brian

Oscarx

I am a new Z owner as well,,,,,I have an 03 Brickyard 6 speed car with a bit of mods already done. She has 13,000 miles plus, and I am happy! My hardest thing to do is weather go T/T or Super Charge! Man,,,,,,get that car, and have fun