Right now I'm driving a BMW 328i 5speed. I'm thinking about getting a Z but not sure what year I should get. Right now 03s go for around $22-23k, 04 a little higher, and 05...etc. I'm just wondering from your (guys/gals) experience which year is the best to buy considering problems/performance/everyday driving etc. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I'm looking to buy a Z in the next couple of weeks. Thanks If you can, please list what year your Z is and what you have to say about it, thanks again.

 

If it was me, I go with a new 05 or 06 350z. I bought a used 04 350z last two months, and it suffered minor problems. The wheels were bent, suspension was bent, alighment was unbalanced. It was like the previous owner hit a pothole or something. Personally, I will not buy used car anymore. Do alot of research and reviews before you think about buying a 03 or 04. www.carfax.com is a good site that allows you to check on used cars. Anyways, good luck finding your new Z.

 

go with the newest car you can afford

and definitely go for the 300hp engine, it feels so much more alive and free revving up high. The 10Nm torque loss can easily be gained back, with interest, with an exhaust and/or high flow cats

 

05 track is the BEST

 

300hp engine? What year/model is that?

 

THE best Z, is the '06.

Case closed.

 

2006 for sure. I love mine!

 

2005 track or 35th Anniversary edition...or 2006 6 speed MT

 

As new as you can is best. Generally the best bang for the buck Z is the Enthusiast model. (Go to Nissan site to compare model differences).

300 HP engine is more hype than substance.

I have an 03 with no problems other than minor feathering but I'd get at least an 04. If other than new, have the car checked out by a good mechanic.

 

I have an 04 with no problems. Mod it and you can exceed 300HP and still have more TQ. 06 are heavier than 03's to 05's but their lil changes are worth it if you are buying a new car.

 

I couldn't dissagree more after driving an 04 loaner for 3 weeks waiting to get my 06. I would have bought a different car before I would have bought a non highrev Z.

 

05 on up.
PS:Unless you NEED leather seats in a used car, don't waste you $$ on the Touring, I did. Paid for a Bose that was pulled out three days after buying the car. What ****e. This added 3K to the cost of the car.

Added Nismos, OEM wheels, to me, where probably the ugliest wheels that Nissan could design. G35 wheels are much nicer. So 3K more for Nismos and tires and so on....

06 Touring has ALL the perks of the 05 track and Touring combo. Much nicer looking wheels (19s in the rear) Cool interior mods. If you can! go for the 06. The 06 touring is the best combo of all in 06. The 06 still, however has that ****e WAY over priced bose sound system.
MJD

 

I recommend that you shop for mileage, not model year. If you find a 2004 with 10,000 miles, and a 2005 with 20,000, go for the 2004.

 

Buy this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRACK...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Hope it's ok to post this in this forum but this shows there are some pretty good buys out there. Here's a link to a nice one available, it's a 2005 Nissan 350Z 6 spd enthusiast (Detroit Area) with 4300 miles on it for $24,500. http://forums.anandtech.com/messagev...&enterthread=y
From the pics provided in the thread it looks nice to me except it's black.

 

i agree, the problem people here have is looking beyond the slight increase in hp. Its not about more power, its about smoothness at high rpm, and no longer having an engine that runs out of breathe and sounds strained past 6000rpm

The 300hp pulls cleanly and piles on speed right up to the 7000rpm cutout, and sounds awesome doing so. And they get more power out of the common bolt ons

 

I think i would go with a brand new 05 if you can find one still around, i dont think they suffer from any problems and odds are you will get a great deal on it. and its roughly 150 pounds less than a 06.

 

Hi, thanks for all the feedback, but I'm still unsure as to what model/year I should get. The enthuthiast version definitely seems like the best deal, but the draw back is it doesn't come w/ brembos. With that 300hp, I'll probably need that stopping power. Dilemma...so I'm thinking about the 05 Track, but I think it's pretty rare. Please, more opinions the better, keep up the good posts !

 

I own a '00 328Ci Sport/Premium 5 speed. I wanted a weekend toy, and after driving the RX8, Boxster S, S2000, and others, I decided that the Z offered the best power/handling/quality/value mix. I bought an '05 Enthusiast one month ago. The car had 5600 miles when I bought it, and I paid $24k.

The '05 model has a couple of pluses. Apart from the fact that the original minor 350Z issues (alignment/tire wear, window grease streaks, etc.) had been fixed by then, the '05 models have reduced clutch effort (nice in stop and go traffic), and the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) became standard on all Z models.

As I noted, my original intention was that the Z would be an occasional use toy. After one month, the 328 is for sale.

 

You shouldn't worry too much about the brembos, I mean they are really nice to have but the OEM brakes are also excellent stoppers. You'd be surprised.