So im pretty new to this forum because I still do not own a Z, but tomorrow I go look at an 03 Enthusiast with 26k on her, and the carfax report is clean as well. So luckily with 10k miles left on the warranty, if anything does arise in the next few months to year it will be covered. But I just want to make sure that there isn't anything extraordinarily wrong with the 03's. Now Ive read about the tire feathering(not completely sure what that is), but at 26k would it have already happened by now if this Z had that problem? Likewise with the other problems? Because Im a full time student working all the time to pay for this car so I dont have bottomless pockets to pay for repairs which is why Im buying an 03 in the first place(not to mention it's my dream car), . So any help would be appreciated. thanks.

 

depends on how much they are asking.. the miles are good

 

Dont get an 03 man... get an 05.. some good deals

 

I would say if you dont have "some" kind of disposable income to put into a car I would not buy it. I love my Z don't get me wrong but this type of car ins't like a honda civic. Where parts are dirt cheap.

The worst things for regular maintenance will be the tyres. If you drive like michael schumacher then you will be going through tyres in a hurry. But if you like the car, hey you only live once....might as well have something you want. Right.

 

honestly in my opinion... i just hate the look of the 03 z's.... they look to pointy in the front... the best model look would have to be the 05

 

its useless to give an opinion about this car without the price

 

This is a Nissan 350Z.


This is reliable transportation.

Can you tell the difference?

 

I recently bought an 03 with 40k miles on it. Depending on what they are trying to charge you, it sounds like you may be getting a good deal. If you don't want to pay much for maintenance stuff, don't drive the hell out of it

 

well they're selling it to me for 19k. If tires are my only issue to really worry about, then all is well. But when you say parts aren't super cheap, that makes sense, but why would you need to buy parts for a car that new already? what parts would you be referring to?

 

Doesnt sound like a bad price.

 

What the hell are you talking about? You know there was no body change right?

 

I'm in a sort of similar situation regarding researching a vehicle, but I think I've decided to wait a little while and get an 05 (a few months or so). From what I read trolling these forums full time and speaking with service techs at performance garages as well as Discount Tire people, the only real issue you probably have to worry about is the possibility of is uneven wear on the tires.

There are several things you can do to avoid or slow down this process - I strongly reccomend talking to your local tire shop guys about it. My local people are Discount.

Also, check out this these threads:

Rotation --> https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-suspension-diy/137762-how-to-rotate-staggered-directional-tires.html
Cupping & Tire Wear --> https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ight=tire+wear
Feathering Sticky --> https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ight=tire+wear

Hope this helps some. Don't let the tire issue keep you from getting a Z ... believe me, I've looked into numerous sports cars in the past few months, in great detail. There's always some kind of gotcha or another when you're wanting high performance.

I've come to the conclusion that the Z is by far the most reliable, hassle-free car in its price range. If treated properly, the Z is probably not going to give you service-related headaches. Sure, the tires might require a little attention, and this may be a little more likely with an 03 model, but just give them that attention before they become a problem, like the rotation method referenced in the thread above and talking to your local tire people.

And as always if buying used, go strike up a convo with the local dealership's service guys. If they're half cool, they'll look up the VIN for the car and tell you what kind of service issues its been in for. Good luck man!!!

 

oh, by the way, your warranty runs out after 3 years regardless of how many miles it has.

 

To be safe try to find a 04 or 05 Z for 21K. It'll greatly decrease your chances of getting into problems like tire wear and transmission.

 

thanks so much guys, but 1 more question, could it be possible that this particular 03 doesn't have the feathering problem? Because was told that the tires on this one at 26k are still the originals. Does that mean Im in the clear? And just for my information, how long is the powertrain warranty for a Z? 70k i imagine.

 

i see you're from cincy. where is this place that you're buying it from? i only ask b/c my friend is buying a z. we went to kings automall and they had a black 03 with really, really low miles- i cant remember how much exactly. they wanted about 23-25k.

 

i just bought an 03 for the same deal.. 19k let me go ahead and tell you problems that i've had that i've found other people have also had
1. grind into third gear (Transmission is being replaced as we speak)
2. Window motor gone out (the shop wanted 445.00$ to fix this)F' that!
3. i have heard about uneven tire wear.
I am really happy about my purchase, but also i didn't expect all this trouble with the car. can't wait to see all the things that go wrong when i turbo it.

 

The car is in Dayton, and btw i called a dealer and they gave me the low down on the car. It's had 2 of those window motors replaced and they say according to their records it actually has 36k so im not sure if I should still pursue purchasing it...hmm...any thoughts?

 

I bought an '03 Z. It had had a tranny put in it before I bought, I came to find out (from the original owner).

I had the window motors reset. If the car is under warranty they will fix it for free. It doesn't take long.

If the '03 is quite a big cheaper than an '05+, I would go for it. Just buy the extended warranty -- and btw the warranty on that car is gone. 36,000 miles OR 3 years, whichever comes first. It is almost January '07 - that warranty is gone.