The number one question that I want to ask is, what Kind of shift **** should I get for my Z? Just joking…

I’m 23, from St. Louis, and I’m looking to buy a different car, within the next 6 months- a year. I currently have a 2009 Honda Civic Si, that I jumped into, way too fast. I wanted something new, reliable, and fun. The car I owned, before the civic, was a 03 Sentra Spec V. Basically I jumped from one NA FWD car to another NA FWD car, and now I’m already bored with the civic. From what I read about the civic, I was going to a better platform, but soon discovered that the lack of torque made the car a little flat, until 5800 RPMs. Even then, the “kick of vtec” was nothing that made my mouth water. The car is nice, it’s a great DD, it looks sharp, but I’m just not satisfied.

I’ve been looking into other cars for a while, now. I’m looking to buy something new in 6-12 months. I’ve been paying extra on my civic, and I’m trying to save some cash for something used, but nice. My price range is around 300 a month, because I’m already tired of paying 400+, for a civic. I test drove a couple 350z’s, a couple weeks ago. One was a 05 with 40k miles on it, and it was stock. The car was okay, but I think the transmission was ruined. It wined terribly, while warming up, and the synchros didn’t want anything to do, with letting me into gear. I really had to pull hard for 2nd. It was also tore up, on the interior. I also drove a 04 with 40k miles with intakes and borla exhaust. This thing was impressive! It seemed like it had a lot more go, than the first one, and shifted much more smoothly. However, I would never buy a modded car, and I had no intentions of buying, so I walked away.

I want to take my time, find the right car for me, and put a few thousand dollars on something nice. I’m also looking at a few other cars. I’m a performance guy only. I grew out of the whole cosmetic thing, a while ago.
Subaru WRX STI
Subaru WRX
Lancer Evolution 8
Dodge SRT4 (I know… I know… I have a soft spot for these cars, that I can’t get rid of)

All cars would have to have less than 30k miles, and be un modded, for me to buy.

I have been lurking on this site for a couple weeks, and have spent a lot of time reading. I know that if I do decide to go with the Z, the 03-04’s have tire feathering and axle noise problems, and rev up 06’s have consumption problems, so the 07/08 rev up’s seem to be the way to go, for me. I’m going to put out my pro’s and cons for the car, and maybe you guys can help me out by telling me how close I am, on this:
Pro’s-
-RWD – let’s face it.. fun factor. Burn out’s/donuts, yes.. I will not deny that this is appealing to me. (but has down falls)
-NA- More reliable. Very powerful and reliable VQ motor. . (but has down falls)
-6 speed – It’s what I’m used to, at this point
-I like small cars. 2 seater doesn’t bother me. My friends will stop asking me to drive.
-Cheap cost for a nice used car

Cons-
-RWD… it snows about 5-10 days a year, here.
-NA…. I love the concept of forced induction. The sounds, the feel, etc
- It seems like the zwould be the hardest to mod/get quick, out of my other option
-The 350z is very expensive to modify
-Great sounding car! Although, I think the Subarus would be equally as nice.

So what makes the Z special, above my other choices. Why did you choose the Z? How reliable is it? How hard is it to get these cars to dip into the 13’s, without spray of boost?

Thanks for the help.
-Zach

 

Pardon me, but do you happen to know Cliff?

He's got great notes.

 

At least he's writing in complete sentences, paragraphs, and using correct grammar. A refreshing sight to read on this site amongst all the jibber jabber we've been getting lately from all the kids.


Zach, welcome to the forums. Enjoy your stay...

 

And you drive a Honda Civic. OK. Cool.

 

Great line!

I agree with vo. Long well written post, Zach.

Z's are very reliable but have had various issues (go search). 05s seem to have had fewest issues. If buying used, get a mechanic to inspect first.

 

Well, out of all the choices you mentioned (and i had thought about an STI), I bought the Z because it was the best looking, and suited my personal preferences (good power, great handling). Looking back, it would have been more practical to get a 4 door with a decent amount of luggage space, plus AWD (living in the Northeast sucks!).

As for reliability, each vehicle is different, and as others have mentioned, make sure to have a mechanic inspect it before you buy. My '03 had to get the tranny and clutch replaced, but no tire feathering issues. As long as its under warranty, i would not worry too much.

 

Thats what I was thinking but to each his own and obviously he wants something a little more performance oriented.

Anyways I dont really know if the tire feathering is an issue still
As for the oil consumption issue as long as its under warranty I think you will be fine. I have an 06 and have had the oil consumption test done with no problems. Personally if I were you I would test drive the cars on your list, and think about what the car is going to be used for and go from there.
Good luck
Personally I would be leaning towards the EVO but not an 8, maybe a 9mr

 

My 2003 Z is perfect. The issues you read about are common in
performance/sports cars. I drive my car everyday, and it keeps
on giving. I have driven many other sports cars that are considerably
more expensive, but still feel at home in my NA Z.

Stop ****ing around and buy one.

 

I warned you , in the title.


I know what you mean. The car was a blast to drive, at first. It still is, actually. I thought I could settle for a quick/fun, and most importantly NEW car to drive, instead of something used, with a little more go. Once the new car factor wore off, I was left wanting more. It was a mistake. A 23,000 dollar mistake. I didn't take my time on the purchase, because my sentra needed a new transmission, clutch, tires, brakes, etc, and winter was right around the corner. I wanted to get rid of it, while I could still get a little something out of it.

hah. I'd like to, but if I traded the civic now, I'd lose about 500 dollars. If I can dump a couple hundred extra dollars on my payment, I can make out a little better, in 6-12 months. Not only that, but I don't have any money for a down payment, right now. I'm busy booking a vacation to Vegas, this summer, with my girl friend.




Here are the main reasons for my choices:
Subaru WRX STI - AWD, A blast to drive, and has been my dream car, since well before I could afford one. However - pricey. I could get one for 25ish, with around 20-30k miles.

Subaru WRX - Cheaper than the STI. Can be made to out perform the STI, cheap. However, the transmission scares me. I have read a lot, about these cars.

Lancer Evolution 8 or 9 - Great driving, looking, performing cars. Not much down fall, aside from the price(identical to the STI). The part that scares me is that a lot of people who buy these cars abuse them. Same with the STI, except a lot of STI drivers tend to be older, and more mature. The chances of finding an un modded one are greater.

Dodge SRT4 - I'll say it - CHEAP. These cars are a blast out of the box, and you can up the performance, very cheap. I have the chance to buy an 04 with 20k miles on it, in the spring. Un modded with an adult owner. It has been garaged, and well taken care of. I would buy one of these cars to beat on daily, with little or no respect for it. However, they are not very reliable, I'm not a domestic fan, and no power windows for the back two windows is just dumb...



Thanks for all of the welcomes. I'm not new to forums, by any means. I have over 10,000 posts, throughout all of the boards that I belong to. I'm a forum junkie.. If I'm watching TV, I'm usually browsing the net.

myspecv
wrxtuners
b15sentra.net
srtforums
stlhondas

Also, many more... Sorry for my unusually long posts. I've just made myself determined to satisfy my urges, for my next vehicle purchase. I'm usually not this bad...

 

Do keep in mind on the WRX & Evo, at least, you are going to have to walk backwards approaching your car to avoid offending your eyes.

 

Props to you, you seem like you are taking your time and doing this the right way. Sucks that you jumped in to that SI, though they are GREAT DD's and I wouldn't mind one for that purpose.

I would test drive everything you are interested in .. more then one of each! like you said the differences were drastic between the two Z's you drove. it's not that an intake/exhaust adds a whole lot .. hell the differences weren't really noticable to me. I think people are full of it when they add 10-20hp and say it pulls a lot harder.

good luck with your search, I'm not going to try to sell you on anything, you seem like a smart dude that knows how to look for the right car now. after you finalize what you want though, go to the forums for that car and see what the common problems are so you can avoid any headaches. you are going from a super reliable car to a car that might have problems. pay that SI down, dont be upside down!

 

Eh... that's opinionated. I actually think that they have the "so ugly that they are beautiful" kind of appeal, personally. Especially the STI. I test drove a 07 sti, yesterday.

At first, everything seemed great. Wow... that car could move. I was afraid of it, kind of. It was loud, but it drove well. A few rattles and squeaks. Then we took it to my girlfriend's dad, who is an insurance claims adjuster. Here is what we found, and the reasons for not even offering anything for it:

1. Inner fender liner didn't line up right. Part of it was sticking out.
2. Excessive wind noise for a car with 7k on it.
3. Carpet was a little cut up, in the trunk. We think it might have spun backwards, when it "hit the sign post" from the carfax
4. Passenger ground effects was bent and put back on, with bad sealant.
5. The car had a funny smell, on the inside. Emily's Dad said it smelled like it had been in a body shop, for a while
6. Transmission whine, when cruising.
7. A **** load of rust, under the rear end, for a car with 7k
8. Why was this car wholesaled and from WI, with 7k miles on it?

It was fun beating on a STI for an hour, but man... this car did not give any of us a warm and fuzzy feeling.

 

"Eh... that's opinionated."... Zach.

No, son, that's a fact!