icic. thanks.
and yea umbc is good and an upcoming school but i still have alot of friends that try to convince me to goto umcp.

 

college park campus? jesse's Z and i go there. him and r roomates and we both own 350s. his 07hr, mine 06 de both magnetic black. did you tell your parents about the 350z yet? do you have one in mind?

 

yea college park's campus. u go there?
my moms fine with it and if she is my dad will too.
im thinking of getting any manual 07 or higher Z with 10k miles or less for 20k or less.

my mom just keeps saying get a hybrid...

 

^^^yeah we both go there. jesse got his 07 HR w/ 30k miles for 18gs in october, i bought my 06 in december 08 w/ 30k miles for 18g from a dealership, but i needed to build credit... both of them auto.

do your research instead of just driving around one day like me

i know hybrid were getting people tax breaks at one point lol, not exactly sure what the requirements were.

 

icic cool. wat year are you?
i just dont think hybrids would be fun. just economical.

 

im not sure lol i guess its complicated...36 military credits, 1 yr of college plus 12 credits from last semester

your right about hybrids. i live 10 min from the campus w traffic. im in silver springs on university to be exact.

 

Not to sound rude or anything but...is it really wise to buy a 300hp sports car when you don't know what a VIN is?

I dunno about anyone else, but this really stood out in my mind...

 

07 with less then 10k miles is going to run you over $20k and probably going to be a base model and stock.. year and mileage isnt all that matters.. you really have to know what you're looking for when buying a used 350z... Just because it has low mileage doesnt mean it wasnt beaten to hell and back

 

I don't think that sort of thing is absolutely essential to ownership of a sports car. As bad as it sounds, I learned how to drive manual in my 350Z, and I knew relatively little compared to what I know now. As long as you have the maturity and responsibility accounted for, getting a car like this can actually serve as an open door into a whole world of knowledge.

If it was something like not knowing about oil, or what a manual transmission was, or some really essential part to driving/owning a car, much less a Z, I would probably have a different opinion. The simple fact that he's on here searching for these sorts of answers says a great deal about his approach to this sort of thing.

 

I think you should look to get either an 06 or an 07-08.

2006
The reason I say 06 is that while there have been reported issues of oil consumption problems (which I have yet to experience in mine), it's a very well-made and reliable model of Z. Consumer Report has this rated as one of the highest in the 350Z's lifetime. This is also the year that they really stepped up the interior and exterior. Personally, I like the 06 look the best. Externally, it's effectively an 07-08 design without the bump in the hood. Personal taste, there. The downside is that it's got the RevUp engine, which is weaker than the HR found in the 07-08s.

Something a lot of people don't realize, is that while the HR engine of the 07-08's is rated as having only 6hp more than the 06, it's actually more like 15 or 20. Between the models, the standard for rating horsepower changed. By the new standard, the older models would have much less. The dyno charts prove this, as well.

However, I wouldn't let performance be the determinative factor for your decision, given your age and situation. You'll get a good sports car in just about any 350Z. You should focus on mileage, quality, and reliability. You'll get that with and 06, and you'll get that with an 07-08.

2007+
These, as you know, are more powerful, but they are also very reliable with a solid interior. The thing to keep in mind when looking at the Z is that Nissan pretty much improved it each year as it progressed through its life. They found what was wrong and improved it. You'll find the interiors to be the best in the 06 and above, with the performance being the best in the 07's and 08's. Reliability is probably about the same for all three years, but with the 06's getting an edge (unless it's one of the few with oil consumption problems). The reason for this being that they switched over to a new engine in 07.

So that's my 2 cents. You seem to be on the right track.

 

u should still know what a vin # is. but he said hes driven a manual before so pretty sure he'll be fine... but it would be a complete diff story if he got on and said he didnt know what a vin # was and he wanted a manual 350z for his first car.

 

wow, im surprised none of the veterans have jumped on this dude to eat him alive. you all have been surprisingly nice to him

 

I'm not a veteran, but I am old.

OP, at this point in your (rather spoiled) life, spending $25k on a sports car is not a wise decision. If I understand you correctly, you already have a car (or at least a car available to you) that is good transportation for a college kid.

If your folks really want to give you up to $25k just because you got into college, aren't on drugs, and just generally a nice kid, I would suggest asking them if they would be willing to let you continue to drive the Pilot but give you the $25k + the $100/month they would be paying for increased insurance rates for the next four years. Invest the money in CD's and stocks, and spend the next four years getting an education and figuring out what you want to do with your life. You are working so take some of your pay check and save it as well.

At the end of 4 years when you graduate (if you graduate in four years), you will have a nice little chunk of change that you can do with what you will. Maybe a car, maybe graduate school, maybe a down payment on a house.

If you buy a Z now, at the end of four years you'll have an old sports car with lots of miles that is worth next to nothing.

Either way, good luck with school.

 

If you buy a Z now, at the end of four years you'll have an old sports car with lots of miles that is worth next to nothing.

also - onagao - how do you know the 06 has better mileage? is it because it has less hp?

 

Did you find a 350Z that suits your budget?

 

Im in Afghanistan, and I spend at least an hour a day looking at Z's in about 8 different states on craigslist, autotrader, and cars.com.... Ive emailed a few hundred people already about Z's because I know EXACTLY what im looking for..

Ive found a few 07 or 08 models with very low miles, for 19 or even less
You just got to look around and take the time, and youll find what you want

Get a 07+ !!

 

X2!

 

I was looking forward to new Maryland 350Z owner. Disappointed.