i know all have their problems but which is the best and which has the least major problems. im trying to stay around 15k for the car also so if i get an 03-05 i can probably find one with low miles.

anyways im excited to join the forums and i hope i can be of help.

 

you should get an 07-08. But your budget only allows for a decent < 05

 

Your budget is dependent on what Z's are going for in your area.
I'd go for a low miles 04-05 in STOCK condition.
Maybe you'll have a few bucks left over for some adds!

 

Alot of people on other 350Z forums and this one will probabely say to stay away from the "rev up" Z's because a majority of them have oil consumption issues. I don't know if theres any truth to that so someone feel free to correct me. I suggest a 2003-2004 if that is the case. I doubt you'll get an HR for that price range

 

It's possible, but it would probably be a base model and have high miles.

This


I see you've been a member since July 2011. This means you've had plenty of time to research this popular topic.

 

If you're just gonna stay stock which is highly unlikely 07+ would be your best bet. Otherwise you can save some money and get the older ones and have some money left over for mods.

 

here is a couple examples what is in my area.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/ctd/2904289357.html

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ctd/2903972656.html

im not really sure if those are good deals either...

 

Save $5K more and get an 07.

 

^^Agree

 

09 ftw!!!

 

Shop and shop for an 06, this would definitely be the most realistic and best bang for the buck. I bought my 05 almost a year ago and I've noticed that the 06s are going for around the same price as my 05 originally.

 

I would like to hear some reasons as to why you guys would pick thee car you chose over the other ones

 

Everyone differs for many reasons, some more obvious than others. You will differ from us as well when it comes down to buying one.

This topic has been discussed plenty of times on this forum.

Use the SEARCH function. It's pretty simple.

 

I went with a 07 because the last car I had was an 05. I saw no point downgrading to an older car prior to 06. Done my research, and 06 RevUp have oil consumption issue (since I am only going for 6MT). 07+ have VQ35HR, which is a bit more powerful than the VQ35DE, which was rated prior to the SAE ordeal, if you recall back few years ago. Plus the VQ35HR is a much refined motor, with supposedly 80% diff internals than the DE and also more reliable? The interior was also slightly redesigned in 06 and was a little bit nicer. Oh and the 7500 rpm redline is pretty sweet. The 06+ also have the upgraded transmission CD009. Do a search on that if you haven't. My cousins had an older Z and G and they both had to have their transmission get fixed multiple times for 5th gear grinding. So ultimately deciding thru which year model to get, I came to the conclusion 07+ was best bet.

Now either way, you get what you pay for. If you are in a hurry to get a Z now, and with ur budget limit, your only holding yourself back to an older yr model that will require more maintenance cost, which would be the same as if you just straight up bought a newer model. Also keep in mind we are in 2012. The 2003 Zs went on sale in late 2002. Do you really want a 7+ yr old car? My Z is an 07 that I picked up last summer. I do have slight regrets buying a 4 yr old car, but granted mine only had 10k miles on it and was pretty decked out trim wise. Also being about 7-8k cheaper than a used 370z Sport / Touring or 40th anniversary edition, it was the logical choice. More $ saved = more I can mod.

My advice for you is just save up more or get a bigger loan and deal with your payments. Though that would also depend on how much you really like this car. If you plan on financing, the difference between monthly payments on 15k vs 20k isn't really all that much. I'm sure people can blow $ on stupid things that cost more than the payment differences each month. If you are paying cash, just save up a few more months and you can be rollin in an 07+. Hope this helps ;o

 

besides the buldge in the hood and the led tailliaghts and different looking headlights and rims all the Z's from 2003 to 2009 look the same, so getting a 2003 in 2012 isn't a big deal, afterall age is just a number (the Z is a iconic sports car, no matter what age it is people will take notice of the car). I picked up a 2003 in excellent condition, had it inspected by my own personal mechanic and by the Nissan dealer and the only thing they found was that I needed a oil change soon, everything else was in perfect condition with only 31k miles and it was adult owned and garaged in the winter. I suggest sticking with dealership Z's, making sure the car was adult owned, and all maintainence records are present according to the maintance scheduale in the 350Z manual.

 

My criteria were simple:

good-great condition, decent mileage, leather seats. My 2003 AT Touring is a perfect match and I am in love. Had her for nearly three months now and I still catch myself cracking a smile every once in a while when I round a corner and see her parked outside the grocery store, work, gym, etc.

I chose to go Automatic to avoid a potential transmission problem. I'm not a racecar driver so I don't care about the minimal loss in performance. Not going FI anytime soon anyways (saving that for my first GTR).

 

this is almost exactly what i was looking for

thank you!

ya so at the moment im looking at prices all the way up to 20k, im a good negotiator.

anyways i think i will be looking for an 07. also it help that im in no hurry. i have my wedding coming up in august and than honeymoon in december to cabo! lol i will be getting a z probably this time next year. i just wanted to do a lot of research before i get one... i failed to do this with the cars i have had before. i dont want the tranny problems so the 009 tranny would definately be my choice whether it be swapped into an older one or not. i will be researching the 07's more now see what some of the common problems are but if you want to leave it here also. go ahead

 

I believe the 07-08 also had least amt of problems as well, according to consumer reports.

For me personally, the transmission is a big deal. My last car had poor synchros and would grind if I shifted too fast. Which was exactly the same issue the older year models had. And being older year model, most likely would be out of warranty and transmission fixing isn't cheap. You'd be better off just buying an 06+ w/ the CD009.

Only major mechanical issue with 07+ is the Clutch Master Cylinder failures, which you can find the thread under the VQ35HR section here https://my350z.com/forum/vq35hr-479/.

And from personal experience, the VQ35HR feels more refined than the VQ35DE when pushed. I've driven an 03 350z and an 05 G35 with RevUp for reference.

 

Anyone who buys a car for 15k and picks an older less reputable model versus an 07-08 best possible version for 2-3k more tops.. Is frikin crazy.

 

i got my 07 z 6MT for $16k with 46k miles and couldnt be happier i had driven the 04 and 06 rev up and the difference from them to the 07 seemed a lot to me when i stepped on them. i say you save up a little more so you could get yourself and HR instead