Hey all,

Hope this is the best forum for this.

I'm looking to buy a 350Z, and I've looked at quite a few. Most were ragged and I didn't bother driving them, but today I drove a very clean looking Z that seemed to have been pretty well maintained. It's a 2003 Base with ~80k miles, that has already had the transmission replaced for the synchro issue. That was done by Nissan over 5 years ago, and the owner states that there haven't been any problems since. It shifted well on the test drive, but I only really ever upshifted. My questions are:

1) When Nissan replaces these transmissions themselves, do they replace an '03 transmission with another '03 transmission (that may very well fail again later), or do they use an upgraded (CD009) model?

2) The car felt a bit sluggish. It wasn't slow, but it certainly didn't feel like you'd expect a nearly 300hp car to. I've read even on this forum that some owners noted their cars felt sluggish/diffferent after the transmission replacement. Is this a likely culprit?

I'm hoping the car just needs a bit of basic maintenance/modding (say plugs, air filter, maybe a couple simple mods and a tune) to be woken up, but I'm curious to hear the thoughts of a couple people more familiar with these cars than me.

Thanks a lot!

 

I'd recommend trying to find a higher trim Z. You won't have LSD if that would be something important that you would like.

1. Check all doors to make sure vins match. As well as hood and deck lid.
2. Ask what type of oil they use, how frequent they changed it.
3. SERVICE RECORDS.
4. Make sure all lights/lens are the same dis-coloration. Dont want 1 new and 3 nasty.
5. Make sure all tires match (Brand, Size).
6. Possibly check under-carriage.
7. Mainly check for everything to be original such as gas cap, radiator cap, oil cap.
8. When you cold/warm start the vehicle, check to see how fast the oil pressure rises on the oil pressure gauge (Middle Gauge center dash).
9. Operating temp (Middle or a little below mid.)
10. Make sure the electric fans are working when sitting in traffic, should kick in at 75*f plus to keep engine cool in traffic.
11. Condition of wiper blades.
12. Shift **** Condition.

Little things but could possibly raise an eyebrow
There's more questions to ask just those are what came up for this time being.

 

Thanks! Cosmetically the car looks excellent. Matching panels/paint. No signs of any bodywork. No signs of corrosion. The seller has records and seems to have been on top of oil changes and fixing whatever has broken.

However, my concern is more with the repair of the more serious issue, which was the transmission. Hopefully Nissan fixed it properly and I won't be doing having to deal with it myself, but I'm not sure.

Additionally, I didn't see much in the way of the basic simple tune up stuff (spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter, etc...). I'm wondering if it's likely that's most of the sluggishness I felt today, or if the transmission replacement was the cause like some other members here suspected. Don't want to just speculate if somebody has an answer.

 

My trans was replaced 6 years ago, the latest was installed. Yes the cars do feel sluggish IMO, depending on what you drove before. Torque is deceiving, the car feels slowish, but is actually moving out well.

 

^ Great info from a Z owner that has had his transmission replaced and you experiencing same symptoms.

As long as the transmission isn't grinding, shifts smooth, downshifts smooth, I wouldn't be worried. Oh, also that the engine is running smoothly.

 

Good to hear about your trans. Also, good (is it?) to hear that the slowish feeling is normal. I guess I just expected a bit more drama.

Yep, it felt great on the test drive, but I wasn't sure as I'm certain many of the failure-prone transmissions felt great at one point too.

Any other experiences that corroborate mine, or any bang-for-buck mods/maintenance that could liven the car up a bit?

 

One of the goals of the engineers was to produce an engine with a flat torque curve which keeps the car stable when driven aggressively. The result is that you don't ever feel a surge in acceleration like you would with a turbo car.

 

80,000 miles can get expensive. Does the Z need new dampers? New clutch?

Look for tell tale signs under the hood for previous forced induction: holes drilled in the engine bay? Brackets in the engine bay with nothing attached?

 

Could be (and hopefully is) just that.

Clutch felt good as it was replaced with the trans, so it doesn't have even close to 80k on it. Suspension felt good. I didn't see any signs the car was ever FI. I did look around the engine bay and it was normal. Car is bone stock and I saw no signs anything on the car was ever not factory.

 

What the asking price?

 

I just picked up a Z about a month ago. 03 base. Yeah It doesn't have LSD or brembo brakes, but I think I got it for a steal. It does seem a little sluggish in the cab from what i was expecting as well but then you look at your speedo and are going a lot faster than it feels. From what people have told me its normal. Mine had a 105 on it and I'm in love with it I'm sure you will too.

 

OP, all that's left there to do now is pick up the Z. Also don't forget to post to the new owners section and let us know when you do! ADD PICS!

 

Many thanks for all the replies, guys!

I'll report back if I pick it up and post up a few pics.

 

good luck w ur potential purchase