vamz

Hi guys,

I am planning to buy a 2005 350z touring roadster convertible. It's yellow and has 44k miles on it.i liked this car a lot. I stay in mid west area I don't have a garage. Is it easy to maintain a convertible in winter ( especially in snow, cleaning the soft top). Do you guys recommend buying it?

Thanks for your suggestions in advance..

Jennifer 2

If you’re just dealing with snow, (no falling icicles etc.) there are no cold weather issues with the factory vinyl top. I drove my 04 roadster every day for almost ten winters and the top still looked and operated like new when I recently sold the car. (I did keep it in a garage though) Zs have excellent heaters and the Touring roadster you are considering will have heated seats to keep you toasty warm. In theory the strong summer UV rays are a lot harder on the top fabric than cold and snow.

Like all sports cars, the low ground clearance makes it impossible to navigate even semi- deep snow. However with winter tires my Z cheerfully tiptoed through several inches of snow. The Touring model has a limited slip differential; this makes climbing steep slippery hills much easier.

Short wheelbase, quick steering, wide tires, stiff suspension, etc. can make winter driving a challenge, but accomplished drivers can handle it. My personal apprehension is descending the steep icy hills that my LSD has gotten me up. Be prepared to leave the Z at home if a storm is predicted. However, the summer top down bliss will make up for this.

Before winter sets in, be sure to give the top a double dose of protectant to keep salt and crap from sticking. You can do a search on this web site for the various cleaners and protectants needed for routine top maintenance.

vamz

Jennifer, thanks a lot for the detailed explanation!!

This gave me little courage to buy the car..

ChompZ

I have a 2004 touring daytona ZR, go for it pal you don´t see yellow roadster that often, you wont regret it, I live in PA and what I do when there are chances of snow I just put a water proof cover over the entire car, if I don´t have the chance to put the cover, after the snow I just simply remove the snow with a broom and done no big deal.