Long story short:

I wanted a G35 but in my area I can't find a nice one with under 115k miles in manual. From there I looked into the 350z, found a 2006 test drove it, rode nice and looked good but had enough issues I walked away. Now I'm taking tomorrow off work to go look at one of 2 of these, one is within half hour drive from me, it's a 2008 350z with 112k miles :/

The other is a 2003 350z with 80k miles

I've read some bad reviews from people about the 2003 series and I'm guess 5 model years later it must have improved. Is 112k miles something to be really afraid of?

I know about the tire feathering and not super concerned about that, and I believe the 2008 had oil consumption issues (not sure).

So anyways, would you guys be more interested in the 2008 with high miles or the 2003 with low-"ish" miles. Btw I'm not afraid of maintence with the motor like fluids, belts, tubes, and such.

Heres the 2008:
http://www.automotioncarsales.com/20..._225576538.veh

 

I wouldn't get one with higher miles and would rather have a older z with lower miles. But over 100k isn't bad for the z.. but any car with that many will naturally need some bit of work.

 

Get the 2008. A whole lot of things changed between 03 and 08, including the engine, exterior and interior.

 

Plus, 112 isn't bad. There are guys here with 200k+

 

To answer your questions, the '03 had problems with excessive tire wear and this was covered by a TSB and as a result no cars of this year should suffer cupping, wear etc. The '08 has the HR engine which has 313bhp as opposed to the 276bhp of the '03. The HR engine was a totally new unit and slightly taller and wider than the old DE engine, hence the bonnet bulge on the '08. The DE engine was designed to run for 200,000 miles with regular servicing and i would imagine the HR would cover that also, as Landon confirms this as there are guys running up 200,000 miles plus. The engine that suffered oil consumption problems (although not every one of them) was the 2006 rev-up engine this had a slight power increase to 296bhp and a redline increase to 7000rpm, a redesigned interior (the same as the 2008) and a few other cosmetic changes. The HR engine in the '08 puts out 313bhp and has a redline of 7500rpm, twin air intakes and really nice LED's rear lights. The engine also now included variable exhaust cam timing whereas the DE only had variable intake cam timing. You don't mention what model the '03 is and the '08 isn't fitted with Brembo's. If the '08 had a full service history then that'd be what I'd go for personally. I hope this has cleared up a few things for you and helps you make your choice in joining the land of the 350Z. I can't see properly but i'd check the bolster on the drivers seat as that looks as though it could be in a bit of a state

 

Another quick question, and hopefully I can get an answer before I leave lol!

To test the clutch what should I do, all I know are these 3 things:

Push the clutch down, feel for interruptions or soft spots

Put the car in 2nd, hand brake up, and let the clutch out. It should stall immediately

When shifting from 4th to 5th let off kinda quick and get back on quick, if there's a a jump in RPM but not speed it means the clutch is slipping?

Are these correct, and anything else that's more obvious?

 

Going around 30mph in 4th, just floor it. If the rpm's jump up that means the clutch is slipping. If it grabs normally then you're fine. Feel for any grinding, etc.

For a car with 112k that Z seems pretty clean. I'd have them remove the roof vinyl to make sure it's not a cover-up or something before I bought it.

 

I agree the best way to test is 4th gear and floor it.

 

I'm not entirely certain that is an Enthusiast model. The only picture showing the steering wheel shows only the left side. I believe for the 2008 models, the Enthusiast should have audio controls visible in that view. I see none. That leads me to believe this is a Base. And there is nothing wrong with that, just make sure the pricing is for a Base model and not an Enthusiast.

 

Looks like a manual-dimming rear-view mirror - Base model. I'm also always wary of a car that's been dipped in Armor All. I wouldn't touch it without a professional inspection being done first.

 

So the 2008 was complete garbage and totally not as described!!!

And after more reading I've totally written of the 2003 models.

People say go 2004.5 or higher, how do I determine 2004.5 from 2004??

Also what do you guys think about these? Might make a trip this weekend

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...65019118&Log=0

[http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...59939013&Log=0

 

The '08 might be a fine car. I can't say just from those pics, but the price and all that Armor All are scary, at least to me.

The '04 looks nice, but that '05 is not a 35th Anniv. car. Again, hard to evaluate a car just from some tiny web pics. Dealers rarely know what they have, especially with all the versions of the Z, and sometimes they willfully lie. That's the business, so it's your job to be careful, patient, and to pay for a professional inspection.

 

The 2004.5 will have knee pads on both sides. The vin will also have az towards the end. There are a couple more way but I don't remember. I own a 2004.5 and love it.

 

Ok so I placed a hold on this car in New York that, Im going to look at on Saturday!
http://www.jeffkies.com/inventory-de...40435432-11140
Looks super clean, HR motor, low miles, and car fax one owner!
It was in a minor accident and tires might need to be replaced so I plan on starting my offer at $13,000 even, is that too crazy???

 

13k would be a steal ! I doubt they will accept and might stand their ground since summer is right around the corner.

15k is a nice price even with those minor issues

 

Well it was sold...did you buy it?

 

Damn that was a quick sale!!

 

Yes, I did buy it!!!

2007, 1 owner, 54k miles, 6 spd
Sale price 14,700

Love it so far, tpms sensor lights on and the windshield wiper fluid resiviour is leaker but I'm going to inspect tomorrow

 

Oh very nice that is a good price...

The tpms is always a *****.. I would go back to them and have them fix it since you just got it.

Tires for the z are expensive but I would get hankook evo 12. Best summer tire out there for the $

 

So all is going well but I ran into a new problem, when I bought the car it had a slight chirp. Didn't think anything of it. Got it home and drove it a few times, and decided to apply some WD-40 to the pulleys till I found the source. I got to what I believe is the power steering pulley, sprayed WD-40 behind the belt and pulley where the bearings would be, the sounds quit for like 10 seconds then came back with fury. Now it's squealing worse than ever!!!

Hoping it dries up for the drive tomorrow morning to the DMV and work then plan on taking it into the local Nissan dealership to find/fix the problem.

You guys have any ideas????