Question for GTA 350Z owners. From which dealer did you buy your car, what was the price, and did you have a test drive first?

I am looking at the Performance model with 6 sp.

Is it expensive to get insurance?

Is it possible to replace the brakes with Brembos in the future (how much)?

Is it expensive to service it?

Is it friendly for every day car (I am not planning to use it as a daily drive at first but maybe 2 years down the road...).

Any major problems?

 

this is west canada...

toronto is on the east side

 

tell this to the moderator

 

I bought mine back in October from Alta Nissan. They are average. There were not that many Z's available to test drive back then, but I trusted my gut feeling that it'll be a great car and hasn't been proven wrong thus far. I haven't had any major problems. The transmission is a bit notchy but ok. The BOSE amp had to be replaced, but it is covered under the warranty. The paint could be of a better quality. But overall, great car for value.

The insurance depends a lot on your personal info, however, I am paying about $1,800 per year. Not bad considering it's a two seater sports car.

It is possible to replace the brakes with aftermarket brembos, and unlikely without much difficulties. However, IMHO, the increase in performance would be hardly noticeable for day-2-day normal driving to justify the cost. I guess it'll cost you around 3K to change the brakes. Also, I personally think the Performance package is a better deal than the Track, as the leather seats and seat warmers are more useful than the brembos and Ray rims, unless you plan to put the car on the track.

This car is relatively cheap to service and maintain.

It could certainly be used as a daily driver. However, it does not perform that well in snow, and there is hardly any traction, especially with the stock tires. For winter driving, you definitely need winter tires or at least all season tires. Otherwise you'll get stuck even in a couple cm of snow! If you are planning to use it on a daily basis in winter, I suggest getting a beater or some other vehicle.

PS. I paid MSRP (don't think you can get better) + extras and taxes = about 52k

 

52k and you paid MSRP? That's sweet. Did they cut you a deal on the freight/pdi? My dealer knocked $1000 off MSRP for me (43,900) but it still came out to 52k after the red tape.

 

The freight/PDI wasn't much. It came to slightly over 52k, all included. I managed to get them to waive off the admin fee, and some small fees here and there.

 

I went to Sherway Nissan to see the car. They have 4 Zs on the lot (Blue with Navi, silver, gray, black, all performance models). They weren't offering a discount. They added everything and it came at about 53.9k. I am not buying at this price, of course, since you guys got it for 52k. No car to test drive at this dealership.

I liked the car (I sat inside in a car that belongs to somebody from the dealership), hopefully I'll be able to drive one before I buy.

I am also considering the G35C. I noticed that you need to service the G every 3000 (oil) and 6000 km (reg maintenance). That's why I asked for the service schedule of the Z.

I prefer the Z. It should be lighter than the G35C 6sp (any specs to support this?). Though you get only 3 years of warranty with the Nissan.

Are you happy with the Z's performance? Is it faster than a S2000?

I plan to go to the track 2-3 times a year (that's why I am thinking about the Track model, though I am debating if it's worth it to lose the leather seats and pay more for just 2-3 days on the track).

I think the pricing between the G and the Z is a bit strange. For the price of the Z Track you get a G35C 6mt (Brembos) with leather, sunroof, 4 years warranty etc. Am I missing something?

 

hey, who was your salesperson???? too your question is it faster than the S2000, hard to say I mean on the low end defintly no question the S does pull at vtec, but the two cars are pretty evenly matched, you will like the toys of the Z and the Tourque of it as well over the S....Anyways i don't know if it was me you spoke to at the dealership, but i will be more than happy to help you out either way..getting you a drive and the color you like as well, and if theres anything i can do on the price, I will


thanks
Darren

 

I didn't have a very good experience with Sherway (no, the salesman was not Darren). I ended up buying my car elsewhere and the guy at Sherway gave me a hard time about it. Said I wasted his time by coming into the dealership. I guess you are not allowed to look around at cars before buying them, in his opinion. If you go into a dealership, you must buy the car!

Before he phoned me to give me hell, I was going to use Sherway for my maintenance. Not now. I will probably take it to the dealership I bought the car from (Dermac in Brampton).

 

I had some similarly bad experiences with a salesman at a dealership (not Nissan).

Did you get a good deal for the Z in Brampton?

 

Not really - only about $500 below MSRP. But they had the colour and options (NAV) I wanted.

 

did they waived the freight/pdi or they just gave you $500 discount off the total price?

 

It was $500 of the total price. Still had to pay the PDI and few other charges.

 

If they have the model and options you are looking for in stock, then it is not worth the hassle to wait for a couple of hundred dollars less. You may want to get the car now and enjoy driving it in the summer.

I am extremely happy with the performance of my Z. No compalints whatsoever. In regards to G35C, it's a great car but not as sporty as the Z. The Z's styling is more radical and has more sex appeal. Also, I smoked a G35C last weekend by a few car lengths, which totally surprised me since I previously thought that the cars are very similar. Could be a bad driver. So far a the S2000 is concerned, it looks like a miata and has a high rev'ing engine.

I personally service my Z at G35C's service schedule, so I can't comment on the service schedule for the Z. Bear in mind that the engine in either car is bullet proof, and the G35's extra year ofwarranty, at least as far the engine is concerned, may not be a deciding factor.

If you are going to track it only a few times a year, the track option is not worth it. The seats on the track look cheap compared to the leather seats of the perfomance model. Besides, you get seat warmer, a bonus for cold cdn climate.

 

sorry about your experince with the salesman at sherway, well if it makes you feel better sales and service is completly seperate, i dont handle customers in that manner, and niether does our service department
thanks
Darren

 

could you pls explain/describe the problems with the suspension?

sorry for this question but there is no test drive available for me yet...

 

o about your comment on the s2000 being like a miata, you have to drive it to see that you can not even compare the 2
be carfull when racing an S, the weight difference hurts specially with the high end at vtec