Admittedly, my research is still very early and incomplete. I'm more infatuated with this car than in love. The initial cost will already be a financial strain; I wonder if the ongoing costs of the Z will be too harsh to sustain. Gas mileage is a concern as gas prices seem to climb again and I am going to use this as a DD so it would be prudent to do my research now instead of after the fact.

How are you guys who live in Markham/Richmond Hill and work in Toronto deal with the gas? Does it burn through it like H2o? I looked at the Genesis Coupe a while back because one of the selling point was that it could use regular 87 but I wonder if putting the cheap stuff into the Z will cause catastrophic damage in the short and long term.

 

If it's a concern at any point in time the car is obviously out of your league.

If you can't afford it when gas goes up, you can't afford it ever.

No, they just tell you premium only because it’s a giant conspiracy to get you to over pay for gas; again, bringing us back to the point that you can't afford the car if you’re asking questions like this.

19-26 MPG......that's it, sometimes a little more, and sometimes, WAY less.

 

^Harsh but true..
First,
If the cost of purchasing the vehicle is going to be a strain, I would strongly suggest reconsidering your purchase.

-Be prepared to be paying $1.15/litre all summer long. (if we are lucky)

-Fuel economy is not bad at all. I was easily able to get 600+km highway driving.
In the city, with a mixed bag.. I would say you will avg between 360-450km.. All dependent on your right foot.

-Insurance is not cheap (age/driving records aside) I would imagine you are under 30 y/o?
If so, the avg person here is paying well over $200+/mth

-Do not use anything less then 91 octane.

-Maintenance on an older z is not cheap.

Lastly, MODS ARE NOT CHEAP FOR THE Z!...

Now time to crunch some hard #'s...

GL noob

 

Gas consumption isn't paramount; I don't want to give the wrong impression that I'll be living from hand to mouth, pay check to pay cheque*

I haven't owned a sports car/coupe before so I'm trying to get the overall picture. That all said; what kind of maintenance are we talking about on an '03-'05 Z? Mods can wait indefinitely. I think the stock performance is more than enough.

How reliable is the motor? It's Japanese after all. I can deal with creaks from the body/frame as long as it doesn't affect the overal performance of the vehicle.

It's either a Z or a GTI; I would hedge my bet on the Z being more reliable than a Dub which has been known to have electrical gremlins up the wazoo.

 

Every car has gremlins. The Z was just voted 6th most reliable car by forbes though.

 

its intrinsically rock solid. It has annoying minor flaws though. The gas consumption is good on the highway, and poor in traffic. The long gearing helps on the highway. Maintenance isn't cheap but it isn't horrendous. Get in the scene and you can find parts cheaper than a dealership would charge you for a Honda so no biggie. Gas prices are close to what they'll be for awhile, OPEC is looking to regulate the price of oil per barrel at $75 and its close to that now.

 

Someone needs to firebomb opec. Nuff said

 

Can you please elaborate on what kind of maintenance is required for the car?

Oil changes I imagine would be nominal as are the other things but being a used car, is there anything major need changing (timing belt, etc) that's coming up in a year or two's time frame that may cost a small fortune?

I'm looking to keep this car for a long, long time.

 

No timing belt (its a chain, and its good for the life of the car)

Go to this site (but takes the spaces out of the addy). It had the Service Manuals for which ever year Z33 you want to know about

http://www.3 5 0 z-tech.com/zwiki/Service:Index

 

+1000000000

The only time I put 87 octane was when a couple years ago, all the gas station had no 91 or higher. I filled up $5 of 87 and then kept driving around until I found a gas station with 91. You fill up a full tank of 87, you deserve to die. And don't complain about gas prices in Canada. I'm paying way more than that. If you can't afford it, go get yourself a civic. Nuff said.

Also, with the questions you've been asking around the forums, it seems like you have NOT done your research at all, or you're not searching hard enough. All the basic prerequisites and expectations of buying a used Z has been covered COMPREHENSIVELY multiple times in this forum ever since it started.

Also with the questions you're asking and the way you talk, i'm 90% sure you are under 25. If that's the case... good luck affording insurance under your name and good luck keeping the car with your age. How do I know? Been there, done that. Not a good car to get under 25.

Cheers.

 

I disagree with the under 25 thing.

 

i have 500-550kms per tank. Highway and local

 

I get around 500, but i'm mostly doing city driving in rush hour.

In terms of maintenance, there isn't anything different with a Z that wouldn't need to be done with any other car.

 

Hey,

Between your choices, I would recommend the Z.
'03 - "05 had different problems.
Most '03's had some gas hose issue's, tire feathering, transmission grinding, rear axle clicking.. and some other smaller problems. Some '04's also experienced some of these problems.
The '05's came with the upgraded 009 transmission which seemed to resolved the 2nd, 3rd and 5th gear grinds.
Most Revups ('05-'06) had oil consumption problems, not all but most. The v2 motor swap seems to have resolved most of the consumption problems.

My advice to you is search, search and search some more. You should be able to find the answers to all your questions on this web forum. If you really want to learn a little more about this car, make your way out to the Speedstar meet this weekend.

No more spoon feeding

 

i have a blown engine 05z sitting in my shop now

 

Lmao... way to talk some confidence into the guy for buying a Z... all those problems hahaha


07rdsterGT - for the 25 years... Well. In Canada, insurance is retarded expensive until you are 25. Just to clarify the difference between US and Canadian insurance. I was paying $14500/year with two tickets and 1 partial fault accident... I got another friend paying $12,000/year for his 03 TT, he's 23. When I had a clean record, the car would be $5400/year under my name. But I put it under my mom's instead for $2300/year

 

^LMAO that's insane... I wouldn't drive if my insurance were like that, and if I had to a would by the cheapest oldest POS ever and buy a track car I didn't have to insure on the road.

Insurance isn't bad if you don't have a crazy record. I'm 23 with 1 ticket (no demerit points though), I pay $235 a month for full coverages on my Z, $500 deductable and comprehensive coverage on my Mazda MX6 that's in storage (*please burn to the ground*).

 

are you sure bro? thats over $1000 a month, no?

 

He's serious..

 

Canadian dollars? lol