Hi, I am looking to buy a z and I was wondering how is the 350z motor if it was 75k+ miles. In other words how reliable are they at such mileage. Any help will be appreciated thanks.

 

Thats all dependent on the history---I have 66,000 plus and NEVER had it in for warranty or replaced anything other than upgrades and in a 3000 mile period I seldomly am down a qt of oil....I know I havent changed oil in close to 4000 this time and the other day I was down about 3/4s of a qt

 

It's a sports car... I think it was thrashed for most/all of those 75k miles. If you do get it don't keep it for more than a few years.

 

Wasn't Nissan quoted as saying they wanted the Engineers to "design an engine that would last 200K miles"? Regardless of that, the downside is it is a sports car, and they generally are driven harder than a regular car. Depending on who owned it, it could be a lot of wear and tear. If they are just a lot of highway miles, than it probably wouldn't be so bad.

 

Picked up mine with 73k on it. Now I have 100,989. Always starts up and runs except for the time when I needed a new battery. Daily driven. Keep in mind, as others have said, it really depends on how the car was driven. I recall a guy on here who purchased a PPW one with significantly low miles ( 21k I believe) and it crapped out on him on the way home from the dealership. I say look it over, get it checked out by a second opinion, ask about the return policy (if there is one) and then take the plunge.

 

The motor will last 100,000 miles but I doubt if the transmission will.

 

like eazzzzy said, it's all in how it was treated before you. mine has 51k and never had a problem!

 

I would think the vq will have no problem lasting 150k miles

 

My daily driver has 85k on the odo and I can't imagine that the engine ever ran stronger than it does now.

These new cars (year 2000+) are tanks reliability-wise, I think we're going to find out down the road that most cars made during the last few years are going to easily get over 200k miles. If I could find a way to make that a bet, I would take it.

 

agreed. Hell, even american cars are hitting much higher mark then 300k miles. btw, my friend with his 03 350z is right near 200k miles. All highway though.

 

You've also got to think that the VQ35 has been on Ward's best-of engines list for something like ten years straight. This particular engine, even among modern engines, is masterful.

Not even 16-year-old Z owners and grease streaks can put me off when I've got such a work of art under the hood.

 

the only thing is that most 350z engine will take a beating than other vq35 engines. It will see redline much more than others.

 

That's why I'm very, very interested to see how my car holds up.

I bought at 71k miles, but the price was awesome, so it was a controlled risk. I stopped even thinking about the engine going, though. I'd worry more about the tranny or the electrical system, only one of which is really affected by hard driving.

I'll definitely let you guys know if something happens. However, I have to strain my brain to think of any posts at all regarding engine failure, just oil consumption in 06s.

 

thats impressive

 

For a 350z with 75k miles is a little too much for a sports car. Probably the owner had only one car and not really taken care of with so many miles. Now a AMG car which comes with mobil 1 from the factory is a different story.

 

You and me both. I never worry about it at all. Oil changes every 3k keeps the doctor away .

 

so if i have a mechanic come with me and look at the z i should be fine to buy it at around 75kish miles?

btw i am only looking to keep it around 3-4 years max

 

Have him do a compression and / or a leak down test. That's about all you can do, other than talking to the owner, to determine its condition.

 

alright thanks for all the information guys it really helped... one thing i wanted to know is there anyway to check if the transmission has been beat on? I mean i know it probably has but i was just wondering. You can PM with any answers.

Thanks again

 

automatic or manual?

auto - ck fluid for burnt smell or metal particles
manual - try taking off from a dead stop in 4th or 5th gear. If it stalls, thats a good thing, the clutch isn't slipping