Ive had my Z Roadster (6M) for almost a year now. I did pick it up used but I thought I got a pretty good deal. I'm am beginning to question that decision as of late however as Ive had a lot of (sometimes bizarre) problems with the car.

The first thing I noticed was some odd transmission noises, I took it over to a local shop and had a JWT clutch and flywheel in. I know that is a bit noisier than stock but at least I have an excuse. Anyhow, lately its makes this weird whining sound when I push the clutch in. Possibly a pilot bushing? I dunno.

Next, my damn rear view mirror fell off! It didn't just come unglued, it literally took a chunk of the glass out with it. Weird huh? Anyhow I was able to epoxy it back in but I dont have a lot of confidence that it will stay in there.

Then, I got stuck in a tight parking lot and curbed the right side skirt and front wheel trying to get out. That one didn't make me happy. Its mostly on the bottom of the skirt but I think I hit part of the front bumper as well as it is now bent down just a tiny bit. Not much but enough for me to notice. The wheel also no has some curb rash on it as well.

Later I discovered a gash in the convertible top which has since grown a tad to about 4-5 inches. I was just going to get that repaired when I discovered another. It seems as though the top is just so dried and worn out that I will no doubt see more which make sit kind of pointless to try and repair the thing.

Additionally, I discovered recently that two of my TPMS sensors are kaput. My tire pressure monitor reads under 20psi regardless of the actual tire pressure. Not sure whats up with that.

Want more? The stock CD player no longer works, the motor seems shot. It wont take in a CD anymore.

I could go on but I will spare you my frustration.

This is my first time buying a used car, and so far I have been left completely and utterly disappointed. I'm looking at another 3-5k just to get the thing back into at least stock condition. I love the car, but at this point I'm not sure its worth continuing to put money into. Though I'm really not sure what to do about it at this point. Do you guys think its worth fixing up? Or should I try to get rid of it before it gets worse?

 

What year?

 

U bought a used car that was your first error!!!! Get rid off it

 

wow sorry to hear tha Zen but that car sounds like trouble, anyway if i were u id get rid of it and get a "new" car...just my 2 cents

 

Just curious. Was it a yellow 2005 with chrome rims?

 

Its a black '05 Roadster. I havent really had engine trouble with it at all, its not leaking or burning oil or anything. There is nothing to really indicate that the car was mistreated. It has a perfectly clean title, with a single owner before I bought it. The only exception possibly being that the origional owner likely sucked at driving a stick, which the condition of the transmission might indicate. Other than the curbrash which was my fault, It mostly just seems to be akward quality issues. My concern is that its only going to get worse. *sigh* I guess Im just trying to get some moral support for getting rid of the thing, I love the car otherwise! I think if I try to trade it in through a dealer they are going to try to rip me a new one for the condition of the canvas alone. And I think I owe more at this point than I could get from selling it privately.

 

I have always purchased new in the past, but Z roadsters brand new are WAY over priced in my opinion. This one seemed to be in better shape than almost all of the others I looked at, until I bought it! haha

 

Yeah i hear you brother on the over pricing of verts... We all take a chance when we buy anything used period.. Well from what ive read most of your problems can easily be fixed.The vert top ur going to get raped on that one.. Did you have a mech check this car out before purchase?
How many miles and how much did you purchase this car for?

 

The 350Z is not the most reliable vehicle on the road nor is it the least. A performance sports car will cost more to maintain than, lets say, a Honda Accord. Thats just common sense.

 

They let me drive the car for like 3 days before I came in and finished the paperwork. I had it looked at by a mechanic at the dealership that my brother works at, but they didnt rip open the tranny or anything. It had about 46k miles on it when I bought it which was not bad considering most of the 05 verts I looked at were well into the 50k mile range.

You are right though, most of the problems are easily fixed, its just a LOT of stupid little problems. I found a guy that does custom tops, mostly for older cars, but has done a few porsches and such. He guestimated, without looking at the car that he could make me a custom top for about $1000. Which is better than the $1800+ that the dealership wants.

 

Im not so much worried about the cost (within reason of course) as I am about just dealing with the on-going problems. But common sense on the other hand would dictate that dumping a ton of cash into these stupid issues is just not a wise use of my income.