Hi im new and I just got a 2004 Manual Nissan 350Z with 55,000 miles and was wondering if someone could tell me if its expensive to maintain it and whatever else comes along with it. Thanks

 

check in the sticky area here.....

https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance-and-repair-53/

 

hahah search but I'll be nice since my z has about 50K miles and is a 2004.

I've had to replace tires a lot. And the window motor just went- that's about $200 or so.

The VQ is a good engine just take it easy when shifting because our tranny sucks monkey *****.

 

I just bought a roadster in May with 12,000 mi on it.
I changed my own oil which cost about $35, not bad at all considering my last car used 8-10 qts of oil.
Tire wear quickly depending on how you drive but if you want there are cheap alternatives to the stock tires.
Other than that the engine is really nice, probably one of the most dependable produced if you treat it right.
The tranny does seem a bit odd to me, hard acceleration seems very rough or coarse - not because of the engine... its hard to explain but you can really feel the roughness in accel in your foot. I don't know.

 

there is some flywheel chatter, and the syncros in the tranny have a tendency to go out. rear diff bushing is known to blow out, and nissan will try to sell you the entire rear subframe, when it is possible to replace just the bushing. tires will wear out quick but any good gripping tire will since they are softer. use premium fluids and gas and she will treat ya good. congrats on the car and read up on it sir (assuming your a sir, hard to tell by screen name)

 

Yes, maintenance is expensive, otherwise the consequences are significantly more expensive.

 

And with the flywheel chatter it's really not a big issue or something that effects performance it's just annoying.

 

its only annoying at first, but you get used to it and wont hear it after a while unless you change out to a lightweight flywheel and then it will get worse

 

I would sugest you pony up the bucks and change out all the fulids to start off fresh and pay for the better grade once you learn what you should use understand the oem vs other options and this will help extend the cars life span along with not having to trust what fluids are currently in the car.

 

It depends on your previous experience. I've had several Audi and BMW's and compared to them the Z is so cheap I bought a second one. But if all you've ever had is honda civics then you may consider it expensive.

It's all a matter of perspective.

 

I would estimate ~$1,500 to $2,000 annually is what I've been in for maintenance, maybe more. This includes some upgrades here and there, and if you plan on allotting that much to your "Z" fund, you should be okay when the engine ****'s the bed. 2004 VQ35DE, is less reliable, but better than a 2002 at least.

You can probably get away with ~$1,000/year, but your car will have budget everything parts/tires/brakes/etc.

Also, these are your go-to street tires that perform well, but don't break the wallet: Nitto NT555/Hankook Ventus V12/Yokohama S.drive, then on the cheaper side which will perform worse: Falken FK 452. Onlinetires.com is your friend.

JWT clutch/flywheel kit is a good investment when your clutch finally dies.

Forum private ads will save you money.

If you want to get more power out of the Z, don't bother unless you have deep pockets. This car is a money pit.