Just picked up a brand new '04 Touring, obviously a left over, with 18" wheels, for $26,647! The finance guy said that the dealer actually lost a few thousand dollars on the deal! Does this make sense. I love the car so far...

 

congrats, I paid 22 for an 03 touring with 18K miles. you struck gold.

 

A NEW leftover 2004 350Z? Sorry but it doesn't sound right to me. How many miles? Run a CarFax report and see if the car has been titled to anyone.

If you like the car and are happy with the price, ignore the above.

 

Hey Davidy,
Thanks for the suggestion, however, this is a huge dealer. It seems that Nissan had the car and asked them to sell it. Regardless, it is all registered and it is indeed brand new, it had 72 miles on it and the dealer, Habberstad, has three other shops in that same street (BMW and MINI) and have a great reputation, I purchased a car from them before. They wanted this '04 the hell out of there before the end of the year. The embarassing thing is that I almost walked away from the deal as the Z wasn't at the top of my short list. After hours of discussions, I told my salesman, who was so gracious, that I'd do the deal only if they threw in a few items from the NISMO catalog... $6700 worth of stuff! Of course they said no. I then said, just through in the sway bars, they are only $500. Of course, they said no. I very reluctantly took the deal. Only after I went through the full buying process and the financial guy told me what a great deal I got, I went to all the sales guys, right up to the general manager, and apologized. I really didn't know what a staggering deal I got until I got home and started reading these threads. Well, I'm thrilled and anxious to hear more from you guys/gals about this delightful auto...

 

Deal of the year. Congrats!

 

.

 

Sweet deal, congrats!! What color is it? What are your initial thoughts, especially since you were not a Z guy/gal from the start??

 

Hey WVZ...
I appreciate your question. I have an NSX, so it is difficult for another car to capture my attention. The other cars on my short list were a Mini S and the MX5, both had my attention due to their sharp handline. I love quick turn in, that go car like feeling. Both of those cars are outstanding handlers, however, my first drive in the Z was explosive. The handline is nearly as quick as the above and the shifter (oh, the car is orange with black leather) is as good as the much lauded MX5, way better than the somewhat mushy Mini and nearly as good as the NSX. I was very pleased with the turn in. I found the interior well layed out and wonderfully attractive. The car is loaded with neat little features and, despite all the posts I've read so far, the car feels very solid. Of course, I only have 123 miles on it so far. I spent last night on this site reading all the horror stories and am a little anxious, however, my unit is a 04.5, so hopfully the problems have been weened out. I did order the 3M clear bra to address this 'thin paint' issue. The only disappointment, and this is probably due to the fact that I bought an 04 in 06, is that there is no new car smell!!!

 

"...is that there is no new car smell!!!"

I believe that's covered under warrenty!

Congrats. Not everyone has had issues. My 03 Brick looks & drives as well as the day I bought it. I did have minor feathering but thats about it.

 

TMK, sounds great, I love the orange color. I actually have a '75 280Z too, in orange, so I had thought about getting an orange to match . Anyway, I really enjoy the shifter too, and I actually recently read a review of some Honda product I think in C&D, and they called that car's shifter (maybe an RSX or something) the "2nd best shifter on the planet". And I wondered what the best was, probably another Honda product. Anyway, did you shop the RX8 at all? I didn't, but meant to, but knew deep down the Z was the only way for me!!

 

Congrats and like previously mentioned, not everyone has issues. I had an early 2003 and other than a window motor that failed and the feathering (which was fixed with an alignment), the car was flawless.

Enjoy!

 

Hey WVZ,
I didn't have the RX8 on my short list. I had an RX7, the second generation, I want to say in 1987, and really wasn't impressed with it. I don't muchlike the looks of the new unit. I originally wasn't crazy about the current Z when I saw the initial shots of the car, but in person it caught my eye. As per the best shifting car around, that would go to any one of the following: The S2000, the NSX, the MX5 and easily in that group, the 350Z. I was driving my NSX yesterday and the shifter is smoother and very quick. The Z is my notchy, however, I really love that. I like the feel of the lever having some resistance. It feels closer to the MX5. Frankly, I was completely taken by surprise in my test first Z test drive. My bench mark was the Mini, which is gocart quick, with a sloppy shifter. The Z has, of course, much more power and a dramatically better tranny with almost as quick turn in. I haven't actually driven the Z yet other than a quick local trip, because I am concerned about getting chips on the front of the car. I have that 3M clear bra coming on Friday, so after I put that on, I'll finally get it on the road in earnest...

 

Congrats on the purchase, so you know my dad has an RX8. It isn't a bad car but a Z to me is way better. That thing is a dog in the low RPMs. But looks awesome.

 

Where did you get the 3M bra from? I have heard people talk about those and it sounds like a good idea, I already have some paint chips too. I have had my Z for about 6 weeks now and already have 2600 miles on it, I can say from experience the shifter has already slickened up some, it is not as notchy compared to when new. And I bet some MT90 Redline will make it even better!

 

Hey WVZ,
I hope the shifter doesn't get too much less notchy, I really like it that way! Below is a link to the best place to get this 3M Clearbra. I found the same thing on a number of websites for over $400 (installed yourself). This place charges about $169 for the same product, the 3M stuff!!! I called the company and asked how they can undersell everyone else and I was told that they buy in bulk and don't overcharge! It doesn't seem terribly hard to do this. If you have ever tinted windows, and I have, then it is similar. By the way, to anyelse reading this, if you want to tint your Z windows, get the kit on line and do it yourself, it really is quite an easy and fun project. I got the install kit today and expect the actual 3M stuff tomorrow. I'll post a note on how it all goes this weekend.
http://www.ppfpro.com/ebay/product_quality.htm

 

TMK, That stuff sounds great. I'll look forward to hearing how your install goes. I'm always a little leary of trying to install stuff like that myself, i.e. if you mess up you're screwed!!