A few days ago my husband took me to a local Nissan dealer as a surprise and bought me a brand-new 2005 350Z Grand Touring Roadster in redline/black with manual transmission. I am head over heels in love!!! I have wanted a sportscar for years. (Used to work for an exotic car dealer and have driven tons of Ferraris, Porsches, Aston Martins, etc.)

I also drive a 2002 Maxima SE and a 1996 Chrysler Town & Country minivan so I am familar with Nissan products. We have had two previous Maximas, one of which was driven to almost 200,000 miles. The other one was totalled in an accident 8 months after we bought it used.

Tomorrow I am having Lojack installed. I am doing it more for peace of mind than anything else.

The only problem I am having is my local Nissan dealer is reluctant to install an airbag on/off switch for us after we get the required approval. (We have applied to NHTSA for permission and are awaiting the approval letter.) Has anyone faced this problem?

Lee

 

Nice gift! Enjoy your Z.

 

Welcome and congrats Lee take care of that Z when you get it and post pics...

 

Just one question...why would you want to turn off your airbags? It's not like you can forsee an oncoming accident, switch on the airbags to save your life...

 

how did you get a brand new car thats 2005?

 

I would imagine for the passenger side for a baby seat maybe. I would imagine this is a bad idea to begin with ..........

 

I was not aware a Z could accomadate a baby seat?

 

It was built on September 2, 2005 and still on a Certificate of Origin. It had only 43 miles on it when we bought it.

The best part of it is this Z is the perfect car for me. From the red color to being a roadster to being a manual, this is exactly the car I would have ordered if I went that route. The dealer had this one and a black Roadster, automatic, and he couldn't seem to get rid of them. He didn't buy any 2006s and is not buying any 2007s because he doesn't want to get stuck with them. It may have to do with our state's high insurance rates. No one wants to pay the high rates they charge for sportscars.

Lee

 

read the manual it's on there

 

I have a 7 1/2 year old son who will be riding in it occasionally. He is in a booster seat. Nissan stresses emphatically about putting in the on/off switch.

Since we own several vehicles, he won't need to be in it all the time.

Lee

 

Correct me if I am wrong Lee but if you do use a booster you HAVE to install the air bag switch right ???

 

Yes, you do but we have applied to NHTSA for permission and are still waiting. (The form says they process the requests in 48 hours. But probably mail the permission letter by snail mail.) Nissan will not even permit you to order the parts until you have the letter in hand.

I have spoken to Nissan USA and they have said if the dealer won't install it, we should file a complaint against the dealer with Nissan. We don't want to do that unless absolutely necessary. We will wait until we get the letter and then talk to the dealer again. The manager says he will get it done. Having bought cars from him over the past few years, he has always stood by his word. We are just getting the reluctance from the service department.

Lee

 

^^ I see well hope you stay with us here and you are not a minority. We have several members who are women. We love them all and they even have a site named Z chicks or something.