Greetings all,

I came very close to buying the 07 SI this afternoon however didn't being we already have an 06 in the family. So after my few hours spent at the Honda dealer I depart for home and see a 350 in another lot. For ish and giggles I go in and entertain the idea. Now I think I am convinced I want one however not the one I looked at. I've currently found a few on autotrader I like and my friend used to be a dealer at Fireside in Attleboro so he can get me a sweet deal as well. However after looking over the Nissan website I came to find a few things which led me very confused and now undecided. I'm wondering if anyone here can help. Below are my concerns...

1. There are bascially five trims, what are the key factors that sperates the timr levels from eachother?

2. I thought they all had an LSD. Again, which trim levels have LSD as that plays a large role in my decision.

3. Which trim levels have the largest most agressive displacement?

4. I'm a boost fanatic and long time seasonal show tuner. Most of my roots are in Honda, Toyota and Mazda. I like options and luxary however power and performance are my key elements here. With that said, which model should I be focusing on more?

5. Are there any substantial differences in the model years I should be aware of? I.E. 2003 came without Brmbo brakes, 2004 - 06 came with Brembo brakes and LSD, etc...

6. Are there any TSB's / recals in any particular years I should know about?

7. Are there any significant differences in the options available in all years / trim levels?

8. I'm basically after the model that has the most options and the most performance. Which year / model is best for me?


I understand this is asking a lot however look at it as you doing your part in helping a potential brother seek out his new project and making his x-mas gift to himself come true!

On a side note, some background of myself includes: 30 years old, over 12 years as an auto enthusiast, built countless show / track cars, some of which include by relentless 550+ HP MR2 T, my authentic RHD TRD widebody JDM MR2, my RHD conversion 92 GSR and one of my latest being a 438 HP TT RX-8. I just moved here to Boston from Maryland with my fiance however I am originally from MA where as Jen is not. I attend UTI in Norwood, MA and have plans on opening a shop in Walpole, MA once I graduate from the Porsche MSAT program.

Thanks for any help on these issues guys, I'm sure you get this a lot being Nissan had to go and design 5 different trims on two different platforms which share the same chassis.

~Keith

 

1. There are bascially five trims, what are the key factors that sperates the timr levels from eachother?
Go to nissanusa.com and you can see all of the differences
Base = "base"
Enthusiast=Base+LSD, cruise control, aluminum pedals, TCS, and homelink/autodimming mirror
Touring=Enthusiast+leather, Bose, and VDC
Track=Enthusiast+Brembos, Nice Rays wheels, and rear spoiler and diffuser
Grand Touring=Touring+Track

2. I thought they all had an LSD. Again, which trim levels have LSD as that plays a large role in my decision.
All trims except the base have LSD

3. Which trim levels have the largest most agressive displacement?
All have the same displacement. The 6MT and 5AT do have different engines though. Both are 3.5L, but the 6MT is 300hp/260 lb torque, and the 5AT has 287hp/274 lb torque.

4. I'm a boost fanatic and long time seasonal show tuner. Most of my roots are in Honda, Toyota and Mazda. I like options and luxary however power and performance are my key elements here. With that said, which model should I be focusing on more?
All trims will produce approx the same numbers on the track. If you want leather, get the touring or grand touring.

5. Are there any substantial differences in the model years I should be aware of? I.E. 2003 came without Brmbo brakes, 2004 - 06 came with Brembo brakes and LSD, etc...
Only the track and grand touring trims came with Brembos. All years are similar with regards to options like LSD. All trims except the base come with a LSD.

6. Are there any TSB's / recals in any particular years I should know about?
There were some issues with the early years. A quick search will show you results dealing with tires/suspension and transmission issues.

7. Are there any significant differences in the options available in all years / trim levels?
Nothing significant. Just 06's now have Bi-xenon and LED lighting along with "new wheels" (same as the 35th anniv from 2005).

8. I'm basically after the model that has the most options and the most performance. Which year / model is best for me?
Most options would be a grand touring with navigation. They all perform about the same regardless of trim.

 

Hey Camero,

Thanks for your help. I've actually been doing some pokeing around on the site and found out a few things but not all. You're reply was actually the most helpful. One thing I do find to be consistent is I'm having a VERY hard time determining between the different models. They all basically look the same so how can I tell if a model is base, track, touring, grand touring, etc? I think the Grand Touring is my target but I don't want to get suckered either which is why I won't be going back to Boch to buy the car I just looked at this evening. Does the VIN have any distinctive characters that would alert me of the different trims? Or do I basically have to ask each seller what trim they have?

~Keith

 

No.

 

The dead giveaways would be as follows.

03-05:
Base: will not have cruise or TCS, halogen lighting
Enthusiast: has TCS, HID lighting, and cruise, but still has 17" wheels (no Bose)
Performance: has all of the enthusiast options plus VDC and 18" wheels
Touring: leather and Bose
Track: Brembos, cloth interior, and no Bose
Grand Touring (35th anniversary in 05): Brembos, Bose, and leather

06:
All cars have 18" wheels (GT and track have 19" rear wheels) and bi-xenon headlights and LED rear lights. All of the trims are pretty much the same except that there is no longer a performance trim.

 

Easiest way to tell:

Base: No controls on steering wheel
Enthuiast: TCS (but not VDC) but no Bose
Performance: VDC (includes TCS) but no Bose
Touring: heated seats
Track: Brembo brakes.
Grand Touring: Don't know.

Lots of other differences but if you follow above it will tell you what your looking at.

 

Thank you Brickyard and Camero. This is very resourceful information. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Now I just need to take this info and go out and find a decent price in the color I'm after. The only two colors I think I want is orange and black. I'll definately check in once I have purchased one and make myself known. Thanks again for all your help!

~Keith

 

Good luck and hopefully we'll be seeing pics of your new Z.