I want a 350Z but I am on a limited budget. I can swing the cost of an 03 base, but am trying to get a general idea of what maintenance and repair costs I can expect on this car. I'm not looking for specific pricing, just a general idea of what to expect. I know sports cars are generally more expensive to maintain, but just wanted to know how the 350Z compares to other cars of this type.

 

With one exceprtion, the Z is quite inexpensive to maintain. I've spent less than a $1000 over 6 years & have maintained it by the book.

The exception is tires. A set, installed, will cost at least $800 assuming decent quality.
The z goes through a set in 20,000 to 25,000 miles or about half the miles you would expect from a "normal" car.

If your buying used, have the car inspected by a mechanic, ask for maintennance records, & run a Carfax. Plus if your buying used, there may be accumulated maintenance the previous owner did not do.

 

tires, quality oil changes on a good schedule and since most Z's are getting up in mileage, routine things like belts, battery...

the car has been very reliable for me.

 

I've spent about 500 bucks after just buying my 03 touring. Passenger side window motor went out within 3-4 days (150 bucks at autozone with lifetime warranty).

Did Mobil 1 Fully Syn 5w30 oil change and Mobil 1 filter-50 bucks
Mobil 1 Fully Syn ATF Auto Tranny fluid change (not flush, and no filter)) about 50 bucks
Mobil 1 Fully Syn 75w90 Diff Fluid change

While I was under I noticed belts needed to be replaced, gatorback premium belts were $20x2 belts.

IMHO the biggest expense will be the brakes and tires. I don't like how quickly my brakes glaze right now at highway speeds and agressive braking (I suspect they are el cheapo pads from dealer replacement prior to purchase). Tires will also be expensive. I def. see the tires only making it 20k miles and I'm looking at 800 for new ones. Brake work will run me 800 bucks or so.

All that is assumming you do your own work and have your tools. Beyond that it looks pretty simple. Really just using quality parts and fluids, and relatively normal issues associated with a sportscar.

My g/f's first car was an altima and that car took the beating really really well. I'm hoping some of the longevity will carry over to the Z especially considering an owner willing to lovingly care for it.

 

It's really nothing special. It's no more expensive to maintain then a Maxima for example. Change your oil and coolant at regular intervals just like you would any other car. It's not a Porsche, don't let people charge you like it is. It doesn't require anything special. All parts you can get fro your local auto parts place.

As far as brakes and tires go. If you drive it like an *** 24-7 of corse they are gonna wear out fast. But that goes for any car. So if you don't want to spend alot of money on brakes and tires, don't burn out at every light. And don't ride your brakes.

The best advice you could get is to do your own maintnence. Brakes, oil, rear end fluid, coolant and belts are easy. That shouls be all the maintnence you should ever need to do!

There ya go!

 

Welcome to the forum. Take a few for a test drive first. Make sure you like RWD, shocking as that might be some seem not to.

 

Lots of members can afford payments, but forget other costs such as insurance and maintenance. I put aside $200/month for mods, routine maintenance, repairs, tires. And there never seems to be enough money. You will see lots of

Have to sell my Z

threads. Many young members are over their heads.

 

+1

For those of you under 25, insurance is a killer. I knew a guy once who's insurance on his Z was more than his car payment!!!

 

I really appreciate all the replies, the info is greatly appreciated. The reason I brought the question up in the first place was an experience a friend of mine had with a Crossfire he leased in 2005. Before someone comments, I tried my very best to talk him out of it.

Most everything was covered by factory warranty, since it was a new car, but when it came to uncovered items, he really got reamed. An oil change at the dealer cost him a hundred bucks mainly because it required 8 quarts of synthetic oil and an over priced Mercedes Benz oil filter. I advised he do it himself or at least take it to a Jiffy Lube or the like, but he was afraid Chrysler might void the warranty if something went wrong.

After a year, one of the standard halogen headlights burned out. I coaxed him into letting me see if I could replace it for him. I was able after half an hour of struggling to get the defective bulb out, but for the life of me I could not get the new one installed due to the design of a weird clip that held the connector in place. He ended up taking it to the dealer and it took them an hour and cost him $60 to install the new bulb, even though I had already done half the job for them.

He ended up paying a penalty for turning the car in at 36 months of a 39 month lease for fear that something major would fail within the 3 months the car was out of warranty. All I could tell him was "Live and Learn"

 

I hear ya.

I would imagine our headlights would be a beotch as well. But unless you get a 2003 base model, you are going to have HIDs which should technically outlast the car.

As for warranty voiding. They have to prove your oil change is why the motor blew/got damaged. Now adays you don't have to even keep reciepts of maitnence done during a warranty period, let alone have the dealer do it.

Like stated before it's just a normal car with normal capacities. And takes normal fluids. The only exception is maybe if you had the brembos. Even then you can buy pads at yrou local auto parts store for like $20 more then the standard pads. Don't let the exotic looks fool you. Under that skin she's just normal everyday Nissan parts!
Crossfire FTL btw. lol

 

Yes, they are a bit of nuisance. Front bumper off, to get at the applicable light. Some do it another way, but that's not too kind to the wheel well guard.