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Bought my 350Z on Friday (Oct 28), took about 6 months to find what I was looking for... refused to drive anything in black, silver or white. Le Mans Sunset was the color I wanted real bad, but would have taken Daytona Blue or the ultra rare Brickyard Red. Found my Z on the west coast of FL (in Naples) so I had no problem driving the 100 miles from the east coast of FL to pick her up. Car only had 19K - clearly a garage queen! I couldn't write the check fast enough this Z is super clean, hard to believe someone let this prize go!
I remember way back in grade school a friend of mine's mother owned two Zs - at late 70s and early 80s model and always thought they were sweet cars with orange interior dash lights. In the mid 90s I looked at 300ZX but went with a Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T instead. So finally (at age 40) I had the means ($) to finally satisfy my burning desire to have a REAL sport car any longer. Too many virtual laps in Gran Turismo will do that to ya. I debating getting a G35 (brother is current leasing a G37 Sedan, once owned a 'Vette) but really wanted something smaller (lighter) with a hatch. Pretty much only the 350Z fits that profile.
In the past I've owned: a V6 Mustang, Civic S1500 Hatchback, Prelude Si, the Eclipse, Passat 1.8T and currently the wife drives a Volvo C30 which is a rare little turbo hatchback not many have heard of. I also have a V8 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab that I use to tow my boat, so this new "old" Z will be my daily driver now (18 miles to work - 50/50 mix city/hwy).
TEST DRIVE NOTES: awesome exhaust sound, car is lower and much wider then I thought, interior is tight - its like your sitting on the arm rest for the doors, but the dash is far enough away that your not cramped. Rear view is like looking thru a mail slot and due to how short the car is it looks like people are always about to rear-end you! Shifter has rifle bolt-like action, very mechanical and raw (in a nice way). As everyone says the clutch is heavy and first gear can be tricky, as like other Nissans the throttle tip-in is aggressive. Brakes are a touch grabby, steering is damn near perfect. Engine has more torque then I thought, I'm used to turbos which have gobs of TQ that starts low and stays flat so I was really happy with how the engine pulls thru the rev band. Rear-end and drive train noises are something I'll get used to I guess, its loud, but not as bad as many make it seem. Got one rattle to track down in the back and driver's side window squeaks slightly. Seats are comfy (leather and heated), however the head rest is too far back and I wish it had lumbar adjustment. Seats are not as nice as the ones in my old Prelude or the wife's Volvo (best EVER), however its a BIG step up from our Passat and light years ahead of my trucks terrible seats. Love the triple gauges (Z trademark) and ability to read tire pressure with them. Wish the center console was padded so I could rest my elbow there. Sunglasses holder is too small to be of any use and the rear hatch lift struts need to be upgraded (common issue I think). Auto dimming mirror and auto climate control are nice touches. Wife drove the car for all of 3 minutes before declaring that we MUST buy it because of how "fast and tight" (her words ) it was.
PLANNED MODS: Really wish I could put this Z on blocks and save it for the future in totally stock form then get a 2nd one for real fun but that ain't happening. For now I've got tint the windows and step up the audio (it has the stock cassette deck!) I'm kind of car audio freak, but want to maintain a stock look with a modest system: 500 watts, one or two 10" subs, that's plenty for my older ears. Thinking about a wing and splitter but love the clean, sexy lines of the car as is. Stubby antenna is a must. Would also like some more aggressive rims and get the brake calipers painted to match. Not going to touch the engine other than maybe a CAI and exhaust down the road.
EASTER EGG: I'm sure most here know about it... but the little Z icon in side vent AC ducts is just plain awesome attention to detail by Nissan
Glad to have this resource available on the 'net learned a ton about the car while doing all my homework. Thanks to all the contributors and other members. Hopefully I'll be able to pay-it-back.
Congratulations and welcome on the Z. Post pics when you get a chance!
Will do... it has done nothing but pour rain since I bought her I leave today on a business trip so no real pics for at least a week. However here are some shots from the cars.com ad...
Will do... it has done nothing but pour rain since I bought her I leave today on a business trip so no real pics for at least a week. However here are some shots from the cars.com ad...
Man,this looks showroom!
The seats,everything!
A great find!
Congrats, and nothing like having a spouse that likes the car as well. As you have found out this is a great site for info. You should go ahead and book a cabin for Zdayz.
Yeah its kind of scary how perfect this car is... I actually feel bad driving it because it really should go up on blocks in a garage somewhere as collectors item. Clearly that was plan the first owner had in mind since the mileage is so stupid low (19k for an 03?!?).
I did my homework and waited for the perfect ride to show up. Amazingly this car didn't sell for nearly a full month. Dealer claimed nothing but kids showed up to look at it but they could not get financing for such an old car.
Found the original window sticker... car was $35,113 when new, options in include aero package, splash guards, aluminum sill plates, side / head air bags plus cargo mats. I bought it at half that price so I can't stop smiling
Well all good things must come to an end. Went out to dinner with the wife 2 weeks ago and started discussing the next round of mods for the Z (super charger, wheels, coil overs, bumpers, skirts) and she dropped a bombshell: no more money should be spent on this 15 year old Datsun
I've had the car for 7 wonderful years and it just turned 77K miles last week
...instead I should start looking for another vehicle and thanks to smart financial decisions, hard work and a tightly controlled budget I was able to get a 2014 C7 Stingray 3LT Z51 Premier Edition
Ironically like the Nissan the Chevy only had 19K in mileage. Below is the 'Vette along with Z (for sale!) and the wife's '14 Infiniti Q60 Journey.
I've got some parts I never got to install so those will go up in the for sale section in the coming weeks.
I feel like a bunch of members here go from the 350z to a newer vette and honestly it's a huge/practical upgrade
It was the logical next step. Both V powered, naturally aspirated, rear drive, manual gear box, hatchbacks. Decent daily drivers but clearly built to be enjoyed on the track.
The C7 is bigger on the outside (low, long and WIDE) but smaller on the inside (the cockpit is tight) with a HUGE trunk. Honestly I think the 'Vette holds more then the Z and Q combined. The torque is MASSIVE, its like driving a diesel! It just digs in every gear and at any RPM. Doing 75 MPH in 7th gear the engine is idling along at only 1,300 revs, its almost silly the amount of power it has. I imagine this is what a super-charged Z is like as the power-to-weight ratio would be equal, just minus all the headaches of tuning and constantly worrying about it blowing up. While the Z was quick(-ish) it really felt like you had to stay in it hard to gain speed. In comparions the 'Vette actually feels slow (HA!) just because it builds speed so effortlessly. I think the Z had a better seating position, forward visibility (low dash) as you not driving from below sea level. Amazingly the C7 has better side visibility due the mirror placement (low and outside).
Given the price I paid and amount I sold the car for it cost me all of $0.50 a day to own over the time it spent in my driveway. It easily wins the smiles-per-dollar ratio award compared to every other vehicle I've owned. Since I tracked the car I'm not going to include tires and brakes as those are consumables. Same with oil changes and gas as those are a given no matter what you buy. In daily driving it average around 23 MPG.
Just reflecting back I would say this Nissan was the second most reliable vehicle I've owned. My wife had '93 Honda Civic that was literally bullet proof and I had a Honda Prelude that other then some clutch and A/C work was very similar. Things that actually broke on the Z were almost NONE which is amazing considering I tracked the car. I had to swap in the CD009 transmission which I got from a junk yard G35 then a drag racing buddy helped to install it so my wallet survived. It went thru two sets of front hubs and needed new valve covers, coil packs and plugs. Cam and reverse position sensors as got swapped out, but I'm struggling to come up with anything else it required. I likely had more money is stereo equipment then repairs. Modifications were minor: sway bars, plenum spacer, K&N drop in, Akebono BBK, Z1 two-piece rotors, Crawford HF cats and a Gemini exhaust. I have boxes of NEW stuff I never put on due to an unforeseen medical condition coming up and my buddy's drag racing shop changing locations. So I'll be selling that stuff here in the coming days.
Technically I'm still a Nissan owner as the wife drives an 2014 Infiniti Q60 (pictured above) so I haven't completely left the platform. We love the Q so much we will likely get another one in a few years. I am now hanging out at https://www.corvetteforum.com/ with the same user name.
10-29-2011 | 01:56 PM
New '03 Le Mans Sunset Touring Owner :)
this Z is super clean, hard to believe someone let this prize go!
) it was.
but that ain't happening. For now I've got tint the windows and step up the audio (it has the stock cassette deck!) I'm kind of car audio freak, but want to maintain a stock look with a modest system: 500 watts, one or two 10" subs, that's plenty for my older ears. Thinking about a wing and splitter but love the clean, sexy lines of the car as is. Stubby antenna is a must. Would also like some more aggressive rims and get the brake calipers painted to match. Not going to touch the engine other than maybe a CAI and exhaust down the road.
New car!
Time to say good bye
