Greetings all. After a long car search and many test drives, I ended up with a 2005 350Z 35th Anniversary 6-speed with 63k on it. Car is primarily a daily driver for a 40 mile commute, mostly through hilly back roads. I believe the car is totally stock other than some additional badges placed on the car.

Just had a Nissan Dealer do an inspection, other than typical maintenance due, the only thing they found is a camshaft position sensor leaking.

I plan on making good use of the search function, but if anyone can point me in the right direction on a few things, that would be great.

1. Getting tires tomorrow. Any great recommendations? Car will never see snow or ice. No plans to track the car at this time. Car will be used for daily driving 80 miles of mostly curvy back roads. Traction is obviously most important. Don't want something that is useless in the rain. Also, should I be considering bumping up the width in the front or back on the stock wheels?

2. Are there are any MUST DO mods that are practically a requirement versus an option?

3. Are there any good center armrest pads that most seem to like?

Thanks in advance.

 

congrats on the car, it looks to be a true 35th (many are fooled), look at the z emblem on the front fenders and the ring around it should be bronze

1. Tires... i had the BFG sport comp 2's and loved em... but opinions vary
2. must need mods... look at the rear subframe where the diff bolts to it. is there black goo on the subframe? if so, replace the diff bushing... sway bars is another cheap mod that make difference
3. arm rest pads.... don't know of any personally

 

Welcome and congratz!
Bridgestone 760 is a good compromise for dd. Enjoy!

 

travlee, the 35th part on my car is a bit confusing. The floor mats say 35th, the original sticker I found in the glove compartment says 35th, but no badges on the car say 35th. The Z emblems on the sides have a silver ring. There are NISMO badges that have been added and I found extra badges in the cup holder. I'm guessing the previous owner did their own badge customization. I do believe it's a 35th edition though, because the tach redlines at 7000 rpm.

BTW, I went with Pirrelli Pzero All Season Plus tires in stock sizes.

 

Look at the VIN tag on the door jamb - A genuine 35th car will have trim code "AE". It will also have the Rev-Up engine, if it's a 6MT car, so the tach will have a 7K redline (which you said you have). The bronze ring Z side badges can be bought from Nissan.

 

So the trim code is "G", on that label. But I have HIDs, 7000 rpm red line tach, brembo brakes, and the original sticker in the car says 35th Anniversary.

 

When I bought my car in '08 I looked at a few older Z's and of course, every '05 was said to be a 35th. I got in touch with the regional service rep at Nissan, who told me about the AE trim code, and as I looked at more cars, and learned to know what I was looking at, he was correct. The 7K redline tach on your car is confusing, though, but I can't say for sure other '05 6MT cars didn't get the RevUp. In any case, 35th cars haven't proved to be significantly more valuable, anyway, and the differences are mostly trim, except for the RevUp. Anyone could have added the wheels and Brembo's in the last decade, and you never know with a 11-year old car.

 

Would the window sticker be a reliable source? The vin on the window sticker matches the vin on the car. Also, the only other edition that had the RevUp in 05 was the Track version. I wouldn't think anyone would want to hide that it's a Track. I'll try and call a Nissan dealer tomorrow to confirm for sure.

 

I would trust the Mulroney sticker match to VIN. I would guess that the few inconsistencies could be attributed to previous owner repairs or substitutions.

And/or.... The fact that the VIN may differ from what dcains said might be attributed to it being an early (or very late) production car wherein designations might have changed in the model year changeover either going into '05 or going out of '05 into '06. Just speculating but I've seen such inconsistencies in other cars.

 

You're right - it could be Track, with the RevUp and Brembo's. I forgot about that. But, as you said, you've got the window sticker. Whatever it is, it's a nice-looking car, so enjoy it and keep the shiny side up.

 

Just curious... have you run the VIN in the VIN decoder here?

https://my350z.com/forum/vindecoder.php

It does show trim level - or at lest it does/did for all of my cars, Zs and non-Zs alike.

 

Hey Sebastian, congrats on a tidy looking 35th Anniversary. The first thing I'd do is swap out that grill for a standard one.

 

Mic, says it's a 35th, thanks.

Sam, was planning on getting a black grill for it.

 

just take the crappy aftermarket one off.... looks better that way

 

Kewl.