Picked up my first Z
03-04-2017, 09:58 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Picked up my first Z
I remember in high school, I was never into cars. But, I always told myself I would get a Z , as I had the Limited Edition 240SX convertible in my early college years . I stumbled upon a 2004 Nissan 350Z for $5900 with 120k miles . The car has just been repainted . Interior is leather with heated seats. New carpet . New car smell. After driving it, I got the guy down to $5000. Needless to say, I am now a proud 350Z owner . I absolutely love my car . Now here were some issues I had:
- the car was slow starting (hence why I did the starter and battery below) and the ECU would throw random codes . Ended up being the engine ground was bad, causing a back feed into the sensors and ECM . (Blew my PCM fuse in the process of troubleshooting and fixing the ground)
- brake caliper was stuck on passenger rear (and the guy had a fresh inspection sticker on the car, seemed suspicious)
- 2nd day of driving, lost a cylinder . Bad coil. Replaced .
- installed new battery, starter, aftermarket kenwood touch screen radio, brake pads, rotors, oil change, transmission fluid, 02 sensor
All in all I'm happy , but the guy knew he was selling me a beater which is why he took the $5000 with no questions . I probably could have got him down to $4500. Everything is fixed now but the car was definitely wrecked and had been sitting for a while . Luckily the engine and transmission were strong and had no issues . I've got about $6500 into it.
My only final concern was my coilovers were not preset when ordered . I set the preload to approximately 3-4 mm all around the car . I matched the ride height adjustments and all measurements while the coilovers were off the car . After installing them, each wheel had to be readjusted in terms of ride height , one even had to be adjusted by about an inch to even get the height close to the opposite side of the car . The major adjustments in ride height after installing them, leads me to believe the front driver side of the car is twisted or damaged in one way shape or form, considering the ride height was an inch off from the other side . Just my thought... any opinions would be great
Going to get an alignment on Monday . The only other issues I have is the passenger seat switch to control seat position , and the Bose amp is kicking in and out. Will be fixing that next pay check . This car is in excellent condition now after being fixed up and I couldn't be any happier . I look back at my car when walking away from it ... it's that kind of feeling
sorry for writing a book... thanks !
Last edited by xniz; 03-04-2017 at 10:18 PM.
03-06-2017, 08:16 AM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks
thanks guys ! I had my buddy from the body shop look over the driver side and we found where the rear quarter panel was reset and wasn't prepped properly (dings and skiffs still showing under the paint). The driver side headinght also sits a bit low.
Ive been getting a feel for the new suspension and even with the minor body issues , I'm still pleased. I'd definitely buy another Z any day.
Ive been getting a feel for the new suspension and even with the minor body issues , I'm still pleased. I'd definitely buy another Z any day.
03-09-2017, 02:20 PM
#5
Registered User
Welcome to the forum and congrats on your purchase. I'm not surprised your suspension was shot especially if it was OEM. The units are usually reckoned to be good for 70 to 80K. Also these cars do suffer a myriad of problems with bad earths but can usually be easily trace. For a 13 year old car with 120K problems are going to arise and going for alignment is a good move.