Hey guys, i'm a new member here! I live in Canada and have been thinking about importing one of the Nismo's now for sometime. I was just wondering if I could get some input from current/previous owners on this awesome machine! Doin my own bit of research as well but i'd like to hear the opinons of those who have already driven them and hopefully come down and pick one up this summer!

 

Welcome Trikypenguin! There are some pretty knowledgeable guys here, you'll probably find everything you need to know.

And just have to comment, cheers to MC..Proof there are people here who help, rather than simply reply with a " Go Search" or worse....

 

The car is Awesome!!! Just takes a little bit of time to drive it smoothly, but other than that it's just awesome in every way. Not sure how it would drive in the snow.

 

^^^I was late to work cause I could barely leave my garage...had to use my beater aka bicycle

 

I rode a bike in the snow before. Imo it could be just as dangerous

 

Really bad in the snow, you may have better luck if you take off the wheels and strap on skis, but if your like me it's all rationalized now thats its 80 and sunny


IMO best car for the money around that 35K price range.

Pros

1) Good power (306 stock for a 3330 lbs car moves it pretty good)

2) Incredible handling (Functional aero kit, seam welding chassis I beleive (can someone correct me is it seam or spot welded I've seen both) Brembo brakes, Potenza tires, Yamaha dampers, 35% stiffer suspension than normal Z.

3) Looks = A 7 year olds response after driving by (best judges IMO)

4) A smile appears on your face everytime you get in


Cons

1) Nissan Service

2) Cop Magnet

3) Must park in a garage or far away from other cars (people have a bad habit of wrecking nice cars) I have had a few instances when leaving it an over night open lot.

4) Potholes!

 

I love the nismo, for the price it's a great car- BUT keep in mind it's a little slower than it looks. I love mine though!

 

imo, hold out for the 370z, but only if you're willing to risk taking on the car in it's first production year.

 

^^^**** the 370z buy the nismo enjoy it trade it in if you like the new Z car better

 

Thanks for the responses so far!!! Keep em coming! I'd like to hear everyones pros and cons of driving and owning the car. Also, are there any mechanical issues that I should be aware of?

 

And this is just me...

Pros:

I drive it in my sleep

I joined this forum, it's like medicine I take it daily

My palms sweat anytime I shift out of 3rd...

little kids think your a superhero and your ride is the batmobile

there are many more real reasons to get the car many more than not to get it...

Cons:

I now have a reckless on my driving record...

Numerous tickets, depending on how you take off or stop you might be subject to inpection...

Parking is a biotch...

Your always part of the fast and furious crowd cause of the wing.

Girls think you brought it to show it off to them when you tell them

Your friend always want to take it around the block

BUY ONE NOW IT'S GETTING CHEAPER CAUSE NOONE CARES...

 

here's my pro/con list...

Pros:
It's a Nissan, they're dependable cars.
They can take a fair amount of abuse...
For the most part the engineering is fairly close to what you'd do if you built the thing yourself.
All the gizmo's/ ***** are in the right places.
There's nothing like dusting a porsche boxter, or lotus in your nissan
It's fukin hot.
People have no clue what it is and they look at it! (attention ***** of a car)
It sounds like it has a bad attitude.
While driving it's not unusual to get horny.
While driving adrenaline levels are slightly higher than normal...
100mph with the windows down and the music cranked is the best feeling in the world.

Cons:
I have 11 points on my lisence.
I have on more than 1 ocassion felt the need to "evade" police officers
I spend entirely too much time detailing it
I spend entirely too much money on things for my car because i love it and i like buying it presents
My husband hates me because mine is faster than his (he also has a Nismo z)
People will FLAME you if you modify it, or drag race it
Factory sound system SUCKS
No power seats, heated seats or 6 disc cd changer
My neighbors probably hate us because we come home at 2am and wake them up.

Overall..... pros out weigh the cons!!

 

I love mine so much that I'm willing to sell it to you so you can love it too!

My 1000th post! Wo0T!

 

whoa-post better pics of those sexy wheels!

 

I love the cons.

 

lol they are great! Common lets here some more! Haha joining this board makes me want one even more, haha if only my dam 300zx would sell :P

 

What's your main motivation for getting one imported to Canada instead of just getting the GT model available from one of your dealerships?

If you prefer it just because of the looks and "exclusiveness" (extra exclusiveness for you since they aren't offered there), get it. You aren't going to replicate it's looks for a reasonable cost.

Is it because of the extra performance? 1/4 mile times will suffer as a result of the aero kit. However, handling on a track is going to be better.

Do you plan on modifying it? It's certainly better than a standard model, but it can be improved on. Coilovers, intake, exhaust, etc. Most of the things you might upgrade would be the same things you would upgrade on a standard model. And you've got a more expensive car. Also, as a collector's piece, it'll never be worth the same amount of money unless it's in 100% stock form. That means that you don't want to sell off your (very expensive) factory wheels to help fund the purchase of wheels that you may prefer. You might not be able to find them for sale later, and have to buy a new set from the dealer ($900 for each front, $1100 for each rear).

Do you plan on just buying it and leaving it stock and enjoying it without taking it to a track? IMO, this car is worth the extra money. Looks more special, I prefer the interior (not a leather fan), and is just plain more unique.

If you only plan on taking to a track, you might be better served to find a used standard model and build it your needs. I think if you were going to take a standard one and add a roll-cage, full adjustable suspension, braces, etc., it would mop the floor with a Nismo. But if you put the Nismo with the same mods against a track-prepped standard z, would the differences be worth the extra cost? Stock to stock is a big difference between the two. Highly modified to highly modified is something no one has compared (to my knowledge)

I love mine. As far as I know, I'm also the first person that put a set of coil-overs in a USDM nismo. I plan on doing a few more light mods (pretty much what anyone would do to their z: exhaust, hfc's, aam/technosquare reflash). And I don't track mine. I traded a rare '05 Ultra Yellow Enthusiast with a complete S-Tune package for this and I've not regretted it.

 

Ya these are the main points as to why i'm wanting to import. First off purchasing the Nismo down in the states is much more cost efficent then buying up here. Take a look at some of our sites and used 03-04's are still going for around 30k cdn. So spending that much why not get the Nismo.
And yes I want it as well since i've always been a nissan fan and been moving up through the models and since we didn't get the Nismo up here, the exclusivity would be another nice touch

And for now it would just be a car to enjoy on the streets till I finish paying it as I will need a small loan. But it will def see some track time!

And again, it would be extremly unique up here as I have yet to hear of anyone else importing one! But sadly until I sell my current 300zx I can't purchase a Nismo quite yet, but sometime this summer is the goal!