I went into Concord Nissan today to schedule my 30K service (freakin $480!), and I figured I'd go check out the Z's, since I saw a 35th Anniversary car... I went over and was looking at two of the Z's that were there. One was the 05 Anniv. Car, brembo package, and the 18s. It had 11K on it and they wanted $36K for it... The other was an 03 Silverstone Touring Car, tan leather, Bose, 51K miles for $26,995...

I talked with the salesman about trading in my car for it, and he suggested a test drive (my true goal since I've never driven a Z)...

I was going for the answer to one major question. Could the performance and fun factor increase outweigh the comfort, size, and overall smoothness of my car??

Anyway, I haven't driven another Z to compare to yet, but I figured I'd ask here.. Some things that came up, and seeing as how this car has 51K on it, I'm not sure if its normal, or this particular car has been beat on...

1. Notchy... The trans in this car was very notchy, and getting it into 6th was quite difficult... I tried higher rev shifts, and they were smoother, but still seemed overly notchy..

2. Clutch... Engagement was VERY quick (my old car was a fixed up car with an ACT clutch, and it wasn't this sharp) and right at the top of the pedal travel. Seemed out of adjustment..

3. Power... I asked the dealer towards the end of the test drive if I could get on it a little getting back on the freeway. He agreed and said to enjoy the car, so I hammered through second and most of the way through 3rd.. And honestly, the car didn't feel THAT powerful... At least not compared to my car...


Is this normal? I've got a friend who has an 06 Z that is going to let me drive his to compare, but honestly, I wasn't that impressed.. For now, I'll definitely keep my Altima... The comfort, noise level, and lack of major blindspots really made me appreciate my car...

Just thought I'd share.

 

RWD didn't impress you?

 

Feeling powerful and being powerful are two different things.

 

The z in stock form didnt impress me that much, but thats just me and I was used to driving a turbocharged 240.

The trannies are very notchy, and the engagement point sucks but that can be adjusted easily, very small issues.

Now that I have an intake and exhaust, its a whole new car, really livens it up, and sounds mean to boot.

Bottom line is, if your used to a 4 door car you never gonna like it, but if your like me and have never had 4 doors or a useable backseat (see 240sx) then you really dont miss it.

Its not for everyone.

 

+1
I've only driven sport cars all my life so the lack of trunk space, fuel economy, etc. was not a big problem to me. If you plan to use the 350z as a daily driver, you probably will not like it.

 

Your DD is unique, and just as cool. I'd keep it.

If you go back to Concord, ask for Sean Driver ((925) 595-3541, sean@concordnissan.dealerspace.com). He was not your typical salesman (and I'm a pretty picky buyer). He even offered to help me find a truck (Titan) that wasn't on his lot at aggressive (under invoice) pricing. I was quite impressed that he could pull this off all without the salesperson BS.

From what I understand and experienced, the 03 and some 04 Z/Gs had transmission issues. I had the the tranny replaced in my 04' G35SC at just 2000 miles. As for the acceleration - chuck that thing into a corner in 2nd gear, power out of it GAS ON, and you'll see what that car was really designed for.

 

I agree about the power, our car stock really have that pull of those 4door turbo saloons. But now that i have intake, y-pipe, cat-back, i feel that same pull i get when i drive my buddy's sti

 

i believe san leandro nissan is cheaper for a 30k service $280. i think ill still pass

 

Great choice, since everything you've stated is valid.
Not to mention the little sportscar kinks you'll get along the road.

Commitment and enthusiasm is something needed to appreciate the Z. Don't buy into the status quo unless your passion drives you otherwise.

Good luck with the Altima SE-R (A unique car nonetheless)

 

Hey guys.. Thanks for the replies.

As for RWD not impressing me..?? That comment isn't really valid. During normal driving, it really doesn't make a difference. Disclaimer: I said NORMAL meaning all 4 tires securely stuck to the road at all times.

As for what I'm used to, its funny because the 4 door is the new thing to me. My old car was a Ford Probe GT, and after years of modified suspension, heavy duty clutches, notchy short throw shifters, and loud exhausts, you'd think I'd feel right at home in the Z. Thats why it threw me for such a loop. The 4 door is new to me, and I've sort of been itching to have that little 2 door sports car again.

I do agree, a more 'spirited' test drive might have been better, but being on a dealer test drive, I really didn't want to get him all uneasy. I know I didn't even nick the edge of the full performance spectrum of the car, but in reality, it would be something I would be daily driving, and I would only be doing hard driving once in a while. Sooo, yeah, probably not a good fit at the moment. Ideally, I'd get the Z to play with on weekends and keep the SE-R for my daily driver.

Thats also interesting to hear about tranny problems.. This one had the same amount of whine as my Probe's tranny... and that was after 160K fairly hard miles. The dealer mentioned it being a German transmission? True?

As for now, I'll stick with the SE-R.

 

John,
Actually, I *think* what you are feeling is the principal complaint with the Z (from the big car magazines). Instead of a sudden kick, (like WOT in the Probe, VTEC in a Honda, or turbo punch in a Subaru) the car accelerates with a surprisingly linear accelerated pull. It took me a while ot get used to that. However, the acceleration is really there, nevertheless.

 

i think z car garage can give u a better price on that 30k maintenance

 

The power difference between the Altima SE-R and the Z isn't that great which is why you weren't blown away during the test drive. If you have an SE-R there's no real reason to ditch it for a Z unless you want a smaller car.

 

Thanks again guys for the replies. While I'd love to get down to ZCG to have my 30K done, I can't really justify the hour plus long drive.. Not to mention when I get down there, I have to sit there and wait, because I don't have anything else to do down that way and I won't have a car... Concord Nissan will shuttle me to and from my house for free..

As for the acceleration of the Z, you're right.. It didn't feel rocketship fast because the power ratings are close.. I guess I just expected a little more sports car feel because of the 6spd and smaller car... Oh well.. No biggie..

 

To be honest though, the Z really doesn't *feel* fast but the acceleration is there as someone stated before. It feels weird riding in cars that are about the same speed as mine but *feel* a lot faster.

 

I had the same exact feeling when I first got the car.
It wasn't until the 2nd or 3rd week after break-in where I was flooring the Z at wide open throttle, realizing I was coming up to a tight corner way too quickly. Turned in sharply and the car tossed itself around a bit, naturally set itself towards the right direction and hauled @ss without finching or leaning.

That's when I was flushed and fell in love. Whispered to myself, "Damn I have a sportscar".

 

My test drive was a bit different. I had been testing the G35C, 350ZR, and c6 coupe. I really hadn't made up my mind (as I liked all 3 for different reasons). The Nissan *salesman* was totally insane. I don;t even know where this guy came from. The other salesmen were looking at him insane as he drove the Z that was sitting on a pedestal with concrete blocks around it. While driving, he kept telling me to drive faster and faster (I was just driving it pretty sedately). That was in between him yelling at the NAV to shut up (since it was set to go somewhere else and kept telling us to turn around). I pull up to a light and some kid in a WRX pulls up. He's like "put it in manual mode and floor it (it's an auto)." I had maybe 3 lengths on the WRX when I hit the t intersection, slid around the corner, and the car maintained perfect control. I was grinning ear to ear. The salesman was like "what do you think?" My heart was pumping like crazy and I was like..."I think this is the one." Turned out I bought it at another dealership (I needed one in black on black within a week). But that was the decsion-maker for me.

 

4doorZ: You can drive mine down the dragstrip next time you are at Infineon
but as you know it is a 5AT.

 

hot damn fowlman your avatar is nice. When can i come hang out with you to meet these fine woman haha.

 

Sometimes I bring one to Infineon.