Hey guys about to get a Z within the first week of next month; was going to get a S2000 but I've honestly lost all faith in Honda with the experiences I had with my 1998 Honda Prelude, so I decided on a Z.
Anyways the one I'm looking at has a notch over 150,000. Its an 2003 Touring model, 6 speed, one owner, 45+ years old, travels for work.
When I go for my test drive, what all should I look for - I know what to look for in basic stuff like how the clutch feels and if it needs replacing soon and obvious things, but what, in particular, do I need to look for on such a high mileage Z?
I know it would probably pay for itself buying one with less miles for more, but the money I'm going to have, I need to save some of it for current bills.

Looking forward to becoming a member of the Z community, Thanks!

 

http://www.samarins.com/check/simplecheck.html

tire feathering, engine noise, test high speed, low speed, brake check, just make sure everything is OK and that you can live with this car.

 

thanks for that i read through it, hopefully it will check out. anything Z specific, for example, 5th generation preludes, they are nearly impossible to shift smoothly into second gear if you've never driven one before, to the point that a new prelude driver would think there was something wrong - anything of that nature i should know about?

 

clutch sticking, tire feathering, oil consumption, and tranny issues are majority of z owners encounter.

 

yeah ive seen a lot of sites mentioning tire feathering, seems like something you just have to deal with on the Z
clutch sticking, you're referring to the clutch seizing up - isnt that something that comes from a lack of use?

 

Comes with abuse as well, sometimes a defect.

Good luck .

 

No dude your wrong on most points...

Do a search on each and every problem, including all TSB's and recalls etc.. on the early (03-04 etc..) that was pointed out to you by the other posters.

The tire feathering problem is (was) not a normal early Z thing, that you just have to deal with. It was a defect plain and simple, quite costly (buying tires dont come cheap) in most cases. It was more or less fixed with the 05.

The clutch problem is a well known nissan trait every model year 350 Z had some clutch problems even on some 08's. Its not due to lack of use.

I'll add a few more known complaints:
Window grease streaks
Gas filler door (not flush) Had this one on my 06ZR.

Dont forget your looking at very high mile car and not to mention a 1st year car. Hence why it has the majority of complaints.

Imo if money is a concern (like you mentioned)I say wait save up and get a newer lower mile car. I mean your taking a pretty big risk. With the possible added cost of fixing stuff and the fact its out of warranty..

Good luck in your search

 

If a 2003 Z with 150,000+ miles is what you can afford you are better off buying a brand new civic or sentra...best advice you will get.

 

whoa, 150K? Thats a lot of driving. You should push for a steal price.

 

yeah 150K is almost time for rebuilt engine regarless!!
just mentioned above from forum members;
Clutch sticking, gear grind, oil comsumtion!
You will definetly have problems where u can't really argue since it is USED:
Windows (making click noise when pulled all the way to bot)
Clutch making noise (arrrrrrrggrrrrrrgg noise)

other then those, Z is a very reliable car even with 150K

 

150k miles is alot...but you wont have to worry about the engine since nissan engines are pretty reliable....aside from that...there are alot of problems that are mentioned above and you can search around to see the common problems...GL

 

With 150,000 miles I hope that items like the struts are not original. What about wheel bearings? I certainly recommend an inspection by a mechanic.

 

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/car/717311418.html

 

i was looking into just finding an engine for it and just do a swap in my yard, there is a 2007 350z engine with 7K on it for 1285 shipped from a totaled Z which is a ridiculously good price, it'd be worth it to buy that and swap and still be cheaper than most 2003 with low miles

 

Too many miles, with the price of gas being so high, you should be able to find a better deal.

 

you dont want to buy that car

 

don't do it, will cost you more in the long run, that thing is EOL!

 

Agreed

 

what i look for is low mileage. Good rule of thumb

 

I traded my 01 (5th gen) lude in for the down pmt for the Z. GREAT upgrade my friend. As for 150k Z, I would drive it, listen to it, DEFINATLY have it inspected by a trusted mechanic. If it were me, I would check the tires for tire feathering, there is a TSB fix for that on the 03-04 (for clarification, the 04.5 Z has the upgraded suspension to fix the feathering, thats when it started not 05) Listen to how it runs, feel how it runs, how the torque feels. I would check to see how smooth the tranny is since the tranny was an issue in 03-04, upgraded in 05. I would ask if the tranny has ever been replaced. Then I would take her for a rip, see how she felt... trust your instincts.

aside from that, if your forced to buy a Z with that many miles, you may want to reconsider the Z temporarily, or save more money. It would just suck to get stuck in a money pit. There arent many Z's with that high of milage, so the amount of info in regards to that, is limited.

whew, my pennies.