8/27/07 - it's been 5 years today since I took delivery of my Z, the first of the Z33 pre-orders delivered in Colorado - VIN number 689. I really can't believe it's been that long. I took the opportunity to dig up my 'it's here' thread from way back in 2002:

https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-nissan-350z/4409-delivered-in-denver.html

I didn't buy this car intending for it to be a way to make friends or get involved in the social aspect of the car hobby, but that's exactly what's happened. I just bought the car to have a fun sports car to drive up in the mountains, and to FINALLY own a Z (I had wanted one since first seeing the 280Z back in the early '80's)…little did I know what I was getting into!

Since I got the car, I've:

- created more great memories of mountain drives, track days, and other social outings than I EVER would have been able to otherwise

- gone from sports-car newbie (in fact, manual-transmission newbie) to licensed (though not necessarily fast) racing driver

- learned some of the finer points of high-performance track driving, and passed as much of that along to others as possible

And most importantly:

- made a ton of great friends, some of which have changed my life in dramatic ways

A few of the specific highlights:

- the first Colorado 350Z meet, organized by Mudd (who else?) in the Rock Bottom parking lot in Westminster (https://my350z.com/forum/south-west/15642-any-colorado-z-owners.html)

- the first Colorado 350Z track day organized by dkmura (again, who else?) at PMI back in February of '03 (https://my350z.com/forum/south-west/17724-350z-colorado-track-day-discussion.html)

- the drives to Steamboat & Aspen during that first summer (2003), when we had upwards of 15 cars come out on a regular basis when the car hadn't even been out for a year…those are small numbers to folks in other parts of the country, but to us here at the time, it was a big deal, and a lot of fun

- seeing a constant flood of new faces each year, as more and more folks bought the car and joined the group

Thanks to all of the awesome folks I've met in our local group for making Z ownership as enjoyable as it is. I don't know if I'll still have the Z in another 5 years, but if I do, I can't imagine what those years will bring.

 

Wow...good Post. Hopefully i can enjoy my Z for that long too. Its been 1 year and 3 months for me.

 

Excellent post for putting things in perspective. For all of those who were part of the '03 pre-order process, those were heady, fun times! Like GaryM05, I've found that owning a Z has put me into touch with plenty of cool people (he's one of them), both in and outside of Colorado. Coming from a hardcore racing background, it's been a pleasure to ease up on the throttle a bit and be part of the 350Z enthusiast community.

We've done a lot of great things together over the past five years (my anniversary date comes up in October) and I look forward to the next five (or ten, or twenty...) with equally great anticipation!

 

Gary: Those next 5 years will bring about the same things the first 5 did; stares, lusting looks, snapped heads, double takes, etc... Your excellent post reminded me that in all this time nothing has changed. The look, shape, and lines of this Z is the most appealing auto on the road today. Even now I see lines that I never saw before, after 5 years of looking at her. Thank you for the post!

David: Thank you for slowing down long enough to help us enjoy our little packages of joy to her fullest potential (within the confines of the law!). You may never know the full extend of your influence... I still take every corner (where nobody is in my way) by the following method: heel-toe, downshift, be smooth, hit the late apex, keep my eyes way ahead! Dawn looks out for Johnny Law.

 

Very emotional thread indeed. Owning a car for that amount of time does create unforgittable memories. And the 350Z survived for quite some time if you ask me. The looks, performance, practicality and the passion is what you want in a real car and has it

Great post, it really did bring some memories as my car was the first 6MT that came to Bahrain. And during 2003, we were only 4 cars around the island

 

Wow!!! Can't wait till I've owned mine for 5yrs. This is the first car I truely want to pay off and keep for a Sunday cruiser and weekend racer.

 

^ i feel the same way.

 

You have to attend track days to own a weekend racer.

 

Quite the milestone, Gary! Congratulations! I was wondering who here was the first to get a Z.

Although I've only had my Z for a year, even I have memories from fall of '02 when I saw my very first Z33 while driving from Duluth, MN, to Minneapolis in my '91 Civic sedan. Fairly fresh out of college and having seen all the pre-production and conceptual sketches of the "new Z", watching a silver Z pass me on the highway was quite the sight. With untinted windows, his amber cockpit lighting was shining through at dusk and it looked breathtaking. Not having a cell back then, I had to wait until I reached my destination to call my cousin in Canada (we used to yap about the new Z) and tell him that I saw my first one!

Still can't believe sometimes that I have my very own Z...

 

Congrats! I need like 4 1/2 years before I can say the same though

 

Sorry for passing ya! J/K I was purchasing a Civic myself in '02.

 

Glad to have known you for most of that time Gary. Since the first meeting in Denver to my first LaJunta track day with you, David, and Don, you've been a very kind and supportive enthusiast. It's what makes owning a Z very special here in Colorado, we've got a great group of people here that go out of their way to help each other and have a good time. Can't wait until I can share a track with you again,

Will

 

So im guessing your calling everyone that races at bandimere not a racer?

 

Gary, what I found the funniest was how you went for a "last minute" M/T practice session in your friend's car just before picking up the Z 'coz it arrived two weeks too soon and you were caught unprepared! That is funny; funny and cool!

 

Congratulations! I've just passed 4 years last month and I feel like an old timer. But you've really got me beat.

BTW; how many miles??

I remember it was in September 2002 that I went down my local Nissan dealer and saw the Z for the first time in person. I decided to buy one then. However, the dealer was an real @ss and the car was marked up $5K. The 10 month wait was hard, but I did save about $6.5K.

 

You're learning.

 

It will be 4 yrs for me in 5 days (Sept. 03 2003) when I took delivery. Just like you Gary I got a call from the Dealer in Rockford Il. I became good friends with the salesman that sold me my Z (now the General Mgr.). He calls me as the car was unloading from the delivery truck. I too asked him to take pictures and he did. Needless to say I ask for time off of work and I got my but over there just as soon as I could. I have nothing but love for this car and a lot of great moments and memories. Great post Gary, thanks for sharing...

 

ha ha ha ****ing Robert..........

 

 

On August 12, my LMS turned 3! It was a bitter sweet moment because I'm out of the warranty period and still have a few items that the dealer never corrected. I have to give thanks to the my350Z forums for so many things, but the most notable it the fact that the info contained on this site saved me over $4k when I was ready to buy!

Like most of you, I didn't realize I was about to be inducted to a community of new friends and enthusiasts. I've always had a passing fascination with sports cars and racing, but it wasn't until I bought the Z that my interests and knowledge matured.

I'm far from being a "gear-head" or "wrencher" in the traditional sense, and yet, owning a Z directly contributed to some great adventures. Most notably, the opportunity to work at the '06 and '07 F1 USGP, as well as the '06 Denver GP, a smattering of NASA events, dkmura HPDE days, and countless relaxing cruises in the mountains. My initial motives for purchasing the Z don't remotely match why I enjoy it so much today, and that's been a pleasant surprise to me.

At the very least, I've made new friends, learned to be a better, more responsible driver, and have been exposed to new ways to spend ridiculous amounts of money!

In the same vane as my father and his 240Z, I expect my garage to have that ambient Le Mans Sunset glow for many, many years to come.

Joel