looking at a 350Z
Discussion
I cant believe how cheap they are now! Some are less than £15k for UK models (well thats what it said on Autotrader at least!). Bit of a bargain for a car that is only a few years old. Looks great, goes well and its Japanese so will last. What's not to like?
A chap I work with is looking at one too - though he foolishly said that he liked the Chrysler Crossfire.... I quickly corrected him and made sure he's looking at the 350Z!
A chap I work with is looking at one too - though he foolishly said that he liked the Chrysler Crossfire.... I quickly corrected him and made sure he's looking at the 350Z!
off_again said:
I cant believe how cheap they are now! Some are less than £15k for UK models (well thats what it said on Autotrader at least!). Bit of a bargain for a car that is only a few years old. Looks great, goes well and its Japanese so will last. What's not to like?
A chap I work with is looking at one too - though he foolishly said that he liked the Chrysler Crossfire.... I quickly corrected him and made sure he's looking at the 350Z!
A chap I work with is looking at one too - though he foolishly said that he liked the Chrysler Crossfire.... I quickly corrected him and made sure he's looking at the 350Z!
Nearer 16k to be pedantic even for the higher milers, which I think is pretty expensive for a 4 year old Nissan. Especially when you look at RX8's which came out around the same time (ok i know they were cheaper to start with) are now down to as litle at 9k.
As I say though this is because the car had/has been in short supply ever since it came out. Can only be a good thing for owners plus it keeps the undesirables from buying them
I've had mine for a few weeks now.
In the UK, there are two models . standard and GT. GT comes with leather, Bose, electric seats, cruise. Rays alloys were a £1000 option until recently.
The import models come in a variety of specifications. To get a handle on them you need to log on to one of the forums like www.350z-uk.com/ Some have 17" alloys, leather but no TC etc, etc, it can be slightly confusing.
In terms of performance, I can only compare it to the S2000 I owned previously. Like the Honda, the Nissan is dominated by its engine. The Nissan goes from 1500 rpm up and feels relentless in its progress. The Honda felt lethargic by comparison unless you were right in the 5500 - 9000 power band. A lot more difficult on a road you dont know.
In terms of handling, the Honda felt much lighter and more chuckable (1260kg V 1530 kg). Steering was a little more inert, ride better, handling more skittish in the wet. No traction control was offset by the engines softer power delivery at lower revs. The Nissan will wag its tail any time in the wet TC on - I haven't tried it with TC off yet! Dry weather grip is about the same for both.
In terms of refinement, then the Nissan wins hands down over the Honda and surprisingly my fathers BMW 325i is not massively better at lower speeds (higher speeds and rough surfaces, yes).
All-in-all, what the magazines say is true, its a great GT (its not a sportscar). What I will say though that it takes a little getting used to due to its size and weight unless you are used to a larger car. If you drive one, and find the car tramlining a lot, make sure the pressures are OK and all four tyres are the same make and tread pattern. You will need a decent test drive to appreciate it.
Hope that helps.
In the UK, there are two models . standard and GT. GT comes with leather, Bose, electric seats, cruise. Rays alloys were a £1000 option until recently.
The import models come in a variety of specifications. To get a handle on them you need to log on to one of the forums like www.350z-uk.com/ Some have 17" alloys, leather but no TC etc, etc, it can be slightly confusing.
In terms of performance, I can only compare it to the S2000 I owned previously. Like the Honda, the Nissan is dominated by its engine. The Nissan goes from 1500 rpm up and feels relentless in its progress. The Honda felt lethargic by comparison unless you were right in the 5500 - 9000 power band. A lot more difficult on a road you dont know.
In terms of handling, the Honda felt much lighter and more chuckable (1260kg V 1530 kg). Steering was a little more inert, ride better, handling more skittish in the wet. No traction control was offset by the engines softer power delivery at lower revs. The Nissan will wag its tail any time in the wet TC on - I haven't tried it with TC off yet! Dry weather grip is about the same for both.
In terms of refinement, then the Nissan wins hands down over the Honda and surprisingly my fathers BMW 325i is not massively better at lower speeds (higher speeds and rough surfaces, yes).
All-in-all, what the magazines say is true, its a great GT (its not a sportscar). What I will say though that it takes a little getting used to due to its size and weight unless you are used to a larger car. If you drive one, and find the car tramlining a lot, make sure the pressures are OK and all four tyres are the same make and tread pattern. You will need a decent test drive to appreciate it.
Hope that helps.
off_again said:
I cant believe how cheap they are now! Some are less than £15k for UK models (well thats what it said on Autotrader at least!). Bit of a bargain for a car that is only a few years old. Looks great, goes well and its Japanese so will last. What's not to like?
A chap I work with is looking at one too - though he foolishly said that he liked the Chrysler Crossfire.... I quickly corrected him and made sure he's looking at the 350Z!
A chap I work with is looking at one too - though he foolishly said that he liked the Chrysler Crossfire.... I quickly corrected him and made sure he's looking at the 350Z!
Tell him not to rule out the Mustang GT though. LHD but good quality, rapid, 300bhp and will certainly last. One went on ebay a week ago for £15k for a 5000 mile car.
nickfrp said:
looking to buy a 350 in the enxt couple of months.
Are there any points which i should look out for.
is the Fairlady the GT model
what do you guys think of them?
Are there any points which i should look out for.
is the Fairlady the GT model
what do you guys think of them?
I believe the "Fairlady" branding was given to Japanese cars (ie. such cars over here are grey imports).
Just the "350Z" for UK examples.
A friend has just upgraded from a CTR to one of these.
Have to say they have a very plasticy (almost low quality
) feel inside, although its functional, and comfortable. Gorgeous noise inside the car, and a brilliant exhaust note for those outside! Darren
Although Judas only had his (350z GT4) for a mere 8 weeks ( don't ask!) we really rated it as a GT cruiser. Very comfy on long journeys and you were cruising at a zillion leptons before you realised! 
As other posters have said, very plastiky interior but had lovely brakes and personally I really liked the way the steering weighted up at speed. Chuckable, though with a big ol' J-lo ass you really felt the back end swing out. Boot space is crap due to strut brace and general shallow flatness (shopping tends to be all over the place by the time you get home - no it is not my driving!) Plenty of grunt, and makes a nice enough noise with a sports exhaust although standard one is a bit quiet. GT spec is full leather, phone, cruise control. GT4 spec has more bhp (gets to 300 iirc) and feels a bit more lively than the lower rated one.
Fairlady is Jap import and chaps on 350z forum are very helpful. If you do get one we have a phone and cradle left over from ours.
Ace-T
don't ask!) we really rated it as a GT cruiser. Very comfy on long journeys and you were cruising at a zillion leptons before you realised! As other posters have said, very plastiky interior but had lovely brakes and personally I really liked the way the steering weighted up at speed. Chuckable, though with a big ol' J-lo ass you really felt the back end swing out. Boot space is crap due to strut brace and general shallow flatness (shopping tends to be all over the place by the time you get home - no it is not my driving!
) Plenty of grunt, and makes a nice enough noise with a sports exhaust although standard one is a bit quiet. GT spec is full leather, phone, cruise control. GT4 spec has more bhp (gets to 300 iirc) and feels a bit more lively than the lower rated one. Fairlady is Jap import and chaps on 350z forum are very helpful. If you do get one we have a phone and cradle left over from ours.
Ace-T
Edited by Ace-T on Monday 5th March 22:30
I had a uk 350Z for four months waited 6 months for delivery back in 04 (54)
Would not buy import.
Great:-
Performance
Handling
Braking
Not many on the road
Poor:-
Interior, very low rent
Comfort, very poor seats
rattles from interior panels
Poor paint quality
front end by "stone chips R us"
Sold mine to G-Force motor sport, now has twin turbos, if they still have it.
Good second hand buy, when they first came out had fantastic residual values, what are values like today ?
Would not buy import.
Great:-
Performance
Handling
Braking
Not many on the road
Poor:-
Interior, very low rent
Comfort, very poor seats
rattles from interior panels
Poor paint quality
front end by "stone chips R us"
Sold mine to G-Force motor sport, now has twin turbos, if they still have it.
Good second hand buy, when they first came out had fantastic residual values, what are values like today ?
Also try http:\www.350zukownersclub.co.uk for informative free forum and a full owners' club if you so desire.
Fairlady Z is JDM model. GT is name for an options pack in the UK containing leather heated seats, Bose stereo, and cruise control. Please don't ask me if the GT is worth it - there are a hundred threads on the forum above to give the answers Had mine for over 3 years and reckon you can do a lot worse. Depends what you want/need, but if you want rear drive 2 seater which is real driver's car and will start every day, then there's not really anything else at the price.
Stuart
Fairlady Z is JDM model. GT is name for an options pack in the UK containing leather heated seats, Bose stereo, and cruise control. Please don't ask me if the GT is worth it - there are a hundred threads on the forum above to give the answers
Had mine for over 3 years and reckon you can do a lot worse. Depends what you want/need, but if you want rear drive 2 seater which is real driver's car and will start every day, then there's not really anything else at the price. Stuart
stuart b said:
but if you want rear drive 2 seater which is real driver's car and will start every day, then there's not really anything else at the price.
Except an MX5
Interesting to read the thoughts of those above and glad to see I wasnt the only one who waited ages for one then sold it in under a year. The interior of mine creaked and rattles from day 3 and the interior dorr handles were made by Fischer Price. The gearbox packed up and was rebuilt under warranty, it then packed up again and was replaced under warranty.
I found the GT seats too tight for my back.
Mine was a roadster and I'll always remember putting the roof down in a traffic jam and hearing a young lad getting excited in the Volvo next to me saying to his parents "look...look...its a Ferrari!"
Would I buy another? No. I'd have an RX8 PZ edition.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff