2004 Nissan 350Z

[Darren156]

Hey guys!

Tomorrow I should be collecting my 'new' 2004 Nissan 350Z,

Here are a couple of pictures from when I viewed it last week:




Needs a PROPER valet in my opinion as the paintwork has lost its original factory shine and I'm very tempted at getting a vinyl wrap done. Looks great in black though but wouldn't mind Ultra Yellow like the GT4 cars came in.

The wheels could do with a good refurb as they have some slight curbing and bubbling. The tyres will probably need replacing later in the year so I will get those done at the same time. The brake discs and pads are standard and look a little worn so I wouldn't mind replacing those with drilled and grooved jobbies. Also I want to upgrade the stereo head unit with a touch screen version. The Bose sounds fantastic but doesn't look very fancy, and having one of those cassette tapes with a wire hanging out of it looks a bit naff,

I paid bottom money for the car at £4500 and I probably would have been better at paying £6500 on a car with new everything, but oh well!!! Gives me something to do over the summer to keep out of the wifes way,

It supposedly comes with a 6 month warranty, but we shall see exactly what is covered when it's smoking at the side of the motorway with a blown engine,

From looking into it everything costs relatively decent money, brakes, tyres etc. The clutch may need attention at 117,000 but it felt good when I drove it. But I'm expecting that to need replacing within the next year.

Anyway, wish me luck! I will post some better pics up within the next few days of the complete car before I get it cleaned professionally.

Cheers.

[Darren156]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Good luck.

I like these a lot and almost pulled the trigger about 3 yrs ago.

Have the prices bottomed out? IIRC £4,500 has been rock bottom for quite a long time and you dont seem to find any below this......?

It seems at the moment between £4000 - £5000 gets you a half decent, full history but high mileage, taxed and MOT'd car. £3999 and below gets you a damaged car that needs extensive body/engine repairs. Even with rear end shunts though cars are still fetching well over £3000.

I wanted either an azure blue or black car, as the silvers don't really do it for me and this one popped straight up at a relatively local dealer. Funnily enough it was owned by a mate of mines partner and he PXed it with the garage a month or so ago, he states mechanically it has been superb and he has no reason to lie. But as I say everything will probably blow up when I take ownership,

[LordGrover]

I suspect it's had a clutch or two in that many miles, hopefully one fairly recently.
Don't try to get all macho with TC off though - they're a weighty lump to get back when they let go!
Great cars, you'll have a ball.

[JFReturns]

Looking good, following with interest.

[JackReacher]

That's a good price, I paid just over £6k for my 04 plate Azure with 75k miles last summer. I understand clutches tend to last about 50k miles, but can't see that mine has been done at all from the service history, so just hoping it doesn't come up soon as it's an expensive job with new flywheel recommended as well!

Running costs seem to be reasonably sensible if you shop around for parts, have a look at the 350Z UK forum for discounts and recommendations.

[roadman]

you will have a lot of fun, especially if the roads are a little damp. What mileage has it done?

[DanGPR]

Had one of these for about 9 months, ending with its unfortunate demise last April.

It will understeer on the limit! Was a decent car though. Watch out for bushes on front suspension arms.

[Kuroblack350]

Not surprisingly from my username I had one of these and loved it - 53 plate, bought it almost new, when they are really thin on the ground and most coming into the UK at that time were dealer sourced imports.

Great car, had the usual warranty fixes of vibrating fuel lines and dodgy window motors. The latter being in the middle of summer IIRC... Brilliant car for Ring Trips!

Hopefully you'll find the 'secret' hiding place in the glove box before I did

[terenceb]

DanGPR said:

Had one of these for about 9 months, ending with its unfortunate demise last April.

It will understeer on the limit! Was a decent car though. Watch out for bushes on front suspension arms.

Could it be that yours understeered because of the worn bushes/suspension? The Z has far more mechanical grip than the M3 and usually its the rear that steps out rather than trying to push on.
Just a thought.

[DanGPR]

No I replaced them all hence the warning...

Also had BC racing coilovers . my car I found you could take absolute liberties with the throttle in the dry and the back wouldn't break free, really had to be trying to make the back end let go, but suffered badly with plow on understeer.

[liner33]

What tyres were you using ? Even this time of year I found front end grip to be excellent on my old 350

[Smitters]

My thoughts too - tyres. There seems to be a consensus of opinion that the 350 is quite sensitive to tyres (a rumour no doubt started by Bridgestone) so I can only imagine that changing the suspension could yield some change in characteristics too. Personally, mine's been pretty nailed at the front end, though if you're pushing on in a fast corner, it will communicate the grip level pretty accurately. Whether it under or oversteers from there very much depends on what you choose to do with your hands and feet.

It's a nice level of communication (though not at all detailed) and makes for an adjustable car and if you're a novice like me, a great opportunity to learn about vehicle dynamics through your hands, feet and @rse.

OP - if I knew you'd a fancy for an Ultra Yellow one and were happy with high miles, we should have had a conversation. I'm a day late it seems! I do love them in black though - another colour that supports the silverware like the door handles pretty well.

[terenceb]

Sorry but understeer has never been ah issue.