Nissan 350Z 2007 (HR)

[samoht]

I’ve always enjoyed Japanese rear-drive coupes, however lately I reluctantly came to the conclusion that my RX-7 isn’t really viable as an only car. Even though I don’t need a car every day, when I do want to go somewhere I don’t want to be hanging on the phone to the car hire place just because my own car is indisposed. I don’t want to keep making hour-plus treks to the nearest specialist, forking out four figure sums, or waiting months for parts. Oh, and it’d be nice to have working A/C next summer.

I spent quite a while looking at the new Supra, before admitting to myself that I’m not really in a great position to splash out on a brand new £50k+ car just at the moment. Plus Toyota didn’t seem that eager to sell me one. So that left me thinking of searching for something in between, a car with reliability comparable to a new car, but without new-car depreciation or being saddled with electric steering, a GPF and (in this case) a torque converter.

I remember admiring the 350Z when it came out back in 2003, but since then it had dropped off my radar; I came to see it as doubly compromised compared to the nineties cars I loved; specifically by being too big and heavy, being built off the shared Skyline saloon platform, and more generally by being part of the follow-on noughties wave of Japanese cars that were built to a price, unlike the bubble-era cars where the engineers had locked the accountants in a cupboard (the approach that led Nissan to the door of bankruptcy by 1999).


My view started to change with the advocacy of an autocrossing friend who is a very much quicker driver than me. Then I found the ‘big’ Z is only 2cm longer than the RX-7, albeit 6cm wider; that’s only about an inch more each side. Once I started looking seriously at the 350Z, the reasons in favour cascaded in; precious little to worry about mechanically, years of enthusiastic Evo fast fleet updates, a 6-speed manual box and a naturally aspirated 300hp engine. Oh, and the Z’s European chassis setup was led by Colin Hoad, now of CAT Driver Training, whose tuition I’d greatly benefited from last year. The fact that I could buy a good Z for less than I could sell my RX-7 for, meant I was now very much in the market for a 350Z.


Evo really enjoyed these when they were new - https://www.evo.co.uk/nissan/350z/7443/nissan-350z


Autocrossing 350Z

But which one? Well, it had to be a manual coupe, and the early imports were out as they missed out on the aforementioned European chassis tune. The Z33 was introduced with a 276hp VQ35DE, moving through a 296hp VQ35 ‘RevUp’ in 2005/6, and onto a 308hp VQ35HR in 2007. The later cars not only cost more to buy, but fall into the £570 top rate tax band applied from 23rd March 2006 registrations onwards.


Did Le Cost Cutter really know you were changing all these parts?
(50-page Nissan document here - https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/DOCUMENT/PDF/IREV...)

Despite this, I soon settled on seeking out a final-spec 2007-08 ‘HR’ car; not so much for the extra 30hp, but for the more subjective things. Looking into it, it seems that Nissan was stung by home-market criticism of the ‘low revving’ and ‘lazy’ VQ35 as being ill-suited for a sports car. The problem was that the lateral forces on the pistons were already at their limit at the 6,800rpm cutout. So Nissan engineers put in longer con-rods to reduce their thrust angles. But that required a taller block to house them, and so on… by the time they were done, the engine was 80% new, with complementary breathing mods to the air intake and cams. And then they needed a new bonnet with a bulge to clear the taller engine. The outright dyno gains may have been modest, but the critical reception at the time was very positive, journos loving the response and willingness to rev out. And I can’t but respect the dedication and effort that Nissan put into building an old-school high-revving naturally aspirated engine. Coupled with lightening of the control weights that was also praised in period, it was clear that the HR was the one to have.

Man maths swung in behind this; an older, higher-mileage car could easily have an extra bill or two that would wipe out the tax difference, and the savings in insurance alone over the RX-7 made up for the higher rate.

The next question was finding an HR. Now, the 350Z was a real hit for Nissan and there are plenty up for sale at any time. However, the HR engine came out part-way through 2007, and was replaced by the 370Z for 2009. The 350Z shape was old news by then and with the road tax hike they make up only about 20% of the 100 or so cars available.

I started searching, copying ad details into a spreadsheet to keep track of cars, and plotting a graph of mileage against price (approx -£500 per 10k miles, if you’re interested). One overcast Saturday I went off to look at two cars for sale, which gave me my first chance to get behind the wheel of a Z. The gearbox was slick, and the engine revved out very nicely. The steering was very solid and responsive, and the car rolled down the road very smoothly although I did feel a slight ‘wallow’ on really significant undulations. However, both cars had tatty bodywork and low oil pressure, so I kept looking.


The first car I saw - that oil pressure should be c.30psi. The above reading means that the internal oil gasket has failed (~£700)

Back home, and an ad popped up. “One owner 25500 miles Beautiful car has spent most of its life garaged. In showroom condition Full years mot,... Full service history, blue, £7501”. A good price for any HR, a cracking one at such low mileage and apparent good condition. By now I wanted a standard car (for insurance), non-GT pack for the cloth seats, and a colour rather than monochrome, so this was ideal. There was just the one catch… the car was in Craigavon, over the water in Northern Ireland.



From the advert

I pondered for a day, then rang and asked - “will you hold the car for me for a week, so I can arrange an inspection?”. The seller was happy to, so it was on. After all, a trained mechanic would be able to check the car much better than me anyway, so it would be actually less risky than buying a more local car on gut feel alone. Annoyingly the AA don’t do inspections in NI, and while the RAC’s FAQ says "Q: What areas of the UK do you cover? A: Our team of Inspectors provides nationwide coverage", when you ring up you learn that they actually don’t. Not being Arlene Foster, I left the RAC to their potentially-offensive geographical incompetence and moved on to clickmechanic, a ‘gig economy’ site for hooking up motorists with local mechanics.

The report came through mid-week; this supposedly ‘showroom condition’ car had a number of thumb-size dents, and a few other bodywork marks. I’d also had emailed over the ‘full service history’, which showed the last service 5,000 miles ago.... in 2012 (The Z service intervals are annual / 9k miles). So all in all, not quite what was advertised. The mechanic was otherwise positive about the car, and confirmed that the hot idle oil pressure was the correct 30psi. At this point the seller was keen to tell me about the other buyers who had rung up offering over his asking price to buy the car now, which I found unsurprising if they had only seen the ad, and not the car!

On reflection I felt that the asking price, which I’d initially considered a steal, was now more in the ‘fair’ category, but still attractive, and given the overall good condition - and good oil pressure - it would be worth getting the bodywork attended to, which would leave me a really nice low-mileage Z for a good price. Time to book a one-way flight to Belfast.


Sunday night departure

After a good night’s sleep and a mediocre breakfast, Alan, the owner, met me at the hotel outside Belfast airport with the car. First impressions were good, and we headed into town to find a bank and make the deal. Alan was friendly and helpful, surprising me with £50 ‘lucky money’ (I think an Irish tradition of reciprocity) and a full tank of petrol to start my trek home. Insurance sorted, I got on the road to Larne.

Alan was born into a farming family and inherited land, but chose to leave the farm and pursue a career elsewhere, working for Olivetti at one point. As the Irish property boom roared in 2005-06, a property developer friend nudged him to sell a bit of land, “prices are crazy but it can’t last”. Alan eventually sold off all his land at exponentially increasing prices for each chunk, the buyer of the final plot of farmhouse and grounds trying to pull out as the market started to wobble, but going through with it as he’d already committed a big deposit.

Alan had admired a colleague’s 350Z, and in August 2007, now flush with cash he went down to Nissan Rathkenny and bought his own. After a few years of regular driving, he unfortunately hurt his back and the ‘low’ Z became painful to drive for any length of time. So it sat in his garage while he drove his Seat, until this year when he realised the Nissan had only done 100 miles since its last MoT, and it was really time for it to move on to its second owner, which is now me.


Stopping for snacks on the way to Larne

Leaving Craigavon and descending the slip-road onto the M12 presented me with my first chance to wind out the engine. It makes a decent, albeit muted sound, and while the sense of speed is less intense than the RX-7, the actual acceleration, the rate at which other traffic recedes in the mirrors, seems pretty similar. The dual carriageway out to Larne was fairly clear and roundabout-punctuated, giving the chance for repeated scientific observations of the above.


Leaving Larne, looking north up the beautiful coast

Waiting for the ferry, I pulled out the laptop intending to tax the car online. However the government computer said no, something about being unable to validate the MoT I think - likely due to NI test centres not being computerised. I was reluctantly forced to leave this until I could go to a Post Office the next day - conveniently being the first of the month, adding another £47.50 savings to the lucky money and full tank.


Approach to Cairnryan

Landing in Cairnryan, you leave the port onto the A75 to Gretna Green, an extended single-carriageway trunk road where the Z’s third gear showed itself very capable of leaping past trundling trucks and dawdling Daewoos, nicely speeding up this leg of the trip. Onto the M6 and I could relax a bit as far as Penrith. The previous stormy weather had blown east, and I now caught it up on the A66, the car stable and reassuring climbing over the Pennines in torrential rain. It was wet most of the rest of the way home, but the car was comfortable and cruised nicely. Without any Aux In, I was limited to a handful of CDs I’d brought with me. As it got dark, I was pleased to discover the Z’s xenons are night and day better than the nineties cars I’ve always had hitherto, making the drive less tiring.


A1M Southbound, and the Z makes its first fuel stop under my ownership

I made it home a bit before 11pm, less late and less tired than I’d feared, and pretty chuffed with my new purchase.


At home the following evening

So, how does it drive? Well, CAT driver training teach 'single input steering' - basically, you smoothly increase steering, hold it, and then reduce it through a corner, rather than adjusting back and forth. The 350Z has very taut, linear steering with seemingly little slack around the straight ahead, as if designed for this approach. CAT talk about keeping the car 'flat', using a steady throttle to avoid pitching when turning corners, to keep the balance constant - the long wheelbase of the 350, and fairly tight damping, tends to keep the car flat. So it feels like a car designed to encourage and work with Colin's approach to good driving, which is quite interesting.

The gears seem long to me, 2nd runs to a bit over 70mph which is a bit much, although it still has healthy pull in 3rd for passing, as mentioned. The engine is very easygoing and will pull from idle, to the point I tend to skip gears when not pressing on, going 1-3-5 or 2-4-6 very often. The engine revs smoothly and never really feels harsh or strained, even up to the 7,500rpm limit, with a muted but nice-sounding roar at high revs. The ride is a bit bumpy around town, but the car takes very well to swooping A- and B-roads; the precise steering makes it easy to place confidently, even on narrower roads, so it's possible to get into a nice rhythm.

I'm still getting used to the clutch, which is known to be a bit strange with its lack of obvious bite point. You can get kits to make it more normal, but I think I'll get the hang of it. I've not had the stability / traction control off yet, it's come in a few times, seems to work quite well I think. I'm still learning the car, but it feels fairly friendly and controllable, like it'll be fun to push harder.

[neutral 3]

Got to Lurve " A Great Buying Adventure" !!! Nice write up and congrats on your purchase.

Although I don't yet know much about these ( I just missed out on the damaged, gold 2003 model that was advertised last week ) it looks to be a really good buy! I love Low owner cars, plus dark coloured cars.
I nearly bought one back in 2012, but instead, I went for a 53 plate E46 Manual ( superb cars and I really miss / regret selling it )
I would get the Z up on a ramp and treat it to Waxoyl etc etc.
Bilstein yellow Sport shocks all round would be my first purchase for it.

[tvrfan007]

Cracking read, good luck with the car and don't forget an oil change by the sounds of it! I have liked the sound and shaoe of these for a long while. I expect you'll be seeing a dent man soon enough?

many have fallen into the hands of the badly modified crew round here. Those who think a random word sticker in the windscreen counts as a mod...

[Northbrook]

Nice write-up - enjoy!

[samoht]

neutral 3 said:

Although I don't yet know much about these ( I just missed out on the damaged, gold 2003 model that was advertised last week ) it looks to be a really good buy! I love Low owner cars, plus dark coloured cars.
I nearly bought one back in 2012, but instead, I went for a 53 plate E46 Manual ( superb cars and I really miss / regret selling it )
I would get the Z up on a ramp and treat it to Waxoyl etc etc.
Bilstein yellow Sport shocks all round would be my first purchase for it.

I love that Sunset Orange launch colour! Just a shame it was replaced with Temper Orange on the 07/08 cars. Incidentally, Nissan called my car's colour "Night Blue" - which puts me in mind of the Wangan Midnight anime, and the Devil Z hero car which was a very similar colour https://www.carthrottle.com/post/popyjky/. Luckily, I don't think my Z wants to kill me!

I think when Nissan were developing the whole V35 Skyline platform - the Skyline saloon, 350GT Coupe and 350Z - they were very much looking at, and inspired by the excellence of, BMW's E46.

In terms of mods, I'm intending to keep the car stock for a bit to keep insurance easy and get to know it 'as is', but I definitely have some plans for the longer term. Do you have experience with those Bilsteins? After past bad experiences with aftermarket suspensions, I'm a bit wary as they seem to be a mod that often has more downsides than benefits.


I've actually had the car a couple of months now, so I can fill in a few updates since.

A few days after bringing it home, I took my wife out one damp evening for a little drive to show her the car. Passing a derestriction sign, I accelerated modestly in third - or rather, attempted to, with the response to my right foot being movement sideways rather than forwards, followed by the traction control activating. I changed up to fourth and tried again, which just repeated the trick. At this point I decided that the "Accelera" rear tyres, and fronts of a different but equally unheralded brand, were probably not fit for my purposes on a 300hp rwd car.

I wanted something I could trust would give good grip and progression, rather than looking to experiment, which left me me two avenues. The RX-7 has always felt great on the Yokohama AD08R, while users of the excellent 350z-uk forum voted for the MPS4 by a landslide. In the end Yokohama made the decision for me by being halfway through transitioning from AD08R to AR08RS, such that I couldn't get a set of either type in the staggered widths the 350Z runs as standard. Since a matching set of tyres was part of the point, I went with the crowd and ordered the Michelins from blackcircles.

Sadly, BC seemed not to get the memo, sending the garage an amusingly mismatched set of three 18" MPS4s, and a single 17" Primacy. Second time around and all was good, and I took the chance to get an alignment, correcting the tracking.

The fresh tyres and alignment predictably made a noticeable improvement to wet traction, with the stability control now stood down from high alert to a background role, and being much better able to rely on making forwards progress when desired. The only slight downside was the brakes, where I kept underestimating how much of a shove I needed to pull the car up. Maybe I was just too accustomed to the Carbon Lorraine pads I run on the RX-7?

[samoht]

My next stop was, as suggested, service, since the car had no documented attention in the past seven years. Since the car's been back to Nissan every 9,000 miles, and on the understanding that even dealer servicing isn't that expensive on these, I contacted my local Nissan dealer to get it booked in for a major service. After navigating their unhelpful customer service desk, they changed the engine oil and filter, air filters, diff oil and brake fluid.

When I came to collect car they said that the front brake discs were rusty, and it needed new pads all around. They quoted a total cost of £1,603.79, but they didn't have the parts. This was a bit of a shock, although I felt better when I realised that front discs are a couple of hundred quid online, and this was a chance to stick in my preferred CL5+ pads. I clearly wasn't going back to the Nissan dealership at those prices, so where to get this work done?

I called in at the independent garage which had done the tyres on a Saturday afternoon, and asked the boss. He explained that they don't fit customer-supplied parts, on the quite reasonable basis that if there is then any problem, they end up doing hours of unpaid work to diagnose something that could well be due to the supplied parts. However, they also weren't able to order Carbon Lorraine brake pads for me, they only supply OEM-equivalent parts. Fortunately with a little bit of persuasion that I would take full responsibility for any issues, and perhaps helped by the fact that the boss runs a lightly modded 370Z himself, we agreed they would source standard discs, and fit the CL5 pads I'd bring at the same time. I feel this is quite a result, since the garage is walking distance of my office and thus, unlike all the other places on the outskirts of Cambridge, a visit doesn't necessitate squeezing a bicycle into the car, and they seem to do a pretty decent job, having handled the previous tyre mix-up well.

While it's annoying that the pre-purchase inspection didn't pick up the rusty front discs, they did look ok from the outside, only the rims and inner braking surfaces being corroded. This also made me think back to the first car I'd test driven, in which I even more struggled to stop, so I think it probably had a worse case of the same problem. Apparently once the braking surface rusts, rust gets picked up onto the pads, gradually reducing the actual coefficient of friction. Something to look out for when buying a Z.

The pads have now bedded in ok, and the braking is much better - now I no longer have to consciously think about it, the car just stops as I intuitively expect.

[Ilovejapcrap]

Always fancied one of these

[cerb4.5lee]

A fantastic write up thanks and a cracking car too.

I love these so much and I have since they first came out. Enjoy it.

[rowey200]

Great cars - not driven a HR, but I'm 35k miles in with an early DE, and love the thing

Run some decent tyres and keep an eye on corrosion (underside bolt on stuff). I've recently had to replace a few bits and pieces at a recent MOT - took the opportunity to get the underside treated with Waxoyl.

There are some great traders online (Nissan will have your arm off, as you've discovered ) that will help you keep your pride and joy on the road.

Enjoy

[hxc_]

Got myself an 55 non HR for 5k recently in the azure blue. I adore that dark blue though!

Somethings a bit off with my clutch though, pedal sticks sometimes, but the clutch action itself seems fine.

Edited by hxc_ on Sunday 1st December 22:44

[Commander2874]

Great write up and lovely car. Enjoy.

[shalmaneser]

I've been tempted by these in the past. Great looking cars.

Also really enjoyed that Nissan powerpoint. So Japanese!

[Parsnip]

This is one car that is screaming out for a better exhaust. The noise the car makes is wonderful once you can really hear it.

I put a set of high flow cats, a JW popcharger intake and a Nismo catback on mine and it transformed the car. There are cheaper (and noisier) alternatives to the Nismo - but having listened to loads of them I decided it was the best for me.

With a lottery win, I would have a decent 350Z in the garage in a heartbeat - loved the simplicity of it and how much it just put a smile on your face when driving.

[coldel]

Midnight Blue was always my favourite HR colour, closely followed by Temper Orange (I prefer that over the previous 'ginger' lol)

Do stick close to the forum, good searching on there will help you avoid expensive mistakes - so many posts we see are 'i bought these, they went wrong, what do I do' and the response is often that the information on those going wrong was already on the forum!

Suspension wise, quite a few owners go springs only if on a budget Tein give a small drop Eibach a bigger drop. If going Coilovers there are a number of options from BC to HSD etc.

Whereabouts are you in the UK? There are some very good specialists who will know the Z inside out, Horsham Developments are good if you are on the M4 for example. Again the forum trader area has a list of garages who do these cars day in day out and give great rates.

[LordGrover]

Nice write up, thanks.
I didn't realize they came as a non-GT, I think I've only ever seen GTs.
Apart from non-leather you mention, what other differences?

[coldel]

LordGrover said:

Nice write up, thanks.
I didn't realize they came as a non-GT, I think I've only ever seen GTs.
Apart from non-leather you mention, what other differences?

Various bits like Bose ICE, cruise, heated seats.

The newer cars also had a facelift interior to make it a bit less bland which will be in the HR version.

Just also be aware that plenty of imports floating around, in Japan there were many more spec options rather than the two here in the UK.

[cerb4.5lee]

Parsnip said:

This is one car that is screaming out for a better exhaust. The noise the car makes is wonderful once you can really hear it.

I put a set of high flow cats, a JW popcharger intake and a Nismo catback on mine and it transformed the car. There are cheaper (and noisier) alternatives to the Nismo - but having listened to loads of them I decided it was the best for me.

I also agree with this and they are pretty quiet as standard. I have high flow cats and a custom made stainless exhaust system on my 370Z and I just can't get enough of the noise that it makes.

A few years ago I heard a 370Z with a modified exhaust on it and I thought that it sounded awesome for sure. The exhaust on mine is arguably too loud(it sets the neighbours car alarm off/is quite boomy and droney). I only use the car occasionally though so I can live with it.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

I put a Scorpion system on mine back in the day-sounded great but took an endless amount of fettling to get it to fit right around the brace that covers the transmission tunnel.

Apart from that, it was simplicity itself to own. It took some stick on track-the brakes and tyres wear out pretty quick, I set the pads on fire at Spa once!

[coldel]

Ark Grip have become very popular recently. If you can stretch to a budget of around 1k you will get a great fitting as well. You can also mix and match, quite a good option are an XYZ Y pipe with a different back box. There are a lot of options. Try before you buy.

Also when fitting sports cats do note that some (like Berks) will add a rasp to the sound, if you do not like rasp do try hear them before you commit.

On my old Zed I had Berks Sports Cats and a Milltek, nice and quiet when cruising/sitting outside your neighbours house, but a good burble and bark when putting your foot down a bit.

[cerb4.5lee]

coldel said:

Also when fitting sports cats do note that some (like Berks) will add a rasp to the sound, if you do not like rasp do try hear them before you commit.

This is good advice. The sports cats on mine(already on the car when I got it) are quite raspy and if I'm honest a raspy noise isn't really my cup of tea(I don't like the noise a E46 M3 makes either for that reason).

I do like all the other noises that the intake/exhaust makes though, and at very high revs the angry noise it makes does remind me a bit of the AJP V8 engine I had in my Cerbera.