Nissan 350z GT/370z GT - Owners views
Discussion
Owned a 350z GT (276bhp/ 54 plate) and a 370z black edition (posh interior on a GT). Owned both for around 2 years.
By a long way, the 350z was a better car and here's why:
350z had a better LSD, allowing slip at the rear giving a smooth, fantastically controllable drive. No need for traction control really, even in snow the chassis just laughed at anything thrown at it. Instant throttle response and although never truly fast, perfect amount of power for the car. Bullit proof car, superb.
370z sounded poor from standard, slow throttle response (due to the electronic fly-by-wire throttle) and very snappy on the limit (rear reluctant to move out unless you really push and it's then anything but smooth)- they need intakes, new exhaust and a map. I fitted all of these for around £3k (using abbey motorsport). Then there's the clutch. It has a 'helper' spring which gives it sod all feel making them difficult to use in traffic. I removed this making the clutch heavier but generally was better to use. Bought an uprated one from the US which improved things but nowhere near as good as it should be. Only positive thing that could be said about it was the auto-blip throttle which sounds amazing which the breathing mods mentioned.
I bought the 370z for £18,500, sold for around £16,000 IIRC, spent circa £4k on mods and another £1k on clutch. Bought the 350z for 8k and sold for £5,500 complete with it's NISMO exhaust (rare- unlike the nismo tat they fit on the 370z nismo).
If anything, stretch for the nismo 370z or save your cash and buy a perfect 313bhp late 350z in perfect nick for half the price and spend the rest on driver training, mods and a 'fix it' pot.
By a long way, the 350z was a better car and here's why:
350z had a better LSD, allowing slip at the rear giving a smooth, fantastically controllable drive. No need for traction control really, even in snow the chassis just laughed at anything thrown at it. Instant throttle response and although never truly fast, perfect amount of power for the car. Bullit proof car, superb.
370z sounded poor from standard, slow throttle response (due to the electronic fly-by-wire throttle) and very snappy on the limit (rear reluctant to move out unless you really push and it's then anything but smooth)- they need intakes, new exhaust and a map. I fitted all of these for around £3k (using abbey motorsport). Then there's the clutch. It has a 'helper' spring which gives it sod all feel making them difficult to use in traffic. I removed this making the clutch heavier but generally was better to use. Bought an uprated one from the US which improved things but nowhere near as good as it should be. Only positive thing that could be said about it was the auto-blip throttle which sounds amazing which the breathing mods mentioned.
I bought the 370z for £18,500, sold for around £16,000 IIRC, spent circa £4k on mods and another £1k on clutch. Bought the 350z for 8k and sold for £5,500 complete with it's NISMO exhaust (rare- unlike the nismo tat they fit on the 370z nismo).
If anything, stretch for the nismo 370z or save your cash and buy a perfect 313bhp late 350z in perfect nick for half the price and spend the rest on driver training, mods and a 'fix it' pot.
Great info and chat on this thread. A quick question, if I may:
Has anyone driven/owned a Clio 1*2 and a 350z? I understand and appreciate the 350z is a heavy clutch & steering and was wondering if anyone could provide a direct comparison.
When I first got the Clio, it took a few weeks to get used to (ie build up thigh muscle!). I might use the car on the summer commute from time to time, which can be up to an hour for 20 odd miles of motorway then town. Tbh if it’s not great in traffic it would be an excuse to get up earlier and save some clutch pedal and some mpg!
The plan is to find a fairly low mileage GT I think. It seems to have everything I’d want in a car, especially in terms of equipment and a lovely V6, and I can manage the downsides. The big ones being big fuel and tax bill and limited space as far as I can see. I was particularly pleased to read about throttle response being nice and direct.
On the one hand, the original engine may be less desirable and with the slightly reduced horsepower I might feel like I was “missing out” if I didn’t get an HR. But on the other, 276bhp is a fair whack of power in any language and it would be saving a bit extra cash to put into theservicing kitchen fund. I assume everyone buying a used 350 has a similar quandary.
I’ve ruled out 370z as they’re just a bit more than I want to spend at present, and it would seem generally that the ownership experience for 350z is broadly similar.
Has anyone driven/owned a Clio 1*2 and a 350z? I understand and appreciate the 350z is a heavy clutch & steering and was wondering if anyone could provide a direct comparison.
When I first got the Clio, it took a few weeks to get used to (ie build up thigh muscle!). I might use the car on the summer commute from time to time, which can be up to an hour for 20 odd miles of motorway then town. Tbh if it’s not great in traffic it would be an excuse to get up earlier and save some clutch pedal and some mpg!
The plan is to find a fairly low mileage GT I think. It seems to have everything I’d want in a car, especially in terms of equipment and a lovely V6, and I can manage the downsides. The big ones being big fuel and tax bill and limited space as far as I can see. I was particularly pleased to read about throttle response being nice and direct.
On the one hand, the original engine may be less desirable and with the slightly reduced horsepower I might feel like I was “missing out” if I didn’t get an HR. But on the other, 276bhp is a fair whack of power in any language and it would be saving a bit extra cash to put into the
I’ve ruled out 370z as they’re just a bit more than I want to spend at present, and it would seem generally that the ownership experience for 350z is broadly similar.
simoid said:
Great info and chat on this thread. A quick question, if I may:
Has anyone driven/owned a Clio 1*2 and a 350z? I understand and appreciate the 350z is a heavy clutch & steering and was wondering if anyone could provide a direct comparison.
When I first got the Clio, it took a few weeks to get used to (ie build up thigh muscle!). I might use the car on the summer commute from time to time, which can be up to an hour for 20 odd miles of motorway then town. Tbh if it’s not great in traffic it would be an excuse to get up earlier and save some clutch pedal and some mpg!
The plan is to find a fairly low mileage GT I think. It seems to have everything I’d want in a car, especially in terms of equipment and a lovely V6, and I can manage the downsides. The big ones being big fuel and tax bill and limited space as far as I can see. I was particularly pleased to read about throttle response being nice and direct.
On the one hand, the original engine may be less desirable and with the slightly reduced horsepower I might feel like I was “missing out” if I didn’t get an HR. But on the other, 276bhp is a fair whack of power in any language and it would be saving a bit extra cash to put into theservicing kitchen fund. I assume everyone buying a used 350 has a similar quandary.
I’ve ruled out 370z as they’re just a bit more than I want to spend at present, and it would seem generally that the ownership experience for 350z is broadly similar.
The 350z is a bit of a brutish GT car. Steering is good, lovely sounding engine, nice linear response, heavy clutch and a gear lever than needs some oompf.Has anyone driven/owned a Clio 1*2 and a 350z? I understand and appreciate the 350z is a heavy clutch & steering and was wondering if anyone could provide a direct comparison.
When I first got the Clio, it took a few weeks to get used to (ie build up thigh muscle!). I might use the car on the summer commute from time to time, which can be up to an hour for 20 odd miles of motorway then town. Tbh if it’s not great in traffic it would be an excuse to get up earlier and save some clutch pedal and some mpg!
The plan is to find a fairly low mileage GT I think. It seems to have everything I’d want in a car, especially in terms of equipment and a lovely V6, and I can manage the downsides. The big ones being big fuel and tax bill and limited space as far as I can see. I was particularly pleased to read about throttle response being nice and direct.
On the one hand, the original engine may be less desirable and with the slightly reduced horsepower I might feel like I was “missing out” if I didn’t get an HR. But on the other, 276bhp is a fair whack of power in any language and it would be saving a bit extra cash to put into the
I’ve ruled out 370z as they’re just a bit more than I want to spend at present, and it would seem generally that the ownership experience for 350z is broadly similar.
Don't worry about a HR, it might be the later car with a bit more power from a better engine, but it's heavier, tax is high and people ask a lot of money for them. Grab a a pre-April 2006 to enjoy cheaper tax and the standard DE engine. The Up-Rev car (by a new map) is from some time in 2005-2007 and has more power (about 17hp), but less torque and weighs more. So essentially isn't any faster but will cost you a chunk more in tax.
We grabbed a nice 2004 (lower tax around £330) Sunset Orange one recently form a Mazda dealer for £4.9k, 78k miles. The dealer spent £1300 on parts to get it up to their standard (new w-brace, new banana arms, new front brakes, new aux belts etc) and we got 12months warranty. Found some nice Rays alloys with decent tyre tread on the FB group for £250 delivered also.
Join the 350z groups on facebook, but be prepared to see many owners asking quite high prices for their cars.
Thanks very much! Pricing does seem to be quite variable to say the least. That sounds like an excellent deal you’ve got - I’ve seen similar age/mileage advertised for double that presently!? My runabout just now is on 60k or so, so I might like to keep mileage below that if possible. I’m in central Scotland so I’ll probably keep an eye out for decent looking ones up this way.
I have owned both cars and loved both of them. The power delivery is great and it has plenty of torque across the rev range.
They have the reputation as a heavy car, but it weighs a similar amount to an E46 M3 cabrio.
For me, the 350Z differential was much more aggressive which made it more fun.
The 370Z was ahead in refinement, equipment (post 2010+ with the HD screen) and subjectively looks.
I did change the exhaust, as the standard one was very weak in the 370Z. I went with the £200 cybox exhaust mod as it was a weekend car, but it was very loud on startup and not recommended if you have neighbours!
Both cars proved reliable, apart from the gearbox. However, the 350Z had an issue that I didn't pick up on when I bought it (first gear whined loudly).
The 370Z had an issue with the 5th gear synchro and out of 18 months of ownership it spent over 3 months at Nissan. Nissan covered it under their used car warranty, but the fact they fixed it and the issue came back within 4 months shows that some of the parts in there aren't particularly well designed and are a weak point on the car.
They have the reputation as a heavy car, but it weighs a similar amount to an E46 M3 cabrio.
For me, the 350Z differential was much more aggressive which made it more fun.
The 370Z was ahead in refinement, equipment (post 2010+ with the HD screen) and subjectively looks.
I did change the exhaust, as the standard one was very weak in the 370Z. I went with the £200 cybox exhaust mod as it was a weekend car, but it was very loud on startup and not recommended if you have neighbours!
Both cars proved reliable, apart from the gearbox. However, the 350Z had an issue that I didn't pick up on when I bought it (first gear whined loudly).
The 370Z had an issue with the 5th gear synchro and out of 18 months of ownership it spent over 3 months at Nissan. Nissan covered it under their used car warranty, but the fact they fixed it and the issue came back within 4 months shows that some of the parts in there aren't particularly well designed and are a weak point on the car.
I am thinking of buying this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-370z-2010-only-3...
what do you guys think?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-370z-2010-only-3...
what do you guys think?
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