[Closed] Nissan 350z opinions

i looked at one last year but car tax is horrific for them (top bracket). solid nissan build but beauty is in the eye of the beholder IMO - the newer ones seemed to get progressively uglier. Dont bother with an import model, there should be enough of them out there to take your pick. If fuel prices go up any more i'd reckon you'll see more of them for sale so prices might go down 🙂

My mate can't get his bike in his, but loves the car too much to care.

Brother bought a two year old one a few weeks ago for £15000 It cost him £94 to fill it up and they are thirsty. As said before its £400+ for tax. but it sounds fantastic and pulls like mad. Rear wheel drive as well 😀 I prefer bikes because you can get the thrills for less. I think his insurance was about £500. 6 points 39 years old with full no claims.

I tested one but ended up getting a Golf R32 (needed back seats).

I really liked it - proper RWD fast car with a lovely engine.

Not as well finished as some (Z4, Boxster, etc) but amazing VFM and very fun indeed.

Thirsty and high tax but then cheap to buy too.

My brother has one and loves it. Thoroughly recommended with no major issues over the last 2 years of ownership.

Only issue with the one I tested (5k mile dealer model with GT pack) was a notchy 2nd to 3rd gearchange - but I reckon it was an isolated incident.

Really like the 370z - 911 quick now.

I drove one at a Jonathon Palmer day a few years ago, felt nice.

But the 'event' in the 350's was to do a few laps of a short track to warm up, then they switched off the electics (traction control etc). From the trackside you could see when the instructor did this, as at the next corner most spun...

Hi mate, I'm an owner of an '08 plate since new. Basically the main points are:

Coupe or convertible, only two trim levels available to uk; base and GT. GT gets cruise, leather heated seats, and a rubbish BOSE stereo.

2002-early 2003 Jap import only.
2003-2005 original UK 276bhp model.
2005 GT4 model, as above but with uprated 296bhp engine.
2006-2007 296bhp engine still, but with updated interior, LED rear lights, and RAYS alloys as standard (previously optional)
2007-2009 80% new 309bhp engine and a "humped" bonnet.

£440 tax for post march 06 models, Insurance not bad, i pay £400 fully comp at 29 with 4 years no claims.
23 - 26mpg generally. 28 - 30 on a long run.

Only a few common niggling issues, clicking rear axle, skipping Bose CD player.

Engine generally bombproof, no cam belt either. Brilliant drive, meaty controls and an indulgent chassis. I love mine to bits.

[url= http://WWW.350Z-UK.com ]350Z-UK.COM[/url] Owners club, of which i'm a member. Very friendly, totally free, and a huge source of info.

And yes, it's rubbish for bikes! 🙂

folks had one a few years back both loved it easy to drive and lots of fun

im gutted as they sold it when I was away and i never got to drive it :'(

Andy - nice! Any pics? What colour have you got?

Two hobbies, side by side:

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If you arn't as bothered by the driving enjoyment side of things and have more cash, the Audi TT can have a roof rack fitted.

I've always liked them. One thing sticks in my mind though - a few owners were discussing the 350z on Pistonheads and a few pointed out that the car is skittish/nervous in the wet. Maybe down to tyres?

Hora - Yes, it was a "feature" of the original RE040 Bridgestones. The current OE RE050A fitment (also on the 370Z) are leagues better. Most owners swapped the RE040s for either Falken 452s or Vredesteins.

Cool 🙂

Andy - my 335d came with RE050As but run flats - was very glad to see the back of them. Now got Conti Sport Contact 3s (non run flat) - soooo much better! The RFTs tramlined horribly, crashed over bumps, etc - how BMW got them fitted to most of their cars I'll never know.

Nice car and that group shot and valley pic are very cool!

Cheers mate, i've got hundreds more where they came from!

One of the quirks of runflats is the very stiff sidewalls, so thats probably what ruined the ride. A lot of BM's were spoiled that way according to the press. The non-runflats on the Zed are fine as far as I can tell.

P.s. The OC is a good source of cherished examples, pistonheads is good too. Just be aware that your nissan dealer network is pretty poor when it comes to a low volume car like the 350Z. Good specialists are about though.

Insurance not bad, i pay £400 fully comp at 29 with 4 years no claims.

HOW?!?

I'm 26 with full NCB and pay £570 for my Mk IV Golf GTI - that's just over half the power and a damned sight less sporty!

Lol, thats the power of the postcode! CA21 2** 😉

Presumably it would be higher in the Big Smoke. It's also garaged every night.

Can I just say I think it works best in dark grey (for me). It just looks slinky/svelte (contrast against the calipers lovely as well).

Would a Japanese import dodge road tax though? I seem to remember imports are classified under the old system - ie, bigger or smaller than a 1.6, so rather than £400 road tax it could be £175 or so.

Lol, thats the power of the postcode! CA21 2**

I'm hardly urban, it was slightly less in North Wales at LL57 3**, but whilst my current BL7 8** may look bad, I'm 5 miles from the nearest town! Admittedly, both were road parking though

tron - Yep, most imports dodge the new tax system, (£215 now i think) but the DVLA are somewhat patchy in applying the rule. Think it depends on how well the original import paperwork was done. It's also slightly offset by imports being more slightly more expensive to insure.

If we were to try and work out the insurance system, we'd be here all night! 😀

Thanks all. Heard a rumour that pre 2006 models get 240 quid tax but not sure.

The only common issue I know of with these is the 6th gear. Boxes need rebuilding/replacing when it goes. From memory I think it's the synchro that goes but not sure. I used to work with a guy who had one from new and it had 2 gearboxes in that time.A mates brother has one and synchro on 5th and 6th are going now so that'll need a rebuild (54 plate, 40k miles).

There have been a couple of gearbox failures, but wether the failure rate is higher that any other sports car I couldn't tell you. I know there was a recall on the clutch slave cylinder.

You always hear more about the lemons than the hundreds of good cars out there, plus you never know how they have been driven previously. Most problems wouldn't been as hard to fix if it wasn't for the main dealers!

[i]I'm 26 with full NCB and pay £570 for my Mk IV Golf GTI - that's just over half the power and a damned sight less sporty! [/i]

I don't get it either, I'm 42 with a spotless driving record, drive a completely non-sporty old mans Honda and pay 450 quid. And that's after a lot of looking around.

[i]I don't get it either, I'm 42 with a spotless driving record, drive a completely non-sporty old mans Honda and pay 450 quid. And that's after a lot of looking around. [/i]

45 and a 535i - less than £300 comp, business cover, fully protected and parked on the street 😆

Must be my postcode, although god knows why, I've not known of a car to be stolen on our street for about ten years.

This proves how random insurance is!

34, IAM driver, full NCB, live in the sticks, 335d £400.

This is it. My previous insurers for Wales simply wouldn't insure me when I moved to Belmont. Half the people in this village leave their doors open, and it's a lot less rough than the Snowdonia village I used to live in!

Clean license, one claim when shunted on m/way, obviously found to be not at fault. The accident didn't affect my premiums at the time...

Crazy crazy industry insurance!

Zokes - TBH, I'd be happy paying that aged 26 on a GTI (150bhp 1.8T or the 2.0 non turbo) even in the middle of nowhere. My R32 (mk4 too) was about £650 in Central London then went silly when I dared to claim for vandalism damage. I hate insurance.

[i]when I moved to Belmont. Half the people in this village leave their doors open,[/i]

/makes note to go to Belmont for my next robbing spree.

Actually, the guy who lives next door to us always leaves his doors unlocked, front and back. He must be insane.

BL postcodes are not good generally. There has been/is lots of fraud up there and in BB, and even if you're only a few miles from the nearest conurbations it still affects you. Besides, have you seen any of the recent publicity on rural crime?

Besides, have you seen any of the recent publicity on rural crime?

Well, I suppose bits of the church roof keep going missing, and there's uproar in the community over the Black Dog's refit and the removal of 'a chair', but that's about it...

My sister lives in a tiny village in the middle of the North Herefordshire countryside, about as far from a major town as you can get in England. In her village of about 500 people there were two murders in about three years. One bloke was beaten to death by a martial arts expert, and another was set on fire.

Countryside has crime!

But cities have more crime!

It's not called Midsomer is it? 😉