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Comments
JW
They looked very, very nice. However the $32-33k stickers were a bit high. I sat in one--nice ergonomics, didn't feel all that cheap. However I noticed that body panels on the exterior weren't always aligned perfectly. This caught me off guard. They weren't allowing test drives. Their loss.
I still feel that there is a limited market for these cars at this price. There would have been nothing like it six or seven years ago, but today there is a glut of performance buys with good handling, good style and good performance. If manufacturing capacity goes up and retail price goes down, the 350Z could be a heck of a used car purchase. Or, at the very least, it might bring used Supra Turbo prices back down to earth. Either way, I think the 350Z is going to be good news for shoppers over the next few years.
Or you could trust what he says.
Based on dealer added accessories like chromed wheels and a leather package. This increase of $4k is conveniently added to MSRP.
Oh yeah, color is also a $$ factor.
Think I'll wait......
Why pay MSCP (Manufacturer's Suggested California Price) when you can save thousands on a MSRP-priced Detroit vehicle!
If you think the buying experience is fun, wait till you need it fixed, warranty or otherwise.
And let's get back to the subject of the Nissan 350Z. Thanks!
Revka
Host/Hatchbacks & Wagons
It was comical hearing the Nissan guy explain their Z test drive policy while I was looking at a base $26k Z acting like it was a $200k Ferrari or something. He was all serious and I couldn't stop laughing.
I bought my S2000 from their sister Honda dealership at $1k under MSRP at a time when everyone else was at or above MSRP.
For anyone that's shopping, I'd give them a call.
As such, I take back everything I said a few months ago about this being a potential Mustang GT killer.
But I think Nissan was/should have been aiming a lot higher than the Mustang GT anyway. To me, anything that doesn't rattle apart and look like it was painted and assembled in a third world country is already a Mustang GT killer. There was a time when I couldn't afford the equivalent of a mid $30's car. But there was never a time when I would have settled for low build quality just to get a lot of horsepower and torque under the hood at any price.
Agreed, and that's why you and many others passed on the Camaro. The Mustang however does not rattle apart, and it has a far superior paint coat to virtually all import offerings in the U.S. (One thing Ford needn't answer to anyone on is paint--I can only hope my favorite Honda learns a thing or two from the domestics on how to create a paint that lasts.) And, it has an engine that IMO is pretty much bulletproof. It's a good, reasonably well-built, stylish, fast, fun, affordable car and that's why it sells like hotcakes while the much more powerful Camaro didn't. Lastly, the 350Z is here to stay, and the Mustang gets redesigned next year and will be (I feel) far superior, given the magic Ford has managed to work into the Mustang despite its dated platform. I had a hope that the 350Z would inject some competition into the "muscle car" world, because I happen to be as much a fan of that world as I am of the "finesse sports car" world, and I wanted to see the Z and Mustang (two of the few performance nameplates with decades of history underneath their belt) go head-to-head. It's disappointing to me that Nissan priced its U.S. "muscle car" as high as it did. I believe that competition is good, but with the price differential these two cars will never face each other.
The two cars are quite similar, and have been for the last decade or two. Heavy and powerful.
Speaking of muscle cars: did you see the Kendall-Barrett auction on Speed channel? It was great. I saw the Nash Bridges roadrunner (?) sell for $125000. Prices way up this year. One question that was asked by email: "When do you think the Japanese cars will start to make a dent as collectibles?" The announces (including Brock Yates) laughed outloud at that one, then explained that Japanese cars don't inspire passion.
Just not theirs, I guess.
Carroll Shelby had his 80th birthday at the auction to a big party and helped to auction a cloned 427 (! not 428) Cobra. REally pretty.
JW
I think you need to go take a look at Toyota paint...espescially Camrys and Lexi...the best mass production paint in the world.
The 350Z is another matter entirely....ORANGE-PEEL.COM
After the initial rush wears off, I'm guessing you'll be able to pick up an Enthusiast or Performance 350Z for MSRP ($28-30K), and I'm also guessing that the GT will come in just slightly below this mark (maybe $26-28K).
I wanted to stop and look but it's too freakin cold to get out of a warm car to deal with a salesperson. Maybe when it gets warmer.
I've bought 2 Maximas from the same dealer (south part of town) over the years (and paid $500-$1,000 < invoice) on each but in "informal" discussions with the same salesman, I haven't been able to get more than $500 off MSRP on a Z.
They tell me they're content to wait for the spring rush and won't discount. (The same dealer is still willing to go <invoice on Maximas however.)
sticker on it at $35,425 + $4,995 additional dealer markup for a total of $40,420. We told him we would think about it. My wife said she wanted it but didn't want to spend that much money. (it was a speed model). The next afternoon I walked into the dealer and asked him if he would like to have the car sold to make room for some less expensive models. He said yes. I said "I am willing to pay $33,000 for it today. He replied
your willing to write the check upon acceptance of the offer. I said yes I am. He called for the manager who said he could sell it for less than $33,216. I said then we have a deal I am not going to quible about a couple of hundred dollars.
We wrote up the papers (after a fruitless attempt by the manager to sell me an extended warranty).
I wrote the check. (after reading all the fine print and drove the car home with 2 sales people
following in my car and a car for them to return in. Seems like a better experience then most. My wife is happier than I have seen her in quite a few years. (we have been married 29 years)
JW
To sidebottom- Congrats on your new 350Z, and thanks for sharing your purchase experience. We look forward to hearing more.... Happy motoring!
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
- Michael
I understand about the "high school graduation" comment, I'm 47 and my wife is saying just about the same thing to me.
Enjoy your new Z and invest in a Valentine One radar detector (or comparable) before your insurance rates go through the roof:-)
I'll keep an eye out for you when the sun shines and temp rise to "performance tire tolerable" levels.
This is why I asked about times for the automatic.
JW
Revka
Hatchbacks & Wagons Host
A guy who goes by the name "350ZMotoring" has an automatic Touring. He timed his at 5.8/5.7 seconds 0-60mph and I believe he used "Torque Braking" to get that time. Without torque braking he got 6.0 secs 0-60. One time he even got a lucky run of 5.2 (although that might have just been a fluke).
Will this be your only car saloo? A lot of people recommend not using the Z in the snow because of the low clearance and the fact that it comes with "summer" performance tires.
If you intend to drive the Z in the snow, do not, I repeat DO NOT drive with the tires that came with it! The factory tires are terrible in the snow and you will be sliding all over the place! Get some winter tires for the car pronto!
I have seen some pics of 350Zs in light snow, but I dont know if they are driveable in the deep stuff. I dont have a Z yet and its not snowing in Seattle right now. Sorry that I cant provide you with any more useful information. Good luck!
I am formerly from the "Snow Belt" of norhtwestern PA. Even in Washington DC, I would not have purchased a Honda S2000 as my only car, if we did not also have a FWD Nissan Maxima and SUV.
Until you get to the point where you can afford to have a winter car, I recommend you avoid going with a RWD sport coupe and definitely avoid a sports car like the 350Z. Besides not handling the snow well, it will take a beating and look bad after a few winters. I'm not a fan of Audi, but a used S4 with all season tires may be the best option if you are only going to have one car and want it to offer sporty performance.
I'd suggest you might think in the other direction -- something like a WRX or a GTI. If you want the 325 it certainly will be better than the Z in snow, but you really should be looking at the 325xi.
Another possibility, though it's fwd, would be to get a used Acura TL or CL "S" -- I've seen these locally in the $25k range ... good in snow, reliable, fast, and would last long enough so you could save for whatever you want (maybe in combination with a cheap winter car).
Good luck.
JW
While FWD is clearly superior to RWD on snow or ice, that doesn't mean that RWD is undriveable in winter weather. If you have your heart set on a Z, I'd say get a good set of snow tires (i.e. Blizzaks), and go for it.
We are on the northside (SBN) of the state, and drive our Touring 350Z everyday to and from work. Either I take it on the Toll Road to South Bend, or the wife takes it around town and her short hop to work. In either case, it goes out in the elements. We made a small investment in Blizzak snowtires and wheels ($1600 total) from TireRack, just down the road. Have not missed a beat yet, and we have had some pretty nasty weather these past few weeks. In a few months we will swap out the snows with the stock tires, no fuss no muss, and very little down time. Those Blizzaks did the trick for us.
about the tires.. $1600.. isint that a little toooo mUch. considering my other cars new tires costed $400.
You get what you pay for! The wheels were 800.00 and the tires $800. I could have went cheaper on the wheels but I didn't want to spoil the great look. TireRack had THE best price on Blizzaks, which I found to be best snow tire overall (IMHO). I suppose you could go with any of a dozen all session radials available, but I chose a dedicated tire for snow operations, since I MUST have a dependable means of transportation, first time, everytime. A way to save 1/2 the cost is just to use your existing wheels and have the tires changed out, which exposes your high dollar wheels to potential damage if not changed out correctly, plus I believe it is rough on the tires after a few changeouts. There are various combinations of handling the snow issue, and I chose dedicated snows. I had thought of the additional car method, but not knowing how dependable it would be, the additional fuel purchases and insurance increase, etc., it was easier to bite the bullet and buy dedicated snows. We did the same thing on our son's SE-R Spec-V (same tire issues as the Z). Doing his car was cheaper since we went with a smaller Blizzak tire and steel wheels ($38 a piece). Has not had a bit of problem driving in all types of weather and I have yet to worry about him getting stuck somewhere.
Hope this helps.
I checked one out at the dealer yesterday and the rear/side visibility seemed simply awful. (This from someone who owns/drives a 2002 Celica) In the real world of everyday driving, how does this work out? Can you compensate/ work around it. It's a wonderful car, but I'm not sure it would be safe to drive something with even worse blind spots than my Celica.