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Revka
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Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
Sounds like a stupid question, but why is leather on the Touring model if you can get it on all of the others?
But if that's so, can a buyer get leather on the Track model, or the Performance, etc.?
What are the choices? The cost?
And if this is all a matter of not understanding, what does 'leather' refer to?
JW
However most decent size dealers can get installed for about 1100 to 1400 depending if you want single tone or 2tone leather.
The parts are divided into the "S" category -- body kit, etc. Second is the "R" category, including parts like the CAI. "S" is for street I guess, and "R" for race. Parts in the "S" group stay within warranty. Those in the "R" group are not ... you wouldn't want Nissan to cover a mod that makes a difference, would you?
Given that, I doubt the S/C would be covered, if in fact it ever comes out ... I haven't heard anyone thinking it would. Right now, Greddy and STillen are the only show in town.
JW
Thanks for your comments!
Revka
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Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
Just a suggestion: if the review is going to be so many months after the introduction, and after 25000 have been sold, wouldn't it make sense to summarize and comment on some of the consumer issues that have arisen -- for example, with the transmission grinding and receiving warranty replacements? or the tire feathering and bounce that many people have complained about and are receiving new tires? And whether they are issues that are so prolific that the average buyer needs to be concerned about them.
Obviously Edmund's hasn't run into such issues with the road test or on the long-term test or we would be hearing about them. Which would mean going to a third party. Imo, a good idea.
After nearly 10 months of reading about this car, I'm still as excited about it as ever. I've now "test" driven it four times, once taking a friend's car for a ride in autoX competition. It's a terrific car to drive. It's on my short list: the Z, the G-coupe, and the STi. Once I've had a chance to drive the STi I'll be buying the '04 version of one of these and using it to replace a road sedan and a dedicated autoX vehicle. It will be expected to keep me in comfort for about 20000 miles/yr on the highway and go like snot in autoX for 15-20 weekends/yr.
The Edmund's review didn't tell me anything I didn't know, but John DiPietro is a good writer and he captured the flavor and driving experience of the car for me very well. Pass my compliments along, if you have access, Revka. And thanks for asking.
Z. J
Also...has anyone any thoughts on the rust proofing or any other dealer add ons...is the rustproofing worth a grand, my instincts say no.
Also, I do not believe there is any significant price increase for the 2004's. Unless you plan on driving the car forever and don't care about resale value, I would want at least an additional 5% discount on an outgoing model year. And I know for a fact that my Nissan dealership will be discounting 2004 350Z's by at leat $1,000-$1,500 as soon as they arrive. So something in the $2,500+ under MSRP would be my "target price" for a 2003.
350Z pricing is simply a atter of supply and demand - Nissan is producing twice as many 350Z's annually than Honda has made S2000's in total since they were introduced in late 1999. While the 350Z is the new kid on the block, there simply aren't enough blocks in need of a two seater coupe for Nissan to be able to maintain MSRP pricing. For comparison, I bought a 2002 Honda S2000 in November 2001 (right after the new and "improved" model came out) for roughly $1,000 under MSRP. And at that time, there were only about 5 new S2000's available in the entire Washington DC area. Today, I'd be willing to bet there are well over 100 350Z's sitting on the lots of the dozen+ dealerships in my area.
As for any "add-ons" like rustproofing, etc., they are all worthless. This isn't the 1970's when cars weren't rustproofed at the factory. Frankly, I would avoid a dealership that tries to add anything purely on principal. It shows lack of integrity. If they don't succeed with that "gotcha", they will surely try again down the road when you take the car in for service.
Good luck.
MSRP on a 2003 is silly. Unless the dealers are getting well over MSRP on 2004s (and I doubt they are) then MSRP on a 2003 makes no sense.
John DiPietro and others tested the Touring model, found it rode fine. Now DiPietro last month tested the Track model and says it is firm or harsh or ... whatever and he would prefer the Touring because of that probably.
Here's my confusion: BETWEEN THE TRACK AND THE TOURING THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE IN THE SUSPENSION. There is only approx. 20# of weight difference. The brakes are different (Brembos on Track). THe wheels are different (Rays on the Track) but they are the same size (18").
No objective reason for there to be a noticeable difference. (Of course the trim is very different but leather doesn't effect the ride, imo.) So I wondered if my own failure to notice the difference waw a reflection of my own obtuseness .... I asked on MY350Z.com. The people who replied there also had read the Edmund's post and say they can't feel a difference in the ride either.
It could be several things.
It could be the editors at Edmunds are even older than me. (Doubtful)
It could be there is something wrong with one of the cars they tested. (Maybe)
It could be .... they need to fill us all in and be a bit more specific. (For sure.)
One person sent Edmund's (DiPietro?) an email. No answer. So I'm asking here.
What's up, Edmunds? Thankx. J
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Does anyone know the lowest price for 350Z roadster in SF bay area? Which dealer is the best per your experience?
Thanks.
Pertinent info: Touring, automatic, chrome silver on charcoal leather, with 18's and mats. No Nav. Sticker was ~$39,700 (the 18's were a $1200 adder). No ADM.
Thanks!
John
You probably know this, but the G35 coupe seems to over 95% of the 350Z's performance with a lot more utility.
- Mark
This is going beyond the original question, but between the G35c and the 350Z, I think most buyers would be happier in the G. There is very little difference in performance or sportiness and the handling issues I have with the 350Z (mainly understeer and excess weight) are much more easily forgiven in a luxury coupe than in an all-out sports car.
- Mark
I also agree completely with markjenn. The 350Z has flaws as a sports car that are more than acceptable trade-offs in the G35 sports coupe. Not to mention that I think the G35 is a distinctively better looking car. I happened to park between a red 350Z and silver G35 coupe yesterday and, side by side, the G35 coupe just looks much classier from virtually all directions - front, back and sides. That was my opinion even before I noticed the 350Z was an automatic and the G35 coupe was a 6-speed.
I also agree completely with markjenn. The 350Z has flaws as a sports car that are more than acceptable trade-offs in the G35 sports coupe. Not to mention that I think the G35 is a distinctively better looking car. I happened to park between a red 350Z and silver G35 coupe yesterday and, side by side, the G35 coupe just looks much classier from virtually all directions - front, back, sides and, especially, interior. That was my opinion even before I noticed the 350Z was an automatic and the G35 coupe was a 6-speed.
I was originally interested in the G35 sports coupe so I drove the 95 miles to the nearest dealer. They also had a 350 Z in the showroom. I looked in the Z and thought no way can I get clubs in here. I then looked in the G35 and it had a diagram on how to get clubs in. We went out to our car and brought our 2 sets of clubs inside the dealership and people gathered around to watch us try to fit the clubs in. It took a while but they fit. You had to take the oversized drivers out of the bag but they did fit. I then test drove the G35 and didn't particularly like it, at least not well enough to buy one where warranty repair entailed a 95 mile trip.
Several months later while golfing at the TPC in Scottsdale, I saw a 350 Z pulling out of the parking lot and the driver had the window down so I yelled at him and asked if he could really get a set of clubs in the Z. He backed up, got out of the car and told me he can get two sets of clubs in. He also said he had owned one of the original Zs and liked this one even better. He was in his early 60s. About a month later our local dealership got a 350 Z 6 speed touring in stock so I drove it and didn't particularly like it, except it held the road well. About a month later and in another city I saw a 350 enthusiast with automatic and I really liked the ride and handling and my wife was not thrilled about me getting a stick. We have both driven 5 speeds for many years and really don't get a big thrill out of shifting particularly when we visit Seattle. and stop on hills. I didn't like the color of the car they had in stock well enough to buy it so I checked out an Audi TT. I really liked the new ones (even though they were stick) but didn't want to pay the high price plus I think Audi dealers are arrogant SOBs. I own an Audi sedan so I should know. I tried to deal over the phone for a used TT but the dealers are arrogant. So I made an email offer on a white touring z with automatic and they took my lowball offer. I flew down the next day and picked up the car, full of gas and drove the 300 miles back home. I went up and down several 2000 ft hills, the Payette river and the Salmon river canyons and had a wonder full experience with the high elevation being about 6000 ft and the low at 700 ft. My wife and I routinely go golfing at our course which is 35 miles and 2000 vertical feet from our home. It carries the clubs and it is every bit as easy or easier to load as the G35 coupe. We can get the Z serviced locally and I paid 3 or 4 K less than what I would have paid for the G35. I don't know if the Z is better looking but it sure is a head turner and I think it is something special. I suspect the ride in the automatic is a little less harsh than the 6 speed and that is why I liked it better. I have been pulled over once and given a very stern warning about speeding so I keep it under control. Your mileage may vary.
The funny thing is, our Infiniti G35C is really after all the Nissan Skyline (in Japan). The Skyline has always been viewed as a sports car, in fact it has a much more storied history as a race car than the Z. We just dont get the Skyline over here. That was until now.
We package it here in the US under the Infiniti brand name, and all of a sudden the issues of "understeer" and "overweight" are acceptable for the G35C but not for the Z? It just puzzles me, aside from the distinct exterior sheet metal both these cars share the same mechanicals. I just view the G35C as a 350Z 2+2.
so back to the discussion.
Anybody got a good deal on a 350Z in the Seattle area? Is getting below MSRP a possiblity?
Infiniti has already announced that the G35C will not have any price increase for the 2004s, except for certain options. However, I cant seem to find information anywhere with regards to 2004 pricing for the Nissan 350Z.
Thanks a bunch!
You may include the dealership name and city/state where you purchased, but NO direct links to the dealership site. Thanks!
Revka
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Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
This Edmunds site is wonderful, the "dealer price quote" feature is what I used to get in contact with the dealership. I got a great price, and did not have to haggle. Kudos to Edmunds!
I had to order the car and I can expect delivery in November, as I was told there was currently only one 2004 LeMans Sunset in the entire northwest, and it had $700 worth of options that I did not want. Oh what a long 3 month wait!
I know when I was looking at Zs, the dealers all said they would locate one exactly the color and equipped the way I wanted. They then showed me prinitouts for over 100 Zs in all colors and equipment levels that were from dealers within a 3 state area. Dealers said they trade regularly.
Reason I ask, the LeMans Sunset Touring with the burnt orange interior was what I was looking for and a couple of dealers found probably a dozen of them they could have had to me in a day.
According to a couple of dealers I have spoken to, it seems that for 2004 there was only one LeMans in inventory in the northwest (WA, CA, OR etc). I found that kinda odd. And the one they did show had several options that I did not want to pay for.
Being the cheapskate that I am, I opted to wait by pre-ordering so that I could get the exact car I wanted. I would have gone for the base model, but since that did not have cruise control I went with the Enthusiast model.
By the way, graphicguy do you post at rx8forum.com under the same name?
Revka
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Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
thank you!
KarenS/Owners Clubs
Anybody else have this experience? The paint doesn't appear to be very heavy duty. I'm glad I got x-pel on the front......
I didn't get the car from the local dealer....do you think they will do anything about it or do I just touch it up ....
Thanks,
David
You can't have a new $40k car with paint that "rubs off".
There's a clear coat of paint over the colored paint, so what the heck did you rub with that took off the clear coat and the paint?
Somethings very wrong here.............
Was planning on waiting till spring but if I could get the right deal on an 03, who knows? Hmmm.
Xenon headlamps, HomeLink Universal Transceiver, cruise control, Traction Control System (TCS), viscous limited-slip differential (LSD), aluminum pedals, day/night auto rearview mirror, dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors.
To me it was, so thats what I bought.
I ordered my 2004 for $1000 off MSRP. I would imagine you can get a better offer with the 2003s.
The RX-8 is a good choice too, it was one of the cars that I was considering, right up there with the Z.
For me, it would be the RX-8, but only because I think the most desirable thing in a sporty car is light weight. The 350Z reminds me of a Japanese Vette whereas the RX-8 has its roots with the Miata.
The enthusiast model looks like the 350Z bargain. A LOT of car for the money.
- Mark
Actually I had pretty much decided to go with that package in the Z. I take it you like yours?
Mazda has a good bargain with the RX-8 though. By just adding the Sport package to the base model, you get DSC (Dynamic Stability Control). Plus, 18" wheels/tires are standard on the manual transmisssion. To get the same items on the Z, you would have to upgrade to the Performance model, which at MSRP is over $30k.
As far as liking my Enthusiast, I dont have it yet (I pre-ordered a 2004) . I got an e-mail from my dealer last week telling me I should get my VIN # in October. Expected delivery is in late November, possibly early December.