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Comments
bbm
Everyone at the dealership was very polite and I was even offered a test drive if I was going to be in town after the snow cleared.
Anyone know? (Not mentioned in the brochure).
JW
has anybody gotten a good deal on one? just wondering, i am looking into them.
JW
Seems like folks living in northern climates could negotiate a good deal. I wouldn't imagine a rear-wheel drive sports car selling like hotcakes in the winter...
Unlike most folks, we need this vehicle for year round transportation (4 miles round trip) and so IT MUST GO IN SNOW and Ice. The stock wheels on the Touring version will not let you go anywhere (must be designed that way to keep the car in the garage). So we elected to put Blizzaks on some new wheels to make it easy on us and the rims. It was a $1565 setback, but with our winter weather, it was worth it. We tried them out on the way home from TireRack, and they work great! Could have gone cheaper rims, but we wanted to keep that classy look going.
My salesman mentioned that we will likely only get about 10K out of the factory installed tires on our 350Z Enthusiast. So new tires will be just around the corner. I always replace tires sooner than required on my vehicles anyway. The Bridgestones on it are rated at only 140 for wear, so he is likely correct. Fortunately, this is a second car for me, so it stays warm and cozy in the garage during inclement weather. I have a 4X4 truck, and it came in handy today.
I'll have to investigate what tires to replace the Bridgestones with this summer. Any suggestions ?
Sabre, what size wheel and which Blizzak did you decide to get? I've been thinking that, cosmetics aside, it would be good to go with narrower 17" for winter use. Whaddya think?
JW
We talked to Jake (ext 271) at Tirerack, and they indicated that, just like the stock tires, you put 225's on the front and 235s on the back. We went with Bridgestone Blizzaks (LM-22) (front - 225/50VR17 and 235/50HR17 on the rear). They had three 17" wheel sets that were available immediately. Since we HAD to get this car operational for the winter, we went with Moda R6 wheels. I suppose you could drop some big bucks on wheels, and as I said before, we didn't want to spoil the look to much. We have a black touring model so the satin chrome wheels blend with brushed door handles and other small bits of chrome on the car. Would have gone the cheaper route, but it would have been real obvious. Tires and rims look great, nothing that is offensive.
Jumped in first thing out of the barrel today with some slick spots, and snow covered areas. It never missed a beat. Had it on the Toll Road, doing the speed limit, and never heard the tires. I have to keep telling the wife...."any day now...I have to make sure they are safe before you take it"
We are not planning on taking on the weather with this arrangement, only putting the odds in our favor that we can safely get home before the deep stuff hits, or be able to stop safely approaching a slick intersection. You can bet our eyes will looking in that rearview mirror to "watch out for the other guy".
As a side note, I watched the whole process up close so if there were any special things to consider when we re-intall the stock tire in the spring. One thing is this package gives you longer and wider wheel lugs, so the standard Nissan wheel locks will not work. The "cone" is too narrow and will not seat properly, so we are on a search for a fix for that. Also, when they went to install the fronts, there was a small spacer and bolt (apparently used as a pilot guide for the Nissan wheels) on the rotors that had to be removed so the wheels could go on, and yes, I was a little nervous when that came off. So we put that in a safe place along with the original wheel lugs (in the car - cause you have to use them for the spare). I am thinking about posting some pictures one of these days so folks can get the idea.
Hope that answers it for you.
bbm
JW
too bad my parents won't be convinced that they are safer than a trans am. they think anyone would be pretty much a goner if a big truck rear-ended you. all you got is that 6 cubic feet of trunk space back there, then there is your head.
ah well...i can still dream
The news: there were only 20 bidders, and the top bid was $31109, below reserve.
I don't mean that this will happen with every car, as this one was in fact used, the "sell now" price was unrealistic, and it is a model which probably sells slower than the rest. But still ... the market seems to be softening: winter, recession, etc.
JW
Just a note about insurance on the Z. I found the premiums to be very reasonable on this car. Only $1002.00 per year. (full coverage, 40 year old male, no claims, Central KY)
When I first got the car, the insurance company put my 17 year old son as the primary driver by mistake... (I don't think so). Anyway, the cost was only $1900/yr. for a 17 year old!!! Maybe their rate tables have this car mixed up with a Sentra or something ?
I have got to get out and test drive one. Can a Nissan dealer order the car you want or do you have to take whatever comes in?
I was at a Nissan dealer in Orlando that just recieved a Black New Z that was ordered by a customer.
The MSRP was approximately $26,700 and it looked incredible in black.
The base is well equiped except for cruise control which may or may not bother you.
I do a lot of highway traveling so cruise is a must.
Hope this info is helpful.
350Z 6MT Standard features:
3.5L DOHC 24-valve V-6 with variable valve timing, multi-link front and rear independent suspension, dual outlet exhaust, drive-by-wire throttle, carbon-fiber driveshaft, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, vented front and rear disc brakes with ABS, Electronic Brake force Distribution, Nissan Direct Ignition System (NDIS), automatic temperature control, 160-watt AM/FM/CD with 6 speakers, power windows/door locks and mirrors, remote keyless entry, vehicle security system, leather steering wheel and shifter boot $26,269
Enthusiast Model 6MT Standard features plus: Xenon headlamps, HomeLink Universal Transceiver, cruise control, Traction Control System (TCS), viscous limited-slip differential, aluminum pedals, day/night auto rearview mirror, dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors $28,249
Hope this helps. Good to see you rickrover!
JW
The $2k difference for the Enthusiast isn't a deal breaker- It does include a lot of equipment for $2k. So the Enthusiast is the most popular Z model? I want a Silverstone/ Black cloth either Base or Enthusiast - still on the fence. Were you able to test drive a Z?
That said, it's not the sort of car I'd want to take anyone else's word for, as it's very different from most everything else on the market, especially in the way it drives, and for some whose taste is different, it is entirely unacceptable. It has more power and torque than other sports cars at its price point and less prestige and luxury and cost than other cars that it compares to in power and handling.
You can make some interesting comparisons on a few of the simplistic objective data on the Z vs. ten or twelve other cars by looking at the comparo for the Motor Trend COTY award. But you'll have to get a sense of the drive for yourself and, if the dealers get a sense that you're serious, test drives are available now in New England.
I know this is more than you were asking, but I hope it helps.
JW
Nissan please offer cruise control on your base model.
Who cares about aluminum pedals? Cruise control is offered on many economy cars today as a standard feature.
I just think it is smart marketing because someone who wants this car, and wants cruise control, will generally not blink an eye to move up a step. I have not yet seen a real "base" model out there. It was not easy finding an Enthusiast either. Most out there are Track and Touring models.
JW
As far as I'm concerned, the Honda S2000 drew a pretty good line between giving standard features I wanted and omitting the ones I might have liked, but could live without. Standard: cruise control, Xenon's, regular A/C, power roof, power windows / mirrors, sport seats / leather, audio controls reachable from steering wheel. Omitted: power seats / memory, climate control, high end audio system (although I did upgrade to add 2 back speakers for $250).
Cruise control wouldn't have been terribly missed by me in the S2000, but I think the 350Z is aiming a little more towards the daily driver / touring buyer.
JW
1) Acura RSX
2) BMW 3-Series/M3
3) Chevrolet Corvette
4) Ford Focus
5) Honda Accord Coupe/Sedan
6) Infiniti G35 Coupe/Sedan
7) Mazda 6 s
8) Nissan 350Z
9) Porsche Boxster
10) Subaru WRX
And as we see from the Car And Driver list the Japanese are so superior to the American cars it amazes me how people still buy the America autos. Old habits die hard.
I hope that the taxpayers here are not forced to bail out Ford. Let the company fail so the resources are allocated to more efficient use.
Creative Destruction
Ford may not make the C&D lists, but most of the cars on the C&D lists aren't the top sellers. I recently saw a list of the top 10 sellers for last year: #1 was the F-150 series; the Explorer was also top-ranked even with the scandals; the Taurus, though further down, was also in the top 10. You can make all kinds of arguments on profitability, but not on the basis of the C&D list.
JW
To bpraxis & others - (posts #1196 - #1198) I think "Which US Auto Company will we have to bail out" would be a great topic of our News & Views board. Feel free to start up a new discussion over there. Thanks!
Please note: off topic messages are subject to deletion. And now back to the subject of the Nissan 350Z! ;-)
Revka
Hatchbacks & Wagons Host
I have read in various sources now that Nissan is planning on making some changes already in the new Z. They want to modify or eliminate that flimsy door on the front dash and improve material quality.
At the same time they will fix the seat belt rattle.
I hope they address the radio issue also becuase of the poor sound quality.
It may be wise to wait to purchase the Z until the refinements are made.
What is your opinion?
Once again, I have to question Nissan engineers on the need for that brace. It's a fixed roof coupe, for goodness sake. If you can't design the chassis and body with enough structural rigitiy without a massive cabin penetrating brace, heaven help the convertible version.
Secondly, sometimes a review tries to pick the best precision car, sometimes it's the best muscle car, sometimes it's the best combination car. Even C&D waffles between these goals. With the Mustang and the Z, this review had a couple of cars that could simply outmuscle the S2000. Given that particular review's bias towards muscle (which is neither a good nor bad thing), the high price of the S2000 (remember, that hardtop costs $3k) and the S2000's supreme disadvantage of having a hardtop on a roadster body, I too would have placed the S2000 low---as I would have the Boxster, Miata, etc. A roadster should not be competing against hardstop coupes and two-seaters if it's going to be judged on interior comfort and sound levels... a roadster will lose every time.
I could have seen a SLK having a fighting chance in that review, if not for the price, but the S2000 is a convertible and should be measured against a Mustang GT convertible and the 350Z convertible, if anything. That will be a much more interesting review, and I suspect that the S2000 will do better.
I can only take Car and Driver's comments regarding the S2000 with a huge grain of salt. They performed their tests with a nearly brand new car (i.e. not broken in). Not only does that comproise their results, it pretty much ruins the car. "Bozzo brains" is the term that comes to mind to describe that idiocracy. My properly broken in S2000 was much quicker at 7,500 miles than at 1,500.
That said, the serious acceleration of the S2000 comes in a form different than most casual enthusiast drivers are used to (i.e. between 6000 and 9000 rpm). Look at test results for other cars, and they are usually pretty close. The S2000 has been clocked 0-60 in 5.2, 5.4, 5.8 and 6.3 by Motor Trend, Road and Track, Consumer Reports, and Car and Driver respectively. For comparison, that 1.1 second range is greater than the difference between the old E36 M3 (5.5) and the new one (4.7). Also, by comparison, the variance for a Porsche Boxster S is much less - almost everyone has it somewhere in the 5.3 to 5.5 range.
This suggests to me that to get the most out of an S2000, you actually need to know how to drive it. Apparantly Car and Driver doesn't, given that the Ralph Nader types at Consumer Reports could beat them 0 to 60 by a half second.
It's still a personal preference as to whether someone prefers lots of torque with their horsepower. I certainly wouldn't mind more, but the primary reason I got the S2000 over some other cars was that, although it had more than adequate acceleration, IMO it had best "feel" and tightest handling of anything this side of a $60k Boxster S equiped with their sports package. And even the Boxster S didn't feel quite as nimble to me.
And remember, the S2000 is a third car in our household. I don't have to subject myself to its "harshness" when I don't want to.
Whenever I have been shopping for a new car and looked at magazine reviews for information, I have found Car and Driver (and Motor Trend) to be a bit off. It seems Road and Track does a better job of evaluating and testing cars in such a way that I find valuable and accurate. Just my opinion.
Winter.....plus a new flavor of the month might get someone a deal.
This car seems very well built and tight. The ride is sporty, but not with that "beat you up" feeling of so many other small sport cars.
Regarding the comment about the door on the center dash, it could use a different design, but I fount that once you master the "pull-out, then down" closing method, it is not an issue. I use the door allot, as I have the XM Satellite radio control unit and remote control in that compartment, and the door gets opened and closed each time I change a station. So far so good.