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Road and Track mentions it in their latest comparo. An article well worth reading! They compare the Z to the Z06, the 911 Targa, and the M3. The Z does very well. Well worth reading!!!
JW
Thanks for any feedback!
Michael
I know you say you can't afford it but have you checked out some of the online tire retailers? I think you can get a very serviceable set of snows on steel wheel for the winter (15" wheels for far less than you'd imagine.
You'll save a lot of money in the long run on the relatively expensive summer tires or even high performance all season tires by putting 3-4-5 months on the snows and the ride is way softer as a bonus for looking at the ugly winter wheels for that long.
I'm running (on a 00 Maxima SE) the Michelin Pilot A/S tires (225/50/17") which are a very nice all around compromise (but expensive).
Even with the Michelins, I still switch off to the 15" snow tires and cheap wheels for the winter. (I also live in SE Wisconsin.)
I asked Susan who used to have the car and she told me it was a couple in their 40's and they had bought the car new in 96. They traded it for a 2003 350Z.
Listed below are the details on the 300ZX:
72,825 miles
Non-Turbo
2 seater
perfect interior
perfect exterior
Black
Black leather interior
T-tops
Power Drivers seat
5-speed
Compact disc Bose stereo system
Auto climate control
etc.
Is this vehicle worth the $14,995?
(I posted this in the 300ZX topic, but I didn't get any replies. I'm going to meet with the dealership on Saturday (About an hour away.) I would appreciate any advice from anyone.)
If I like the car what should I offer for it?
This car: have you heard of Carfax? I'd suggest using it, and never EVER believe a car salesperson unless it's in writing with the SM or GM signature.
JW
I never thought about getting 15" wheels/tires. I thought I'd have to stick with the same size wheel/tire as what came with the car. I will definitely look into this option. I have checked tirerack.com for tire pricing, but their website doesn't give any suggestions...they say to give them a call. I just haven't had time to call them yet.
I like your idea about getting different summer or all-season tires to help with the ride. How much of an improvement can I expect (20% better, 50% better, 100% better!) by going with, say, the Michelin Pilot A/S tires? Did you buy the Michelins on-line? What's a fair price? Since your Maxima is front wheel drive, did you still notice a big difference in the snow with the new Michelins? Thanks! Please email me direct:
messlinger@new.rr.com (night)
or
messl@omro.k12.wi.us (day)
I would call TireRack and ask them about it. I've used them for 3 different sets of tires in the last couple of years (one with wheels) and been very pleased with their service and pricing overall.
The difference in ride between 225/50/17" and 205/65/15" is significant, IMO.
The 00 Maxima SE feels much more like a boulevard cruiser than a sport sedan when the 15" snows are on it. Of course it doesn't handle worth a d*** with the snows on and those 15" wheels are ugly.
The Pilot A/S were about $200 each when I bought them. There weren't a lot of choices at the time in the same size. I think there are more available now.
Frankly, in such a car, you would want as much non-neutral handling as possible. This is a sports model, right? and you would normally would want more on-line/straight line tracking - this is one of the supreme goals!!!!!. Forget Neutral. Most cars available in the mass market have this. Who wants it. I don't. If you want neutral, get a Camry.
Good Luck.
"Neutral handling" refers to the car not understeering or oversteering. That is, when you are in a corner and near the limits of adhesion, the car doesn't tend lose traction on the front first (understeer) or lose traction on the rear first(oversteer).
Most cars understeer, sometimes severly. It is considered a safety feature to have the front plow ahead at the limit rather than swapping ends. When the driver lifts the throttle, the nose tucks in and the cars continues around the corner. In a sports car, neutral or even a bit of oversteer is considered more fun to drive, but if the oversteer develops past the point of no return or you abruptly lift the throttle, you're going to spin the car.
The 350Z has earned a reputation so far as understeering a little more than desirable for a sports car. That's the complaint of this reviewer and many others.
- Mark
Just to add: most also indicate that oversteer can be induced with aggressive use of the throttle. But as you say, you're not going to be able to toss it around like, say, a Miata or a MR-2, nor will you lose it easily like the M or most older Porsches.
JW
Thanks for any feedback. I appreciate your advice.
-Michael
I can relate to these recent posts about handling and tires on the Z. Rarely (as in almost never) does the factory tire/ suspension specification in any car I've owned meet my needs. One of the first things I do after I test drive something is hit the web to check the availability of after market parts for it. Usually it's springs, shocks, stress bar(s), sway bars and tires - usually in that order. I try to keep the standard tires until I wear them out, but sometimes I can't stand them to the point that I have to replace them after a few thousand miles.
I like a very firm, controlled suspension with high performance tires that stick like glue. A factory "sport" suspension never comes close to the handling characteristics I'm looking for.
I factor in the cost of fixing the car to my specification before I even sign on the dotted line.
I don't see anything wrong with modifying a car to your own prefereces, whatever they may be.
JW
I Like it. I hope Infiniti is soon to follow with the G35. I like the G35 better and it doesn't cost much more either.
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
So I decided to pull into a used car dealership which just happened to be next to a nissan dealer. I drove out back and did a U-turn and to my surprise...Saw at least..."10" 350z's stashed away behind a fence at the used car dealership. They all still had the original factory plastic coating stuck to them also.
This nissan dealer has a pretty darn good size parking lot too, which could of easily accomodated the cars.
Nissan lists the GPS as a "factory installed option". I don't know if they have a kit to retrofit later, but even it they did, I'd be nervous about having the yahoos at the dealership do it. I'd learn to live without it.
- Mark
My question is about the Nissan lease prices. I've estimated the lease rates on the BMW, Benz, and a few others and for a vehicle priced even higher then the 350z, the lease rates seem to be much lower then the ones generated on the Nissan web site. I was wondering if what lease rates ou guys were seeing say with around $2000 down....
I priced the 350Z out at around $36000
Thanks for the help!
Also, be sure to check out the Lease Questions discussion on our Finance Board. Good luck.
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
Frankly, the guy just looked the part, he was tall and extremely handsome. If Nissan could have captured him on film I am sure that result in another 10,000 unit sales.
He meticulously cleaned the interior and then hand-washed the car like it was a one-month old baby. I could not help myself so I went up to talk to him. He was grinning from ear to ear as he shared his driving an ownership experience.
Nissan, please find that guy because he certainly made the Z look HOT. (And by the way I am not gay I am a father of three and old enough to be the guy’s father)
Link's here, FYI: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate- gory=31864&item=2409755110&rd=1
JW
Information above is incorrect... How to you get $150 above invoice when the "invoice" on that model is $24,698!
Looks more like $5,000 over invoice! Not including the holdback of $600.
Some "real" info here, I have been hitting the Nissan dealers hard and have gotten them to $27,000 on a Ethus model locally. But I want it for $26,750, and am not buying until it hits that. Of course this is on a "ordered" car that they get full holdback on... $1200 bucks on the deal.
Cheers
- Mark
Any help from Orlando peeps would be appreciated.
- Mark
Like I said, my experience was without hassle on Saturday, and maybe if I had come close to "stroking out" I may have saved another $200. I have done deals in the past, where it turned into an ugly experience to save a few bucks, but it is not personally worth it to me any more.
To carry it to the other extreme, I'm sure you could go in and talk many grocers into giving you a 20% discount on a banana. 20% is a large discount right? But we don't bother since it would take 10-minutes of our time to save $0.05 which is a wage of $0.25/hour, hardly worth it.
This principle of thinking in terms of the absolute money saved vs. time instead of the percentage savings isn't just my idea - it is exposed in many books on business and negotiation.
- Mark
Personally, I don't like the idea of buying a used sports car where break in is very important to the car's long term performance (i.e. S2000, M3, etc; probably not as big of a deal on the 350Z). However, how do you know the previous owner hasn't put 40k miles of wear andd tear on the clutch and now wants to dump the car?
Consider this: Washington Post ad two weeks ago for a 2002 Boxster S loaded, 3,000 miles, perfect condition, $42,995 obo. That was a $60,000 car new.
If you are going to buy a 350Z that someone else has driven for 4,100 miles, I be looking for a much better deal than $31k. Or just get a new one, since they are now going for $1,000 to $2,000 under list in the DC area.
For $34,200 you can easily pick up a new 350 Touring 6 speed.
So I'd be looking for a much bigger discount. Of course, if the car is super clean and looks to be in great shape, then you have to make a decision for yourself. You do have the factory warranty as a safety net.
- Mark
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He probably won't accept it, but if he wants the sale he may surprise you, if not now then later in the month.
JW