Nissan 350Z Prices Paid and Buying Experience

qbrozen · September 2005

well, i think i can cover you pretty well here.
Here is the quote I got from Terry for my '04 Touring just a few weeks ago:
rroyce10, "Real-World Trade-In Values" #27734, 10 Aug 2005 6:15 am

so it looks like they are a bit low on yours ... if its all perfect, tires are good, etc, then they should be at least $1K higher on that trade number.

rn05 · September 2005

Thanks for the information.

foxyroxy · September 2005

Hi Carman:

You and kd were so helpful in educating me about leasing that I was saved from walking into a lease that would have cost me more money than it should. So, I put that dealer on the back burner until he calls me again (most likely in a few weeks to tell me they can now do what I thought was a fair deal).

In the meantime I'm going to see if I can get a good deal leasing a 2005 or 2006 Nissan 350Z Enthusiast.

What should I keep in mind for the residual and money factor. Also, what is the base and max amount for the "sell rate" markup because now I know they will throw that in too. I recall that the BMW lease was better if you stayed below a certain amount of months so if this holds true for the Nissan I'm also interested in how many months to lease for the best deal. 10 or 12,000 miles per year is fine.

Thank you kindly.

CarMan@Edmunds · September 2005

I'm glad that you were able to learn so much by visiting this forum foxyroxy. Nissan is not currently providing any sort of lease money factor support on either the 2005 or 2006 350Z. If you were to lease one through Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. right now you would have to use a buy rate lease money factor of .00255 for a 39 month lease. I picked this length lease because it is long enough to provide a reasonable lease payment, but inordinately long. You could go with a 36 month lease as well if you are worried about leasing for longer than Nissan's 3 year / 36,000 mile basic warranty, but your payment would be a little higher. NMAC's current 39 month 12,000 miles per year residual value for the 2005 350Z Coupe Enthusiast is 49%. The residual value for an otherwise identical lease of a 2006 model should be 51%.

Nissan is actually providing a little support in the form of $1,000 dealer cash on the 2005 350Z to help dealers sell their leftover models. Make sure to take this cash into account when negotiating your car's capitalized cost.

Car_man
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foxyroxy · September 2005

Thank you Car_man - you are always very helpful and appreciated!

CarMan@Edmunds · September 2005

You're very welcome foxyroxy.

Car_man
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wantrx330 · October 2005

I got an offer from a Nissan dealership in Eugene OR for 2006 350z touring model for $500 under invoice. Is this a good deal?

miata007 · October 2005

:surprise: Are you serious? For a 2006 under invoice!!!!! Are you there additional fees, warranty, trade-in?

007

wantrx330 · October 2005

They are offering $30,315 ($500 under invoice) for Touring + destination, license. Since there's no sales tax in Oregon.. that's another added bonus. No trade-in. I had several dealers competing for my business and this was the best one. Other dealers were not willing to go any lower than $500 over invoice. Are there other dealers offering better incentives?

swimfan · October 2005

Looked at a 2005 Roadster Touring Ed. in Speed Yellow with automatic, 18 in wheels this weekend. Without any haggling, the dealer quoted $36,700, including the $1000 cash incentive. They had about 4-5 other 2005s on the lot. Any advice on what would be a good deal? (I'm assuming they would come down more--list on the car is about $40,900.

10til4z · October 2005

I've made the biggest mistake by not educating myself on leasing a vehicle. I've recently leased a 350z, and it's a great car, but just last week I found out I was getting sent to Japan for 3 years. Thus, not being able to drive my car for the next 3 years. I was considering leaving it in storage here for the whole time I was stationed there and enjoy the benefits of having a low mileage Z for the rest of the time. I was set on buying it after my lease was up. Residual being $11k. Did I get a really bad deal? $434/mo for 66 mos. What other options could I expect? have someone else take over payments, military clause, etc...
Thanks

Kirstie_H · October 2005

Since your question is more general and doesn't necessarily relate to the 350Z specifically, you might try visiting this topic:
Lease Termination Fees and other costs

That's a good place to talk about your options for doing a lease swap.

kirstie_h
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jen05 · October 2005

Are the '06 350z's already out?

dat2 · October 2005

With the incentive and dealers wanting to get rid of '05 250Zs, there are some good deals out there. There are some nice changes to the 06, such as the bump to 300hp due to the exhaust timing, but from what I've seen, the performance numbers are no better, if anything the 0-60 is a couple tenths slower! The 18" wheels are sharp, but I could get an 05 enthuisiast for about 26.5 grand with discount and rebate, the 06 would probably be at least a couple grand more!

Does anyone have any experience driving the 05 and 06 back to back? Is the interior much improved? Thanks!

qbrozen · October 2005

as far as performance, the 300 hp was achieved much like it was in the 35th anniversary editions. They squeezed out 13 more hp, but at the expense of, if i recall correctly, 14 lbs torque. In my personal opinion, I prefer the torque in a case like this.

dat2 · October 2005

I think they added exhaust valve timing in this case, and inreased the redline to 7000 (fun)...would think you would get better than +13 hp and -14 tq, and the fuel economy went down 1 on each side too. Anyway, I am about to go take a look at an 05 enthuisiast 6 spd and see what kind of price I could get. Does anyone have any thoughts on the 17 inch wheels, if they improve ride? :confuse: How much do they weigh compared with the new 18s? Thanks for the response!

qbrozen · October 2005

There was alot of discussion regarding that increased redline (also present on the previous 35th anni model, i believe). My understanding is that the power band is dropping off even before the standard model's redline, so going to 7k is actually hurting acceleration times because shifting to the next gear earlier would net more power to the wheels. Again, I'm just kind of reiterating what I've read from other, more knowledgeable, people. I can't prove any of this.

dat2 · October 2005

That makes sense to me. It's like trying to change the character of the motor from a torque monster, to more honda-esque. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me unless it results in improved performance. It may be better on the track due to the longer time you can spend in each gear, but from a lot of the articles I read, the 350 is not best on the track. Many reviews suggested the car is best at 7/10s on the street, where is feels supreme, while on the track it sounds like you have to fight everything (the shifter, the understeer, etc). Thanks for the discussion!

qbrozen · October 2005

I'd say more like 8/10ths on the street.

Cool thing about the Z that alot of those other "better" auto-x cars can't claim is that it can shine on the dragstrip AND be a ton of fun on the twisty track. Cars like the RX8 or S2000, which are typically regarded to be better auto-x cars, don't have the raw acceleration and low rpm grunt that the Z does (although mag acceleration numbers are decent for those other cars, you wouldn't want to do to your clutch what those testers do to get those numbers). This is a big plus on the streets, too, since you get power in pretty much any gear in the Z.

The Z isn't outstanding at any one thing, but its REALLY good at alot of things. Unfortunately, I think this is why it is sometimes looked down upon. Many folks and pro reviewers concentrate on ONE thing, rather than the overall picture, which is the one that matters in the real world of driving and car ownership.

dat2 · October 2005

Well I just test drove the 05 enthusiast 6 spd in question. It drove very well. The clutch/shifter/throttle modulation was a little herky jerky, but otherwise a really nice ride.

The ride was not bad, I think the 17" wheels help. It certainly didn't scream in the upper rev range, but in the mid and even lower, it really pushed me into my seat. And I'm coming from an 04 Pontiac GTO so that says something for the Z. Overall the car felt extremely buttoned down and solid. The steering was nice, but I noticed it doesn't "recoil" after turning the wheel. Also, it FEELS small to drive, even though it is a considerably sized car!

qbrozen · October 2005

good point you brought up. Yes, I did find this car particularly difficult to drive smoothly, at first. But you get used to it. It helped ALOT when I adjusted the clutch to engage closer to the floor. I've also heard that an auxiliary engine mount (something like a rod that attaches to existing bolts on the car ... i could probably track down the website that sells them, if you're interested), can improve the clutch action because the powertrain flexes a great deal on the stock mounts.

How it feels in terms of size? Hmmm... I guess I never considered it being large at all. It certainly fit in my garage with more breathing room than anything else I own, so it just never occured to me.

So... what's the bottom line? You buying?

dat2 · October 2005

made offer that was about 6 grand off of their initial offer including diff in trade (they offered 17g for 04 gto in exc cond). think that was a bit low! if they get close i will buy

dat2 · October 2005

also they initially offered '05 z at full retail price minus rebate

...then i had to leave and go to work so they said they would call me after they did some calling around about gto's...

dat2 · October 2005

current 1000 rebate expires today...will it be more less or the same tomorrow?

qbrozen · November 2005

On an '05?
That rebate won't go away. IF the rebates don't increase on the '05s, manufacturers will usually pay out the rebate to each dealer for their remaining inventory and leave it up to them to get rid of them. The '06s are here, so the manufacturer no longer cares what happens to the '05s.

Why are you getting rid of you GTO, by the way?

miata007 · November 2005

Does anyone know of much inventory left in the bay area (CA) for an 05? I know someone who is interested in getting one and waiting for the right price towards the end of the year. He is open to trim level as long as it has a manual gearbox.

Thanks!
007

qbrozen · November 2005

you can still search for '05 inventory on nissanusa.com

qbrozen · November 2005

you can still search for '05 inventory on nissanusa.com.

dat2 · November 2005

well i drove an 06 base model 6 spd tonite. i like the 05 with 17 inch rims better. the 06 did not pin me into the seat the way the 05 did. i think they tinkered with the torque curve of the motor and sort of ruined the overall torque happy nature of it to try to make it rev higher.

nothing wrong with my goat...i think i originally wanted a 350z anyway and i ended up buying the gto because it was a bit cheaper and thought i would love the power. i do love the power, but it's not a sports car. it rides "too soft" ... the whole car is not direct like a sports car would be, the shifter and pedals are a pain, although no one ever called the gto a sports car, at least they shouldn't. otherwise it is a sweat ride. the interior is several notches nicer than a z...nice leather and other details. wish me luck with the trade in

qbrozen · November 2005

Well, good luck.

I hope you got the goat when it was at its cheapest point. The trade-in is definitely going to be harsh, I'm sure.

Thanks for the comparison, too. When the GTO was that cheap, it was definitely tempting to me, but I just couldn't get past the looks, therefore I never even drove one.

gfiad · November 2005

I have been looking at the Z for a while now and I have finally decided to buy one. I like the looks of the 06 better but is the performace that much worse? I think I got a good qoute for the 06. They said 27,383 out the door for the base model with splash guards, kick plates, floor mats, and trunk mat. That's for the base 6spd. Now I just have to sell my car, It's a 2000 BMW 323i.

dat2 · November 2005

I think it has gained 150 lbs but the added 13 hp probably helps negate that. I think it is about the same overall. Can you live without cruise control? If that price you quoted includes sales tax, then it sounds like a good deal...

gfiad · November 2005

Yeah, that prices includes tax. I have cruise control now and I have used it about 3 or 4 times in the five years I've had the BMW. Hopefully it sells this week, I have it on ebay. If it does I'll be driving the Z by this weekend.

dat2 · November 2005

gfiad Good luck with the purchase of the 06! I couldn't live w/o cruise myself, at least on extended hiway trips. How was your test drive, initial reactions to the car?

gfiad · November 2005

I haven't even driven it yet. The dealership is 85 miles away so I'll test it the day I'm ready to buy it. I test drove a 2004 automatic about a year ago. If it's anything like that I'll buy it on the spot. I negotiated the price over the phone. At first the salesman didn't want to commit to a price over the phone, but then when I told him what I was willing to pay (500 over invoice) and that I would drive down there to buy it if he agreed to the price, he said ok and said it would be 27,383 after taxes.

350z4me · November 2005

I just tested my 05 Touring Roaster against my friend's 06 Grand Touring Roaster, (6pd both cars) We tried several times
and I spmoked him everytime on the quarter mile by about one car distance. I think its got to do to the torque reduction on the 06 and the added weight specialy with those 19 inch wheels.

dat2 · November 2005

I guess thats not too surprisiing since most of the new tests of the 06 come in a couple tenths slowerer compared to prev tests

miata007 · November 2005

But the 05 has already been broken in compare to the 06. It's not a fair comparison completely.

007

casey350 · November 2005

Hi, I was recently quoted for a 2006 350z roadster that has MSRP of $35,355 that I could get for $36,750. I am thinking of leasing, I never have, and want a 36 mnth term with 15k per year. The residual they gave was 55% and the money factor was 0.00295. I want to make sure these numbers are correct. Anything else I need to look at on the lease? What should I put down? I was thinking title/tags, security deposit, 1st mnth pmt, and taxes? Is that what I should be putting down?

The example they gave me was a flat $5,000 down with monthly pmts of $554 with tax. I don't think I want to put that much down, put want to just make sure the numbers are right. Thanks for the help!

casey350 · November 2005

meant to type $38,355 as MSRP above

CarMan@Edmunds · November 2005

Hi casey350. In your post you states that you can get a Nissan 350Z that has a full MSRP of $35,355 for $36,750. This means that you are paying more than full price for this car. This is not a car that demands such a premium, unless you are in an isolated part of the country like Hawaii or Alaska. You may want to consider shopping around a little bit or at least doing some more negotiation with the dealer that quoted you this price.

The lease money factor that you were quoted for this car is a little high as well. Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp.'s current buy rate lease money factor for a 2006 350Z is .00265 for consumers who pay a security deposit and qualify for its top credit tier.

I always advise consumers against making any sort of down payment when leasing. I do so for two main reasons. The first is if your vehicle is totaled in an accident or stolen during your lease, your insurance company pays off the bank that you were leasing it through and your down payment essentially disappears. The second main reason is that down payments on leased vehicles do nothing to reduce their lease-end purchase prices. So your lease-end purchase option price for your 350Z would be exactly the same, regardless of whether you had put say $5,000 down, or had made absolutely no down payment at all.

The bottom line here is that you need to see if you can negotiate a better deal on this car.

Car_man
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CarMan@Edmunds · November 2005

Ahhh, that makes more sense. I should have scrolled ahead to see if you had written anything else about this deal. Ignore what I said about this car's selling price in my previous post. You are actually being given a discount of around $1,600 on this car. This is a much more reasonable deal. You may want to stop by the following discussion to compare the price that you were quoted to the prices that other community members have paid for similar vehicles recently: "Nissan 350Z: Prices Paid & Buying Experience".

All of the statements that I made about the money factor and not making a down payment are still valid.

Car_man
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tmk988 · December 2005

Picked up a new '04 Touring last night from Nissan Habberstad in Huntington. I paid $26,647!!! Seems that they really wanted to get rid of this left over and we are at the end of the year. I negotiated aggressively, mostly because I really was going to buy either an MX5 or a Mini, as I already have a two seat sports car (NSX). But I really couldn't walk from the deal. The finance guy told me that the dealer lost $4265 on the deal! Could that be correct? It is a brand new car, it's orange with 18" wheels. I highly recommend this dealer, as not only was the deal reasonable, but the sales staff was outstanding (A special thanks to Uncle Michael').

qbrozen · January 2006

did you mean '05?

dat2 · January 2006

Wow if that's a new '05 it's an incredible deal, seeing that they sticker for close to 35g!!

passanis · January 2006

I was recently looking to purchase a 90s Z to replace my 84 Z. I've always shopped for used cars and have never considered a lease until just recently. I've decided that a 90s Z, while affordable up front, may cost quite a bit to keep up so that's why I'm now looking at the new model.

I've just started doing some research and it seems like I can get a 350Z Touring Roadster on a lease for less than $400. I think this would be a 5 year lease. I'm just out of grad school so I have loans to pay off and don't make enough to afford a car payment over $500 (and that's really pushing it). I just don't see how I can go wrong with lease payments less than $400/ month. My other option is to purchase a 2003 base model for something like $22K. I figure the payments would be higher than the lease. I do realize that after 5 years under a lease I won't have a car, but by then I should be making considerably more money and I can either finance the residual or trade it in for another model on lease.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

dhamilton · January 2006

Leasing can be a great way to drive a car that you really enjoy. There are some things to consider.
Can your lifestyle fit in with the allowable miles written in to your lease. Anywhere from 10k-18k a year opproxomatly
How stable is your current situation and how much will it change over the course of the lease.
It's generally not a good idea to purchase at the end of the lease. Reason being is the residual value {lease end value of the vehicle} is often inflated by the manufacturer to make the lease more attractive.
It's generally very expensive to get out of a lease early.
Don't go in to this without doing your research and asking plenty of questions. Lucky for you, you came to the right place. Go to the 10 steps to leasing a car on this website, it's invaluable.
Good luck

CarMan@Edmunds · January 2006

Hi passanis. Congratulations on your recent graduation from grad school. I see that you are considering entering into a five year lease. I usually advise consumers against leasing for so long. It is often very expensive to get out of leases early and five years is a long time to be committed to one vehicle. A lot can change in one's life over the course of a five year period that would make them need to get out of a sports car like the 350Z. Perhaps you decide that you need a bigger vehicle to haul stuff around, or perhaps your family will have a new arrival. Also, your daily commute could change causing you to drive way more than you had originally thought you would and go waaaaay over your allowed mileage. I usually try to steer consumers towards 36 to 39 month leases.

Car_man
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unclejbird · January 2006

Car_man,

I'm smitten with the 350z, the roadster in particular. I drove one the other night and was impressed to say the least.

Like another writer above, I'd be interested in a lease somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 per month. Is there any way to make this happen with the Roadster? Are there questions I can ask or areas I can probe to push my dealer in that direction?

Similarly, is there a way to move up the option package food chain for that amount in the 350z coupe?

I have access to down payment funds, but I'm not sure if that's the best way to go about accomplishing what I want.

Thanks

glhboy · January 2006

I'm looking to lease a 350Z coupe manual transmission for 3 years/39 months 18,000 miles/year. I am currently upside down $5-6000 on my current car and I want to lease something for 3 years and walk away without a car payment. I can't find any lease rates or residuals anywhere. Any idea what kind of payment I would be looking at with a cap cost of $35000?

Nissan 350Z Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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