I'm thinking about a 350Z, need your views/experiences
Discussion
Hi, I'm thinking about a 350Z.
For god's sake don't tell the Lotus Elise forum boys and girls!!!!
I currently have an S2 111s Elise and have owned it for 18 months. I had a S1 111s for the 3 years before it. And while I do love the cars and think that they are a petrol heads nirvana. I'm now wondering if I need some creature comforts as well as go......
The 350Z seems to be a proper blokes car, 280BHP plus, rear wheel drive and a rumbling V6. Can anyone shed any light on their experiences with this car's ownership please?
I'll also be getting a sporty zaust for it if i get one too, as they make a reasonable sound, bad but i'm a big kid at heart. Has anyone had any experience of sports zausts for the 350Z?
Many thanks, D4V KC
For god's sake don't tell the Lotus Elise forum boys and girls!!!!
I currently have an S2 111s Elise and have owned it for 18 months. I had a S1 111s for the 3 years before it. And while I do love the cars and think that they are a petrol heads nirvana. I'm now wondering if I need some creature comforts as well as go......
The 350Z seems to be a proper blokes car, 280BHP plus, rear wheel drive and a rumbling V6. Can anyone shed any light on their experiences with this car's ownership please?
I'll also be getting a sporty zaust for it if i get one too, as they make a reasonable sound, bad but i'm a big kid at heart. Has anyone had any experience of sports zausts for the 350Z?
Many thanks, D4V KC
they're good cars without a doubt. i've driven a few now and they're always quite a nice drive.
The engine is a cracker, pulls very well, though i still wish they'd strap a pair of turbo's to it sometime soon.
as for changing from an elise to one, you'll probably notice how much heavier and larger than the elise it is first. but with that comes a very planted although slightly less agile feeling.
handle pretty well as standard, though a set of Stune suspension will really perk it up.
The engine is a cracker, pulls very well, though i still wish they'd strap a pair of turbo's to it sometime soon.
as for changing from an elise to one, you'll probably notice how much heavier and larger than the elise it is first. but with that comes a very planted although slightly less agile feeling.
handle pretty well as standard, though a set of Stune suspension will really perk it up.
You rang? 
Yep - went from a Tuscan to a 350Z GT4 (via an Alfa GTV admittedly).
It's a seriously good car. Not as fast and lairy as the Tuscan, but definitely no slouch. Some things I'd point out though:
a) It's a heavy car. Coming from an Elise you will really notice how lardy it is, though it is still eminently chuckable. Traction/stability control can be turned off when you want some real fun
b) It really needs a sports exhaust - the standard one is far too civilised!
I've got a DC sports system and it's bloody brilliant! If you want some sound samples let me know and I'll see what I can do.
c) When you get used to the power and crave more, you can slap on a supercharger or a couple of turbos and make it proper quick
d) The interior quality ain't that great, but the seats are very comfy and it will eat the miles on long motorway trips. The boot space isn't too bad and is very usable - though the tonneau cover is essential.
e) Some people have said the brakes aren't that great. Personally I think they're fantastic, especially after the Alfa's
with good pedal feel and stopping power
f) Speed sensitive steering is nice and weighty with ok, though not Elise level, feedback.
g) Don't go peasant class
- make sure you get the GT pack with leather and all the toys, but the satnav is not essential - a TomTom unit is far better and can be stuck in the dashboard cubbyhole.
h) At the moment I'm happy with the standard suspension - firm but not crashy; nice and planted in the twisties but supple enough to give a good ride over bad surfaces.
i) Get yourself over to the 350Z forums
HTH
Yep - went from a Tuscan to a 350Z GT4 (via an Alfa GTV admittedly).
It's a seriously good car. Not as fast and lairy as the Tuscan, but definitely no slouch. Some things I'd point out though:
a) It's a heavy car. Coming from an Elise you will really notice how lardy it is, though it is still eminently chuckable. Traction/stability control can be turned off when you want some real fun
b) It really needs a sports exhaust - the standard one is far too civilised!
I've got a DC sports system and it's bloody brilliant! If you want some sound samples let me know and I'll see what I can do. c) When you get used to the power and crave more, you can slap on a supercharger or a couple of turbos and make it proper quick
d) The interior quality ain't that great, but the seats are very comfy and it will eat the miles on long motorway trips. The boot space isn't too bad and is very usable - though the tonneau cover is essential.
e) Some people have said the brakes aren't that great. Personally I think they're fantastic, especially after the Alfa's
with good pedal feel and stopping power f) Speed sensitive steering is nice and weighty with ok, though not Elise level, feedback.
g) Don't go peasant class
- make sure you get the GT pack with leather and all the toys, but the satnav is not essential - a TomTom unit is far better and can be stuck in the dashboard cubbyhole. h) At the moment I'm happy with the standard suspension - firm but not crashy; nice and planted in the twisties but supple enough to give a good ride over bad surfaces.
i) Get yourself over to the 350Z forums
HTH
Edited by judas on Thursday 20th July 19:16
yrv 130 turbo said:
go on book a test drive
Funny you should say that Wyatt, i've got a test drive booked tomorrow morning (Saturday). I'll be back to advise you all of my findings
I'm a bit concerned that I spent most of my afternoon in work yesterday surfing the internet looking at ways to get the 350 to go faster and sound better. Talk about getting carried away! Ought to try the car out first. Thanks for the feed back guys. I've been reading the back issues of Evo and the review they did on the 350z with the supercharger conversion. Very interested in that!!!
But that's about £5-6K, exhaust £1K and a new clutch .... price anyone?
: I know it's a completely different animal to the Elise. My Lotus does 0-60 in 5 seconds, the Nissan takes almost a second longer. My Lotus pulls almost 1 G through corners. The Nissan is too heavy and dosen't have a low enough C of G for that type of cornering force. But it does like to powerslide/drift! Which has to be entertaining
I'll see how the test drive goes tomorrow. Better leave the Traction control on for the test drive I think. Don't want to scare the saleman! 
I'm disappointed, disappointed that I was disappointed with the test drive.
In accordance with the name and shame policy I’ll not mention names but the main agent I went too was awful. No one could point me in the right direction when I got there. The guy I’d booked the test drive with was dealing with another customer. (no problem, it's all part of working in these type of places) So I was given the worst car salesman I’ve ever met. I've bought many cars in the past 17 years of driving and have dealt with many car traders in that time. I have, on the whole found them courteous and professional. But this guy was a tw4t!
Walking out to the car on the forecourt he started by saying something along the lines of:
"I really want one of these, the good thing is I get to drive them when they come in. Had this one's tyres locking up a bit when I took it out, I was racing this VR6 down the carriageway and this idiot pulled out right in front of me. All the abs came on and that, I was well impressed."
I was already 'impressed' as you can imagine. When I mentioned the mild scratches on both rear arches and asked if they'd be able to get them sorted out for me if I was interested in the car:
"That would be well expensive, you'd have to respray the complete rear wings. Don't think we'd do that. The sales manager will probably tell you to take as is or leave it."
Any paint shop could have 'cut’ it back and it would have been fine, but I wasn't going to argue with such an 'informed' salesman. So, I asked if I can take the car for a drive, we could discuss the scratches further if i wanted the car:
"Yeah, I won’t worry about the insurance form, it'll be alright, we'll just head out."
Then he leaves me in the car with the engine running at the exit of the forecourt to go and get the trade plates that he's forgotten. Then he's back and we tear off up the road and he says something like:
Sorry about the aggressive gear changes, I can't help it with this car. I love driving these things. I'm used to the 1.2 Micra that's one of our demo cars that I use."
He pulls into a lay-by 5 minutes later after some very dubious gear changes and interesting driving technique. So we then swap seats. I pull away and drive up the road. Then look at the petrol gauge. It has the warning light on and is well under the minimum mark and we're heading off into the countryside away from petrol stations. 'Have we got enough fuel' I ask:
"Oh, probably not, I should have checked that, we better turn round and go back. If we run out it will be well embarrassing.
So I actually got to do about 1.5 miles in the car with me actually driving. The driving position is good. The leather seats in this 'GT pack' equipped car weren't very sporting but were supportive. The salesman said if you have the orange leather you get different sportier seats? Which may of may not be the case, but either way seems a bit strange.
The handling seemed good (for my limited distance traveled) I must have gone around three roundabouts on the drive and even tried feathering the throttle around one empty one which felt very progressive and had real feed back, despite the slightly intrusive T/C. The center consul lid flap thing (in this particular case had the optional sat nav in it) is truly awful in terms of build quality. But most of the rest of the interior felt sound and solid as did the 7 speakers BOSE stereo.
I have to say I think the 350Z's a very nice car. When I bought my first and then second Elise I new I had to have the car after each test drive! My head and heart were set. With the 350Z it just didn't make me grim like an idiot and I didn't get my chequebook out. So something can't be right, horses for courses and all that!
Thank-you to everyone who gave me feed back on the thread the last couple of days. But if I genuinely decide I want a sports coupe, I think it'll have to be an Exige with Air-Con.
Regards
D4V KC
In accordance with the name and shame policy I’ll not mention names but the main agent I went too was awful. No one could point me in the right direction when I got there. The guy I’d booked the test drive with was dealing with another customer. (no problem, it's all part of working in these type of places) So I was given the worst car salesman I’ve ever met. I've bought many cars in the past 17 years of driving and have dealt with many car traders in that time. I have, on the whole found them courteous and professional. But this guy was a tw4t!
Walking out to the car on the forecourt he started by saying something along the lines of:
"I really want one of these, the good thing is I get to drive them when they come in. Had this one's tyres locking up a bit when I took it out, I was racing this VR6 down the carriageway and this idiot pulled out right in front of me. All the abs came on and that, I was well impressed."
I was already 'impressed' as you can imagine. When I mentioned the mild scratches on both rear arches and asked if they'd be able to get them sorted out for me if I was interested in the car:
"That would be well expensive, you'd have to respray the complete rear wings. Don't think we'd do that. The sales manager will probably tell you to take as is or leave it."
Any paint shop could have 'cut’ it back and it would have been fine, but I wasn't going to argue with such an 'informed' salesman. So, I asked if I can take the car for a drive, we could discuss the scratches further if i wanted the car:
"Yeah, I won’t worry about the insurance form, it'll be alright, we'll just head out."
Then he leaves me in the car with the engine running at the exit of the forecourt to go and get the trade plates that he's forgotten. Then he's back and we tear off up the road and he says something like:
Sorry about the aggressive gear changes, I can't help it with this car. I love driving these things. I'm used to the 1.2 Micra that's one of our demo cars that I use."
He pulls into a lay-by 5 minutes later after some very dubious gear changes and interesting driving technique. So we then swap seats. I pull away and drive up the road. Then look at the petrol gauge. It has the warning light on and is well under the minimum mark and we're heading off into the countryside away from petrol stations. 'Have we got enough fuel' I ask:
"Oh, probably not, I should have checked that, we better turn round and go back. If we run out it will be well embarrassing.
So I actually got to do about 1.5 miles in the car with me actually driving. The driving position is good. The leather seats in this 'GT pack' equipped car weren't very sporting but were supportive. The salesman said if you have the orange leather you get different sportier seats? Which may of may not be the case, but either way seems a bit strange.
The handling seemed good (for my limited distance traveled) I must have gone around three roundabouts on the drive and even tried feathering the throttle around one empty one which felt very progressive and had real feed back, despite the slightly intrusive T/C. The center consul lid flap thing (in this particular case had the optional sat nav in it) is truly awful in terms of build quality. But most of the rest of the interior felt sound and solid as did the 7 speakers BOSE stereo.
I have to say I think the 350Z's a very nice car. When I bought my first and then second Elise I new I had to have the car after each test drive! My head and heart were set. With the 350Z it just didn't make me grim like an idiot and I didn't get my chequebook out. So something can't be right, horses for courses and all that!
Thank-you to everyone who gave me feed back on the thread the last couple of days. But if I genuinely decide I want a sports coupe, I think it'll have to be an Exige with Air-Con.
Regards
D4V KC
Edited by D4V KC on Saturday 22 July 16:09
yeah i had the same feeling when i had a test drive, you expect to be grinning like a fool, but it left me cold, i test drove an R34 GTR just out of curiousity and if i could of afforded it, i would be listing my not-so-vital organs on eBay, thats the feeling you should get!
On personal experience, the paintwork is pretty shoddy too. My bosses nephew bought one about a year ago, every panel had a different 'flip' in the paint so it always looked like it had been resprayed a couple of times. We had to repair his rear bumper, our best painter, and PPG Technicians couldn't match the paint, the formula was so way off it was almost another colour. every panel was out of spec. Earlier this month the engine seized on it. Useless Nissan servicing hehe cost them a new engine the morons.
On personal experience, the paintwork is pretty shoddy too. My bosses nephew bought one about a year ago, every panel had a different 'flip' in the paint so it always looked like it had been resprayed a couple of times. We had to repair his rear bumper, our best painter, and PPG Technicians couldn't match the paint, the formula was so way off it was almost another colour. every panel was out of spec. Earlier this month the engine seized on it. Useless Nissan servicing hehe cost them a new engine the morons.
D4V KC,
Sounds like one dealers I went to for a test drive - front brakes were knackered and juddered like mad - "nothing wrong with them" was their surly response after a cursory drive up and down the car park
Needless to say I walked.
But it does sound like you didn't get anything like a proper test drive. It may have been enough for you to tell that the 350Z is not for you, but I'd strongly recommend getting a proper, full length drive first before making up your mind.
Sounds like one dealers I went to for a test drive - front brakes were knackered and juddered like mad - "nothing wrong with them" was their surly response after a cursory drive up and down the car park
Needless to say I walked. But it does sound like you didn't get anything like a proper test drive. It may have been enough for you to tell that the 350Z is not for you, but I'd strongly recommend getting a proper, full length drive first before making up your mind.
I can recommend Glyn Hopkin in Waltham Abbey, they allowed me an unaccompanied 2 hour test drive and I'm only 23. Very friendly and helpful.
I really liked the car overall, though like others it didn't set my pants on fire. Allthough it handled well I don't think its as fast as I'd like. I thought the ride was very very good, quite cossesting while still retaining impressive body control. I didn't think how it sounded met with the (admittedly high) hype, it sounded amazing pottering through a town then kind of seemed to go quiet just when you wanted it to start howling.
I'm going to try and get a test drive of a Monaro VXR next as it seems on paper to have that extra something that the 350 very slightly lacks.
I really liked the car overall, though like others it didn't set my pants on fire. Allthough it handled well I don't think its as fast as I'd like. I thought the ride was very very good, quite cossesting while still retaining impressive body control. I didn't think how it sounded met with the (admittedly high) hype, it sounded amazing pottering through a town then kind of seemed to go quiet just when you wanted it to start howling.
I'm going to try and get a test drive of a Monaro VXR next as it seems on paper to have that extra something that the 350 very slightly lacks.
I've had my 350z since Nov 2003. The comments here seem to be fairly on the money. The driving experience has grown on me and as a road car it's very enjoyable (especially on faster more open roads). TVR lite is how I'd describe it.
I would like another but my experiences with the dealers over the last three years mean that I'll be switching to something else next.
For a good dealer, try Marshalls of Cambridge. Tell Dave I senty you.
Check out the UK owners' club and forums for lots of good info. www.350zukownersclub.com
Cheers
Stuart
I would like another but my experiences with the dealers over the last three years mean that I'll be switching to something else next.
For a good dealer, try Marshalls of Cambridge. Tell Dave I senty you.
Check out the UK owners' club and forums for lots of good info. www.350zukownersclub.com
Cheers
Stuart
Just for the record, on Friday I swapped my 350Z for an S2000...
Although it's a great car, I found I wasn't 'bonding' with it the way I expected (if that makes sense) - I loved the grunt and the noise; it was comfy, had all the toys and ate up the miles on the motorway. But it was also very big and heavy - and that really showed up in its cornering. It's best to think of it as a lairy bruiser GT than a 'traditional' sports car.
My original idea was to get a roadster of some description and I ended up getting side-tracked and seduced by the noise and power, but after a couple of months I found myself not exactly bored with it, but hankering after a different driving experience - one that involved no tin top over my head.
The S2000 is so much lighter and more agile. Although it doesn't have the low end grunt of the Nissan, it certainly ain't lacking in the performance department and can carry a lot more speed into the corners. A change in driving style is needed to get the best out of the engine, but when it explodes into life just when other cars would be getting out of breath it does put a big grin on your face
Although it's a great car, I found I wasn't 'bonding' with it the way I expected (if that makes sense) - I loved the grunt and the noise; it was comfy, had all the toys and ate up the miles on the motorway. But it was also very big and heavy - and that really showed up in its cornering. It's best to think of it as a lairy bruiser GT than a 'traditional' sports car.
My original idea was to get a roadster of some description and I ended up getting side-tracked and seduced by the noise and power, but after a couple of months I found myself not exactly bored with it, but hankering after a different driving experience - one that involved no tin top over my head.
The S2000 is so much lighter and more agile. Although it doesn't have the low end grunt of the Nissan, it certainly ain't lacking in the performance department and can carry a lot more speed into the corners. A change in driving style is needed to get the best out of the engine, but when it explodes into life just when other cars would be getting out of breath it does put a big grin on your face
Good call Judas!
As another step onward, I drove a Caterham Superlight (only a 133bhp) around Donington yesterday, and OMFG, HOW involving?!? By the end of the 3hrs I'd got to grips fully with it, and finally felt all 4 tyres working around the bends, revelling in how delicate it was on the limit.
It was marginally off the pace of a clearly tweaked S2000 running yoko semi-slicks (the Caterham had A539 road tyres), straight-line and corners. But the difference was probably as much driver as anything (a couple of other caterfields were quicker than me), without allowing for tyres. But driving down the back straight heading into a sunset, I felt on top of the world...
Got back in the S2000 for the drive home, and wondered where the communication had gone!?! The car felt so floaty, and also rather lardy, it was weird. But I couldn't drive that Caterham long-distance, not by a long shot. And the S still felt as precise as ever, and sounded good.
What's my point? God knows...maybe just that there're so many different 'levels' of car out there, it's just a matter of finding the right one for you.
As another step onward, I drove a Caterham Superlight (only a 133bhp) around Donington yesterday, and OMFG, HOW involving?!? By the end of the 3hrs I'd got to grips fully with it, and finally felt all 4 tyres working around the bends, revelling in how delicate it was on the limit.
It was marginally off the pace of a clearly tweaked S2000 running yoko semi-slicks (the Caterham had A539 road tyres), straight-line and corners. But the difference was probably as much driver as anything (a couple of other caterfields were quicker than me), without allowing for tyres. But driving down the back straight heading into a sunset, I felt on top of the world...
Got back in the S2000 for the drive home, and wondered where the communication had gone!?! The car felt so floaty, and also rather lardy, it was weird. But I couldn't drive that Caterham long-distance, not by a long shot. And the S still felt as precise as ever, and sounded good.
What's my point? God knows...maybe just that there're so many different 'levels' of car out there, it's just a matter of finding the right one for you.
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