coyoteboy
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| posted on 25/4/13 at 07:15 PM |
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350zs
Anyone driven a 350z? I'm seriously considering buying one of the older ones seeing as my classic tin top is causing me a lot of grief (22 years
old, it has its issues) and I've grown bored of the diesel estate. While the design and build of my project car is on the go I felt like a
little spice. I'm fairly sure my classic would out perform the 350 (more power, lighter) but I just get a bit depressed when I think of sinking
more cash into an aging and slightly rusty machine.
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adithorp
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| posted on 25/4/13 at 07:38 PM |
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The 35 ounce (35oz see  ) is OK to drive. Feels a bit big and clumsy to me but it goes alright.
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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nick205
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| posted on 25/4/13 at 07:45 PM |
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What's your classic?
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parkiboy
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| posted on 25/4/13 at 08:03 PM |
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I nearly bought one but after driving both I opted for an rx8, it felt a lot lighter and agile to me, like already said the 350z feels a lot heavier
and clumsy, the rx8 was easier to drive and much less tiersome, it was also half the price! The only issues with the rx8 are the engine rebuilds and
appalling mpg! Havin said that you can get bargains about with blown engines! If I was in the market for a new car I would consider buying one with a
blown engine and getting it rebuilt with a bit of street porting - with 16mpg average I wouldn't have one as a daily drive again!
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adithorp
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| posted on 25/4/13 at 08:28 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by parkiboy
...the rx8... with 16mpg of oil average I wouldn't have one as a daily drive again!
Fixed that for you.
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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Nickp
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| posted on 26/4/13 at 05:22 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
Anyone driven a 350z?
No, but I know an old V6 MR2 that's faster round Blyton than one Don't think the guy was too pleased  It did pull well out of the
corners mind. Actually, just remembered it was a brand new 370Z, the 'fast' one 
[Edited on 26/4/13 by Nickp]
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parkiboy
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| posted on 26/4/13 at 06:27 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
quote:
Originally posted by parkiboy
...the rx8... with 16mpg of oil average I wouldn't have one as a daily drive again!
Fixed that for you.
That's a myth, although it does use some it was very minuscule to what people think.
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Jasper
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| posted on 26/4/13 at 11:55 AM |
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I know it's not as good looking as a 350Z or RWD, but have you considered a Focus ST? VERY reliable, cheap parts and tuneable to 275bhp (same as
the standard 350z) for less than £200, very comfortable, huge boot, 4 seats and a lot of fun to drive. And if you get a 2 door can still look quite
respectable. I absolutely love mine and will be getting the new model in an estate next year.
And has a better rating on Parkers and most review sites.
[Edited on 26/4/13 by Jasper]
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 26/4/13 at 05:35 PM |
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Nah, never been a Ford fan Jasper. Have had a spin in one (stage 1'd whatever that may be with that car) and it does feel nice but its
intercooling seems to heatsoak very quickly and drop the power (at least the one I drove), and I'm not keen on fast FWD or it's styling to
be honest, though it's certainly a good handling car and practical. I didn't feel it had anything I'd really want over my GT4 and in
fact it felt a little lacking, but that could be my rose tinted glasses for a car I've invested 10 years into  I love the looks of the 350
and the nice wide squat rear end, plus the sound and the refinement of a full leather interior with electrical goodies and comfort.
My "classic" is a '91 Celica GT4 currently running around the 300hp mark, 4WD with torsen diff, and 1380kg, with pretty extensive
modifications. It's fun to drive, well balanced if predictable (unless you start getting really silly with it). To me it looks lovely (bar the
rust) and I don't care what anyone else thinks of it so I'm happy (plus it's effectively free as it's well paid for itself by
now and isn't really depreciating anymore!). But it's LOUD and more expensive to run than an RX8 (17mpg average on a work commute, might
make 25 on a motorway run) and has no refinement inside to speak of. I get into my other halfs 7th gen Celica with all the full leather interior,
quiet, comfy and smart looking and think I could have a bit of that lol. I've no need for it to be mental, I'm building something more
mental than any tin top I could ever afford, I just don't want a boring comfy runabout!
[Edited on 26/4/13 by coyoteboy]
[Edited on 26/4/13 by coyoteboy]
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 26/4/13 at 06:28 PM |
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quote:
I nearly bought one but after driving both I opted for an rx8, it felt a lot lighter and agile to me, like already said the 350z feels a lot heavier
and clumsy, the rx8 was easier to drive and much less tiersome
Was offered one for 800 quid the other day - turned it down as I'm pretty much sick of stripping engines apart for commuting cars!
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Twin40
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| posted on 26/4/13 at 08:36 PM |
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Yep I had a 350z, was one of my fav cars. Did a view bits to it, including replace the suspension with coil overs and adjustable top arms. Nice set of
nismo wheels and a decent pipe. The v6 engines sound lovely!
I would recommend looking around though, some of them have been used hard without much care to the mechanics (mainly the gearbox). So do some research
before you buy!
Here's a pic of my old machine. Miss it everyday!!
Excuse the stickers, we were off to lemans......
[Edited on 26/4/13 by Twin40]
[Edited on 26/4/13 by Twin40]
[Edited on 26/4/13 by Twin40]
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Jasper
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| posted on 27/4/13 at 09:26 AM |
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I felt the same way about Fords, I'd never owned one before this, so I totally get where you're coming from, I was a BMW/Volvo kind of
chap. But after some really big bills maintaining them over the years I thought I'd try something else.
My ST with the remap module has never had any drop in power. The standard car at 225bhp is definitely a little lacking, but with a remap it's a
completely different animal. Masses of torquey power when you need it, and a nice easy relaxed drive when you don't. I've had it on track
and suffered no power loss even after a few long session, and the brakes are superb with uprated pads. And the leather Recaros are more comfortable
than any seats I've had in other cars.
I certainly know which car I've rather be seen in though, and it's not the Ford And to be honest if I didn't need a decent boot
for my work would have seriously looked at getting the 350z.
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 27/4/13 at 08:29 PM |
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Sorry, just realised it was a stage 1 RS, not ST
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Volvorsport
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| posted on 27/4/13 at 08:43 PM |
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s70r
one for sale on voc... remapped can be 280-290 hp cos its an R , and probably quicker than the ST too , since its not got the restrictive
manifolds.....
even thinking about it my self...
www.dbsmotorsport.co.uk
getting dirty under a bus
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Texan
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| posted on 28/4/13 at 03:47 AM |
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I owned 2 - 2011 - 350Zs - at the same time. A base model and a track version. At the same time I was driving an S2000, a Miata & a 1965 Shelby
Cobra replica.
And to put it mildly, the Z sucked.
The seat adjuster is on the top right part of the seat, not underneath. On any type of long trip I ended up with a sore spot on my right leg
(I'm in the States so I was driving on the proper side of the road and I'm presuming when they stick the driver's seat on the wrong
side the controls would be on the left side so your left leg would get the abuse). This made the car useless on long trips.
When I raced the car or ran an autocross I'd end up with an actual bruise on my leg.
So how did it do on short trips? I'm glad you asked because it sucked there too, that is if you count autocrosses in that short trip category.
Grocery store trips were better, but see my last comments for the limitations there.
My first visit to an autocross I was amazed that when you tried to turn the wheel rapidly back and forth as in going through a slaloom, about half way
through the power steering would go out. It (the pump?) simply couldn't keep up with the rapid back and forth action. There were several guys
with Zs there that first day so I promptly went over to them to see why my brand new car with less than 500 miles on it was broken and found out they
all did it and it was just the way it was.
They had learned to expect it. That was also the solution straight from Nissan - expect it. This was a very severe limitation to the speed of the Z
on tight courses.
It was faster with traction control on although it was frustrating as hell to drive that way. It cut power and sputtered and stuttered. On a 1:30
course my S was 12-18 seconds faster than the Z no matter who was behind the wheel. It became a challenge to make the Z work right, because on paper
it ought to have been faster than the S, but it never happened. In a drag race the S also beat it every time.
But a causal flooring of the throttle on the highway had the Z jumping ahead.
The GPS was useless. It was CD based and wait times for it to load new sections meant you didn't want to leave your home base. Plus it also
meant it was out of date the minute you got the car. Updates were very expensive.
Also they were extremely hard on tires. it was heavy and understeered horribly, which was partially why it was hard on tires.
You could do burn outs at the drop of a hat and the mid range torque should have made it a good highway cruiser, but ergonomics limited it's
usefulness as a cruiser.
Also don't expect to put much under the hatch in the back. Not only is it very shallow, but the bar in the back means most things won't
fit.
The 370Z shortened the wheelbase, which should really help the turn in on the car, but it did nothing about the weight. They advertised it was
lighter, but when you compared real weights you found out it was only about 30-70 lbs lighter. I'm presuming they also fixed the power
steering, but you won't find me wasting more money on one on the off chance Nissan won't shaft me again.
BTW it also isn't frugal on gas, premium gas at that. My wife drove the Z down to Austin (I'm in Fort Worth) while I drove the S. We
were taking the Z down to my daughter who's car was in the shop. She had to fill up just before we reached Austin and I still had over a
quarter of a tank of gas in the S.
I drive therefore I am.
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ian locostzx9rc2
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| posted on 28/4/13 at 08:22 AM |
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I drove and worked on them for about four years when they first came out .If you want a nice 2 seater coupe you cannt go far wrong they are reliable
well put together yes they where out tyres its a high powered coupe fuel con isnt that bad for a 3.5 ltr v6 and they seem to holding there money
well. general mantainence parts are not that expensive now go for it....
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 29/4/13 at 06:43 PM |
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I had looked at the S2000 but I just can't get to grips with its looks, its all out of whack, and a soft top which is no good at all in
Scotland! hmmmm
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 19/5/13 at 04:44 PM |
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Bah this decision has not become any easier with time. Rebuilding my current toy including a full respray comes in approx 3x cheaper per year over 4
years than buying a 350. It's just not logical. gutted.
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