Hey guys, just wondering who here has owns or has owned a 350Z or 370Z? I'm really interested to hear what it is about the 300ZX that still appeals even after owning a far newer Z car. I've only ever driven the 260Z and now the 300ZX. The 350Z/370Z seems like a whole new world. Would love to hear your thoughts.
I owned a 350Z Roadster. 2008 Manual with the VQ35HR engine, in "track" version. (brembos) I LOVED it. Sure I missed lag followed by kick, but other than that, it handled like a dream and was still plenty fast enough. I sold it simply because I became ANGRY that even though I'd purchased a car that was only 2 years old, it wasn't much more reliable than an old car, and it was all Nissans fault. I also needed a car with more seats by that point so it was time to move on. But having to replace the clutch slave cylinder in such a new car because: 1) It was plastic 2) it was a poor design 3) It was in the bell housing despite items 1 and 2 above.... just made me angry. And even though I had the car serviced at Nissan throughout ownership, once warrenty was over, they REALLY didn't give a shit about it, or about the fact that the soft top had already warn through in 1 corner. SO I never stopped loving the 350Z if im honest. I stopped loving Nissan. EDIT: All that said,........I think I am actually MORE likely to return to the zed fold with either an early 350Z hard top, OR a 370Z when the price drops just a little more, than with a 300ZX. But it would be for a tarmac rally car. They're EPIC for that kind of work.
Neither I have a v35 350gt skyline coupe it's a 350z hard top with 2+2 seats, also there is v36 which is similar platform to 370z...
I briefly had a 350z My very short experience with it was all bad, it was boring to drive and it cost me a lot of money when the ass fell out of the value in a VERY short time frame. Never liked the looks either, not a fan of plastic headlamp lens. Was looking to buy a 370z but to be honest the 350z experience put me right off & I built something completely different.
I have a 370Z and have owned it since 2009. It has 131000kms on it and countless track days. I came out of a MY03 STi and the Z34 is heaps better as a daily as well as a track demon. Reliability has been pretty good - the car has full dealer service history but it also gets an oil and filter change before each track day and I use Motul 10w40 on the track so average oil-change intervals are probably only 3-5000 klicks. I have lost count of the number of sets of tyres, pads and rotors I have put thru the car, but that is what happens when you track a car. I have 2 sets of wheels and DD tyres last ~30K kms and R-Specs just wear out in 3-5 track days. I have also put sway bars, KWv3 dampers as well as a Quaife diff in it (the VLSD is a p-o-s) and now have 3.9 gears for the Quaife as well as 4.08:1 gears in my spare diff with a KAAZ 2-way. The bottom line is that I am very happy with the Z34
I have both I have a 350z, after cracking it with my old 300zx, I have regretted trading the 300 since . the 350 is a nice car to drive, fairly reliable and fun on the track, it's just that it is a plastic car and feels like any other late model car to drive as an everyday vehicle. I am currently in the process of getting rid of my 350z and one of my 300's just to cull the fleet. In my opinion the 350 is a nice car, but feels just like any other modern car to drive and does not give the same special feel of driving that the 300 does Just my opinion though :zlove:
Thanks for that michandy. Yeah, I can imagine that's how I'd feel about it too. I mean nothing wrong with a new car, there's nothing quite like it. But it does seem that that magic Z car feeling comes from the older models.
I think you've hit the nail in the head andy. And it's not really a "300 vs 350" debate. It's an "old cars vs new cars" debate. My 1998 GTV is woefully slow, bunnyhops due to needing a top engine mount replaced, has cracked leather, is uncomfortable to sit in, and drops oil. But on the weekend, the "comfortable and new" 2005 147 is parked up, and I jump in the GTV for every little trip I can think of. Because FARK it's fun to drive. ....because it's older. The 147 is ALSO fun to drive, and is actually faster....but it's new. EDIT: Oddly, thats why i'd go for a beat up 2003 350Z as a track car. ....because they're now old. The more "gone" the door seals are, the better Nothing like a rattle and a clang when you close the doors.
I own a 93 Aus Spec that I have twin-turboed, plus a 2012 Z34. I love both, but for different reasons. The Z34 is MAGIC to drive, has no lag, has all the electronic mod-cons, and is new. It's been on a track once, has almost 50,000 K's on it, and I have driven all of those except the first 500. I have always had it serviced at Nissan (fixed-price servicing), and extended the factory warrant to 6 years when I bought it. I have replaced the front and rear tyres and one plastic clip in the boot (under warranty). The Z32 is a car that I can tinker with, replace bits, and generally do anything to without involving anyone else. I will continue to own both.
I have owned all three as of a few weeks ago. Previously had an NA manual z32 and a TT auto with a SAW kit installed. Just sold this: To upgrade to this: I had the 350z for about a year, it was fun to drive and the handling was quite good, but it wasn't really something I fell in love with. Mine was an 05 track which came with the more modernized interior and the revup version of the VQ. The cabin wasn't great but there's plenty of aftermarket interior kits if it that's really what bothers you. Just a little lackluster. The six speed was good though and you really had to wind up the revs hard to get it moving which was also a plus The 370z on the other hand is extremely addictive with much tighter handling, the extra money is worth it. Engine refinement is miles ahead of the 350. You virtually just have to tap the pedal for redline. People complain about road noise but it's not real hard to live with. I'm lazy so I went with the 7 speed auto + paddle shift this time, you can interupt the auto with the paddles without even switching to "manual" mode and it will go back to automatic mode in a few seconds or if you press both paddles at once. The interior is nothing short of beautiful. The 300 is a special car even stacked up against the 370, there's nothing quite like it with the sloping elegant dash and the clusters of instruments on either side of the wheel. I wish they still made targa top cars, perfect middle ground between coupe and convertible. I miss my TT badly, but I don't think I'd go back just yet. I'm waiting for my girlfriend to get the car change bug so I can talk her into a z32... They were so practical too in 2+2
I got a 350, had a tt300. I was lucky enough to have one of the first 50 that landed in oz. for months the 350 made me feel so good. The attention, the interest. It was great. They look awesome and handle great. But now that the novelty has worn off, I would kill for my 300 back. The power, the boost, I could do anything in that car! The 350 doesn't have the power, doesn't have the speed, it also has a very fine line between pushing it to the limits and then the arse deciding to snap back and your doing spins towards a gutter
