Nissan 350z - Yes or No?

I looked at them myself recently but decided with my very low usage it just wasn't worth it and just looking at something cheaper. But I think if you go for a top spec one, you're getting a brilliant car for the money to be honest.

I do like colourful cars more these days so would get the orange myself, but if you're prepared to clean your car 3-4 times a week then nothing beats a Black sports car. I couldn't never be bothered with that so I go for bright colours. My current car looks cleaner after 6 months of no wash (except cleaning interior and wheels) than black cars do after 1 week.

Having looked at quite a few 350Z's online you'll be able to get a really nice one for your budget, so if that's the car you fancy then it sounds like the best option.
 
blitzwing85 said:
I looked at them myself recently but decided with my very low usage it just wasn't worth it and just looking at something cheaper. But I think if you go for a top spec one, you're getting a brilliant car for the money to be honest.

I do like colourful cars more these days so would get the orange myself, but if you're prepared to clean your car 3-4 times a week then nothing beats a Black sports car. I couldn't never be bothered with that so I go for bright colours. My current car looks cleaner after 6 months of no wash (except cleaning interior and wheels) than black cars do after 1 week.

Having looked at quite a few 350Z's online you'll be able to get a really nice one for your budget, so if that's the car you fancy then it sounds like the best option.
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The low usage is both the reason to buy and the reason not to! :)

I think for me it means i can drive with a smile recreationally as much as i want but dont have to worry about "the daily commute" when considering the purchase and running costs. I think thats why the car would be a realistic purchase for me despite not being right for many.

The Orange and Yellow ones look lovely in the pictures but TBH i think may be a bit flash for me on a daily basis! I like silver anf Grey ones but they are most common (despite there not being any in my area) but i think id really like black or blue. I think the individual car would win out over colour but they do seem to be in plentiful supply so i think i can be a bit choosy up to a point!

I also live on the Isle of Lewis so any purchase decision comes with a lot of test driving, purchase, and delivery questions included!! These will come further down the line though.
 
I'd only be concerned about getting one if you are driving that walking distance commute to work everyday - surely this will be pretty bad for the engine.

Other than that, I used to have a 350z GT4 limited edition. It was a great car, sounded insane with the popcharger intake and had a relatively decent interior for a Jap car. I'd own another.

The only things I can remember that weren't so good was the road noise (potentially because of my skinny tyres and 19" Nismo alloys), noisy drive train and lack of auto electric up/down on passenger side window.... and that's being anal!
 
Booner! said:
I'd only be concerned about getting one if you are driving that walking distance commute to work everyday - surely this will be pretty bad for the engine.

Other than that, I used to have a 350z GT4 limited edition. It was a great car, sounded insane with the popcharger intake and had a relatively decent interior for a Jap car. I'd own another.

The only things I can remember that weren't so good was the road noise (potentially because of my skinny tyres and 19" Nismo alloys), noisy drive train and lack of auto electric up/down on passenger side window.... and that's being anal!
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Yeah i take your point about the short drives. Really though i would only be taking the car to work in bad weather cos most of the time i'd just walk as its such a short distance.

Was it a concious decision to buy the GT4 limited edition over the GT, or did it just happen to be the example that was available when you were buying? It has different alloys and and extra bit of bhp over the normal car doesnt it? Ive seen a few of the GT4s for sale at a reasonable price.
 
Booner! said:
I'd only be concerned about getting one if you are driving that walking distance commute to work everyday - surely this will be pretty bad for the engine.
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Yes, but I would say as long as the car gets a couple of proper blasts a week that shouldn't be too much of an issue. Oils, lubricants, the engine running rich and the driver keeping the revs low when cold, pretty much negates the short journey thing these days.
 
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I have another question!

It would seem that sellers are struggling to shift these cars at the moment. I guess in the current financial climate its quite understandable that a 3.5 performance car wouldnt be everyones cup of tea.

Ive done a few car deals in the past but not on this type of vehicle and as a cash deal.

I KNOW its far from an exact science, but if there was a 350z in a showroom marked at £11.5k what sort of sum would you be looking to do a deal at if you were walking in with cash? Ive seen a couple of what i think are crackers but are priced above the £10k i would ideally like to spend and i wonder if its realistic to beat a dealer down? I know its a case of "dont ask dont get" but i wondered what the general opinion would be?
 
£11.5k I'd go in at £10k at the most and work it out from there, could even be cheeky with £9k. Dealers will only say no or they might surprise you.
 
Depends entirely on what the true value of the car is really doesnt it?

If its worth £9k and he's priced it at £11.5k I'd be looking to get several thousand off. If its worth £11.5k and he's priced it at £11.5k I'd be happy with a few hundred off?
 
[TW]Fox;20371939 said:
Depends entirely on what the true value of the car is really doesnt it?

If its worth £9k and he's priced it at £11.5k I'd be looking to get several thousand off. If its worth £11.5k and he's priced it at £11.5k I'd be happy with a few hundred off?
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Yeah i guess its really a situation specific question rather than a general one!

Im just thinking that walking in with cash wanting to purchase a car that from what i can see is quite hard to shift may put me in the, ahem, driving seat and a decent saving could be made. As you say though, its dependent on the value of the car in question.
 
placeholder said:
Yeah i take your point about the short drives. Really though i would only be taking the car to work in bad weather cos most of the time i'd just walk as its such a short distance.

Was it a concious decision to buy the GT4 limited edition over the GT, or did it just happen to be the example that was available when you were buying? It has different alloys and and extra bit of bhp over the normal car doesnt it? Ive seen a few of the GT4s for sale at a reasonable price.
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It was just available for a good price when I was looking, but does come with a few features that are from the facelift, but you get the advantage of the lower tax bracket ;) It also has a gear shift light on the dash...but I never noticed as I prefer to look ahead, rather than at my dash!

I'd have the GT4 if you can get your hands on one. I believe the alloys are more popular too.
 
Cash is a dealers least favourite payment method.

If you take finance they get the full money for the car plus comission from the finance company. If you pay by debit card, everything is done instantly. If you walk in with a pile of cash, its faff.
 
[TW]Fox;20372101 said:
Cash is a dealers least favourite payment method.

If you take finance they get the full money for the car plus comission from the finance company. If you pay by debit card, everything is done instantly. If you walk in with a pile of cash, its faff.
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Never really thought of that. Obviously a debit card could be easily done.

Are any of the car valuing websites any good?

I stuck in the numberplate of one thats for sale on Pistonheads (06 GT) into a random car valuing website and it came out at £8001 - £9001 which seems ridiculously low. The car is for sale at £11,995. Again, i know they can only be used as a guide but i guess some are better than others?
 
Remember, the extra tax is £200.

When you are filling up for £90 a tank at 20mpg it isn't that big of a deal!
 
Sukh said:
Remember, the extra tax is £200.

When you are filling up for £90 a tank at 20mpg it isn't that big of a deal!
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No, but it is annoying. I wanted a later 335i to avoid the high tax not because I'd notice the £200 but because it would simply irritate the hell out of me paying it every year.

That said I wouldnt buy an older car to avoid it.
 
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