mouldie

Thanks guys. Is an interior upgrade normal or is it likely to be hiding anything sinister?

Currently listed on eBay at the following listing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-350Z-GT-3-5-V6-Roadster-/121346075472?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1c40ca2b50 I wondered if anyone knows of it rom the forum? It's listed as an 05 model but appears to have the newer interior. Does anyone have any idea why? Any thoughts on how it looks price wise? Thanks!

I've started looking in anger for a 350 and viewed four in Peterborough today. I dismissed the first as there was a number of scratches, the wheels were badly Kerbed, the roof fabric didn't look great and one headlamp had condensation in it. The following three had similar issues with one or both headlamps. Is this normal? Is it an MOT failure and how much is a new headlamp unit? Is it reasonable to expect to get an immaculate car that's 7-8 years old or is it likely that I'm being too picky!? Budget is £8k for a pre 06 roadster and ideally I'd like it from a dealer for some warranty peace of mind. Are AA/RAC inspections and after market warranties on private sales a reasonable alternative? Thanks in advance!

Sold for £5975 and back up 5 days later with a nifty £1700 added to the asking price.....

Apologies, I know this has been asked before but I can't get the search function to find it....... I've seen a couple of 350's with LPG conversions. Considering the higher octane requirement of the engine is this a big no no? Has any one any experience how they run on LPG?

I'm sure I recognise this number plate, is this anyone on here? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NISSAN-350Z-/261168348596?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cced8bdb4

Very interesting feedback, many thanks for this. I don't think this car is of any interest to me but best of luck if you go for it! I can't help thinking it's very good value...

Do you know which firms have 370s?? Thanks!

Does anyone know of anywhere that hires zeds on a daily basis?? Long shot I know!

I've seen the following that hasn't sold despite being on the market for a couple of months: http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/nissan/350z/nissan-350-z-3-5-v6-2dr/912047 I assumed it's high mileage or on the HPi register. I called up to ask and mileage is circa 50k and it is HPi clear. Seems too cheap to me, anybody know this car please??

Guys, thanks for the responses. I'm intending to go through the forum with a fine tooth comb to get all the info that I want. With regard to when the purchase is best made, I agree that it's better to do it now if possible. The problem is, it may not be possible! Which is a shame! I just missed an 07 plate 313 roadster in the rare metallic blue. White leather, low miles, FSH, UK car and local to me. The guy couldn't sell privately at £9k so traded it. That was just about perfect for me I think!

Without wanting to tempt fate I reckon that 2013 may just be the year that I finally get a 350z, having waited for about ten years! The house is bought, the wedding is done and the wife has signed off on the purchase. So, all being well it WILL happen...... I always thought I wanted a 55 plate black coupe, GT spec with alezan leather. The road tax cost meant I wanted the older car, the black/alezan combo seemed the best to me. In reality, I will only use the car during the summer in good weather. I therefore realised that I could buy 6 months road tax only to offset the additional costs of the post 06 models. I also thought that, if I'm only going to drive it when the weather's fine, why not get a roadster! So, I'm hoping that people can offer advice on the following please (I tried the search but to no avail): 1. Please can someone point me to a source of info for the differences between the 276/296/313bhp models? 2. Does the roadster handle as well as the coupe? Same performance? 3. Are there any issues with the roadster roof? Does it need replacing with time and, if so, what are the approximate costs? 4. Aside from the obvious differences with appearance, are there any other factors that should be considered when choosing between a roadster and a coupe? I won't be buying until around June so I will no doubt be getting excited on the forum in the meantime! Thanks in advance for any help.

They totally ignored me! There were two people working there and for the hour or so that I was there they were with other customers. To be fair, I wanted to be left alone as I was browsing so it suited me just fine! I didn't really have any issues with them, and I felt that their showroom facilities were excellent. The issue I had, and maybe I'm being picky here, was the quality of their stock. Little things like scratches on door handles etc gave the impression that the car hadn't been coveted by it's previous owner. I also thought the presentation of the cars was poor. Little things like drink stains inside the storage area in the centre console etc. Nothing that you wouldn't buy a car because of, just not what I'd expect of a sports/prestige car dealership. I mentioned this to my wife and she agreed. I then read the comments on here when I got back and it kind of made my mind up!

Thanks for all the replies guys! I think my main issue is that I don't NEED a 350z as I have a company car. If I didn't have any other car I would just buy one and accept the higher running costs in exchange for the grin factor. However, it'd be more of a replacement for my motorbike than my car, and as such, I would only use it on sunny days. I then start to think along the lines of 'cost of insurance, road tax, running costs plus fuel divided by the number of drives per year = £a lot per trip!!!'. Which kind of takes the fun out of it. However, I have to own one at some point im my life so I'm thinking along the lines of buying one with a view to keeping it for 12 months and happily accepting it'll cost me a couple of grand overall. That way I'll either fall in love with it and decide that the cost is irrelavent and keep it. Or I'll get rid after 12 months, chalk it down to experience and at least be able to say I did it. I think sometimes you've just got to s**t or get off the pot! And I DID go to Junction 17 cars. It gave me the opportunity to see pre 06 and post 06 Coupes and Roadsters all next to each other. For various reasons I don't think I'll be going back there.....

This is the crux of the problem really. I totally want one and have done for a long time but worry that I've built it up too much and it won't live up to the hype that I'm giving it. When I turned 30 I bought myself a Rolex that I really wanted. After a while I realised that, when all was said and done, it was just a watch. Then I felt like a mug with a £4k watch on my wrist. Am I going to get this and think that it's just a car. If I'm that bothered about costs before I get it, surely that will just kill all the fun I could have as I'll be worrying about costs all the time? After 9 years of wanting one I'm getting to the stage where I just think I need to put it to bed either way! Hence the question, did anyone else struggle with the purchase this much?!

And my next question........how did you pick which one? I like the idea of a '55' plate for the cheaper tax, but feel that the 313bhp version appears to be a better car. Is it noticably different? Can you feel the extra 37bhp??

I've wanted to buy a 350z from the first moment I saw one in August 2003. Since then I've never been in a position to afford one, even though I've tried to justify one on several occasions. As the price of the car has dropped I've to justify it again only to stumble on running costs. On Friday I decided that common sense would go out of the window and set myself a deadline to get one by. The wife agreed and today we went to Junction 17 cars in Peterborough as they have several in stock. Whilst there I found myself picking flaws with it and admiring other cars more (370z, Boxter). Should it be this hard??? If I'm struggling now then surely when the running costs start coming in I'll wonder why I ever bought it. Or am I missing something? Surely I can't be obsessed with something for 9 years and not REALLY want one when it comes to finally signing on the dotted line? Obviously no one can really advise me as we're all different, I just wondered if anyone else had struggled this much when it came to following through on the dream? Oh, and anyone got any experience of Junction 17 Cars? Thanks!

Lovely car! Out of interest, what's the road tax cost on this?

Superb post, sums up exactly where I am with buying a Zed. I absolutely love them, and literally take a sharp intake of breath everytime I see one. One day, I will have one. But if it was costing me £100 to fill it up every couple of hundred miles, the novelty would soon wear off! And I have to consider fuel costs, along with all other costs before I can jump in.

Thanks Martin! One more if I may..... In winter, does it retain the heat with the heater on? (if that makes sense?). someone once told me that they are particularly cold to drive in the winter, and I assumed he meant even with the heater on.

I'm coming round to the idea of a roadster rather than a coupe. Having never owned a convertible before, I wondered what they are like to live with? Is there increased road noise? Is it comfortable with the roof down at say 70mph? With a 'normal' car, I find having the windows down at 70 uncomfortable. Is the roadster designed with this in mind? Does the roof 'seal' well to the car i.e. is there any ingress of moisture? Does it tend to steam up if it rains? And how hard wearing is it i.e. does it need replacing every 5 years say? And finally, has anyone on here owned both and is able to make direct comparisons? Sorry for the barrage of questions, and many thanks in advance for any responses! Steve

Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere. I was at Westway earlier and they have a blue 370Z next to an Azure 350Z. Useful to make a comparison between the two. I was suprised, that I actually preferred the 350Z. Happy days!

This looks super fresh! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %26otn%3D1 I wish I had £24k!

I got told this by a dealer, so it may be worth taking it with a large pinch of salt....... I asked whether a car I was looking at had had a HPI check. He said it had and that he'd never sell a car without one for the following reason. Basically, if he sold a car that wasn't HPI clear and didn't inform the buyer of this fact, the buyer can return the car at any stage for a full refund. So it'd be possible to drive it for three years and then take it back for what you paid 3 years previously. Not sure whether any of what he told me is true, and not sure I'd want to chance it even if it was!

I'm afraid I've bottled it (for now). Cash is in a savings account and by the end of March I'll be the proud owner of a shiny new Vauxhall company car. I suck! Mods, please can you lock this thread for me? Can't type any more, fingers keep slipping off the keyboard due to all the tears!