Paulzx

guys, what would you think if you went to look at a 2005 zed

with FSH, excellent paint & alloys, genuine reason for sale etc,

people seem very genuine etc

but one thing sticks out...the 350z badge is missing from the boot

the car apparently has never been in an accident or had a repair (although i haven't HPI'd it yet)

the owner (a lady) does not know why that badge is misssing but she is the second owner so

it's likely they bought it that way.

to my mind, that car has either had the boot lid replaced due to a smash

or re-painted at some point and the badge not put back. They don't fall off do they

and it's a UK car etc so what other reason is there for that badge to be missing?

It's stock by the way, no body or mechanical mods

am in similar position as you, looking to buy a zed but have options on S2000 and a monaro in fact.

all slightl different yet similar in that they are desirable cars for similar budgets.

S2000 i can get a better deal on because the zeds are fetching better money,

but, i feel the zed is a more 'masculine' car, at least in the looks department.

I also feel that with the zed you get more for your money. These are my impressions

having done as much research as possible...without actually having bought any of these cars just yet.

Nice photos Dave

but you have yours nicely tucked away in a garage so no problems with wind blowing

off the cover etc, i would have to keep mine outside.

I would have loved to have kept it looking in the same condition as yours but i fear

outside i have no chance.

will have to do what the guys have suggested and just keep it polished and waxed

probably every week i think

Dont skimp on the wax to protect then chap and there is a member discount on paintshield if you can stretch to it which may help.

i'm intending to do a lot of waxing

what is the paintshield product then?

the tape deck is extremly useful as a cheap ipod connector. i use one of those tape converter things and get pristine sound quality out of it.

How exactly does this work?

I'm really surprised that people are not taking the tape decks out...or is it impossible because it's built in to the centre console etc?

Also surprised about the number of complaints regarding the CD player, are people not replacing these for something better?

Car has to be clean - dirt could get stuck on the inside otherwise and the action of the cover shifting slightly in the wind will make it rub slowly and could scratch the paintwork.

 

Personally I would only bother if you intend to lay your car up through bad weather as otherwise you have to wait till a dry day to wash it before you can cover it again.

 

They do work - but may not be worth the hassle.

Yeah, I'm having second thoughts about it.

Basically the car will be used regularly but not everyday, so i was hoping i could keep it relatively

clean by covering it after i've used it, just so the shitty weather doesn't make it dirty while it's

parked.

But the reality i suppose is that you can't really cover it up directly after using it on the road

so it's not really any good for regular use i don't think.

Thanks everyonr for the advice

as a potential buyer, i would also like to ask do all 350z models

have the tape player in the centre console?

i'm looking at a 2005 GT4 and was surprised to see the tape player!

i know its a small detail and all, but it struck me as slightly odd

that a five year old car still comes with this, is it not a slightly out dated feature?

do you guys take them out or not bother? it seems a tad naff...

Having covered my previous car religiously I think it does make a difference. And is especially good for when you have to leave early for a show and washed and waxed night before.

 

The bad bit is you cant really put any of them on a wet or dirty car, which means washing and drying it everytime you want to cover it - not good for daily use!

 

I got a generic breatheable all seasons cover. I didnt think the tailored ones would fit because of the Nismo Spoiler sticking up so just got one with a soft lining that would keep the worst of the weather out. If yours is stock may be worth looking at fitted covers but I dont know how good they actually are.

does this mean that you can only cover the car after it has ben cleaned and waxed?

what happens if the car is driven and returns wet or damp and the cover goes back on...

will that affect the paintwork?

Personally I would'nt buy a cover - more trouble than its worth unless you live next door to an ICI chemical works or cement works?

really wanted one just to protect against the rain or else it means constantly

washing the car, especially in the winter weather

Hello all

Hopefully i will soon be the proud new owner of a yellow GT4

However, i don't have any garage facilities in which to keep the car,

so I'm thinking ahead and would like to ask if anyone can recommend

a good place to buy a car cover, hopefully tailored to fit the car.

Lots of places sell these covers but lots of em are shite too...anyone bought one

that does the trick?

for me i'm more interested on where its been serviced.

 

i don't trust nissan garages as they are only good with micras etc, they don't tend to know the zed that well, and the ones that do are few and far between.

 

i use TEAM AFM to do all work and servicing on my car, they tune and prep BTCC touring cars and other sports vehicles and know their vehicles inside out.

 

i think those stamps in my log book are far more valuable than the nissan ones.

 

 

at the end of the day, servicing isn't a major job. if you know your way round a car you can't go far wrong. as long as its been serviced and had correct consumables used thats all i'd want to see.

Very good points, you've helped me make my mind up not to let the service history affect my purchase - i will still go for a car

with full service history but won't stress about it being Nissan.

so non nissan history shouldn't be a major problem?

i guess it doesn't concern you that having a non nissan service

history on your car will make it a less attractive proposition to sell on etc?

that would be my main concern, just for selling on really

may have found a GT4 to buy but one thing is bothering me slightly..

It has a full service history but not dealer service history.

Nissan did he first service only, ford did a couple and i think the chap

himself did the most recent one.

I feel more comfortable buying a car with full nissan history for obvious

reasons, but can anyone tell me the full service list it should have had?

2005 car i suppose would have one full service and one interim service

per year so i'm guessing it should have a total of ten services, five of each type

stamped in the service book?

trouble is, i really want a yellow GT4 and the only

ones up for sale right now seem to have them fitted,

so it looks like i might have to compromise on this.

which is probably ridiculous really because if it saves me from

reversing in to something i'll probably be grateful of it.

just not over keen on the little round circles you can see on the bumper

I don't find the Z that difficult to reverse park, Personally I have never felt the need to fit sensors to tell me how close to something I am

its just the visual side of it for me, if the sensors are hidden then great,

if they are visible it puts me off slightly - i know i'm being picky but hey..

on the yellow zeds they are quite visible but the black zeds they are less

obvious

decisions decisions...i've wanted a 350 for ages so i want to make sure

i'm totally happy with the car i end up with

i think they are worth it. as i have clipped the corner of mine. and they aren't cheap fixes.

 

personally if they have already been fitted i wouldn't complain about it.

 

i will be fitting ones that mount behind the bumper and aren't visible but its on my long list of things to do and its somewhere near the bottom.

thats what i was thinking...to crack the back bumper doesn't look like a cheap repair,

and these bumpers thesedays are not really bumpers like they used to be years ago,

they are more like a stylised part of the car.

Any opinions on reverse parking sensors?

A couple of Zeds I'm looking at have them fitted - presumably factory fitted,

or are they after market jobs?

Initially I thought they ruined the clean look of the back of the car but it's looking like

I might have no choice with the cars I'm looking at, thay all seem to have them..

Is it a bad thing or is the practical side of it a godsend?

Personally I've never reversed a car into an obstacle that has caused damage

to the car - but i have ffom the front lol!

guy who bought it just texted saying brilliant drive home awesome car well chuffed, thats satisfying, said he had been to look at a few and was best condition he had seen. all that meguires no doubt. so my bug is now residing in cambridgeshire somewhere.

Garry, the guy who bought your car beat me to it by 24hrs!!

I was supposed to view it 1pm on the saturday but couldn't make it due to the bad

weather we had.

Funnily enough i didn't have my heart set on a GT4 until I saw this one advertised, now

I think I'll have to have one as opposed to the regular model

And now Im not so sure....

 

My bad. Though you were from Hartlepool, as I know a huy on JapNorthEast with same handle as you.

well not quite Hartlepool...Isle of Wight in fact lol...

 

Got a feeling we know each other....

We do?

i've more or less settled for an 05 yellow GT4,

been looking into the dealer servicing costs which are surprisingly

reasonable!

I was told there will be no need for a cambelt change at any time due to the 350z

having a chain rather than a replaceable cambelt. To me, that sounds like a better

arrangement than having to worry about the cambelt at some point, although the chap

said that the new skyline's have gone back to cambelts.

Are there any issues with these chain belts?

true, not many bargains around right now

except the odd cat c write off masquerading as a rather nice black 350z

but then thats not such a good deal is it?!

Thanks for the info.

For me personally I can't go to a 2007 because they're just fetching too much

money, 2004/2005 is my limit really.

I have my eye on a yellow GT4, it has a lot of extras on it, but no one

will negotiate, they all want top money for them which is fair enough

but i expected to be able to negotiate a bit more in the supposed recession.

Good news if you're selling one i suppose - so long as they are actually selling!

certainly will do when i finally get the car

it's a toss up between yellow GT4

bright blue 2004

black GT4

standard black 2007

i feel dizzy looking at these cars...

Thanks chaps, I think I'll aim for the 2005 model then