mmaci12969

I have a dodgy back too. A degenerative condition and an extra bone in my spine. I actually agree with those that have commented on the seat in the Zed being very comfy. I find them really good and the heated part is good too. For me i think the problem could well be the stiffer suspension and perhaps the getting in and out rather than the seats themselves.

I live on the Isle of Lewis - I quite fancy a bit of Motorway tbh!!!

Good summary, for someone still new to the car Yeah totally agree. For all that a 300bhp car is infinately more dangerous compared to a run of the mill car i tend to feel that its safer in many ways too. I feel more secure in the zed as stupid as that may seem. If you drive like an idiot you can kill yourself in a 1.2 Corsa, driving like an idiot you just do it more quickly in a Zed. However if someone else is driving like an idiot i feel reassured that if i hit the accelerator it will get me out of a situation. Equally if i brake the car stops with force. If someone pulls out in front of me in normal driving conditions i can avoid it and if i have to do an emergency stop from 30mph in town the Zed is almost to a hault instantly.

Ah yes, you've made yourself a bit clearer, I think I know what you mean. Once you've driven something which is more driver focused and designed, like the Zed, it does change your perspective a bit. When I had to take my car in to have some body repairs done just over a year ago I had a year old Ford Fiesta as a courtesy car. I was glad to have it as I could still work, see clients, potter about etc. However; although I scooted around in it and it was ok. It was..... on reflection.......utterly 5h1t as a car in providing feedback, balance or a sense of being 'in touch' with the road. I think that's what you mean, a Mondeo / Vectra / Laguna etc, etc feels like a nice car until you drive a BMW, Porsche, MX-5, Impreza, Evo, Zed etc and then you realise you've been driving a jelly with a shrimp for a steering wheel, four wine gums as wheels and a panda pop as an engine. Im just amazed at how quickly i love having that level of power albeit as i say i still have a lot to learn! My previous car was a Vectra 2.2 SRI and ive had various other "normal" cars prior to that. After only 4 weeks of Zed ownership i think i would hate (circumstances permitting of course) to have to make the step back again. I really didnt expect to feel that way so quickly so i guess thats what prompted the thread in the first place!

TBH i dont think ive explained myself very well at all!! I certainly dont mean that 300bhp is "normal" in any way shape or form or that im some sort of driving hero who has made the step up and am dismissing it - far far from it! Im still very much learning how to handle the car and its power and i think i will be for a long time to come! What i was meaning was from the point of view of driving it every day i think i would find the STEP DOWN to "normal" cars hugely disappointing already. And thats after only 4 weeks in the Zed as part of being a driver for over 16 years! I feel i might have been spoiled now!! Hope that makes more sense!

The thing is I totally agree with every post so far but im not sure its what i meant. Sorry if im being obtuse here, maybe everyone who has posted will get what i mean. Obviously a Zed has a lot of power and for most of us its a step up from what we have had before. What im trying to ask is does the zed become the norm? At the start of ownership the Zed would have been immense but how long is it before anything less would be seen as a step down?

Thanks for the welcome!!! Thats my point though! I havent been back in the corsa or astra since i got the Zed! I cant help but feel im already spoiled for other cars! Am i doomed to a life of seeking 300bhp as a minimum requirement?!! I'll inevitably crash a car at a roundabout looking for Zed power in a Focus or some such!!

Sorry for the vague title..... I have been a Zed owner for about a month. It was a huge step up from a Vectra 2.2 SRI Direct as you can imagine. Initially i was a bit nervous about the obvious jump in performance and extra fuel costs..... Anyway a month later....... What a car! Delighted! Fuel is not as bad as i expected (obviously its not great but we all knew that!). However i have become really used to the performance when i expected a huge learning curve. I have access to a 2.0T astra SRI and a 1.6T Corsa SRI which in the past i deemed "pretty damned fast" but i havent driven them sincd the Zed arrived. My question is really at what point in your 350z ownership did the level of performance it throws out become "normal"? I love the car so much already i cant imagine dropping back! I hope the question makes sense!

Its such a "Top Gear" thing to argue over. I bought my Zed cos frankly i liked it and weighing up the costs i thought i could afford it. Im not trying to be a poor mans Porsche owner or trying to outrun any other owner of a "fast car". I seriously couldnt care less. I just love the 350z so i bought one.*shrug* If it turns out that another car is 0.1secs faster in a 0-60 i will be sure to keep that in mind when im driving to work in the morning. I work in local government, tbh the longer it takes to get to work the better. I should sell the zed and buy some shoes tbh.

Nice! I love the colour but I dont think I could pull it off so I bought a black one. I still look at the "orange" and the the limited edition GT4 Yellow and think they look really cool! When i was shopping for my 350z one of the things i liked was how it looked great yet different depending on what colour it was.

I work in Local Government, its going to be a constant battle not to use the word as a description on at least a daily basis!!!

Awesome guide. Ive only been a member here for a wee while and only had my Zed for a month and this guide alone has made me so glad i joined. As people may have noticed from the other thread this is the very head unit I wanted to fit but really had no idea how to go about it. It will be a mate that will do my install as i am a mechanical idiot but i feel so much happier about it having a step by step guide to hand over first! So chuffed i joined this forum and equally chuffed that i chose a zed! Major thanks to Aftershox for all his hard work, cheers mate, keep an eye on your PM's! The time and effort it must have taken to photograph and document what must have been a highly complex process at times is something that deserves acknowledgement IMO! I will donate a few pounds in the next couple of days just as a "thank you" to the forum for the invaluable help offered by aftershox here. Much appreciated.

Hi mate Yes; HU is in, Rear Camera is in and working.... just putting the final pieces of the car back together. It would have been finished today - but ran out of daylight. Got loads of pics etc. for the write-up; quite a few places in the install that were are massive P.I.T.A$$ ! ..but have carried on with it... I'll get it written up before the end of the week ! Have you started yet, or are you waiting for my guide? PM back if you want. Cheers Mark Ah thats fantastic! I havent done anything yet until I see what you have to say about the whole thing! Ive spoken to a guy who is fairly confident he can do the install for/with me but it will be with the help of the guide from yourself and the other info on here i think!

Any progress to report???

Awesome. As discussed you're doing exactly what I want to do so i'll be viewing with interest how this goes! After a week with just the CD changer in the car im already ready to buy!!

mmaci12969 That's the same HU that I'll be buying in a few days; plenty of choice in the £300 price bracket - after much research and deliberation I decided on the 4028BT one. I'm also fitting a reversing camera, which is mainly the reason for the HU switch. I have the same setup as you.... BOSE + SATNAV (late MY06 car); just figuring out the final details on removal of centre console (with NAVI fitted), and best way to get VOICE NAV over the mixed audio - rather than option 1 - which is to splice the NAV audio wires and attach to RCA connectors / ...or option 2 - splice wires and fit an extra speaker for voice. Once I get started, I'll be taking some install pics etc. so will likely write up a quick guide. Mark That would be absolutely fantastic mate. Ive just taken delivery of my zed on thursday and im blown away by the whole thing. I have a smile just typing this!! If you could post up what you did, how you did it and the end result i would be hugely grateful. I would like to improve the head unit but i want to make sure its do-able to do it while retaining the sat nav etc!

Just a wee bump in case anyone can offer advice?

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/ken-ddx4028bt-kenwood-ddx-4028bt-double-din.html Would anyone be able to give their thoughts on the head unit in the link above and how suitable it would be given what ive already said in previous posts? Is there anything else for similar money (round about £300) that would be better/more compatible or worth considering for any other reasons? Again any help/advice is much appreciated.

I had a feeling there would be issues with this. I dont need sat-nav at all but id like to keep it just because its there. I really want to fit a HU with all the functionality of a modern HU - dvd, usb input, ipod/iphone compatibility etc etc. At the same time i want to keep the sat-nav so maybe its a bit of a juggling act. I wont be doing the work myself cos i wouldnt know where to start but if anyone has any experience of a similar experience i would love a link to it if its online or any advice they could offer about the pitfalls. Many thanks again.

Cheers mate, Done a lot of lurking on here gathering great info from you guys before i took the plunge! Hope to become an active member of the forum once the car arrives! Seems a nice friendly place!!

Hi guys. First post so be gentle! I have just bought a 350z, its a 56 plate 300 model and should be a nice step up from my current 2.2 vectra sri! However i dont take delivery of it for another week or so and i have a stereo-related question that i hope someone can answer for me. The car has the built in sat nav system and the bose stereo. It has a dvd thingumy behind the drivers seat. If i wanted to change the Bose head-unit for a more modern one with DVD, ipod and phone connectivity etc what are the implications for the dvd/sat nav system if any? Is everything linked together or is the sat nav /dvd seperate from the stereo? Im just unsure as to how it all fits and if my changing the nead unit will render everything else defunct. Sorry if this is a really basic question! Its not hugely important but id like to know if a head unit change is a non-starter.