Willsy1980 Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Firstly, hello im Steve. I am about to testdrive/collect a 2005 350z with a genuine 18000 miles. It's a roadster with a cloth interior, some minor wear on the roof skin but that is getting patched and stitched. Other than the grinding noise from the rear, uneven tyre wear and notchy gearbox, is there anything I should look out/listen for when taking it on the test drive ? Any input appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Muxlow Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Hello and welcome along. Sorry no advise I could give as I have only had my roadster for a couple of weeks now mine had to have a new roof on when I bought it as it couldn't be repaired. Although make sure there are no nicks and bangs from the suspension and stuff like that.. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Hi Steve, just treat it like any other used car purchase imo. Make sure it goes through all the gears smoothly, try to look out for any clutch slip, make sure it brakes in a straight line with no judder or wheel wobble under braking. Look for rust in all the usual places but on the Zed especially near the rear wheel arch wells/fuel filler flap & around the rear exhaust box flanges. Check the fluids, like oil & coolant are all to correct levels (especially import with the oil level). Check the condition of the tyres and also the make as sometimes a better brand like Michelin, Bridgestone or similar will indicate at least an owner who was willing to spend money on decent equipment/parts for their car. Also worth asking what fuel to use in the Zed, it should be Super Unleaded but if the previous owner has ran it on normal unleaded it could cause problems. See here: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/56308-what-can-happen-if-you-run-your-zed-on-95-ron/ Even though the car you're looking at is low mileage it should have had some things done to it following the correct service schedule for it's age/mileage. For example: Spark plugs changed at 5 year intervals or 54K miles whichever comes soonest. Link here to service schedule: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/31110-service-schedule-for-a-350z/ Buyers guide here: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/77426-buyers-guide/ Top 100 FAQs: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/24796-top-100-faqs-must-read-wip/ Hope that helps & good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsexr Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 At 18000 it should be like a new car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy1980 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 Great info, thanks guys. Will report back with the outcome, hopefully as a very happy Zed owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 At 18000 it should be like a new car Well you say that but at 11 years old if it's not been driven much, be left standing a lot or not serviced correctly it could be in a terrible state. Sometimes a lower mileage car isn't as good as you'd think. Good luck Willsy, hopefully it's a good Zed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopedmark Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 along I would check the oil but it needs doing Before the first start up of the day from cold, if it's very low then tell them it could be a problem, they don't like being low on oil 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veilside z Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Hope all goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy1980 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Quick update: Everything went well, no signs of rust etc. Car drove well, none of the walk away noises, the fluid levels all checked out. Only downside I found were the rear tyres are rather cheap looking, I have to assume as they were an advisory on a previous MOT while with a car sales, they just kept costs down.... Predictably, when going on the test drive it was raining and after several days of sunshine the roads were a little greasy. The back end was very lively, even what I thought was a light roll on the throttle would result in lighting the wheels up and require catching the slide. So I bought the car Gun Metal Grey Roadster, little over 18000 full dealer service history to 2012 at 10000 (7 stamps with parts recorded) So im thinking it's due a full service soon... Price wise, I gave 6k in cash plus trade in on my ST170 Comes with 3 months Warranty with warranty wise at Silver level Thoughts and suggestions welcomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modo Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Hello and welcome another roadster, it might be worth getting a p3 service if you do buy it. You would probably want to renew the tires too, might be suffering from perishing. I bought mine last year it had been stood for a while, for piece of mind. I Renewed the Tires, and Brake pads, changed the engine oil and belts. Had a P3 service this year including plugs. Sweet as a nut now. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P15UL T Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Sounds like a good buy. Crap tyres & rain & heavy right foot = twitchy. Lol. Welcome a board. There is no available cure for zeditus ! Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenDW Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Predictably, when going on the test drive it was raining and after several days of sunshine the roads were a little greasy. The back end was very lively, even what I thought was a light roll on the throttle would result in lighting the wheels up and require catching the slide. So I bought the car Yeah that sounds about right. The Zed is the first car I've owned that has anything approaching 300 bhp and it still catches me sometimes, although by this point it just spices up a drive rather than causing concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Put some decent rears on it. welcome along Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy1980 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Cheers for the welcome everyone, had a decent drive in it today 130 miles of Mway and town, managed to average 27mpg so doesn't seem too bad. Did keep the pedal use to an acceptable level Hello and welcome another roadster, it might be worth getting a p3 service if you do buy it. You would probably want to renew the tires too, might be suffering from perishing. I bought mine last year it had been stood for a while, for piece of mind. I Renewed the Tires, and Brake pads, changed the engine oil and belts. Had a P3 service this year including plugs. Sweet as a nut now. Good Luck Just out of curiosity, how much does the P3 cost these days ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samsniss350z Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Hey welcome and congratulations on what sounds like a pretty tidy purchase (rear tyres excepted). Glad to hear you're enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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