Harryhole308 Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Hi everyone. I’ve got my heart set on a 350z roadster and preferably want one no later than a 55 plate for the cheaper tax! I’m no mechanic and am aware I’m looking at getting an at least 19 year old car, but want to get the best I can. I’m not very sure on what price I should be paying. I’ve seen a couple of 2005 silver ones on Pistonheads with one at £11495 with 8 owners and one from a ‘350 Z member’ with 3 owners just reduced to £5900. I will search the forum for buying advice as I’m sure you’ve covered this topic many times but would be grateful for some idea of what is a reasonable price for a good one. I’d also be really grateful for advice on service history. I know most advertised say full service history but I’ve yet to find one that’s actually had an annual service which is what I think these cars should have? As an example is a 3 year gap ok if the car has only done a few thousand miles over that period? Sorry I’ve asked a few things here. I hope that’s ok. Thanks Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G1en Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 If I was buying one now, I would go look at a few in the area even if I had no intention of buying that particular one just to get a feel for whats normal wear and tear. Like any car 20 years old there will be a risk involved no matter how well its been looked after but I think you can definately put the odds in your favour with a few easy checks: Check how clean the fluids are, Oil, Brake, clutch, coolant, power steering are all very easy to see and give you a visual indication of how long they may have been in the system and ultimately how well cared for the car has been. Rust is a big concern like any old car, common problem areas are the arches (fronts no big deal, but rear can be expensive to sort) behind the side skirts is another common problem area and if you can, have a look underneath the car (ignore the w brace and adjoining kidney brackets as almost every 350z will have these rotten) if they have been replaced thats another plus point for maintanence. Are all 4 tyres matching and premium brand? Pet hate when i see champiro or similar tyres on a sports car, what else have the owners skimped on if they cheap out on the only thing connecting you to the road? Then realy its just the overall condition, if the brakes/clutch/exhaust have been done recently, thats another thing to factor in as if these need doing thats another £500-£1000 each You dont have to worry about the gallery gaskets as these are problems with just the HR later model. I prefer to see service receipts/invoices rather than a stamp/book filled in but either way, obviously more records are better, I service my cars myself but usually keep a photo of the products used plus a receipt for buying them to prove to the next owner I look after the cars. If there is very little service history then I wouldnt walk away from the car if the deal was good but obviously would have to be reflected in the price and you take a judgement call based on what the overall condition is like taking into account all above. hope that helps, overall though the 350z still represents one of the best bang for buck cars you can buy in my opinion, can't see me ever getting rid of mine unless i go carearing into the armco at 100mph on track. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harryhole308 Posted February 7 Author Share Posted February 7 2 hours ago, G1en said: If I was buying one now, I would go look at a few in the area even if I had no intention of buying that particular one just to get a feel for whats normal wear and tear. Like any car 20 years old there will be a risk involved no matter how well its been looked after but I think you can definately put the odds in your favour with a few easy checks: Check how clean the fluids are, Oil, Brake, clutch, coolant, power steering are all very easy to see and give you a visual indication of how long they may have been in the system and ultimately how well cared for the car has been. Rust is a big concern like any old car, common problem areas are the arches (fronts no big deal, but rear can be expensive to sort) behind the side skirts is another common problem area and if you can, have a look underneath the car (ignore the w brace and adjoining kidney brackets as almost every 350z will have these rotten) if they have been replaced thats another plus point for maintanence. Are all 4 tyres matching and premium brand? Pet hate when i see champiro or similar tyres on a sports car, what else have the owners skimped on if they cheap out on the only thing connecting you to the road? Then realy its just the overall condition, if the brakes/clutch/exhaust have been done recently, thats another thing to factor in as if these need doing thats another £500-£1000 each You dont have to worry about the gallery gaskets as these are problems with just the HR later model. I prefer to see service receipts/invoices rather than a stamp/book filled in but either way, obviously more records are better, I service my cars myself but usually keep a photo of the products used plus a receipt for buying them to prove to the next owner I look after the cars. If there is very little service history then I wouldnt walk away from the car if the deal was good but obviously would have to be reflected in the price and you take a judgement call based on what the overall condition is like taking into account all above. hope that helps, overall though the 350z still represents one of the best bang for buck cars you can buy in my opinion, can't see me ever getting rid of mine unless i go carearing into the armco at 100mph on track. That’s a great help-thanks. I’m think I’m going to check out the expensive 8 owner one which is very close to me -as you say this will give me a starting point. May then go and see one that is £3k less and compare. I notice the cheaper one has some carbon on centre console and inner door around switches -assuming because those plastics seem to wear quite badly from some pics I’ve seen of other cars. Also has spacers and slightly lowered plus an aftermarket twin fan fitted. Looks a nice car though for £5900 and it’s been owned for 12 years. Can you get a clue underneath as to condition under skirts or do they have to come off? Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Muxlow Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Hi and welcome along buddy. The best thing to do is go and test drive a few as Glen said even if you have no intention of buying them. I love the roadsters. I've had a 350Z roadster and I now have a 370z roadster. They're great cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coz@TORQEN Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 17 hours ago, Harryhole308 said: Hi everyone. I’ve got my heart set on a 350z roadster and preferably want one no later than a 55 plate for the cheaper tax! I’m no mechanic and am aware I’m looking at getting an at least 19 year old car, but want to get the best I can. I’m not very sure on what price I should be paying. I’ve seen a couple of 2005 silver ones on Pistonheads with one at £11495 with 8 owners and one from a ‘350 Z member’ with 3 owners just reduced to £5900. I will search the forum for buying advice as I’m sure you’ve covered this topic many times but would be grateful for some idea of what is a reasonable price for a good one. I’d also be really grateful for advice on service history. I know most advertised say full service history but I’ve yet to find one that’s actually had an annual service which is what I think these cars should have? As an example is a 3 year gap ok if the car has only done a few thousand miles over that period? Sorry I’ve asked a few things here. I hope that’s ok. Thanks Tim Personally, I wouldn't care too much about the number of owners, it's a sports car and most change hands pretty fast (people not affording to run them, get bored and other factors). My main concern would be how well it's been looked after, just make sure it's got good service history, check for rust. A 3 year gap is a bit much in my opinion, even if the cars been sat there and not driven, I would be looking for something that's been serviced yearly at minimum, more if it's actually driven. Whatever you do, do not pay £11495 for a 350z DE, especially a roadster which tend to be slightly cheaper unless it's supercharged or turbo'd which is a different story. In my opinion £5,000-£8,000 is a good price range to get a decent 350z DE. It's a buyers market at the moment so you might grab yourself a bargain as I suspect not many are selling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GranTurismoEra Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 I know someone that didnt service their car for 3 years just topped up oil covering 25,000 miles. Engine oil turned to sludge and was constantly cooking. Anywho good luck with the search. Serviced at the very least annually. Ideally oil change every 6 months and all the fluids done at some point within 30,000 miles. Rust is common but can be sorted. Tax on my DE was 300+ not sure what it is now.. probably approaching £400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harryhole308 Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 10 hours ago, Coz@TORQEN said: Personally, I wouldn't care too much about the number of owners, it's a sports car and most change hands pretty fast (people not affording to run them, get bored and other factors). My main concern would be how well it's been looked after, just make sure it's got good service history, check for rust. A 3 year gap is a bit much in my opinion, even if the cars been sat there and not driven, I would be looking for something that's been serviced yearly at minimum, more if it's actually driven. Whatever you do, do not pay £11495 for a 350z DE, especially a roadster which tend to be slightly cheaper unless it's supercharged or turbo'd which is a different story. In my opinion £5,000-£8,000 is a good price range to get a decent 350z DE. It's a buyers market at the moment so you might grab yourself a bargain as I suspect not many are selling. Thanks for the good advice. The seller of that expensive one has already offered to come down in price but like you say, the 3 year service gap is a concern. Its routine for me to annually service my cars but I’ve yet to find a 350Z advertised that’s got anywhere near an annual service so far. My long term owned runabout Leon from 2005 has had 19 services! I’ll have to be patient and keep looking. You’re right about not many selling as I keep seeing the same cars every time I check what’s out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harryhole308 Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 6 hours ago, GranTurismoEra said: I know someone that didnt service their car for 3 years just topped up oil covering 25,000 miles. Engine oil turned to sludge and was constantly cooking. Anywho good luck with the search. Serviced at the very least annually. Ideally oil change every 6 months and all the fluids done at some point within 30,000 miles. Rust is common but can be sorted. Tax on my DE was 300+ not sure what it is now.. probably approaching £400. Thanks for the advice-much appreciated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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