JonRigby Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 I currently drive Fiat Bravo 2.0 M-jet and while it's a very good car its just boring! Been reading up on reviews of the 350 but nothing beats reviews from actual owners! So what does everyone think of theirs and what should I expect from one? Also, what are the most important things to look at when buying one? Got my eye on a 54 plate GT, cheap tax version! Quote
WhackyWill Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Welcome to The Forum Have a read through this. http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/22880-guide-for-new-memberspotential-buyers/ Quote
benjy88 Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Well... firstly, welcome to the forum... Secondly... I think Nels0n might have some tips on buying second hand... lol. Thirdly, I changed my car 8 times in 5 years, and yet I have now settled on my Zed, it's as above - a 54 plate GT in sunset. All I can say is that it's bullet proof. I've really had no major issues at all in 2 and a half years of ownership now!! I still love the reaction it gets, and it's about the perfect sort of power really. I tend to feel sometimes that it's a little underpowered, but it is very usable. It has also got a brilliant chassis. The only thing you'd need to watch out for is the RWD, if you're not used to it. Catches FWD owners out sometimes! 3 Quote
tatooandy67 Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Hi& Research is the key, plenty of experience on here and test drive several as some will be noticeably better than others. Good luck with your search Quote
brillomaster Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 welcome the forum! the zed is a great car, bags of torque, sounds great with an aftermarket exhaust, looks great! had mine coming up to three years and the only maintenance its needed outside usual servicing, brakes and tyres is a wheel bearing, and some drop links. other than that faultless. Quote
veeg33 Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Hello and welcome 👋 Good luck with the hunt mate. Key is do lots of research, and have a good read on the link that Whacky posted. Don't rush to get to one as I know Zeditus will suck you in. 1 Quote
Pritchard Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 i bought mine a month ago - best tip i can give you, when you phone up ANY sale (private or trade) when you ask them about the usual MOT, service history etc etc, ask the question: ''what is the condition of the inside drivers door?'' the plastic there scratches and chips really badly. anyone who answers 'its fine' or sounds confused about why youv'e asked this bizzare question... walk away! I found some private owners who said on the phone that it was fine. got there an it was scratched to buggary (which is normal. no big deal) but unsurprisingly, they lied about some other things too! and in terms of dealers... this question will catch them out if they actually havent even sat in it to drive it yet themselves. Pritchard 2 Quote
Payco Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Welcome, great cars and fun to mod if thats a route you want to go down. Not sure i would walk away from a z with a scratched inside drivers door. Its common and can easily be fixed. Take your time sourcing your z as there are plenty of good examples around. 1 Quote
Pritchard Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Welcome, great cars and fun to mod if thats a route you want to go down. Not sure i would walk away from a z with a scratched inside drivers door. Its common and can easily be fixed. Take your time sourcing your z as there are plenty of good examples around. maybe i typed that wrong... i meant walk away from any owner/dealer that doesnt know about this most common of faults, because that means they dont know the car, or are lying. Quote
AliveBoy Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Welcome, great cars and fun to mod if thats a route you want to go down. Not sure i would walk away from a z with a scratched inside drivers door. Its common and can easily be fixed. Take your time sourcing your z as there are plenty of good examples around. maybe i typed that wrong... i meant walk away from any owner/dealer that doesnt know about this most common of faults, because that means they dont know the car, or are lying. I wouldn't have said it was "the most common of faults"; if you rang me up and asked me I'd be confused. Mine's prefect, literally not a single scratch on it. Quote
Payco Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 It's not a show stopper either way. The plastic is soft so marks up if people are wearing rings or a careless with keys. Can be plasti dipped, wrapped etc etc. I would say that unless you are a forum member you wouldnt even know this can be an issue. There will be plenty of excellent examples that may have scrathced switch covers. Wouldnt say the person doesnt know the car or is lying. Anyway, moving on.... Good luck sourcing your z 1 Quote
WhackyWill Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 The inside of my doors are perfect. A more sensible question might be "what fuel its been run on" .. 3 Quote
AliveBoy Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 The inside of my doors are perfect. A more sensible question might be "what fuel its been run on" .. Exactly Will, Or is there oil in the engine what tyres does it have and with how much tread do you have clicky axles how are the window motors how are the boot struts whats the clutch like has the car been crashed how much life do the brakes have in them have you lost the locking wheel nut key has the car got a stubby fitted have you ragged the nuts out of the car Any one of those would be more important than "What's the door pull like" 5 Quote
mouthwash Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 The inside of my doors are perfect. A more sensible question might be "what fuel its been run on" .. Exactly Will, Or is there oil in the engine what tyres does it have and with how much tread do you have clicky axles how are the window motors how are the boot struts whats the clutch like has the car been crashed how much life do the brakes have in them have you lost the locking wheel nut key has the car got a stubby fitted have you ragged the nuts out of the car Any one of those would be more important than "What's the door pull like" First thing I done when I looked at 350's all those years ago was to open the door, if I saw scratches.. I walked. Obviously if they can't open a door properly they can't maintain any other feature of the 350z. 4 Quote
AliveBoy Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 The inside of my doors are perfect. A more sensible question might be "what fuel its been run on" .. Exactly Will, Or is there oil in the engine what tyres does it have and with how much tread do you have clicky axles how are the window motors how are the boot struts whats the clutch like has the car been crashed how much life do the brakes have in them have you lost the locking wheel nut key has the car got a stubby fitted have you ragged the nuts out of the car Any one of those would be more important than "What's the door pull like" First thing I done when I looked at 350's all those years ago was to open the door, if I saw scratches.. I walked. Obviously if they can't open a door properly they can't maintain any other feature of the 350z. All it takes is a ring to scratch it a couple of times Quote
benjy88 Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 The inside of my doors are perfect. A more sensible question might be "what fuel its been run on" .. Exactly Will, Or is there oil in the engine what tyres does it have and with how much tread do you have clicky axles how are the window motors how are the boot struts whats the clutch like has the car been crashed how much life do the brakes have in them have you lost the locking wheel nut key has the car got a stubby fitted have you ragged the nuts out of the car Any one of those would be more important than "What's the door pull like" First thing I done when I looked at 350's all those years ago was to open the door, if I saw scratches.. I walked. Obviously if they can't open a door properly they can't maintain any other feature of the 350z. All it takes is a ring to scratch it a couple of times I think he was being sarcastic lol... Quote
AliveBoy Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 The inside of my doors are perfect. A more sensible question might be "what fuel its been run on" .. Exactly Will, Or is there oil in the engine what tyres does it have and with how much tread do you have clicky axles how are the window motors how are the boot struts whats the clutch like has the car been crashed how much life do the brakes have in them have you lost the locking wheel nut key has the car got a stubby fitted have you ragged the nuts out of the car Any one of those would be more important than "What's the door pull like" First thing I done when I looked at 350's all those years ago was to open the door, if I saw scratches.. I walked. Obviously if they can't open a door properly they can't maintain any other feature of the 350z. All it takes is a ring to scratch it a couple of times I think he was being sarcastic lol... he got me. I should have known with Ian! Quote
Pritchard Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Check the door : OUCH flamed. well, that was my experience anyway just a few weeks ago. maybe you guys have had yours too long and havent had to look at a 10yr old Zed that havent been forum owned and looked after. Quote
mouthwash Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 (edited) I think he was being sarcastic lol... he got me. I should have known with Ian! of all the people to bite. Edited November 28, 2014 by mouthwash 2 Quote
H1979 Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Welcome to the forum. Having just picked mine up last week all I can say is the link up top helped me out a lot, gave me a good idea of what to look out for and I also found the below thread useful: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/77426-buyers-guide/#entry1149988 Good luck with your search. Quote
steve916 Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 (edited) The inside of my doors are perfect. A more sensible question might be "what fuel its been run on" .. Nah! What's the drivers door handle like? Oh, and welcome to the forum Jon. Lots of good advice on here. Take your time and do the research first Edited November 28, 2014 by steve916 1 Quote
GMballistic Posted November 28, 2014 Posted November 28, 2014 Welcome aboard. Plenty of great Zeds for sale & plenty of dogs so just take your time, do all the usual secondhand car checks and if you're unsure just walk away. If you do see a Zed for sale that you like post the details on here & maybe we can help you out. 1 Quote
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