Worth it?

[Heavy]

So after getting back from carlisle i got bit by the "lets buy an impractical two-seater coupe because i can" bug. I drive my LS400 right now and its getting tired and needs to be "serviced". I started searching for a S30 but I have nowhere to park it while I build. So I found a 350z which I have wanted since it came out in 03.

http://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/3803299411.html

tell me nico, is it worth it?

[Ace2cool]

For an 03? That's a little high. Actually, that's a lot high.

All that crap in the bullets is just stock base model things except for sat radio, cause I'm not sure on that. That may even be base model though.

[Heavy]

both nadaguides and kbb put its value right where the guy is asking... obviosuly im not going to pay what he is asking for.

http://nadaguides.com/Cars/2003/Nissan/ ... ack/Values

http://www.kbb.com/nissan/350z/2003-nis ... vate-party

[frapjap]

It sounds well taken care of and unlikely that you'll have as many problems with it as you would a similar car with an unknown history. Get him down to 9-10k and buy that sucker!

[WDRacing]

What I do is figure out what I'm willing to spend, then do a quick autotrader search with that number, just to see what pops up as an alternative.

[Heavy]

^ yeah i did that, they are all either way overpriced or have 100k plus on them and are all owned by shady second hand dealerships with horrid reviews

[Bubba1]

Ace is right, everything the seller put on that list except perhaps the Sat/CD player is standard equipment. If it is a track model, all that means is it has cloth seats instead of heated leather (cloth holds you better in turns), 18" wheels standard (17" were standard on the enthusiast model, and 18's were optional on the Touring), and the Brembo brakes were standard on the track model. Otherwise it's the same exact car as the Touring and Enthusiast (base) models.

FWIW, I bought my 2003 Touring model with 18's instead of a "Track" model because of the heated leather seats, and even saved money. That's Nissan. Go figure. I love mine, but it's strictly a weekend fun car. Coming from an LS400, you might find the ride a bit jarring. For a long commute, you might want to think about it if it'll annoy you.

As far as what to look for, check the front tire wear as the factory alignment was a bit off causing the front tires to "feather" as they wore down. There was actually a recall on it.

I also agree with Ray that it seems priced a bit high for being bone stock, and there is some value to finding an original owner unmolested car with complete maintenance records. You might want to check the "TMV" link for Edmunds. TMV = true market value or what other ones have been selling for in your zip code. KBB and NAPA tend to trend higher and seem geared more for a dealer's use than a buyer. I have found Edmunds TMV seems a little more realistic.
if you can haggle him down a bit, you should consider it.

[BusyBadger]

Window motor issue, weaker transmission...look for an '05 or later to avoid those, but then run the risk of the excessive oil consumption in the track and 35th Anniversary models from '05 and all 6MT models in '06. Better to get an '07 or later so you can get one with an HR engine instead of the DE and get more power and avoid all the issues I mentioned.

Oh, and no, it's not worth what he wants.

[Heavy]

The LS will still be the daily to nyc but ill drive the Z when im in ct. I have a number now that i checked out the edmunds TMV. Ill let you guys know how it goes. Thanks for the input Joel!

[Heavy]

so i went and took it for a test drive today.... its a very very clean car. only thing wrong with it is it needs a set of rubber. The window motor was fine, front tire wear was even, and the trans shifted like butter. Seeing as it needs a $800 set of rubber id shoot for $9500?

[WDRacing]

Sounds about right to me dude.

[Bubba1]

Sounds about right to me dude.

I agree. Seems in the ballpark.

[MinisterofDOOM]

What I do is figure out what I'm willing to spend, then do a quick autotrader search with that number, just to see what pops up as an alternative.

Bingo. That's how I ended up in an LS8.

[Ace2cool]

I'd feel better about 9500. Offer 9k and go from there. That'll leave room for him to talk you back up to 9500 if he doesn't like your offer. (who knows, maybe he'll accept on $9k. Be nitpicky.)

[nissangirl74]

Buy tires here. It's where we buy all of ours and the deals are amazing.

http://www.tires-easy.com/

[RicerX]

Buy tires here. It's where we buy all of ours and the deals are amazing.

http://www.tires-easy.com/

Fantastic website. Only thing that sucks is shipping is more expensive for people on the east coast compared to tire rack. Be sure to compare full quotes including shipping. For me, certain tires have still been cheaper on tires-easy after shipping quotes, but a couple have been cheaper on tire rack. In those cases, it was due to some random promotion.