buying a z33

[ffrpwner]

hey wats up im selling my 300zx na and buying a 350z......now i only have a 13000 budget for the car so im looking at 03's and 04's

now some of the z32 guys are getting mad at me for gettin rid of the 300 but i rlly just want a reliable stock car that has a nice modern interior......

now my question is wat are the main things i should look for when buying a 350 used......

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/...false

i rlly like this one

[ffrpwner]

http://washingtondc.craigslist....html

http://washingtondc.craigslist....html

http://washingtondc.craigslist....htmlthe last one....hate the chrome rims but could live with them because it has a new clutch.....my friends g35 had a clutch go out a 50000 miles is that common in 350s and G's

[Initial_R90]

I'd say make sure it starts up nice , check the clutch , and if it has brembos they tend to need to be replaced, rebuilt around 50k+. I'd go up for a 04+

[simmode1]

So ummm, Ffrpwner... Have you heard about the VQ35's oil consumption issue? Not trying to cockblock or anything, but I just recently became aware of that situation since I am considering a VQ motor swap and thought you should be aware of this too since you're in the market for a VQ35 powered car.

[ffrpwner]

hmmmmm no i havent heard of it...............more detail? and i have a friend with a 04 G he hasnt had any problems with it but maybe he is just lucky thanks for the warning by the way...........you putting a Vq in one of ur 240s? i saw one on youtube that looks and sounds nasty

[_b.jaye_]

oil consumptions only been an issue with the rev-up motor. (05-06 i think. maybe 04.5, too) and dont seem like its all that wide spread. ive only heard of a couple guys on here mention theyve ran into it.

my 03 is just past 50k on the clock & no issues with oil consump, but i do have the crap syncros the 03-04s are notorious for in the manual.

[BusyBadger]

oil consumptions only been an issue with the rev-up motor. (05-06 i think. maybe 04.5, too) and dont seem like its all that wide spread.

Correct, only on the RevUp and then not too many of them. I've got over 75K on my RevUp with no issues to report.

[simmode1]

Well, hopefully you guys will never run into that issue. But a quick google search of "VQ35 oil loss" or VQ35 oil consumption" indicated more widespread issue than you guys are acknowlegding.

zerothread/323273

3.5L Altimas have the problem...

VQ35 Maxima's with the problem...http://forums.maxima.org/5th-g....html

Non- Revup G35 Sedan with the problem...zerothread/139103

you putting a Vq in one of ur 240s? i saw one on youtube that looks and sounds nasty

Yeah, I've been weighing out which VQ I want to use. I recently decided against the VQ35, because the HR's are too expensive and (from what I read) thats the model which apparently fixed the oil loss issue. I was gonna buy a cheap FWD VQ35 and convert it to RWD for my s13 swap. But based on the findings around the web, it seems like buying a VQ35 is like playing Russian Roulette... you never know if the engine is gonna need a rebuild or what.

So now my choices are back to my original idea: swap in a jdm VQ30DET or keep it simple with a built KA-T.

[ffrpwner]

, but i do have the crap syncros the 03-04s are notorious for in the manual.

when i test drive how will i know it the syncros are crap......and if its over 50k wat questions should i ask?

are the syncros a huge problem or is it just something i could learn to live with.....and can it be fixed

[_b.jaye_]

itll grind goin into gear if theyre goin out if your not pretty mindful of your RPMs / speed... they most commonly go out in 3 or 5th gear. (3rd & 6th on mine)

you can definately learn to deal with it, (easily. i am currently. rarely an issue) and other than that, theyre supposedly pretty beefy transmissions. the only thing i really know that can be done about it is to keep puttin syncros in. from what ive read on here, its more to do with the design itself, so theres no way to have it replaced with anything much more durable than what came stock.

nothin else really comes to mind man. ive heard passenger windows have a tendancy to go. hopefully someone else can chime in. good luck

[BusyBadger]

But a quick google search of "VQ35 oil loss" or VQ35 oil consumption" indicated more widespread issue than you guys are acknowlegding.

Not really. When was the last time you went out to eat and told a friend, "My server did their job" or "My food was what I expected"? Probably not very often, but if you had poor service or bad food you probably let someone know about it and probably right away. It's the same case here, you're hearing the loudest voices expressing their complaints, but people don't post when their car is just "doing what its supposed to do".

Also take into account the messengers - car forum members. We're pretty quick to alert others to issues, actual and potential and (most of us) are also fanatical about our vehicles - if there's something wrong in the least we're going to get online and ask about it and what we can do to fix it. We're also talking about a sports car that in many instances probably didn't get driven gently right out off the lot, amplifying potential areas of vulnerability.

I'd say that in most cases an engine with the age and miles the OP is looking at purchasing has most likely had any issues that Nissan could take care of already addressed. That's not to say that the current owner has maintained the vehicle since then and certainly it should be inspected like any other used car, but I wouldn't shy away from buying one.

[ffrpwner]

im just looking for something a little more reliable then my 14 year old z32

ive always loved 350s and have recently been able to afford one im hoping to get a 05 but if not 03 and 04s are pretty abundant haha

[simmode1]

Not really. When was the last time you went out to eat and told a friend, "My server did their job" or "My food was what I expected"? Probably not very often, but if you had poor service or bad food you probably let someone know about it and probably right away. It's the same case here, you're hearing the loudest voices expressing their complaints, but people don't post when their car is just "doing what its supposed to do".

Please forgive me... I don't mean to imply that everybody and their momma with a VQ35 is gonna have oil loss issues. The VQ is an aware winning motor and I'm sure it wouldn't have kept winning awards in the later years had this problem been rampant. I'm simply saying that the problem does exist and it doesn't really seem to be confined to Revup motors alone.

[PalmerWMD]

1)there are no oil consumption issues with the 03 and 04 ( to include 04.5 motors).Only rev up motors <sometimes> had an issue.

2)Even the 05 Z only had the revup in the Anniversary Edition Z so nearly all 05 are unaffected as well.

3) the same goes for the G35's which had in all 03s,04s and 05'sthe same non revup VQ.

Those engines can be had at fair prices.I bought my used VQ replacemt engine for 1200+300 shipping and its a wonderful motor.

Fred

[BusyBadger]

2)Even the 05 Z only had the revup in the Anniversary Edition Z so nearly all 05 are unaffected as well.

The '05 Track model also has the RevUp engine.

[orangeNblue]

What all are you looking for in a car. Between the two silver ones you posted it looks like one is a touring model, which has all the bells and whistles, and the other is described more like a base model which doesn't have many of the things most people want in a 350z.

Personally, I have an 2003 with no problems. I really do enjoy the car but the longer I have it the more I wish I would've waited to get an 07. For me this is personal preference bc I like the wheels, headlights, interior, and motor more on the 07 than my 03. If I was to do it all over again, I would've stuck it out, saved up just a little bit more money and got the 2007 model. Just my .02 though...

[simmode1]

I did some more searching and it seems that while earlier versions of the vq35de in FWD applications do experience this problem... RWD versions seem to only experience this in the Revup, as you guys said.

That's a little more comforting, I guess...

[ffrpwner]

i def dont want a base one ive decide.....i want touring or track which one comes with brembos track right

and touring has lsd right cause thats pretty important to me i hate open difs

[PalmerWMD]

All except Base have LSD. ( Enth, touring, Track)Brembos are on Track ( and for 05 on Anniv.)06+ Non Brembo brakes are bigger and almost as big as 03/04 BrembosBrembos from 06+ years are bigger still.