Hows the 350z engine?

[freshlettuce]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forums and I've had my eye on an 04 350z for quite sometime now. I need a car that will last me around 5-6 years. and this Z I have found has around 90k miles on it. The guy claims to have taken really good care of it, and the cars in excellent condition. I just want to know, if I buy the Z, will it be able to hold up for the 5-6 years if I keep up on regular maintance and add nothing to the car?

it currently has-Replaced front bumper with 2006 Bumper -Tanabe GF210 Drop Springs-IntensePower.com Adjustable Rear Camber Arms-SPC Rear Toe Bolt Kit-JWT Pop-Charger Intake-TiTek Non-Resonated Test Pipes

and here is a picture of the car

I'm paying $12,500 for the car. Originally car was being sold at $14,100.

So In the long run, will it last me 5-6 years? and is it a good pick up or should I keep looking?

[BusyBadger]

There's a reason Nissan uses the VQ35 in so many cars and that the VQ has been on the "10 Best Engines" list for something like 10 years in a row. Its a great powerplant.

I'd be more concerned about the transmission. Make sure you do a thorough test drive and row through all the gears a few times.

[evildky]

why was the bumper cover replaced? if the bumper cover was replaced there si a good chance the car was in a frotn end impact, there are lots fo these cars otuthere, take your time and buy the best example you can afford

[nismo4lyf]

the other two guys who have replied are exactly right, the engines last a very long time especially when well maintained.. and there are plenty of z's out there, i picked mine up last month for 19k a 2006 with 7000 miles on it

[Watermelonwarrior]

why was the bumper cover replaced? if the bumper cover was replaced there si a good chance the car was in a frotn end impact, there are lots fo these cars otuthere, take your time and buy the best example you can afford

Not necessarily. I know me and my friend both were looking to swap out our front bumpers with the 06 because I think it looks much better. Along with the headlights and tails. Plus the paint on the 350z chips real easy.

[dasoupdude]

Agreed. The front was probably just replaced for the looks.

I just want to know, if I buy the Z, will it be able to hold up for the 5-6 years if I keep up on regular maintance and add nothing to the car?

Just ask the few people who own poorly maintained rust bucket s30's,s13's,z32's etc and how well THOSE cars have held up throughout the years. The VQ is bullet proof.

Then again that probably has something to do with being a cast iron.

[nismo4lyf]

he has a point, my 350 is pearl white and it does show litttle chips very easily..

[evildky]

Not necessarily. I know me and my friend both were looking to swap out our front bumpers with the 06 because I think it looks much better. Along with the headlights and tails. Plus the paint on the 350z chips real easy.

I didn't say it was positively wrecked, I said there was a good chance, the mojority of the bumpre covers that get replaced are to cover damage

[Looneybomber]

I'm always leary of cars with performance oriented mods on it, for example those additions that allow him to change the rear suspension angles. Why would he need that if he wasn't going to drive it hard?

A while back I ran into a guy with a black vette parked next to my black S and my GF tried to get into his car. We laughed and got to talking. He's big into racing and was telling me about how many times he's replaced the brakes, and even the rubber tie rod end boots by the front brakes because they melted.

He said he trades his Vette in every year and just slaps on a fresh set of tires. So the next person to buy his car will buy a 1y/o vette with 8k miles. At first it seems like a nice buy, but nearly all of those miles are track miles.

So I hear about that car with 90k, performance mods, a front bumper that's been replaced and I think, well, it's been tracked and he rubbed somebody and thus replaced it. Buy it if you like, but for a sports car, I personally would pass.

[MB86]

couldnt agree more. I looked around forever trying to find a car with no mods. I looked at STI's, Evo's, G35's and Z's i finaly found a completley stock 03 Z with 41,000 miles owned by a mechanic. swweeeet

[Looneybomber]

Becareful with "Mechanic owned" cars. They will either work on cars all day at work, then never even think about working on their own car because they don't want to come home and continue to work on cars, neglecting it...OR, they will use their knowledge from work and take awesome care of their car.

My dad worked at Ford as a mechanic for 15 years (Yeah close to retirement but management is awful, which is why they have unions) so I saw both extremes.

[s2klove04]

its a really good motor i had one for a while and it never gave me problems...