Looking at buying a 2003 350z base model

[Hammer]

I am looking at buying a 2003 250z base model 6 sp with 81,000 miles. The car has been safety checked by a Nissan dealer. The car will be used on weekends, an occasional auto cross and maybe some track days. The only mods I would be looking to make is intake, exhaust, brakes, wheels and tires. I race a 240sx in SCCA Improved Touring A and am looking for something to play with between races. Any feedback on the pros and cons of this year and model and suggested upgrades would be appreciated.

Another question I have is when my wife pulls the drivers seat all the way forward, the seat belt comes across her almost at her neck. The seat belt mount is not adjustable. Is there an easy soluntion to this. I looked at later model Z's and they have the adjustable arm that comes off the bracket, but I do not know if this would be much help.

[dasoupdude]

During the 2003 introductory year, many 350Z owners reported problems with the 6mt. The symptoms reported included: gear grinding, trouble shifting, hard shifts, getting locked out of gears, among other problems.

Try and search for 2004.5 and up model. The "bug-free" ones.

[BusyBadger]

I'd go with everything that Soup mentioned plus the infamous "tire feathering issue" that in all likelihood isn't an issue anymore given the age of the car. Besides if you're auto-xing & tracking the car you'll be using sticky tires that are going to need replacing more frequently anyway.

Speaking of which, if you're looking to track the car you may want to step up to the Enthusiast trim to get the VLSD (if you're looking at staying in a stock classification).

[PalmerWMD]

One good thing about the 03 its the cheapest MY to buy due to age yet you still enjoy all the advantages a modern platform like the Z33 offers

The base will also book a bit lower on top of that <and> the Base 03 is the lightest Z33 you cna buy

The only drawback is the LSD is not on the base but its an easy fix for 1.5 k if you feel you need it in the future.And also the lack of LSD is reflected in a lower book price

Tire weathering can be solved with exact alignment with the "new" specs.I think there are some threads somewhere on here, from 4 years ago that explain this in detail and what the (easy) fix is.

Also ask the dealer to see if the transmission is original?If not, it likely has the MY 04.5 or MY 05 part number transmission.

And if it is original.... well not <all> of the 03's had the bad synchros. at 8xxxx miles if it had the bad synchros it would have shown up by now..

If it shifts fine ( especially into third) youre clear.

[RemixZ]

I picked up my '03 Touring w/ 58,000 a few months ago. it was a steal (I think) for $12k, and it came with the staggered wheels on it too. My only issue is that my z32 has been sitting for 3 mos now... As for the synchros...it grinds when downshifting and quick shifts...But I added Redline m90 trans oil and it helped a lot...Had the same issue with my z32, just add the m90... ;-)

[PalmerWMD]

I picked up my '03 Touring w/ 58,000 a few months ago. it was a steal (I think) for $12k, and it came with the staggered wheels on it too. My only issue is that my z32 has been sitting for 3 mos now... As for the synchros...it grinds when downshifting and quick shifts...But I added Redline m90 trans oil and it helped a lot...Had the same issue with my z32, just add the m90... ;-)

Is that the liquid silver paint?

[RemixZ]

Yeah! Working on getting the tint, some new leather shift boots, and adding a wing and lip...