[TRACKDAY] Nissan 350Z is good?

[cavalli]

Hello guys!

I'm brazilian and next year I'm going to the US to stay there per 12 or 18 months. I'm looking for some cars options to racing in trackdays. I really like 350z, but I don't know if it is a good car for racing, price of maintenance, price of upgrades and availability of parts and people who knows to work with this car. What you guys know about it?

My idea is just have fun racing. I'll need only the essential upgrades to racing safe. I'm thinking to spend $10,000 to buy the car and make all upgrades, this value is enough?

Ps: I'll use the same car for racing and to go to the college and all the other things.

*Sorry if my english is bad, i'm doing my best

Thank you guys!

[jerryd1987]

10k? your options are a civic or a 240sx, 10k will just barely get you the car, exhaust and intake.

[cavalli]

Yes, but I'm thinking to buy a 350z mainly for go to college, travel and stuff like this. I pretend to participate in some trackdays just for fun, I don't need an extreme performance. I'm just afraid about the maintenance costs of a 350z. It's much expensive to maintain one? Thank you guys!

[BusyBadger]

Your big ticket "maintenance" item, especially if you're looking to do a few track days here and there is going to be tires.

While it's initially expensive, something you may want to consider is getting a second set of wheels with some good (or great) tires on them and saving them for special occasions and having a cheaper, higher treadwear set for everyday driving.

[cavalli]

Interesting! It's a pretty good idea! And about prices, here in my Country(Brazil) the reality is fully different, you can buy one 2008 350z for 120k Reais(brazilian cash) while the minimum wage here is around 700 reais. The cars here are extreme expensive! I've looking for some used 350Z in the US and there are good options less than $10k, but I don't know which differences have between the 2003 and the newer. If I found any 2003 with low mileage you guys think it is a good option for my objectives? And other interesting point is the how hard is to sell one, because I'll stay in the US for less than 2 years.

Thank you guys! Have a good day!

[jerryd1987]

the DE is a better option if you intend to build it for more power due to parts availability and stuff like that. the de is just small cams and variable valve timing on the intake side only, revup adds exhaust vvt, mildly stronger oil pump and slightly bigger cams, HR has dual TB and plastic intake, slightly stronger rods, a even stronger oil pump(very possible to fit it into a de with modification), cams are similar in size(by bigger/smaller i mean duration and lift) with more overlap(intake and exhaust valve opened at the same time) to the revup, and finally the ports on the cylinder heads are larger so it makes more power up high but you loose down low power and the total power band or is lowered so it makes a majority of its power for less time(90% is usually used) plus the HR has far fewer parts available to it.