Hi all,
First off, sorry for the long post, I have a few questions and I thought it only fair to give you a short background.

I have been reading around here for a while now, I didnt join until earlier today when I decided I was definitely going to go with a z, either a 350 or possibly a 370 I found a deal on, but 99% sure it is going to be a 350z.

Anyway I have some questions I think only more experienced and versed users can answer so I hope you might take a min and kinda help guide me a bit.

I bet you guys get this all the time, so I am sorry about that.

Ive got 12,500$ cash to work with and I can add 2,000 a month to that and put it off a few months if need be, so I am not necessarily in a rush or anything this car is going to be my toy.
I dont finance I pay cash, so I either wait a bit longer and shop then or I find a deal with what I have, or I find a deal now and leave a deposit to hold it and then pay it off in a month or two like a layaway, this I have done several times with cars and bikes.
I dont work I have been disabled for 8 years and I dont get any income from anywhere so I buy and sell for a living to make my cash and get my toys, I do pretty well.

I just sold my Harley to get a car as I am getting a little older, my back is shot, my knees are shot, I would rather be warm and not so beat up as I am on the bike anymore at least for now.
Ok, so I am looking at 2007's and up but this presents one of my questions.

so I will just list them here so its easier to read and answer.

01.) am I giving up much if I decide to go with say an 03 or an 04 over an 07 or 08?

I understand the HR engine difference and thats what I think I want, I always believe buy the newest you can, I dont plan to heavily modify anything, probably not do much at all, maybe rims and stuff, or maybe cai kit and exhaust but at first, I dont plan to do anything but drive it or possibly interior mods.

I can get 03's and 04's for 7k to 10k, I can get 07's from 11500 and up, the ones I am looking at are 11500, 120000 and 13500, and I think I marked one at 15k.
Now from 8k to 14k is 6k$ thats a lot of cash I can save, but I dont mind spending it either if I am going to be happy with the car, so I just cant decide if I should just stay away from the 03's and 04's all together or what.
some look great then I think, yeah but I want that hr engine.

My plan now is to go drive an 07 then try an 03 for sale right near it and see for myself.
but what would you say, its not budget, its more about starting out with the better foundation in case I later do decie to mod the car, price not being an option on mods.

02.) what am I giving up with a convertible over a hard top?

I like the idea of a convertible, but honestly I like the looks of the hard tops better, I wish they had a sun roof or something but over all I dont care as much for the way the convertibles look side by side compared to a hard top, so I figured maybe there is some things I am not thinking of or dont know about, available features only available on one or the other, etc..
which would you stay away from and why or which would you prefer and why?

03.) if I want cruise, self dimming rear view, rear view camera, etc. and other creature comforts which models offer them, enthusiast, or roadster, or is the roadster only the convertible?

I got a little confused looking at so many in the past few days I am not really grasping the models vs the options, mostly cause some of the ones I see have extra options and others have fewer but they were available, etc. so I am just not sure which models would come standard with the most interior creature comforts, since I plan to drive the car alot, it will not be a garage queen, its gonna be driven and enjoyed and taken care of, so I want the most full featured interior I can find.

Ill catch up on learning about mods and things I have seen that I like after I have owned the car for a while, but it will never be a track car or a racer, just a fast and fun car to drive that has some wow factor for around 12k$.

I would like to get the most car for the money right off the bat, with the best looking or most wow factor that I can find.
I like the black and tan interior combos I have seen more than the all grey or black, I dont know if they are only on some models or if they were available on all ?

I am going out this weekend Saturday and Sunday to look first hand and start driving a few cars to see what I like.
So far I love the orange hard top with the two tone interior from what I have seen.

04.) Lastly I see some cars already have cai installed, pipes, etc.. do you think I should find a virgin or is it safe to look at partially modded cars?


I always figure you could get lucky and find a car done right but the bank repoed, and then there are some done wrong, lol and I know I dont want someone else headaches.
just wondered others opinion on that.


05.) As far as the 370z goes I found one I can get for 17k an 09 that looks mint, has a rebuild title, I dont plan to flip or re sell the car so I dont mind a rebuild or a salvage if I can confirm the damage and repairs were done right, I have had good luck in the past, but is it worth it for me to even consider going as high as 17k$ just to have a stock 09 370 vs an 07 350z for 13500$ ?

Sorry for the long post, I think you get where I am coming from and what I am looking for, if you could maybe share a little of your advice based on what I told you I am looking for and to avoid, and what I prefer I would appreciate the input, i consider all points when shopping around.

I am a bit of a professional shopper and I enjoy learning and finding the right item each time, this is a lot of fun for me and a long time coming so I want to get it right, I wont be replacing it anytime soon.

thanks for any info or input, I really appreciate it.

I love forums and the people you meet I must belong to 20 from songwriting to police cars to harleys and now z's, lol

Lump

Ok. I finally found what I was looking for regarding the various years and models and their equipment.
I have a much better handle on which models from which years to look at for what I would like to have.
I could still use opinions on some of my other questions, but I wanted to say after searching and searching I found just what I needed right here on the site.
Lump

Well I am looking at 2 cars, an 07 solar orange hard top cant tell about the interior, have to go see it, but he is asking 13500 with 33k miles.
The other has 38k is loaded heated leather seats, bose, etc.. has a nismo front lip thing, in very god shape, for 15k$ out the door from a dealer.
I am going to go drive the orange one Saturday and go from there, I think 13500 for an 07 with 35k miles in mint shape feels like a good deal to me
Lump

UPDATE:

I have narrowed my search to two cars, I would like to ask your opinions which would you buy? or not buy and why and are they priced well?

CAR 1: $13500
2007 Solar Orange 33k miles, 2nd owner
current owner bought it at 12k miles from a person who babied it and never took it out in winter or foul weather, car has been garaged its whole life, and is immaculate.
The car does not have powered seats, or heated seats, I am told it has one of the traction controls, and is otherwise sotck.
'The car has 2 new tires on the rear, brakes were just done all around.
The car was listed at 15k I asked for a lower price and we agreed on 13500 if I take it.

CAR 2 $15000
Silver/grey 2007 38k miles
Has a nismo front lip
Has chrome rims
Has powered seats and heated seats, not sure about traction control.
I do not know the history in terms of previous owners yet and I havent seen a car fax yet.
The windows are already tinted, something I Was planning on doing right way on the orange one if I bought it.
car has nearly new tires all around and new brakes, runs perfect,
They were asking 16k I was able to get them to agree to 15k$ and let me taker the car with a 12k cash deposit and ay the balance in 60 days, they will even send me out with a temp plate for 30 days so I can drive it home and use it for a month while I am waiting to pay the balance.
so no finance charges or anything and an our of state deal so no tax, I will pay tax in Ct when I go to reg

Both cars run perfect, no issues, no lights on no sounds, etc.. just perfect.
UI was leaning to the solar orange car because I know is history more and can see it was babied its whole life, also, I liked the color, but after looking at the other I am realy digging the look of the silver one and I like that it has more interior options like powered heated seats, it is 1500$ more but it has those two options plus tint plus rims, so it seems like it is worth the extra money given the features it offers.

What do you guys think?
Which would you buy all things being equal?
My third option is I can just wait another 60 days until I have 16k cash on me instead of 12k and see what is available then, but I hate to pass on a car with under 40k on it, ya know?

I would really appreciate any input, I am going to look at both cars in a few hours, 9 hours from now I will look at the orange one and then 2 hours later he silver one, I may make a decision right then, but I will be alone and dont have anyone to run an opinion buy.
Thanks in advance for any help, I really would appreciate it.

I would post a pic of the cars here in this thread but there is probably a limit until I post more, i will read and see whether I can and update it if so.

Lump

Oh well, I guess I am on my own, lol but I did pick one and I went and bought it today, I guess I Will go back to lurking and reading about stuff I need to know more about now.

Lump
talk about a self help therapy session I asked the questions slowly answered them myself and made a decision, turns out I dont need he help I guess.

Welcome to NICO ,Lump!
Which one did you buy?

The orange one.

Lump

Thank you for the welcome Money pit,
I was feeling like I was wandering in a ghost town, I am used to very active boards and wasnt ready for the pause, lol
Plus my post was a bit long and I guess boring to those who have been around since they see that all the time, but I really move on stuff I dont bother posting til I know I am all in and then I figure I am here to stay.

I bought the solar orange with white pearl.

I was torn, I had all but decided that I was buying the silver one, I even sent a text saying, I am coming out today to buy the car, I wil be there by ....
I just liked the look of it better, it has the rims, power seats, heated seats, tinted windows, and he nismo front bumper, so it looked very aggressive and all in all better to me than the orange one.

Then I was thinking the orange one has a move complete history of ownership and I would be the 3rd owner, all the service records are included from day one, the car was babied and garage kept, never saw snow and only went 12k in 5 years, a belt had to be replaced from sitting around lol, so I know the car was taken care of, also, the color is rare around here I cant find a single other one anywhere in Ct, and I cant find another one for sale except a few convertibles, but not a single hard top and again, none in New England, where as the silver ones are every where.
Also I thought about the power seats, I am 6'3", there is one position for my seat, all the way back, lol thats it, what do I need powered seats for?
I dont care about heated seats, it sounds cool, but its one more thing to go wrong someday and I have never had them so I dont miss them.

Then I thought, the car is 100% stock, a virgin, and I like that, no air kits or cat backs or anything.
The silver cart has been on a lot in Yonkers NY for who knows how long, otu in the weather, test driving by anyone whop wants to take it, etc.. plus city driving on it.

But what made my mind up was the seller, as I told him I was leaving to go see one other for a few bucks more but with features I liked and wanted to have, he dropped his listed price by 2k$ and dropped 500$ more than he had previously told me was his bottom.
This made the car the least expensive clean title car I found under 40k miles.

I guess he had a bunch of kids and tire kickers with no cash coming around and it was looking bleak, so he was a little desperate to get out of this car as he needs a family car, I met his pregnant wife and 4 year old, lol so... when he dropped his price to 13k$ I decided screw it, it is 2k$ cheaper than the silver car so although I dont get the tint, the nismo front bumper, the rims, heated seats, etc.. I save 2k$ and I get the one I think was cared for the best, so done deal, I grabbed it!

The rims are stock and the passenger side front and rear have a tiny bit of curb rash, and the interior has a little chipping on the arm rest, and worst of all the car needs front tires, the rear tires are brand new and the brakes were just done so I need to buy two tires, tint the windows, and thats it for now, I will add something to listen to my sirius sat subscription and probably a dvd touchscreen system like i have now in my wifes car, but thats it, gas and go baby.

So it was a hard decision but I think in the long run I will be better off, the car has no mystery to its past, I know what I am getting, I know it wasnt beat on and as far as re sale when I go to flip it, I think the color will make it easier for me to sell it as well as the fact that it is unmolested.

I plan to continue the use of synth oil every 3k and keep good rubber on her.
I love the car, I pick it up in a few weeks, I paid a deposit on it today and asked he guy to give me a few weeks so I can pay it off and reg it all at once and he agreed.
The lot was going to let me pay 12 of 15k$ and give me a temp and let me take the car, while I pay it off in 60 days, then get the title and reg it, so I was motivated to go for that deal until this guy said he would garage the car for me and not drive it again and let me leave him a couple grand today and come back in 3 weeks with the rest, so all in all a perfect deal for me, I got what I wanted, I basically traded my 2007 Harley Road King police bike for this car, I bought the bike 1 year ago for 10,500$ so nice upgrade.
Lump

Love the solar orange colour, it's one of my faves - I call it creamsicle.

I'd use the stock rims that are a little curbed for a winter wheel & tire setup and eventually invest in a set of nicer wheel and sticky tires to run in summer. You could do that with that extra $4k you were looking at having in 60 days, just in time for a great spring drive up Saw Mill to Katonah. It's just far enough to feel like you're not in the city and more and close enough not to feel like a long drive.

Thats not a bad idea, I really dont plan on driving it in the winter weather though, I have a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon gt , and a 2000 chevy 2500 heavy duty loaded pick up 4x4 for snow and stuff, but still its a good idea.
I was thinking I would pull the wheels and have them powder coated black, I really like the look and that would help protect them as well.

I am planning on buying the car, putting two new tires on it, tinting the windows and maybe doing the rims, then I need to move on.

I have another car that needs my attention and a few bucks right now, then my truck is going into the shop for some mods and work, so I bought a car I can pretty much just drive, not going to make it a project car just yet, for now I will enjoy it as it is and just drive it.

Lump

If you want to save some money money on powder coating you can always plasti-dip your wheels. Far cheaper and quicker, other advantage is you can match the door handles as well - since they're plastic and not metal it's hard to find a place that does low temp powdercoat that won't just outright melt them.

I'd recommend changing all the tires at once, unless you're keeping/sticking with the same tire. Even if it means having to take a step down in performance it's better to have a matches set - it will keep things from getting squirrely.

Well, ya know, I was going to look into plasti dip and paint as well.

Got it, ok, I was going to ask about it, but in 2 seconds it came up I got it, thanks good idea.

Thanks for the info.
Lump