2003 Nissan 350Z Touring

Summary:

Fast, beautiful, only complaint is the ride on bad roads

Faults:

This is an awesome car. However, I am very surprised that I have not heard anything about the ride quality. If you are thinking of buying a z, do it, but beware the ride in the city is harsh. I live in the city, but most of the car dealers where I live are in more suburban areas. Thus, my test drives were on nice smooth suburban roads. The first time that I drove into my office downtown I was shocked by the ride quality, severely stiff and unforgiving (I have the 18's, which probably don't help). Road imperfections are often jarring and I am concerned that the car will develop rattles over time. I have actually resorted to driving my pathfinder into work most of the time in an attempt to keep it tight.

That said the car is awesome for weekends and days when I just can't walk by it and not drive it. The car is fast, it will hit 100 in the blink of an eye and the same suspension that I have criticised is masterful when you have a chance to push it a little. The car meneuvers with surgical precision. The gas mileage is exceptional too. I love the car, but after all of my research I was surprised that I hadn't read about the harshness of the suspension.

Finally, the car gets lots of attention from girls downtown which makes the bumps less important. I still would have bought the car.

General Comments:

Fast, comfortable, beautiful, harsh ride on less that perfect roads.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd June, 2006

4th Apr 2007, 13:42

Well, what do you expect from sports car with 18" rims in the city? Of course the ride will be rough, unless roads where you live are really good (which is the opposite for me).

3rd Jan 2009, 21:05

I live in Detroit and the roads are bad here. I would say that it drives rough on bumpy road but in a pleasant way. The Bridgestone RE050 or RE040 are garbage. Make sure you "ONLY" use winter tires in wet and snow cause the back end fish tails like hell and you will "DEFINITELY" get into a violent spin.

Otherwise it is an awesome piece of machine. My other car is an IS300.

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2003 Nissan 350Z V6

Summary:

Easy to handle, fun to drive, beats the Mustang gt, RX8, and handles like a dream

Faults:

The tires lose air and the front tires are loud.

General Comments:

The car is a joy to drive on the open road.

I have had no problems in the eight months of ownership.

The Z is always a head turner. More than once men from 20- to seventy have asked to drive it.

The Boss stereo is somewhat lacking for a system of this line.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th November, 2005

25th Jan 2006, 12:56

I own a 03' 350Z and can answer some of your problems. There is a dealer recall on all 03' and 04' Z's for alignment problems. They have to much toe in resulting in sever tire wear on the inside of the tire. Nissan will realign your car correctly and replace your front tires under the recall. Further, there is also a recall on the amplifier for the Bose Stereo. The amplifier causes the stereo to sound "muddy" with no clarity. This was also replaced under warranty. Neither of these warranties were made aware to the owners, but if you complain, they will take care if it, even if the standard warranty plan has expired. My car drives and sounds great now.

26th Jan 2006, 19:43

This comment is regarding the front tire air pressure. This is probably not a dealer or manufacturer problem. You should go see your local tire shop to resolve this issue.

28th Feb 2007, 12:14

My 2004 350Z drains the battery in about a week when it is not driven. Research on"IdentiFix" shows the radio draw is excessive and is a confirmed fix. The cause is a parasitic drain on the #37 fuse on the Bose Radio (approx. 8 amps). Disconnecting the radio stops the drain. The dealer states this is within factory parameters.

In reply to 25th Jan 2006, 12:56

23rd Mar 2013, 14:54

Because it wasn't a recall. It was a warranty extension.

HUGE difference