Nissan 350Z used car review
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The wave of nostalgia that washed over the motoring industry about fifteen years ago is well documented.
And the retro designs that resulted from all that rose-coloured activity were the must-haves in their day.
But these days, as the industry and consumer tastes proceed to budge forward, some of those retro cars have become a little less desirable.
Sometimes it’s a case of the entire retro thing wearing a bit lean, other times the cars themselves have shown their true colours over time, and it hasn’t always been pretty.
One car that wowed us in the day was the reborn Nissan Z-car in the form of the two thousand three 350Z.
The combination of a big, rorty V6 engine, rear-wheel-drive and aggressive looks meant the 350Z was in hot request back in the day, but now, just over a decade later, our ardour seems to have cooled considerably.
In fact, with the replacement of the 350Z in two thousand nine by the even wilder 370Z, Nissan itself helped take the warmth out of 350Z retained values.
Nissan revived its Z-Car icon with the 350Z in two thousand three
The process has continued and now, if you check the classifieds, you’ll see that you can get into a 350Z with reasonable kilometres on board for pretty sensible money.
But would you want to?
The response’s not a ordinary one, to be fair, but to begin with, let’s just say the 350Z’s driving practice was a mixed bag, even when it was brand-new.
Nissan eventually softened the suspension as a running switch, but in the original version, even the allegedly softer Touring model railed like a dray.
Nissan revived its Z-Car icon with the 350Z in two thousand three
Step up to the sportier Track version and the rail was even worse on anything but a billiard table.
That said, the broad track and rear-drive treating characteristics made the car good joy and it was a decent thing for track-days.
The only real catch with the rear-drive layout combined with the relatively brief wheelbase is that the driveline took up slew of space, making the car a rigorous two-seater.
The power delivery was part of that and Nissan deliberately stayed away from the concept of a high-revving, small-capacity engine in favour of a big lump of torquey muscle.
The Three.5-litre V6 was lifted from other Nissan passenger cars and while it certainly delivered a shove in the back, refined and quiet it was not.
In fact, it felt positively grumpy and when used every day it had the potential to indeed annoy some owners with its gruff manners and lots of stimulation and harmonics through the entire car.
A six-speed manual gearbox is the one you want second-hand.
Even however the automatic had five speeds and took a little of the harshness out of things, the Nissan was a pretty hard-core driver’s car and needed the manual gearbox to fulfil that promise.
The better news is that the V6 seems pretty burst-proof and should rack up slew of kilometres with no major hassles, provided it’s been serviced correctly.
That includes regular oil switches because the engine has shown in the past that it likes to run its lubricating oil at reasonably high temperatures.
This has only truly shown up in cars that have done track miles, but it’s still worth a close check of the service record and a quick look at the colour and quality of the oil in the engine’s dipstick.
While the 350Z was competent on a race-track, we’d always look for one that has led a more sheltered life, simply because every component will have had less stress placed on it, and that’s the sort of car you want second-hand.
An example that has been used for track work – or identically likely these days, for drifting duties – could lightly be a palm grenade waiting for its time to come.
Speaking of weekend track-warriors, any 350Z is worthy of a close inspection for crash harm.
Check for panels that don’t line up decently and for mis-matched paint.
Don’t be too put off by a few stone chips around the front of the car, however, as these seem common and the model seems a bit prone to paint chipping and peeling.
The big wheels and tyres are expensive to substitute, too, so check for kerbed rims and make sure that any replacement tyres are speed-rated to match the originals as well as being of a quality that will do the car justice.
A 350Z on El Cheapo tyres will not be a pleasant car, trust us.
While the coupe version was the choice of the hard-core drivers out there, the Roadster convertible is likely to have been treated much more gently and is worth a look.
Many of these were automatics and that seems to suit the entire top-down, kick-back thing better.
Just make sure that the folding bondage mask keeps rain out and be wary of a car with damp carpets or a musty smell inwards.
The one to potentially avoid is the 350Z that has been modified extensively, either through a severe case of lowering the suspension or tuning the engine for more spectacle.
These engines do react well to tuning but whether you’d want to own a modified one is a matter for the individual.
If you can live with the too-firm rail and put up with the engine’s harmonics, then the 350Z starts to make sense as a good old-fashioned fun-to-drive car.
And now that prices have lodged out substantially, the Nissan has emerged as a real value-for-money threat to some of the performance-car establishment.
Our rating: Three/Five
Nuts and bolts
Fuel economy (combined): 11.7 litres per 100km
- Responsive platform thanks to rear-wheel-drive balance.
- Steers well for the same reason.
- Grunty engine indeed performs.
- Looks rough, too.
- Driveline is anything but silky sleek.
- Rail is awful, and that’s it.
- Two seats only.
- Auto was popular but misses the point a little.
Competitors
Mazda RX-8 – Weird styling and lil’ reverse-opening rear doors truly didn’t gel with the sports-coupe concept. Rotary engine is slick but lacks real muscle. Auto version was a real backward step and actually used a lower-spec engine tune. Trio.Five/Five
Nissan 200SX – Another coupe with a fairly gruff engine, but the turbocharged four-cylinder was a rocket and treated brilliantly. Last version even looked good. See out for thrashed examples as the boy racers loved them. Four/Five
Porsche Boxster – Remarkably close to the Nissan’s price now the years have passed, the Boxster is another rigorous two-seater. But a lovely engine, brilliantly benign chassis and sublime steering put it head and shoulders over the rest. Pre-purchase inspection a must. Four.Five/Five
Nissan 350Z used car review
Nissan 350Z used car review
- ( one ) Reading now
- (0) Comments
The wave of nostalgia that washed over the motoring industry about fifteen years ago is well documented.
And the retro designs that resulted from all that rose-coloured activity were the must-haves in their day.
But these days, as the industry and consumer tastes proceed to budge forward, some of those retro cars have become a little less desirable.
Sometimes it’s a case of the entire retro thing wearing a bit skinny, other times the cars themselves have shown their true colours over time, and it hasn’t always been pretty.
One car that wowed us in the day was the reborn Nissan Z-car in the form of the two thousand three 350Z.
The combination of a big, rorty V6 engine, rear-wheel-drive and aggressive looks meant the 350Z was in hot request back in the day, but now, just over a decade later, our ardour seems to have cooled considerably.
In fact, with the replacement of the 350Z in two thousand nine by the even wilder 370Z, Nissan itself helped take the warmth out of 350Z retained values.
Nissan revived its Z-Car icon with the 350Z in two thousand three
The process has continued and now, if you check the classifieds, you’ll see that you can get into a 350Z with reasonable kilometres on board for pretty sensible money.
But would you want to?
The response’s not a ordinary one, to be fair, but to begin with, let’s just say the 350Z’s driving practice was a mixed bag, even when it was brand-new.
Nissan eventually softened the suspension as a running switch, but in the original version, even the allegedly softer Touring model railed like a dray.
Nissan revived its Z-Car icon with the 350Z in two thousand three
Step up to the sportier Track version and the rail was even worse on anything but a billiard table.
That said, the broad track and rear-drive treating characteristics made the car good joy and it was a decent thing for track-days.
The only real catch with the rear-drive layout combined with the relatively brief wheelbase is that the driveline took up slew of space, making the car a rigorous two-seater.
The power delivery was part of that and Nissan deliberately stayed away from the concept of a high-revving, small-capacity engine in favour of a big lump of torquey muscle.
The Trio.5-litre V6 was lifted from other Nissan passenger cars and while it certainly delivered a shove in the back, refined and quiet it was not.
In fact, it felt positively grumpy and when used every day it had the potential to indeed annoy some owners with its gruff manners and lots of stimulation and harmonics through the entire car.
A six-speed manual gearbox is the one you want second-hand.
Even however the automatic had five speeds and took a little of the harshness out of things, the Nissan was a pretty hard-core driver’s car and needed the manual gearbox to fulfil that promise.
The better news is that the V6 seems pretty burst-proof and should rack up slew of kilometres with no major hassles, provided it’s been serviced correctly.
That includes regular oil switches because the engine has shown in the past that it likes to run its lubricating oil at reasonably high temperatures.
This has only truly shown up in cars that have done track miles, but it’s still worth a close check of the service record and a quick look at the colour and quality of the oil in the engine’s dipstick.
While the 350Z was competent on a race-track, we’d always look for one that has led a more sheltered life, simply because every component will have had less stress placed on it, and that’s the sort of car you want second-hand.
An example that has been used for track work – or identically likely these days, for drifting duties – could lightly be a forearm grenade waiting for its time to come.
Speaking of weekend track-warriors, any 350Z is worthy of a close inspection for crash harm.
Check for panels that don’t line up decently and for mis-matched paint.
Don’t be too put off by a few stone chips around the front of the car, however, as these seem common and the model seems a bit prone to paint chipping and peeling.
The big wheels and tyres are expensive to substitute, too, so check for kerbed rims and make sure that any replacement tyres are speed-rated to match the originals as well as being of a quality that will do the car justice.
A 350Z on El Cheapo tyres will not be a pleasant car, trust us.
While the coupe version was the choice of the hard-core drivers out there, the Roadster convertible is likely to have been treated much more gently and is worth a look.
Many of these were automatics and that seems to suit the entire top-down, kick-back thing better.
Just make sure that the folding fetish mask keeps rain out and be wary of a car with damp carpets or a musty smell inwards.
The one to potentially avoid is the 350Z that has been modified extensively, either through a severe case of lowering the suspension or tuning the engine for more spectacle.
These engines do react well to tuning but whether you’d want to own a modified one is a matter for the individual.
If you can live with the too-firm rail and put up with the engine’s harmonics, then the 350Z starts to make sense as a good old-fashioned fun-to-drive car.
And now that prices have lodged out substantially, the Nissan has emerged as a real value-for-money threat to some of the performance-car establishment.
Our rating: Trio/Five
Nuts and bolts
Fuel economy (combined): 11.7 litres per 100km
- Responsive platform thanks to rear-wheel-drive balance.
- Steers well for the same reason.
- Grunty engine truly performs.
- Looks rough, too.
- Driveline is anything but silky slick.
- Rail is awful, and that’s it.
- Two seats only.
- Auto was popular but misses the point a little.
Competitors
Mazda RX-8 – Weird styling and lil’ reverse-opening rear doors truly didn’t gel with the sports-coupe concept. Rotary engine is slick but lacks real muscle. Auto version was a real backward step and actually used a lower-spec engine tune. Three.Five/Five
Nissan 200SX – Another coupe with a fairly gruff engine, but the turbocharged four-cylinder was a rocket and treated brilliantly. Last version even looked good. Witness out for thrashed examples as the boy racers loved them. Four/Five
Porsche Boxster – Remarkably close to the Nissan’s price now the years have passed, the Boxster is another stringent two-seater. But a lovely engine, brilliantly benign chassis and sublime steering put it head and shoulders over the rest. Pre-purchase inspection a must. Four.Five/Five