Quote:
Originally Posted by Cagan
My fiance and I are really looking at the 370Z for our next car. We are replacing our 2003 G35 Coupe. We've been doing a lot of research and are now down to the final few things that need to be addressed before making a decision. Here is our list:
- Which year has the best reliability? We're not interested in the 2009 due to poor reviews and higher miles.
- That back window is very small and causes concern for visibility issues. Also, the blindspots are pretty apparent but I've been told that there are extra mirrors you can stick on the sideviews to compensate. Is this the case?
- The space inside the Z is really concerning. What happens if we want to put an overweight friend / family member in the passenger seat. Will it be extraordinarily uncomfortable? Is it safe for the passenger?
- We live in New Orleans where there are a lot of terrible potholes and uneven roads. How will this affect the Z?
- How bad is outside noise? If my fiance and I are on a long road trip will we be able to talk at a confortable volume in the car? Or will we have to scream to hear each other? I've been told there is some sort of fix for the road noise called "Dynamat". Does anyone know anything about this?
- What about cargo space? Can you pack the car comfortably for two people to take a road trip for a week? It seems like if you have a navigation system there isn't any storage space in the front.
- We've heard that the 370Z has reliability issues. Can someone please explain what that really means? What kind of notable issues are there?
If anyone can address any of our concerns we would be most appreciative. This whole process is a little overwhelming so we're just trying to cover all our bases the best we can. My fiance really loves this car and we want to make sure its a reasonable buy for what we need. Thanks in advanced. |
As you can see in my signature, I owned a 03 G35 6MT so I can definitely answer some questions with having come from the same car.
1. You already owned the first year of the G35. Did you notice any major problems? Mine went in for some TSB's but that was it. The 09's in my opinion don't have any reliability problems though they may have some TSB's as they were the first year model. You do get some added features if you go later such as heated outside mirrors and music blue tooth streaming.
2. The visibility isn't any worse than the G. It is a sports car and it does have poorer visibility than a family car. I don't think it is really any worse than the G was though except out the side rear.
3. Very safe car and the seats are sport seats. They will be a little tighter for a large person (width). I don't buy my cars based upon the occasional passenger though. My wife and I have to be comfortable and that is all I care about. It only has 2 seats after all which is one of the reasons I got the G in March 03. Ordered it in November of 02.
4. I've always thought the Z to be pretty forgiving on the road. It is a sports car but again not much different than the G.
5. It is louder than the G. One of the ways to reduce weight is to take some of the sound deadening out. You do not have to yell to talk. We take it on long (5 hour or so) trips and are comfortable and not worn out at the end. You can put sound deadening in place with dynomat and other substances.
6. Not a lot of storage in front with either the nav or without the nav. There is storage behind the seats (shelves behind both and a glove box also behind passenger). The trunk holds a lot more than you think. If I go by myself, many times I've put $250 to $300 worth of Costco items in the car. You are better off to have loose items though because of the struts.
7. Just as reliable as the G. I've had 0 problems with mine. As with ANY car, you may run into problems but I laugh at those that say this is a problem car. You will see posts where someone got a lemon on here but with as many owners there are you don't see many bad posts. Every car forum has the lemon post though including the G.
I didn't need 4 seats anymore and I thought they softened the G too much with the new model thus my switch to the Z from the G. You will get more looks than the G as the car is more aggressive looking and there are not many of them out there.