Quote:
Originally Posted by nukkchorris
I have been looking into a 370 for a while now, just graduated from college, got a good job yaddi yaddi yadda. I currently drive a 08 Honda Civic worth around 10-12k, will be trading in. I found a great looking 370 at a local dealer, premium graphite paint, sports package, HID lights, manual. just what I wanted. I'm worried because I have no idea what to look for when I test drive, not to mention I have little experience with a manual (drove my buddies STI a few times, as well as my other freinds supercharged mustang once). Is the mileage/price good? How long before these cars start needing repairs? It's near the end of it's basic warranty and I probably have the most reliable car ever right now. I don't want to be throwing myself into a money pit...
Thanks
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As a heads up, make sure you realize that parts, maintainence and overall cost will be a lot more with the Z in the long run. Driving a manual Z is a bit tricky to observe anything wrong with the transmission. It makes a few noises that are normal, so you have to know what to really watch out for. The Syncro-Rev will probably make it a little easier to learn manual on this car, but even veterans of MT's say that the Z's clutch feel takes some practice. This was my first MT car and it took me about a week to learn...a few months to really get use to the car. The mileage is about right for a car that averages 10k miles a year. Because it's an older car, I would check and make sure the previous owner didn't abuse the car and all maintenace was done properly. Ask for records.
Maintenance:
The maintence is what a lot of people tend to forget in calculating the overall cost. Oil changes run about $100 if you go to the dealer, tires cost about $1200-1600 to replace all 4 (last about 15-20k miles) and other maintainace cost are usually a bit more than the Civic. Also, the fuel cost. It's almost double the fuel cost of your Civic. I have a '12 Civic I use as a DD and can get close to 40mpg on the highway. The Z only takes premium and gets around 20-24mpg of mix driving. I can get it around 28-30mpg highway if I drive conservative, but it kind of takes the fun out of owning a sports car. Be mindful that this car has some upcoming fluid maintance you might want the dealer to take care of before buying (Trans, diff, coolant, etc. etc..).
Issues:
-The biggest issue with the '09s is that a small number needed their short block replaced. The powertrain is covered for 5 years/60k miles though so I wouldn't worry too much if all the records show a well maintained car and no modifications to the engine.
-The steering lock issue that effected a small number of cars which caused the car not to start. No recall, but there are threads on here on what to watch out for and how to replace.
-Fuel Sender issue causes inaccurate guage reading. The dots don't light up all the way after filling up. Easy enough to tell when you fill up.
There are plenty of threads on this, but some basic things to know if you track or AutoX:
-You'll need to install an oil cooler or the car will hit limp mode if the oil temp passes 275 degrees. The '12s and newer come with a factory oil cooler. Not really required for street use unless you drive a lot on the "spirited" side.
-Upgrade Brake pads, brake fluid & possibly add a cooling kit.