Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

ImportConvert · 01-14-2015, 03:05 PM

It's been about a year since I traded my 2012 370Z for my 2010 Grand Jeep Cherokee.

Guess a re-cap is in order...

Things I miss about the 370Z:

-Shifting my own gears.
-Lateral adhesion.
-Mileage.
-Acceleration (not as much as you'd think)

Things I appreciate about the Jeep:

-Ground clearance
-Composure over bumps/rough pavement/in general, especially in corners
-Torque
-Not shifting my own gears
-Being able to haul things and people and gear around
-Dodge Dealership Service

Anyway, I got rid of my 370Z because of recurrent issues that dealerships couldn't fix in a timely manner (within 20K miles of the issue starting). Finicky flaws such as the NAV randomly dying, the tires always wearing un-evenly left to right, regardless of how many times I aligned it (every 6mo). Flimsy build quality in general.

So, how has my JEEP adventure panned out?

Well, one thing I will say is that servicing an AWD automatic vehicle is much more expensive than a RWD manual. That kindof goes without saying, and is expected.

What went wrong with my 370Z?
-From 10 to 30K miles, Nissan warped 2 sets of rotors (I say warped, as they later admitted they were over-tightening them in the shop and that's what was causing the terrible vibration...I sold it before the new rotors had a chance one way or another...), turned multiple times. (This cost me $500 total. Yeah...Nissan CS...)
-Both sets of tires wore very un-evenly, even though alignment was performed twice (about eery 7500-8500 miles). (I traded the car in with the second set of tires having white cords hanging on the inside and usable tread on the outside.)
-The power steering pump moaning was considered "normal". It sounded like a dying cow at times, like a supercharger at others. It got annoying.
-The slightest peck took out windshields ($500 out of pocket on day 3 of owning it due to a TINY rock)

What went wrong with my JEEP so far?

-Water pump died. It was fixed under warranty at 87K miles.
-Bushings on the front LCA's needed replacing (my dime, at 70K miles. $500)
-Transmission had a tiny leak. Front main-pump seal. Replaced under warranty at 67K miles.
-Replaced rotors on front due to slight shake. Has been great for the last 10K miles. $230
-A few large rocks have left divots in the windshield. No cracks. Sounded like a bullet hitting the glass (to me anyway, you know the sound...it's followed by windshield replacement in a Nissan. I swear they use thinner glass than American car companies, and I'm not trying to be facetious with that one).
-N23 recall...had to hunt down a pre-N23 FDCM, $100. Google N23...that one is a huge black mark against Chrysler!
-One of the skids that pushes the air diffuser down on the sunroof had the tip break. $100 part. Just haven't fixed it because I rarely think about a sunroof.

Anyway, not bad for a vehicle with 2.5x the miles on it that my 370Z had. So far, I don't regret the trade, and maintain that the overall quality of my Jeep is greater than that of my 370Z.

It has made things a lot easier personally, as well, when it comes to packing up a bunch of gear and friends and going camping/shooting/anywhere that there isn't a nice, paved road, etc.

The only modification I have done is replacing the OEM shocks/struts with Bilsteins. It actually has much better manners than my 370Z did. Much more composed on sweepers with bumps, better rebound control, etc. If it were lighter and had wider tires, it would shred the 370Z in the twisties. As it is, lateral adhesion limits it. It feels like a really fat Corvette with a bit more weight in the nose, to me.

Mileage on the freeway has been 18.5 or so, as compared to my 370Z driven the same way at about 24.5-25.5. Around town, I average 14-15 compared to 17-19 for the 370Z.

The remote start has spoiled me, but the need to insert the key fob annoys me.

Anyway, just a run-down of things after a year out of my 370Z and in my JEEP. Would I own another 370Z? No. Would I own another Chrysler product? I'm iffy on that, still. This one had a few things wrong with it that I fixed which the previous owner neglected, but mechanically speaking, it runs great and everything that needed fixing was pretty simple and straight forward. I'll see how it plays out!

Oh...and just because I was bored and was curious. Not shabby for something that will go offroad, has skidplates, leather, NAV, 4WD low, all-time AWD, will seat 4 adults and a bunch of luggage...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BosaViBcpj4
(in case you are wondering, the 370Z does 0-80 in 8.0 seconds. So I gave up 2 seconds 0-80. Really not as bad as one would think!)
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...san-370z-1.pdf

01-14-2015, 03:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
ImportConvert A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: SWMO Posts: 4,454 Drives: 2019 CX5 GT Reserve Rep Power: 7627	It's been a while... It's been about a year since I traded my 2012 370Z for my 2010 Grand Jeep Cherokee. Guess a re-cap is in order... Things I miss about the 370Z: -Shifting my own gears. -Lateral adhesion. -Mileage. -Acceleration (not as much as you'd think) Things I appreciate about the Jeep: -Ground clearance -Composure over bumps/rough pavement/in general, especially in corners -Torque -Not shifting my own gears -Being able to haul things and people and gear around -Dodge Dealership Service Anyway, I got rid of my 370Z because of recurrent issues that dealerships couldn't fix in a timely manner (within 20K miles of the issue starting). Finicky flaws such as the NAV randomly dying, the tires always wearing un-evenly left to right, regardless of how many times I aligned it (every 6mo). Flimsy build quality in general. So, how has my JEEP adventure panned out? Well, one thing I will say is that servicing an AWD automatic vehicle is much more expensive than a RWD manual. That kindof goes without saying, and is expected. What went wrong with my 370Z? -From 10 to 30K miles, Nissan warped 2 sets of rotors (I say warped, as they later admitted they were over-tightening them in the shop and that's what was causing the terrible vibration...I sold it before the new rotors had a chance one way or another...), turned multiple times. (This cost me $500 total. Yeah...Nissan CS...) -Both sets of tires wore very un-evenly, even though alignment was performed twice (about eery 7500-8500 miles). (I traded the car in with the second set of tires having white cords hanging on the inside and usable tread on the outside.) -The power steering pump moaning was considered "normal". It sounded like a dying cow at times, like a supercharger at others. It got annoying. -The slightest peck took out windshields ($500 out of pocket on day 3 of owning it due to a TINY rock) What went wrong with my JEEP so far? -Water pump died. It was fixed under warranty at 87K miles. -Bushings on the front LCA's needed replacing (my dime, at 70K miles. $500) -Transmission had a tiny leak. Front main-pump seal. Replaced under warranty at 67K miles. -Replaced rotors on front due to slight shake. Has been great for the last 10K miles. $230 -A few large rocks have left divots in the windshield. No cracks. Sounded like a bullet hitting the glass (to me anyway, you know the sound...it's followed by windshield replacement in a Nissan. I swear they use thinner glass than American car companies, and I'm not trying to be facetious with that one). -N23 recall...had to hunt down a pre-N23 FDCM, $100. Google N23...that one is a huge black mark against Chrysler! -One of the skids that pushes the air diffuser down on the sunroof had the tip break. $100 part. Just haven't fixed it because I rarely think about a sunroof. Anyway, not bad for a vehicle with 2.5x the miles on it that my 370Z had. So far, I don't regret the trade, and maintain that the overall quality of my Jeep is greater than that of my 370Z. It has made things a lot easier personally, as well, when it comes to packing up a bunch of gear and friends and going camping/shooting/anywhere that there isn't a nice, paved road, etc. The only modification I have done is replacing the OEM shocks/struts with Bilsteins. It actually has much better manners than my 370Z did. Much more composed on sweepers with bumps, better rebound control, etc. If it were lighter and had wider tires, it would shred the 370Z in the twisties. As it is, lateral adhesion limits it. It feels like a really fat Corvette with a bit more weight in the nose, to me. Mileage on the freeway has been 18.5 or so, as compared to my 370Z driven the same way at about 24.5-25.5. Around town, I average 14-15 compared to 17-19 for the 370Z. The remote start has spoiled me, but the need to insert the key fob annoys me. Anyway, just a run-down of things after a year out of my 370Z and in my JEEP. Would I own another 370Z? No. Would I own another Chrysler product? I'm iffy on that, still. This one had a few things wrong with it that I fixed which the previous owner neglected, but mechanically speaking, it runs great and everything that needed fixing was pretty simple and straight forward. I'll see how it plays out! Oh...and just because I was bored and was curious. Not shabby for something that will go offroad, has skidplates, leather, NAV, 4WD low, all-time AWD, will seat 4 adults and a bunch of luggage... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BosaViBcpj4 (in case you are wondering, the 370Z does 0-80 in 8.0 seconds. So I gave up 2 seconds 0-80. Really not as bad as one would think!) http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...san-370z-1.pdf Last edited by ImportConvert; 01-14-2015 at 03:13 PM.