High Mileage 370z Reliable?
 

Hi so I’m thinking about buying a 100k+ miles 2011-2013 370z and adding a soho supercharger kit. Just wanted to get some options of what people think about reliability of the 370z once you go above 100k miles.

Generally speaking, Japanese engines are typically reliable and only require very basic maintenance.

My '07 Z had close to 100K and was strong with original clutch
My '09 Z had close to 90K when I traded and was strong
My '13 Z has 40K miles, but currently out of commission due to the mc/csc, but the engine is solid.

There are members here with 200k+ miles and still going strong (I believe 1 member even has 300K miles). Just make sure you are following the maintenance schedule. And if going FI, do it right and change out the internals also. Also, if getting manual, swap out the mc/csc (this is a common issue among manual 350Z's/370Z's).

Ok good info ya appreciate the input. That’s what I’m noticing going through other forum posts a lot of people are mentioning that they are pretty reliable past the 100k mark just wanna get some peoples input. If I do end up deciding to supercharge it I don’t think I’ll build the motor to start probably gonna aim for 500hp then if I go above that build the motor.

I just supercharged ~12psi at 87k. It’s going great so far. I’m going to give it another year before deciding if I want to go E85 and really push it.

Nice good info 👍🏻

If you do decide to move forward, just make sure to really inspect the car beyond the Carfax (or have a trusted mechanic look at it), as not everything can make it on there.

If it's been maintained, I wouldn't hesitate. My cutoff on purchasing is 130k miles...unless it's a great price.

Go 2013 or you're at higher risk of low oil pressure due to oil galley gaskets leaking. It's an internal leak so you won't know unless you have someone check oil pressure for you as there isn't an onboard gauge.

Other than that all years have the same inherent problems of blown rear end cover mount, broken fuel pump hat, locking steering wheel and a couple other less common nuances. Also go with the sport so you get the bigger brakes and LSD.

For SC plan on $350'ish for an oil cooler upgrade right off the bat and most do at least a 19 row even when NA.

If you can wait, it will be a buyers market very soon as prices are already coming down due to interest rates and the economy.

I bought my 2010 sport/touring with 72k on it in 2016 for $15k with a clean carfax/title.

Agree, except that OEM VLSD is quite useless especially on a boosted application.

Oooo, at that mileage, switch out that rear heater hose coupler, prone to crack/shatter. At that miles, adding heat with boost, might as well change out all the radiator hoses, it's about time.

I'm in mortgage lending, and IMO, the real estate market has an influence on trends for the other industries that has buyer-financing involved.

Much like the real estate market, the general consumer market has shifted for sure over the past few months due to rates rising paired with inflation, however, global supply chain is still an issue, meaning it would be unlikely to be a buyer's market in the near future. Even if the supply chain issue some how magically got resolved, the Feds are on an aggressive rate-raising projection (7 rate hikes in 2022, with 4 of them being 75 bps vs the traditional 25 bps), so unless you are a cash-buyer, being qualified for financing will most likely be a challenge (higher rates means you get qualified less of a loan amount, if you qualify). Keep in mind, you also have a Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, that does not understand inflation, admittedly: “We now understand better how little we understand about inflation” - 06/2022.

Regarding the economy, there is no telling what will happen, esp. with what the Feds are doing, but, many economists are projecting that a recession is in place for sometime this year. If a recession occurs (which historically has happened each time the Feds have tried to fight inflation), this is when the Feds generally lower rates to stimulate the economy via quantitative easing, but again, you still have the supply issue to deal with. So while rates could be lowered and you could be qualified for more of a loan amount, the prices would theoretically hold steady to what they are now due to supply/demand.

Im at 117,000 miles on my 2014 NISMO..Bought it brand new with 1/10 of a mile on it...... No problems at all.

As a 2009 sport owner, I'll give you a few words of my own advice as well.

1. Galley gaskets - it's not big deal to have them changed for newer ones, you'll shell out around $700 for labor, the parts are only $50. After you changed the gaskets, you'll have a peace of mind.

2. In addition to changing or NOT changing gaskets - the Z has a "problem", where it likes to heat up oil if you're pushing it. Because of this, a lot of owners install an oil cooler. Oil cooler means additional pathway for oil, namely just behind the bumper, and you've got all these additional fittings. To make sure all is well - you'll want to install an oil pressure gauge. So - even if you don't do galley gaskets - you can monitor internal oil pressure and know if something's wrong.

3. When I got the car, it being a fully loaded sport package, means I got the beautiful 19" Rays, as well as big akebonos. They work great! I also got that LSD.....that viscous shitty LSD. It never works. It never worked. It's absolute **** and whoever tells me otherwise, either doesn't know what he's talking about or doesn't have the cash to upgrade. The LSD is NOT the part because of which you would want the sport package. It's well worth installing an aftermarket mechanical LSD which will transform the car.

4. Other faults are true - steering wheel lock - can be mitigated just by pulling the fuse out, problem solved forever. Fuel pump hat - well, upgrade the fuel pump.

Other than that - I'd tell you to just go for the lowest mileage clean example you can find and enjoy modifying it as you see fit.

231k miles on my 2009. Little to no maintenance issues over the course of owning it since 2011. I stay on top of regular maintenance schedule so nothing really to note that others haven’t touched on.

Go Gators!

I’ve been impressed with what I’ve read/seen about higher mileage Zs. I was a bit hesitant when I picked up my 2014 with just under 80K as it was the highest mileage vehicle I’ve ever purchased. It was a good price though and after reading a bit and seeing tuned/modded Zs at over 130K still ripping, I feel like I bought a low mileage one lol

Carfax showed that it had been well maintained with regular scheduled maintenance done. I took it to another Nissan dealership for an oil change and everything checked out okay. I don’t plan on going FI, just FBO, but I feel confident that I can do those mods and still enjoy it for another 40K miles or even more!

You really can't go wrong with most Japanese cars, and their engines are typically solid and require only basic maintenance.

There are modded members here with over 300k miles FWIW

my 09 Z has 170,000kms/105,000miles still going strong no problems

As per my post earlier, don't expect vehicle prices to come down anytime soon. I typically believe only about 25% of what the media reports, and the article that came out this AM below pertaining to auto sales seems to cover a very few of the basics at least (again, take the media with a grain of salt).

Auto sales are falling due to rising rates and less qualified buyers. Prices generally are not decreasing, which come from supply chain issues, and profits are steady/rising despite higher costs (businesses will never take a hit on their margins and bottom line). Those that qualify for an auto loan will pay more for the vehicle itself AND the money used to finance the vehicle.

Some dealerships may offer incentives, but this is done at a local level. But, I would really research this. If dealerships are cutting pricing at inflated levels, there is a good chance the price is still above what they were pre-COVID times.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/12/inves...ing/index.html

Sorry been away forgot I made this post. I appreciate the response from everyone so my take away is I should aim for a 370z newer than 2013 and stay away from something more than 130k miles. If I go older than 2013 make sure the galley gaskets get replaced before doing the supercharger. I do plan on having a friend of mine who is a mechanic take a look at the car before I buy it, I don’t trust dealership PPIs. The pricing from the research I’ve seen I’m thinking I’m gonna wait till end of the 2nd quarter to buy a car I am doing cash so financing won’t be an issue. Hoping the used car prices continue to fall to normally pre Covid levels.

Regardless of the year, it really depends on the actual vehicle and if it was properly maintained.

And if you are a cash buyer, you have alot more leverage and room for negotiations than a financing buyer would: cash is king.

Ya maintenance is key, I think I’ll probably go private seller if I can usually can get a better deal than a dealership IMO.

I wasn’t formilar with the factory LSD having a problems. I was looking specifically for a sports package model because of the LSD. The bigger brakes are a plus but I can buy a bigger brake package and install it myself and save money if I decide to skip the sports package. I will be driving this car in the winter so I am going to need a LSD. Why is it so bad?

I'm not kidding when I say I literally threw it away after installing a mechanical one.
The problem is that it's viscous, which means that it works on the basis of having fluid pressure build-up between the clutch plates. That means that while it's cold and you barely just started driving - it will grab nicely, because the oil in the diff is thick and cold. Once it gets hot (actual operating temperature), it will start to lose grip. For example, you try to do a donut, and the car will randomly keep spinning both wheels for a second or two, then the outside wheel will lose all power and grab on, while the inner wheel will start spinning like crazy.
And don't think it applies only to silly donuts in the parking lot. A completely usual track day, not pushing the car to its limits, but going on a tight hairpin corner, if you have grippy tires, the inner wheel lifts and you do a one wheel burnout. It's just AWFUL.

So to be honest, I'd look for the sport package maybe because of the wheels...maybe brakes....maybe even the S-mode (the synchro-shift for manual gearbox), not sure if the base model gets it....those are great features. But the LSD is ****. Forget about the stock LSD being good, because even if you're not that demanding a driver, if you feel like you need the LSD in the car, then you'll want this visco-**** out of it. Trust me.

Ok interesting I did own a 2011 370z sport before and I did noticed when drifting and hooning in the parking lot it was really snappy at times wonder if that was the diff now. I did just watch a smoking tire episode and they mentioned the diff problem about it randomly locking. Ya I’ll definitely take that into consideration as a start pushing the car more. I also didn’t know that the S mode was only in the sport I thought it was standard in every Z. Appreciate the input helps with which model to buy thanks. Probably will go with the sports model and upgrade the rear end later. Does changing to a thicker rear end fluid do anything has anyone tried that?

Nope that fluid in the VLSD is just the gear oil. the VLSD is a sealed unit and you can't access/change the fluid.

If they are well maintained older high mileage Zs are a fine car, as would be any car. Only 2 things to watch out for is if it's a manual has the CSC been replaced with a Zspeed CSC elimination kit and on all models has the steering wheel lock fuse been pulled.

Ok ya I’ll have to look into the CSC elimination kit not formilar with that. Ya the wheel lock I’ve heard that I owned my last Z for two years never had a issue with the steering wheel locking I wonder if the previous owner removed the fuse never new about the problem till recently.

If the previous owner had replaced the lock mechanism, then there was no need to pull the fuse out. As far as I know, from year 2011 (??) onwards, the Z doesn't come with that wheel lock issue anymore.

Regarding CSC - the cylinder fails and the problem is that to replace it, you need to take out the transmission. If you take the Z1 kit, you can do it without removing the transmission.

Ya ok not sure but never had a problem wonder if he did fix it. Either way the new car I get I’ll just pull the fuse. Oh ok so the slave cylinder is on the outside of the transmission?

It's inside the housing bell of the tranny.

FWIW, alot of members have had issues with the Z1 kit, and will recommend ZSpeed.

This. As indicated, the stock concentric slave cylinder (CSC) is located in the transmission bell housing. If you elect to replace it, the transmission will need to be dropped. I would recommend replacing it with the Z Speed CMAK kit, which places the slave cylinder outside the transmission ... meaning that if it ever fails in the future, it is relatively easy to replace without need to drop the tranny. That said, I'm not aware of anyone who has reported problems with the CMAK slave, and the kit has been on the market for several years. Also, if you decide to replace the stock CSC, you should seriously consider replacing the stock clutch master cylinder (CMC) at the same time. It is also prone to failure. In addition, if you want to virtually bullet-proof the clutch hydraulic system, you should consider replacing the stock clutch pedal assembly with the RJM pedal assembly. Like the CMAK kit, it is a proven improvement over stock. Finally, if you gone this far, you might consider substituting the OEM CMC with the Tilton heavy-duty clutch master cylinder that is also available from RJM. Both Z Speed and RJM offer great after-market service and advice. You should reach out to them for advice on how best to proceed.

I have 6000 km on mine, going strong with no issues. Super reliable! :)

That’s hardly a testament for this thread. Just saying. I daily mine to office 71 miles one way 3x a week lol.

Come back when you get a few more 0's on that number.

:iagree:

Plastic fuel pump hats break, CV axles click, pre 2014 galley gaskets prone to failure, plastic mender in heater core hose breaks, rear end mount fails, ........:tiphat:

Those are the most common very rare failures. Most people have not changed any of that stuff and are running fine and will continue on. You can also add the 5th gear syncro is weak but its not common that people are replacing their manual trans out. Most people don't notice their diff mount is leaking till their upgrading it.

I dont know if any1 mentioned this but heres my 2 cents

Buy a 2014+ Z no early version due to Oil galley leaking issues, also when you tune it due to 100+K miles I suggest to tell your tuner to keep the timing advance normal to low to minimize engine issues, to find a descent engine just check for blow by and wipe under the engine oil cap if anything black or milk chocolate color walk away. GL

ohh and Oil cooler is a must.

You have to drive it for sure. Nissan's stuff is generally reliable above 100k but these cars are like the WRX...owned by people who like to beat on them pretty hard. I would avoid one of these above 100k as a general rule to be honest.

I disagree with "very rare" and "most have not changed any of that stuff". If "most people" don't notice their rear diff bushing blown that doesn't mean it's rare. Rather, it's common for people to just drive cars and not give a rats butt about maintenance, inspections, etc.

I'm not saying the Z is junk but it's certainly not without it's faults and any potential buyer who asks deserves to know the questionable areas rather than sugar coating it.

I’m tuned and sitting at 225,000 miles with the timing advanced, just intake and exhaust modded along with upgraded clutch and flywheel and stiffer transmission and diff mounts but no issues and compression is still at 210+ on all cylinders and passed leak Down testing