370z Reliability

Emac

Hi all,

Tried to do a search for this but didn't really get all the info I was looking for. I'm thinking of getting a 370z, either used or perhaps new. I'm likely going to give up my BMW 135i, which while being a great car, was very unreliable (in the shop a number of times over a one year period). It's a bummer but...

Anyway, I was considering 370z figuring Nissan is will be lower maintenance than BMW. But I saw the latest Consumer Reports which gave the car a black dot.

So my question is, is the car really that problematic? Does model year matter (thinking 2011 for the back-up cam). I saw the posts about paint and oil temps (seems to be only an issue when tracking), and the hatch but are people having major issues? I was also thinking a G37s, which got a good reliability rating, but I prefer the Z otherwise.

I just don't want to go from one unreliable car to the next, it would defeat the purpose.

Advice is much appreciated

Nismoracer

What does the black dot mean? I think its more reliable than alot of other sports cars. I haven't had any issues yet. But I think one of the problems may be the rear end and transmission but that's if you beat on it real hard and probably from not driving it correctly. I had a 350z many years ago and put 55k miles on it with not a single issue. And I drove it hard all the time. It was an automatic. Manual cars may have more issues that come from driver errors...... It's a fun car to drive I don't think you'll regret it. The BMW is that unreliable? I thought they would have been more reliable.

Trips

Here's a thread I found. Outside of the issues that you have found? For the most part the car is pretty reliable, and those issues are for a small amount of cars affected but like with any new design there are going to be some issues. Either Z or G? Will be a good choice, its just a matter of choice. Good Luck
370Z Reliability

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ImportConvert

From what I have seen just cruising these forums, the transmission in the manuals has syncro issues at times, and the engine likes to run hot if you drive it competatively. The brake pads/fluid are also not up to the task in OEM form.

All-in-all, I have not seen a lot of people complaining about reliability issues on here.

red6spd

What was the black dot for????

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c41006

From what I saw on Consumer Reports it got a solid black dot for paint and trim, squeaks and rattles, and body hardware as well as a 1/2 black dot on engine cooling. Everything else is rated average or well above average.

I think consumer reports is being a little harsh giving the Z an overall 45% below average reliability rating.

ImportConvert

I think they weight things like paint right up there with transmission failure. A black mark is a black mark, basically. Regardless of how integral to the function of the locomotion of the car that failure is.

mixtnutz532

What specifically are these paint, hatch, and synchro issues? I have seen them mentioned a couple times in other threads but no one actually explains them.

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-Eric

Trips

1.Like most manufacturers the Paint is eco friendly and tends to easily get marked on the clearcoat with like bird poop and such, but so do most new cars including bmw and others.

2. The hatch issue well in some instances wouldn't open on account of the soft release springs or bad alignment of the latches but this is only on the early 09's they resolved most issue on the 10's.

3. Their have been some snyro issues but again in a very small amount of cars has it lead to a trans failure. Most of the complaints have been thats its a noisy gearbox but again its manual and thats subjective

4. For cooling yes if you take the car on a spirited ride? the oil temp will run on the warm side if the ambient temp is warm of course? but nothing a oil cooler can't fix.

The paint is not that bad as long as you make sure to keep it waxed often.

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mixtnutz532

Thanks for the info.

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-Eric

red6spd

Thats kind of a bad score for a car that is really good but has eaisly chipped paint. As good as consumers is they make me mad sometimes.

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2010 Base+Sport 6spd: Stillen G3, FI Non-Resonated CBE, FI Non-Resonated Test Pipes, UpRev Tuned, Custom 24R Oil Cooler, JDM Rear Fog-OEM Harness.
???Whp ???WTQ (Will find out come spring time)

IDZRVIT

I bet Consumer Reports is in here reading the forums!!!

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ProfessorDave

CR misses the basics of collecting survey data. First, their sample is restricted to CR readers. The demographics of CR readers is unlikely to be representative of those of us who buy Z's or any other sports car for that matter. Second, they overlook one of the basic weaknesses in survey data - it invites extreme responses. That is, you are most likely to complete a survey if you have a strong opinion, especially a negative one. Third, CR's main audience are not sports car owners. So it is possible that those responding are poorly educated about the realities of owning a sports car. The Z is not a Camry.

Anyway, the Z comes with a warranty!

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Rain, snow, sleet, hail: 2009 Mazda 3 sGT HB
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wafflesarefun

if chipped paint is considered a reliability factor... then sure, i'll take 45%, but if starting your car and being able to drive is considered a reliability factor, then it should be 100%. 1.5 years and absolutely no issues. (besides a rock chip... i don't know how it happened on the roof of my car, but it did.)

Auston

My car has been reliable (21k miles), only had two issues, both fixed by the dealership- hatch (no
problem), and transmission (replaced for free under warranty after grinding in 5th)