to buy or not to buy, that is the question

Redglare · 12-06-2013, 05:48 PM

you can pick up a low mileage 09-10 base sport manual for a bit over 20k,

Nothing wrong with the car at all, it's just there are so many factors out there it is inevitable that low mileage Z's end up on the market.

Some people like to switch cars, others have to downgrade or upgrade, meanwhile others run in financial problems or just get tired of not having rear seats. The market is flooded with all sorts of sports cars, making the prices very appealing. What does it mean for a used car buyer? Great news, a used 10 sport package car with under 15k miles for ~22k? not much out there that can compete. As time goes on the prices will get better (for buyers). 09's base sports are dropping in sub 20 range as well.

I've been tracking the prices for a while now, the best time to buy is a Z carr that's about ~3-4 years old with very low mileage, best time to sell is after 2 years (3max) to recoup most of your money.

fzgood · 12-06-2013, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redzoneos

thank you all very very much for giving me so much feedback, gives me something to think about and also raises a few more questions

Some of you mentioned winters and others mentioned "Illinois". I live in the neighboring suburbs of Chicago. Is winter a real issue in this car? I have a couple friends that own it and drive through winters, but the last couple winters have been fairly mild here, and quite frankly my friends are nuts. lol
--I am more concerned about safety then I am rust/salt etc. its a car and I fully intend to drive the hell out of it year round, as long as it won't kill me.

Some mentioned the packages. I was actually leaning towards touring first, and then sports package, likely staying away from Nismo. Main reason for this is based on the forum and formal reviews, it seems this car can get loud (sports/nismo being the loudest). Honestly it won't bother me either way, I used to drive a riced out civic so noise isn't an issue, but still something to consider since I have no plans to race this car anyway. Might as well go for a bit more comfort (that's my logic anyway). Of course if I can find a car with both packages, that'll be ideal!

Mod bug. Yea I probably will get hit with this at some point but its not something I want to think about right now. Kinda going the "out of sight out of mind" route on this! Not easy to figure out a budget if I start dreaming of customization. haha

I moved away from Chicago in 2012. I DD my Z here in sunny SoCal. I think your friends are nuts. Salt, potholes, snow/ice... nopenopenope. IMO that explains why you're looking at such low miles—previous owner(s) probably only pulled it out of the garage after mid-April.

b15 · 12-06-2013, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redzoneos

thank you all very very much for giving me so much feedback, gives me something to think about and also raises a few more questions

Some of you mentioned winters and others mentioned "Illinois". I live in the neighboring suburbs of Chicago. Is winter a real issue in this car? I have a couple friends that own it and drive through winters, but the last couple winters have been fairly mild here, and quite frankly my friends are nuts. lol
--I am more concerned about safety then I am rust/salt etc. its a car and I fully intend to drive the hell out of it year round, as long as it won't kill me.

Some mentioned the packages. I was actually leaning towards touring first, and then sports package, likely staying away from Nismo. Main reason for this is based on the forum and formal reviews, it seems this car can get loud (sports/nismo being the loudest). Honestly it won't bother me either way, I used to drive a riced out civic so noise isn't an issue, but still something to consider since I have no plans to race this car anyway. Might as well go for a bit more comfort (that's my logic anyway). Of course if I can find a car with both packages, that'll be ideal!

Mod bug. Yea I probably will get hit with this at some point but its not something I want to think about right now. Kinda going the "out of sight out of mind" route on this! Not easy to figure out a budget if I start dreaming of customization. haha

I also live in the 'burbs' of chicago. I hate the salt and thats mainly why I garage it however if you're not concerned, a good set of winter tires and wheels will be fine. We will get the occasional 4-6" of snow and in that case you're likely stuck but for the majority of winter you'll be ok. Personally I would recommend two cars if you can afford it.

redzoneos · 12-07-2013, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b15

I also live in the 'burbs' of chicago. I hate the salt and thats mainly why I garage it however if you're not concerned, a good set of winter tires and wheels will be fine. We will get the occasional 4-6" of snow and in that case you're likely stuck but for the majority of winter you'll be ok. Personally I would recommend two cars if you can afford it.

This I guess is what I was looking for. I'll assume snow tires are a necessity (adding about 3-4k to my cost if i get a wheel/tire package).

As long as it's driveable in snow I'm off to a good start. I have 2 other cars within my family that I can use for emergencies on those really rough winter days when the city is too cheap to plow in a timely fashion lol.

Also, just to correct what I said about my friends, only 1 friend has this specific car and he bought it this year so I don't truly know about it from my crazy friends. however 2 of them on 350z's, 1 has a 335i, another a g37s. I imagine their snow performance is comparable to what I should expect out of the 370z.

I am about 90% sold on buying a Z at this point. Just a matter of price and required/immediate winter expense.

Thank you all!

b15 · 12-07-2013, 09:16 AM

Absolutely run winter tires if you're going to drive in the winter. Where are you located, if you don't mind me asking.

Tazicon · 12-07-2013, 12:02 PM

I hated the Z in snow, yes snow tires help but a second car really is your best bet. We used ours as a DD and my wife was getting around 22 in town. If you have a lead foot it will be less, much less. My wife loved it as a DD, great for getting through traffic etc, good acceleration when you need it stops great. For a DD where only one person is commuting you cant beat it for fun as well as just a good car. We put about 33k on ours in the 3 years we had it. The wife decided she wanted an SUV though so the Z is now gone.

axmea? · 12-07-2013, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b15

I also live in the 'burbs' of chicago. I hate the salt and thats mainly why I garage it however if you're not concerned, a good set of winter tires and wheels will be fine. We will get the occasional 4-6" of snow and in that case you're likely stuck but for the majority of winter you'll be ok. Personally I would recommend two cars if you can afford it.

Nailed it!

nmjaxx9 · 12-07-2013, 06:43 PM

Buy! and sell later if u want cars are like shoes switch em every few weeks and you can keep running.

Drex · 12-07-2013, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redzoneos

This I guess is what I was looking for. I'll assume snow tires are a necessity (adding about 3-4k to my cost if i get a wheel/tire package).

probably don't need to spend that much on winter wheels/tires unless you are looking at expensive wheels. i spent about $1200 combined. check out this thread:

My Winter Rims/Tires Setup: TRMotorsport C2 + Blizzak LM-25 w/TPMS w/pics (AK370Z)

Gadgetech · 12-07-2013, 09:29 PM

I bought a 2014 with substantial discounts and love it. I was fully planning on driving it daily but I have a 2001 Mustang GT that I'm using for that task now. I got a base car with the sport package. I wanted a car with the non-Bose stereo b/c I'm not that impressed with the software Nissan has on their Bose stereos and I wanted the cubby at the top of the stack rather than a screen. I wasn't planning on spending anything on mine either...$2k later and here we are. I've wanted a Z car for a long time and despite the wife's desire I not get one...I figured it was time. We don't have kids and I'll be 40 next year.

redzoneos · 12-08-2013, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b15

Absolutely run winter tires if you're going to drive in the winter. Where are you located, if you don't mind me asking.

I live in Algonquin IL (its like 20 minutes west of Schaumburg)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmjaxx9

Buy! and sell later if u want cars are like shoes switch em every few weeks and you can keep running.

LOL, if only I could do that, I would be one happy man.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drex

probably don't need to spend that much on winter wheels/tires unless you are looking at expensive wheels. i spent about $1200 combined. check out this thread:

My Winter Rims/Tires Setup: TRMotorsport C2 + Blizzak LM-25 w/TPMS w/pics (AK370Z)

thanks for the link, I hadn't don't much research on the packages. 1200 or so sounds a lot more reasonable then my random expectation!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gadgetech

I bought a 2014 with substantial discounts and love it. I was fully planning on driving it daily but I have a 2001 Mustang GT that I'm using for that task now. I got a base car with the sport package. I wanted a car with the non-Bose stereo b/c I'm not that impressed with the software Nissan has on their Bose stereos and I wanted the cubby at the top of the stack rather than a screen. I wasn't planning on spending anything on mine either...$2k later and here we are. I've wanted a Z car for a long time and despite the wife's desire I not get one...I figured it was time. We don't have kids and I'll be 40 next year.

haha good for you man glad you got what you wanted. I'm 33 and single so I don't really need to worry about the desires of others. yet.

One more question if you guys don't mind. Roadsters in the winter, any issues with this? Don't see convertibles often out on the roads in chicago winter, probably for good reason but is this a possibility or just stick with the coupe?

Tazicon · 12-09-2013, 08:21 PM

I would stick with a Coupe if I were you. Even with my Jeep in the winter I put the hard top on. If Z's had a hard top convertable (like the G's) I would say yes, but being a soft top I wouldn't do it.

I am coming up on 50 this coming year, no kids etc. but I have a 2 seater, having 2 two seaters was my wifes problem. Our kids are gone and they don't even live with in 600 miles of us. I saw no reason not to both have a 2 seater but a happy wife makes for a happy life. I change cars more often than I change my shorts.

redzoneos · 12-09-2013, 11:09 PM

all right guys, final decision made. i'm definitely going to buy a Z coupe. I've decided though that it would be wisest to wait until the winter is over before buying. I feel this will give me a bit more time to get a feel for the new ride in safer driving conditions, time to save for any additional expenses I haven't thought of including winter wheels, and give me more freedom to shop around/test drive etc.

Thanks again for all your help

fzgood · 12-09-2013, 11:57 PM

best of luck finding a good one! might as well memorize where the hidden potholes are now.

Amuse370z · 12-10-2013, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fountainhead

When I bought my Z the sales guy told me he had one but it was so hard to get in and out of after a few months he sold it.

This I have to agree, I also park on the left side of my garage at home.

The huge doors combined with the little I space that I have and the low seating makes it extra tough to get in and out of the car.

12-06-2013, 05:48 PM	#31 (permalink)
Redglare Enthusiast Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: FL Posts: 387 Drives: C172 Skyhawk GIII Rep Power: 175	you can pick up a low mileage 09-10 base sport manual for a bit over 20k, Nothing wrong with the car at all, it's just there are so many factors out there it is inevitable that low mileage Z's end up on the market. Some people like to switch cars, others have to downgrade or upgrade, meanwhile others run in financial problems or just get tired of not having rear seats. The market is flooded with all sorts of sports cars, making the prices very appealing. What does it mean for a used car buyer? Great news, a used 10 sport package car with under 15k miles for ~22k? not much out there that can compete. As time goes on the prices will get better (for buyers). 09's base sports are dropping in sub 20 range as well. I've been tracking the prices for a while now, the best time to buy is a Z carr that's about ~3-4 years old with very low mileage, best time to sell is after 2 years (3max) to recoup most of your money. Last edited by Redglare; 12-06-2013 at 05:52 PM.

12-07-2013, 09:29 PM	#40 (permalink)
Gadgetech A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Cumming, Ga Posts: 1,559 Drives: The Short Bus Rep Power: 870	I bought a 2014 with substantial discounts and love it. I was fully planning on driving it daily but I have a 2001 Mustang GT that I'm using for that task now. I got a base car with the sport package. I wanted a car with the non-Bose stereo b/c I'm not that impressed with the software Nissan has on their Bose stereos and I wanted the cubby at the top of the stack rather than a screen. I wasn't planning on spending anything on mine either...$2k later and here we are. I've wanted a Z car for a long time and despite the wife's desire I not get one...I figured it was time. We don't have kids and I'll be 40 next year. TheGreatOne likes this. __________________ Upstate Z Club

12-09-2013, 11:09 PM	#43 (permalink)
redzoneos Base Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Illinois Posts: 6 Drives: none yet Rep Power: 11	all right guys, final decision made. i'm definitely going to buy a Z coupe. I've decided though that it would be wisest to wait until the winter is over before buying. I feel this will give me a bit more time to get a feel for the new ride in safer driving conditions, time to save for any additional expenses I haven't thought of including winter wheels, and give me more freedom to shop around/test drive etc. Thanks again for all your help b15 and TheGreatOne like this.

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12-07-2013, 09:16 AM	#35 (permalink)
b15 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago Posts: 3,229 Drives: 4drz Rep Power: 36571	Absolutely run winter tires if you're going to drive in the winter. Where are you located, if you don't mind me asking.

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nmjaxx9 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Middletown, Ct Posts: 5,853 Drives: 2011 Nissan 370z Rep Power: 26	Buy! and sell later if u want cars are like shoes switch em every few weeks and you can keep running.

12-09-2013, 08:21 PM	#42 (permalink)
Tazicon Track Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Vegas Baby! Posts: 773 Drives: German/British cars Rep Power: 14	I would stick with a Coupe if I were you. Even with my Jeep in the winter I put the hard top on. If Z's had a hard top convertable (like the G's) I would say yes, but being a soft top I wouldn't do it. I am coming up on 50 this coming year, no kids etc. but I have a 2 seater, having 2 two seaters was my wifes problem. Our kids are gone and they don't even live with in 600 miles of us. I saw no reason not to both have a 2 seater but a happy wife makes for a happy life. I change cars more often than I change my shorts.

12-09-2013, 11:57 PM	#44 (permalink)
fzgood Base Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 136 Drives: '13 370z 6MT TS PW Rep Power: 25	best of luck finding a good one! might as well memorize where the hidden potholes are now.