Getting rid of my Z. Any recommendations for a replacement?

SouthArk370Z

Thanks!

I've been doing a lot of "networking" the past week or so. So far, I've been getting the expecting mix of mostly good things with a few minor complaints every now and then for most of the other dealers within 50 miles or so of me. The local Nissan dealer and a Chevy dealer in another town are the only ones getting mostly bad reviews and even they have their fans.

Maybe I'm expecting too much. It just seems to me that when I pay to have "all the fluids changed (except the differential; did that about 10K miles ago), change the intake and cabin air filters, and do the 30K scheduled maintenance" that the power steering bottle would be above touching the low line, the battery would have been checked (can't swear that they didn't check it but there was dust on the top and caps when I got home), the cabin air filter would be replaced, and the tires would have more than 210kPa in them (they were at 230-235 two days before, so I'm guessing they couldn't read the tag in the door jamb (240kPa) and let some air out). Oh! And they changed the oil change alert to 5K miles without asking even I had told the Service Rep that I stick to the factory 3750. I don't have a lot of confidence that they actually did the trans/brake/coolant flushes.
And that's just one visit to one dealer.

But anyway. Life is good - much better than I deserve - so I'll just grit my teeth, find a car I can get worked on, and carry on.

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karotZ

Good choices for the GTI, Ford Focus ST, for the FR-S you should be able to take that to Toyota, S2000 would be fantastic and will run forever since it's a Honda. Have you considered Lexus for a 4 door sporty look? For Lexus, you should be able to take it to Toyota. How about Infiniti dealerships nearby? For either a G35 or G37.

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SouthArk370Z

Gotta love car salespeople. I asked how much they were willing to give me for the Z on a trade-in. "Depends on what you'll be buying." What?!? What does anything but the condition of the Z have to do with what it's worth? No good answer to that question just another "depends." After much hemming, hawing, and calling in managers, I finally got "somewhere between 17 and 18-five."

While that's not an insulting offer, I've been offered $20K, no trade, by one of the used car lots that I've done business with before. I got the feeling the guy wants it for his personal car. From what I've found on the 'Net, somewhere around $20,700 is the most I can expect. I need to grab that while the offer is hot but don't want to have to rent a car while looking for a replacement.

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SouthArk370Z

I'm getting conflicting reports on the only VW repair shop in town. Independent shop and, by all reports, very good with the old, air-cooled Beetles/buses/&c. Maybe not so much with a recent VW. Still investigating.

I talked to the Ford dealer again and he is expecting an ST and another Mustang "soon." Will test drive ASAP.

I will call the Toyota shop and see what they say. Thanks for the tip.

The S2000 is on the short list but I'm still not sold on a vert. If it had a hardtop, it would be a main contender.

Hadn't really thought about Lexus. Will take a look. Thanks again.

No Infiniti dealers in town but that is a great idea since Infiniti and Nissan share so many parts. I'll check the Infiniti web site after I finish this post.
Edit: Closest Infiniti dealer is 80 miles (I think it's closer to 100, but the web site says 80) away in Shreveport, LA. If I were only closer to Shreveport, I'd have my pick of brands.

Thanks

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jdsto

I've been driving an IS 250 RWD with a 6M for almost 4 years. Its a fun car to drive, BUT since getting my Zed (I'm Canadian eh) a few weeks ago I have learned what I've been missing. 205hp vs 332hp is hard to take.

This is like a Seinfeld episode where Seinfeld and George are offered 1 ticket for an upgrade to first class on a flight. Seinfeld asks George if he has ever flown first class. George says no to which Seindfeld replies I have so I should take the ticket you are better off not knowing.

I think power in a car works the same way, going backwards will be very tough to do. You will always know what you are missing.

SouthArk370Z

Yeah. I've thought about that. Quite a bit.

The 200HP figure was more of a minimum, not a target. I'm not averse to having more HP, it's just that I don't really need it.

Thirty or forty years ago it would have been no contest - the more HP, the better. Nowadays, I'd rather have a car that can take a corner. I guess that as I've gotten older, I prefer my Gs laterally.

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Psiyon

Sorry to hear your considering unloading the Z due to teriible dealersh1ts in your area.

Thinking outside the box of the normal mustang, camaro, challenger. Are you into sporty sedans at all? If so i have couple suggestions.

2012 Buick Regal GS. It has a nice set of specs. 270hp and 295tq. I test drove one back in 2012 before buying my 2010 NISMO. It was alot of fun to drive but I hate paying full retail for a car. Back then it was $36959 and now can be had for $21k to $25k. It's a sleeper car. Opt for the ones that have factory 20" polished rims unless your wanting to go with aftermarket rims. They come with factory summer tires. Sure wish GM would came back with the Grand National or give us the European version of the Regal GS: twin turbo V6 with AWD. Damn CAFE standards.

2007-2008 Acura TL Type-S. A year or 2 outside your want list but a very nice car. 286hp and 250tq. They are still head turner imo. Can be had for around $17k to 25k if wanting one under 100k miles. It's Honda tech so they run forever.

Good luck with whatever you end up with.

H2O_Doc

Now I know by where you live, that your home is on wheels. I say just get new sway bars for your mobile home and drive that.

SouthArk370Z

I have a slight preference for 2-doors but a 4-door is fine. My DD before I got the Z was a 4-door Pontiac Grand Prix GTP.
The pics I found of the GS look pretty good. I'll investigate further. The Acura isn't quite as good looking but would be OK if the handling is there. Thanks.

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bvl

Are you jumping the gun a bit here? I use a local Nissan/Chrysler dealer and they have been relatively fine. Even though I can do my own stuff, I have been using them for most of my basic maintenance (I do my own air filters, its cake).

*ANY* dealership can scam you. Anyone can not change fluids and just charge you. Often the simple maintenance stuff is done by their low order grease monkeys while the seasoned and certified techs work on the hard stuff. Some level of trust must be established starting with blind faith on the consumer end.

And that is something to consider: sounds like your car has just been basic maintenance for a few years and you are more aggressive with the preventative care? Nothing wrong with that (I did my diff and trans myself, even though that is only 'premium service' according to Nissan).

Why unload a car you like to drive just like that? Next time in for service that is more then just an oil change, ask to speak to the tech for a few minutes: just to meet them, and ask 'so you see anything else of interest on the car?'

More often then not they will probably be entertained in the fact they got to work on a Z, which is rare in itself

Otherwise you have good feedback. For a FWD car the Ford ST's are getting rave reviews. I also would look at a RWD 'merican thunder if you could. V8's are fun and the MPG won't be much different then the Z

- b

SouthArk370Z

I've had similar experiences with the two Nissan dealers that are closest to me. It wasn't just the one episode. I can see how "And that's just one visit to one dealer." could be confusing. It was just one visit - out of many - to one dealer - of three.

A lot of good suggestions that I really appreciate.

Yeah. Nothing like the sound of a thumpin' V-8. If I can find a good deal on a V-8, I'll jump on it but most sixes and quite a few fours have enough power for me, so why pay a premium to get an eight?

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Codename067

If I would get rid of my 370z, I would def pick up a clean, low mile E46 M3

Only because I've always wanted one.

bvl

Why? Because it goes to 11.

You don't need a reason other then its yummy. I didn't need to get the 335d for my commuter, a baby turbo 4 would do fine too. I like the torque.

I agree the 6's in both the bow tie and ford coupes are pretty slick for what they are but given how porky those cars are, its gotta be an 8.

- b

Joepro

Forget the dealer if you do not like them, there has to be ONE competent mechanic in a resonable range, you need to find some other sports cars people in your area to find out where they go, for routine stuff the Z is just a car, nothing special about it. That said the only reason im a Z guy and not an S2k guy is im fat. My best friend traded his s2k in with 240k miles because cyl one was starting to lose compression, damn things are amazing.

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SouthArk370Z

I've been looking for over a year for an independent shop that can work on Zs (or Nissans, in general). If s/he is out there, s/he is staying well hidden.

For oil changes and such, yeah, just about anybody should be able to do that. If the car didn't sit so low to the ground, I'd DIY. But the car is probably going to need a "real" mechanic before too long.

If I need someone to work on "classic" cars, I have quite a few good options.* Not so much for modern cars.

The S2000 is sounding better all the time. Apparently they hold up very well if not abused. I haven't talked to anyone that has had an S2000 (rare as hen's teeth around here) worked on at the local dealer but most ppl I've talked to are satisfied with the work done on other models. The convertible top worries me a bit; they are getting old enough to start having (expensive) problems. Is there a manual mode of operation (ie, hand crank or "freewheel"), in case something electrical fails?



* One being DIY but I just don't enjoy working on cars as much as I used to. The last "big" job I did was rebuilding a "Ford design four speed" (AKA toploader) about 6-7 years ago and it was getting to be a chore before I got done. I've had my mower apart for 2 months and having a hard time working up the want-to to go put it back together.

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