Help me decide please
 

Hi Folks,

I am about to jump into an used 2009 370z touring with 50K on it and upgraded Navi/sports package for $22K. I was hoping you people could help me decide whether this is a smart decision.

Is this a decent price for the car?

I work in Detroit, commute for about 80 miles a day, and I plan on driving it on a daily basis (yes, snowy winters as well). I suppose I should get winter tires and their own rims...

From the threads, I see that tires will be a big expense, as well as increased cost on premium gas.

I have a great driving record, but I suspect my insurance cost will go up as well.

CarProof tells me that there isn't any accidents (reported), but what else should I look for?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

L.T.

The price isn't horrible, considering its a loaded Z. I think I paid around 22K for my Touring Sport this past January. That was a pretty great deal for a Z like that in my area (winter special :p).

As far as commuting, I'm not sure I would buy a Z if a had to drive that many miles per day. People that buy/own Z's typically aren't looking for a commuter friendly car. As you know, the car also requires premium..which adds more to the fuel expense. I drove 200 miles just yesterday, nonstop. I drove like an old lady and kept the rpms below 3000, as I was curious to the best possible mileage. I calculated it out to be about 25.8 mpgs. Now that's all highway, and driving as easy as possible. That's decent mpg for a sports car with that kind of power but just know you can forget about gas mileage. Like I always tell people, when I'm in town driving, I'm driving a pickup.

Winter commute=absolutely no. My Z is stored for the winter. Instead of wasting money on snow tires and having to put the car through winter roads why not just buy a beater? I do this and it actually saves me on insurance because the Z isn't considered to be my primary (commuter) car.

Nearly everything will be more expensive than your typical car. Gas, insurance, tires as you mentioned (my rears are about $300 a piece), repairs.

Having said all that, the Z really is an excellent car. Just know what you're getting into. They are very reliable vehicles, especially the motors. I had a 350z before upgrading to my 370z. Once you get a feel for a Z, it is very difficult to switch to a different car. You have been warned.:tiphat::driving:

Hi Zaimer,

I love the look of the Z, and can't seem to find anything else that would even come close to it.

Thanks for the tip about the beater, but does that not increase your overall insurance since you have to pay for an additional car? I guess I should talk to my insurance agent first. :)

I test drove it today, and had a huge smile on my face the entire time. I guess I need to figure out how much that's worth to me....

Any other tips?

Cheers,

L.T.

With regards to insurance. Buying a beater you can get a multi-car discount, have another policy (home, renters) insurance - another discount. They also have lay down periods, for me December through March I don't drive the car, knocked $300 off my rate.

you should consider G37 Coupe. 370z is a true sport and it sit very low, rock chip entered rear wheel always annoy me.Also you should consider adding oil cooler. The engine will hot as F*K after that long distance

insurance ? it is 100$ more expensive than my 06 camry (6 months) :bowrofl::bowrofl:

I use my Z as a daily driver. Expect a certain amount of wear and learn to live with it. Cars are meant to be driven.

That said, my job responsibilities are changing and I'm looking at getting a second car with better mileage and that I'll care less about door dings and whatnot.

Cars are meant to be driven but a Z in 80 miles of congestion is no fun.

Get a different car unless you have a dd. Do it like you mean it.

Agreed. From November to April I pay a 'car in garage' rate for the Z. Get a beater with liability then during the summer make it 'car in garage'. You'll find very little of an increase.

Before you tell him the Z is not a commute car you should ask him if he plans on getting an automatic and what his traffic is like. If you commute 80 miles how much is stop and go? A manual anything sucks in stop and go. But if 75 are open (and hopefully fun) then deal with the 5 miles.

I love my Z... but to drive it 80 miles a day in traffic and have to do all my grocery and holiday shopping in it...eh, I'll pass. Its very cramped on space, really loud inside the cabin you hear everything on the road, and is completely not practical as a dd. That being said a lot of people do dd it and love it. If this is the car you have always wanted, I say live the dream hah.

Really? I would kill for an 80 mile commute in my Z. I'm driving down to the end of the driveway just to get more seat time. :D

Price seems a little high? I bought my '11 Sport with 22k miles for $23k a couple of months ago. This one is Touring+Nav and I am sure that affects it, but...still seems kind of high.

An 80 mile per day DD? NO thanks. Price seems pretty fair, just make sure all scheduled maintenance has been completed.

Insurance...I added a 93 honda civic and my rate changed from $135 to $90 per month. I drive it a few times per week and some pretty decent distances on weekends. I myself will most likely be putting the car up from December through March.

I am 25 years old with a clean driving record. I have a Chevy Z71 that insurance was costing 415 every 6 months. I just purchased a 2014 370Z and was worried that my issuance would go up. Being i got the multi car discount my truck insurance went down to 315 and my new Z is now 415. Not nearly as bad as i thought it was going to be.

I do a ~95 MI round trip every day. Some highway, some congested surface streets, some back roads (fun!). I have no issues with the Z during my commute. That being said, I have been commuting with a manual transmission for years now, so if I do run into major traffic, it's not that big of a deal. Even with my lightened flywheel, the Z is very easy to drive at low speeds. The car will idle around 1k with no issues, so slipping the clutch and just letting the car do it's thing will take some strain off of the left leg.

With regards to practicality, it's a wonderful car if you don't have children or large animals... I can do all the shopping that I need and I have fit several large items in the car. Cat back exhaust, still in boxes, no problem. Four tires, done!

I'm not sure that I would want to try to drive in snow.

i love to drive my z but there's NO WAY i'd drive it during the winter...that's a NO to winter driving...not only is it not safe AT ALL but you'll tear the hell-o out of the car...owning a sports car is more expensive...that comes with the territory...if you want to save money then buy a civic...we lease an all wheel drive santé fe for dd/winter driving...the additional payment sucks but i figure i'll get that money back thru less wear and tear/miles on my z :D

Driving in the snow is all about having good quality winter tires on the car. That said, ride height is an issue so if you live in a place where there's constantly deep snow you'll want to get something with lots of clearance for the winters!

Always look on auto trader. That is the best way to find exactly what you want for the best price. You might have to travel to get what you want but sometimes it worth it. For instance I found a great deal on my 2011 touring sport with nav, had 26,000 miles and I had to travel about 1700 miles round trip but I only paid 19,400$ because the guy was in a tight spot and had to sell asap. That kinda deal doesn't happen often but it does happen. Just to be fair there was damage to the rear bumper and side skirts and the wheels were rashed but it was still about 7500$ under blue book

Welcome...You might check out the 370Z selection for sale on our forum.I am
sure each and every one of these 370Z sports cars were well cared for from day one......................



:hello:

im more worried about other dumbarse drivers crashing into me in the
snow and ice. felt like a frikken sitting duck while i was motoring my other
rwd coupe to work one winter season on LM60's.

car did fine as expected, but the accelerated corrosion from salt and other
drivers around me killed it for me. never doing that again in a car i like. :shakes head:

beater dd's ftw!

I can definitely see that but I've always been in a position where I couldn't afford a dd/winter beater. That said, I'll definitely be keeping my current car as my daily/winter car when I can get into my next sports car. Hopefully, the next few years will be good to me and it will be sooner rather than later.

This car in winter? I couldnt imagine. I've been in a Genesis coupe with blizzaks in the winter and it was plain out retarded. The 370Z is much lower. Good luck. You asked for help in making a smart decision.... you live in detroit and get harsh winters. Buy a Maxima or get a winter vehicle.

kinda like the saying about full coverage insurance, premium gas, etc...same goes for a winter beater. If you can't afford it, you can't afford a sports car. Just my .02 :tiphat:

I completely agree. Even if you did get some awesome winter tires, the car only sits a few inches off the ground! That's one of the biggest issues with off roading/winter driving..ground clearance. I love the Maximas and when I drove a few (rentals) I couldn't believe the power it has for a sedan that size. I've thought about trading the Z for the Maxima for a number of reasons but I just can't get myself to do it.. :p

This only comes into play if you live off the beaten path. Most places that get a lot of snow are efficient at snow removal and so the times when the snow is too deep to travel on are short lived and are times when you probably shouldn't be on the road anyway.

that's why i waited until 45 to get this car...so i could afford it along with another nice car...10 years ago i had an rx8...it was my dd and i drove it in the winter...it was a nightmare (no matter what tires) and doesn't have near the power the z does...and 4 winter seasons destroyed it...sports cars are toys...they aren't meant to be a dd or winter car...it's that simple

We will have to agree to disagree. Won't speak to the winters because mine aren't harsh, but can't be a DD? Really? Makes me wonder how folks are putting upwards of 70-80k miles and more on them!

i believe 90ST uses his Z for cross-country delivery service...

I DD my Nismo currently, but I'm also looking to invest in a POS Jeep Cherokee before the first snow flies. I live on a flat street and literally needed a push early this year when we had maybe an inch of snow. Never again...

I would do that, as long as I had a fleet of Z's. :driving:

yah, he has one z and bought a csc 3-pack. :icon17:

I also live near detroit, I daily drove my car last winter 80 miles a day 5 days a week with no problems until we got that freak storm of like 17 inches of snow. Obviously the Z went nowhere for a few days. I probably put a good 10k miles on my Z last winter. Get yourself a good set of winter tires and its doable.

Wow, thanks everyone for your suggestions. This really helps!!

Just to clarify, the Z I'm considering is a standard. I am lucky enough to drive in opposing traffic on i75, so I motor quite a bit on the highway, not too much stop and go....

Went to the dealer today, and they are pushing for a 4 year, 80K extended warranty (bumper to bumper) for almost 4K. I've always heard that you should never buy extended warranty on anything, so should I pass on this or should I bite the bullet and just get it to avoid future large expenses?

Thanks again for your help,

L.T.

Car should come with 3 year/36k mile warranty or something similar. I always wait until around the two year mark of ownership, keeping track of mileage, and then decide if I want to invest in extending the warranty coverage. I personally feel that if there are going to be major issues, they will manifest in those first 2-3 years...if they don't, I lass on extending the warranty. You could bank that same 4k (takes a little willpower) and be prepared for any necessary repairs. If/when there are none, you have more buying power at trade up time!

But since this is a used car (2009) beyond even the 5 year powertrain warranty ....

Hmmm, how good are you at bending wrenches? How willing are you to bend wrenches? Have you checked the internet to see what other coverage is offered by somebody other than the dealer?

Yeah, summer tires + snow = going nowhere. A set of winter tires will resolve this issue if you have no desire or can't afford a second car. I've daily driven RWD sports cars in Missouri winters for well over a decade. This past summer I had my first FWD car in the winter and I don't like it at all...lol.

^^ what are wrenches? Haha. I don't know much about fixing anything myself other than top up some fluids. This is a 5 year old car, the dealer is pushing a warranty from an independent warranty provider. I drive about 20k per year, so this 4 year 80k thing actually works out ok for me for the terms. Just not sure if it is a money grab or not.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I worked it out, having a winter beater seems to work out great. It cost me the same amount in insurance to have a beater and the z as insuring only the z by itself (multi car bundles), and it cost me the same if I were to get a set of winter tires plus cheap rims versus getting a beater.
Now, just the warranty thing....

you won't regret the winter beater...it's safer than driving a sports car in the winter and you won't be putting your z thru hell-o with the perils of winter (especially the salt)

as for the warranty...pass and take your chances...look at it this way...if you pay for the warranty and never use it, then it's money wasted...just put that money aside and if you need it, it's there...if you never need it, then you'll have it for something else

my best to you

:tup: awesome! and if your insurance has a leisure car policy, you can decide
on an annual milage for your z to get yourself a lower rate.