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New London Member - Proud new owner


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Hi All,

 

just a quick hello as a new and first time owner of a 350z.

 

Me:

Brummie originally and still am at heart but lived in SW London for past 6 years. Had quite a few cars including S2000's, 130i Msport, 2 x e30 318is, mk2 Capri, modified Clio 172 (hillclimb/track car), few boring things like accords,and now coming from an e46 M3 which i just sold to get something more sensible. That hasn't worked at all as i've ended up with a 350z roadster! The wife's given me enough of a bolo**ing so no more on here please, just glad i've not ended up with a diesel which was the original plan. Still have the clio which is a track and hillclimb car (brands hatch this thursday if anyone is down there) so its a nice little garage at the moment.

 

The Car:

2005 GT spec Roadster

Grey with Azelan leather mesh seats

32k miles (hence buying it)

completely stock car

Bridgy Re050's on Rays

 

Thoughts on the Car:

 

THE GOOD:

 

No niggles at all mechanically apart from i think the clutch will probably need doing before 40k but is more than ok for now and will upgrade when it comes to doing it to a lightweight flywheel and decent clutch.

 

Love the sound the car makes, fantastic exhaust note and quiet engine. Refined and not chavvy

 

Steering feel is fantastic, beautifully weighted and steering wheel is a good size/thickness

 

Traction is a lovely balance for the car, just the right ratio of grip for the chassis and fun in the wet

 

Top end is more usable than i thought having read that the engine is such a slugger, find it revs very nicely and doesn't really run out of puff at the red line

 

Love the Bose (have upgraded 'essex spec' head unit which i may change back to stock) speaker package

 

Turn in is excellent and a lot more transparent than the M3, as is brake feel, feedback and modulation (m3 stock brakes really were poor). The overall traction is less than an M3 and its slightly more rear biased in terms of balance but for real life fun and driving its a lot more accessible. The M3 was hugely capable but to take one to its limits on public roads is pretty daft.

 

 

THE BAD:

 

Loves a drink!! i thought i would get similar mpg to my M3 but struggling to get 30 on a long motorway run where the M3 would do mid 30's reasonably easy if you stuck to 78 - 80 ish

 

The one BIG issue i have is with the seats!! Whoever designed the mesh seats in the roadster needs a stiff kick in the slabs!! They are truly crippling. I'm 6ft 3 and not small but even my other half thinks they're terrible. Anyone else have similar feelings or do most find these comfortable? Vicious, vile contraptions, may look at a swap for some other seats although i love the look of the mesh seats with the integrated head rest. Think a recaro PP may be a nice shout

 

I know this is going to cause some ructions but i did expect the car to be a little quicker than it is. I knew coming from the M there would be a drop in power and the roadster is no lightweight but it is considerably slower. Quick and fast enough for road use but wouldn't call it a fast car. Not complaining and happy with the way it puts the power down but did expect it to have a little more oomph.

 

 

THE UGLY:

The back end (rump) of the roadster could only be loved by its mother but i think its growing on me and looks a lot better with hood down. I fancied another convertible and i don't stare at its back side when i'm driving it (insert seedy joke here).

 

 

Overall really pleased with the car and perfect for what i want it for. Look forward to getting it over to wales this weekend and having a play!

 

cheers all

 

Matt

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Hi matt. Another noob like me!

They aren't the fastest car in the world but for road use I think they're quick enough. I suspect the soft top is a little slower than the coupe? If you check the region meets section of the site there is a Zed day at the ace cafe coming up in a few months. I've only had mine for a couple of weeks so am going along to meet some of the others, in case you fancy it...

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Welcome mate, good write up, some observations there that most would agree with I think.

 

The looks are of course subjective but I agree, roof down car looks ace, roof up it looks all a bit odd like it was put together using parts from different cars, the lines do not work at all. Targa top would have been cool ;)

 

Performance you mean as in acceleration? Zeds are lardy, with the roof gear in even more so, not sure what the paper times are for it (6 to 6.5 seconds 0-60 as a benchmark?) which puts it on par with most modern hot hatches etc. Its a cracking GT car though and pulls along motorways nicely.

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