Fervidia Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 (edited) I've done some reading up and searching online, and while there are plenty of guides and videos out there, I'm still rather confused when it comes to certain aspects of the vehicle. I want one, I know that much, however, I don't know if buying a 350z is a realistic option for me at this moment in time, and I am in no shape to go and look at specific listings as I know very little about the ins and outs of the car itself. Many of my questions listed below might be definitively answered in another post, poll or web-page, and a link to those would be appreciated as much as an answer! Models and Face-lift/s. For me personally, the 350z Coupe is the only model I will be looking into getting, as it is my dream car. That said, is there some glaringly obvious reason that I should consider a roadster to the coupe, or a 370 to a 350? As for face-lift/s, I've heard of a face-lift version, however I can't understand the differences, and can't tell them apart, are they different in any major way? Colours. I can probably quite easily find somewhere on this forum that details all of the manufacturer colours for the vehicle, but which is most common, and are there any side-by-side comparisons of all the colours? As a side note, has anyone had a 350z resprayed, if so, what colour/s, were there any complications or difficulties, and what was the cost of respraying one of these? Years. I've heard that there are (three?) different versions of the Z's engine: DE, RU and HR running from 2003 through 2008; is one particular type objectively better than the other two, and is there one that should be actively avoided? I've heard things about taxation differences between pre and post 2006 models, how does this affect vehicle costs on a long-term scope? Trim Levels. What is the complete range of trim levels available, are there any significant alterations to asking price for different trims, and is there one level of trim that is 'better' than the others, e.g: I know that having a built-in factory sat-nav is pretty much worthless. It may also be of use to note the rarity of these differences if you know such information. Optional Extras. Aside from trim levels, what other extras are available from factory, and are there any in specific that one should look out for when viewing a used 350z? Modified Versus Stock. There are a lot of non-stock 350's out there from my brief inspection at places like Auto Trader and PistonHeads, and while I don't want to have a stock model, I would want to acquire the car as close to stock as possible, or at least with the stock components that were swapped out; is it possible to acquire a stock model, or are modified versions all that is available these days? Replacement Parts. Several questions immediately spring up when it comes to replacement parts: Are both OEM and aftermarket parts still available at a reasonable price from garages and dealers, or are second-hand parts the only available option? Are aftermarket parts better, or at least as good as OEM when it comes to both quality and functionality? Mileage. Mileage never really concerns me when looking at cars; I understand the implications of wear and tear on components, but perhaps a model with 500,000 miles on has survived so long that it may have renewed most of its problematic parts? What sort of mileage milestones are common on these cars, and what are things to look out for in particular? E.g. clutch, rust under arches and skirts, etc. Where and When to Look. I have no true experience in buying cars, especially from private sales as my first car was a hand-me-down, and my second was purchased through Volvo's Selekt (second hand car sales) at a dealership. As for buying a car that is now somewhere around ten years of age, I doubt I'll be able to find any examples, even at second-hand garages without some prior investigation and asking around; where is the best place to look for these sorts of cars, e.g. Ebay perhaps? Price Range. I understand that certain features of the above mentioned topics will greatly affect the asking price of the car, but what is a sensible price range for these things, for your average-spec model? I'm not too certain wether buying something such as a 350z is viable for me right now as I've seen broken models at around £2,000 to £4,000, and working models going for anything between £5,000 and £20,000. The basis of this falls down to how long I need to save up before I can get one. Expenses. Previously I mentioned tax, but are there any other expenses that come with long-term ownership of such a vehicle outside of refuelling, general servicing, insurance, and expendable parts (such as tyres, wiper blades, oil, etc.) Thanks for taking the time out to read the above and help a newcomer like myself understand Z's a little better! Dominic. Edited February 19, 2018 by Fervidia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob350 Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 A few quick basics for you... DE, 276bhp UR, 298bhp HR, 313bhp De engines in models up to 05 I think then UR (revised DE Engine with a slightly higher red line, extra 500 rpm I think) till 06/07, they come with the facelift interior (a bit more leather and moved a few buttons and got an extra cup holder) also got led rear lights and hid headlights Then HR 80% new engine with twin air intakes and a bulge in the bonnet, come with the same facelift interior and lights. UK spec cars are GT or non GT, gt spec has all the optional extras like brembos, bose, heated leather seats, slip diff etc Jap inports have a variation of all the optional extras. When it comes to which model to buy it depends on your budget... the HR is slightly faster and has a slightly nicer interior to the DE I don't own a HR but this is what I have heard of the model... The HR suffers from oil gallery gasket failure at any random time, and costs around 1500 to 2000 to be repaired at a garage with better longer lasting gaskets. Also they have been known to have clutch slave cylinder failure and unfortunately the slave cylinder is mounted inside the gearbox so cost abit in labour to swap out. That's my quick bit of info anyway, I'm sure many others will be on shortly to correct me and advice you more, but the MAIN thing to remember is that no matter what model you get... they are all amazing cars that will put a smile on your face everytime you drive it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fervidia Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 16 minutes ago, Rob350 said: A few quick basics for you... DE, 276bhp UR, 298bhp HR, 313bhp De engines in models up to 05 I think then UR (revised DE Engine with a slightly higher red line, extra 500 rpm I think) till 06/07, they come with the facelift interior (a bit more leather and moved a few buttons and got an extra cup holder) also got led rear lights and hid headlights Then HR 80% new engine with twin air intakes and a bulge in the bonnet, come with the same facelift interior and lights. UK spec cars are GT or non GT, gt spec has all the optional extras like brembos, bose, heated leather seats, slip diff etc Jap inports have a variation of all the optional extras. When it comes to which model to buy it depends on your budget... the HR is slightly faster and has a slightly nicer interior to the DE I don't own a HR but this is what I have heard of the model... The HR suffers from oil gallery gasket failure at any random time, and costs around 1500 to 2000 to be repaired at a garage with better longer lasting gaskets. Also they have been known to have clutch slave cylinder failure and unfortunately the slave cylinder is mounted inside the gearbox so cost abit in labour to swap out. That's my quick bit of info anyway, I'm sure many others will be on shortly to correct me and advice you more, but the MAIN thing to remember is that no matter what model you get... they are all amazing cars that will put a smile on your face everytime you drive it Thanks a bunch, every bit of information helps me consider the right choice/s! It sounds like I will be looking more towards UR engine models unless the shortcomings of the HR are universally for all 350's; I love higher revving engines, especially when it is a 6 cylinder as opposed to your standard 4 that is in most 'normal' cars. GT spec sounds like a nice bonus, although that would depend on the possible pricing difference and if I personally feel like a few nice add-ons are worth it; The interior wouldn't bother me too much as long as I can sort out anything that is particularly beat-up or worn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyAfro Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 RU (Rev Up) is the 06 revised DE engine with a 7k redline. UR (UpRev) is an ECU tuning company that provide the remap software for the 350z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack94 Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 (edited) Firstly welcome to the forum. Not sure I'll be able to help with all your questions but should be able to give you a bit of info at least.. As the guys have said, there's the original DE, the revised DE Rev up and HR engines. The DE is pre-facelift whereas the Rev up and HR are face-lift so like Rob said they have a better interior, better headlights/taillights and also I think the front bumper is slightly different. I don't think there's any common issues with the DE engine but again as Rob has said oil gallery gaskets are apparently a common failure on HRs and I think some Rev ups consume excessive amounts of oil (I have a rev up and it doesn't use any oil at all). I don't think there's really any reason to pick a convertible or coupe other than personal preference whether you want a roof or not Not so sure on colours, mine's silver which im pretty sure is one of the most common. If you have a look round the forum you should be able to find plenty of pics of all the different ones. Some people get hung up on the extra £250/year tax for 06+ cars but in the grand scheme of running one of these cars that's peanuts, I wouldn't let that influence your decision at all. Aside from the GT pack and birdview sat nav I think the only other major optional extras were a Nismo bodykit and wheels (Not 100% sure on this though, happy to be corrected). There's plenty of stock 350s about so you shouldn't have any trouble finding one if that's what your after. If you plan on modifying it yourself though may be worth trying to find one with your desired mods already done, could save you a lot of cash. Replacement parts both OEM and aftermarket are readily available from plenty of places and most of them are reasonably priced, you have to keep in mind though the Z is a sports car so parts are always going to be a bit more expensive. If you go for a reputable brand I would've thought aftermarket stuff will be at least as good as oem. I wouldn't get too hung up on mileage, much better to have a higher mileage well looked after car than a neglected lower mileage one. Clutches are consumable at the end of the day so again wouldn't worry about that too much, however rust can be a problem so definitely a good idea to have a really good look round the car, in all the arches and underneath if possible. Prices can vary anything from 5k for a DE to 10k for a HR depending on condition, mileage etc. Ebay, autotrader, pistonheads, gumtree. All good places to look. Don't be afraid to travel some distance to find a good example. Can't think of any other expenses you haven't already mentioned. Edited February 19, 2018 by Jack94 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fervidia Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 1 hour ago, OnlyAfro said: RU (Rev Up) is the 06 revised DE engine with a 7k redline. UR (UpRev) is an ECU tuning company that provide the remap software for the 350z. Does anyone know much of a benefit a stock Z get from remapping alone? Is this something that is taken as a given with sports cars, or are they as good as can be out of the box until you decide to bolt on extra power? 55 minutes ago, Jack94 said: Firstly welcome to the forum. Not sure I'll be able to help with all your questions but should be able to give you a bit of info at least.. As the guys have said, there's the original DE, the revised DE Rev up and HR engines. The DE is pre-facelift whereas the Rev up and HR are face-lift so like Rob said they have a better interior, better headlights/taillights and also I think the front bumper is slightly different. I don't think there's any common issues with the DE engine but again as Rob has said oil gallery gaskets are apparently a common failure on HRs and I think some Rev ups consume excessive amounts of oil (I have a rev up and it doesn't use any oil at all). I don't think there's really any reason to pick a convertible or coupe other than personal preference whether you want a roof or not Not so sure on colours, mine's silver which im pretty sure is one of the most common. If you have a look round the forum you should be able to find plenty of pics of all the different ones. Some people get hung up on the extra £250/year tax for 06+ cars but in the grand scheme of running one of these cars that's peanuts, I wouldn't let that influence your decision at all. Aside from the GT pack and birdview sat nav I think the only other major optional extras were a Nismo bodykit and wheels (Not 100% sure on this though, happy to be corrected). There's plenty of stock 350s about so you shouldn't have any trouble finding one if that's what your after. If you plan on modifying it yourself though may be worth trying to find one with your desired mods already done, could save you a lot of cash. Replacement parts both OEM and aftermarket are readily available from plenty of places and most of them are reasonably priced, you have to keep in mind though the Z is a sports car so parts are always going to be a bit more expensive. If you go for a reputable brand I would've thought aftermarket stuff will be at least as good as oem. I wouldn't get too hung up on mileage, much better to have a higher mileage well looked after car than a neglected lower mileage one. Clutches are consumable at the end of the day so again wouldn't worry about that too much, however rust can be a problem so definitely a good idea to have a really good look round the car, in all the arches and underneath if possible. Prices can vary anything from 5k for a DE to 10k for a HR depending on condition, mileage etc. Ebay, autotrader, pistonheads, gumtree. All good places to look. Don't be afraid to travel some distance to find a good example. Can't think of any other expenses you haven't already mentioned. Perhaps a DE might be a better option for myself then, a lower price tag will give me a bit of a buffer fund for maintenance and insurance, thanks for all the information, I can't thank you people enough for taking your time out to answer my endless horde of questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob350 Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 A remap with all the Bolt on mods, exhaust, intake, decats will only bring a 25 to 30 bhp power increase at most so not much really, but a remap does take off a slight power restriction in 1st 2nd and 3rd, so apparently makes the car feel alot better to drive. I went for DE myself for the reasons it was cheaper to buy so more money to mod, there's not as many expensive common faults, and the speed/power difference between the DE and rev up/HR version will only really be noticeable in a drag race and the difference would be minimal, maybe a car length or 2 by the time your both at 100mph. If you wanted the better lights and interior from thenfacelift in your DE they could always be bought and swapped over really easily and alotnof people do swap out the headlights and taillights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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