davey_83 Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 Nearly 20 years from debut and with no new Z for Europe, is now the time for a 350? https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-spottedykywt/nissan-350z--spotted/45064 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelda Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 I read this yesterday, and went through the comments. Quite a lot of negative POV out there about the poor zed unfortunately. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 Yes lots of misconceptions, plenty of people that think it is going to be as loud as a V8, as nimble as an MX5, as fast as a modern hot hatch so on and so forth. They don't take into account the design is knocking on the door of 20 years old and that it is a GT car designed more for mile munching than tight B road bombing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee370Z Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 I was surprised to read that most of the comments were negative as well. The 350/370 have never been loved on PH though to be fair, but you'd think with it being a car enthusiasts website that there would be more love for them. I do personally prefer turbo engines and that is why I'm disappointed that the new Z isn't coming to Europe, however I personally think that the 350/370 have loads of charm and character, and I certainly love mine for sure. I really like how individual and rare the 350 is now, and who doesn't want a V6 RWD Coupe with a manual gearbox and a LSD! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted December 16, 2021 Author Share Posted December 16, 2021 Definitely misconceptions following on from Clarkson's review of it back in the days, although much better drivers ie Vicki Butler-Henderson and Tiff Needell absolutely loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortPaul Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 The zed that Clarkson had was also a import Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted December 16, 2021 Author Share Posted December 16, 2021 (edited) Touch more power than our 03-05 350z however US tuned suspension as the UK version had slightly better body control. At least it was the higher spec with leather, Brembo brakes and BOSE sound system however no remote audio or cruise control. Much wrong information in that review. "Datsun as Nissan was called back then" No Nissan were always Nissan however used Datsun to launch the brand overseas. "Renault engine in the 350z" again no it was a Nissan designed and built engine that Renault had used (lesser tuned) as a customer. Edited December 16, 2021 by davey_83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 I think the thing with the 350 is that it wasn’t perfect, not by any means. The interior was cheap and nasty even back then, the stock engine note was awful, and out of the factory it did handle much like the transport favoured by Rosie & Jim. Other comments on that thread are dodgy gearshift (yup), thirsty af (yup), and blunted by the weight of it (yup). And yet it’s still great fun. I maintain it’s possibly the worst performance car I’ve ever owned, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. Practically every competitor of the era was better, but there is something about the 350Z that I will never be able to put my finger on that just made it irresistible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 I have nothing to add to this thread (although that doesn't usually stop me...). I'm just here for this topical reference. 37 minutes ago, Ekona said: the transport favoured by Rosie & Jim. I literally have nothing else to add. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 And even as I wrote it, I feared it would go over so many heads on this forum. I am relieved it wasn’t entirely wasted now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 I'm not sure if I should proud or ashamed. Of myself and you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azurez33 Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 I feel all has been said here…. but majority of these reviews come from people who jump in drive for a little bit then get back to their hot hatches of the new age and complain about what was “hip” back in the day 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee370Z Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 5 hours ago, Ekona said: I think the thing with the 350 is that it wasn’t perfect, not by any means. The interior was cheap and nasty even back then, the stock engine note was awful, and out of the factory it did handle much like the transport favoured by Rosie & Jim. Other comments on that thread are dodgy gearshift (yup), thirsty af (yup), and blunted by the weight of it (yup) It was a hero car for me though. I had my 18 month old S14a 200SX back in 2002 at the time(I had it for 4 years), so the 350Z was a natural replacement for me. Plus I'd lusted after the Z32 300ZX Twin Turbo for as long as I can remember prior to having the 200 as well. The 350 is much better than you describe it for me. I guess that I'm a massive fanboy of Z cars though being fair! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted December 17, 2021 Author Share Posted December 17, 2021 Would have been nice to see the episode whereby the TG showed the award, would have turned sales around and more importantly the image of the car here in the UK. However it might have added 30-50% to the used car values reducing its bang for buck appeal. NISSAN 350Z – ‘TOP GEAR MAGAZINE CAR OF THE YEAR’ 2004 Top Gear Magazine commented: “From the moment you sit in the driver’s seat, the Z feels like something special. It has the right shape, the right noise, the right pace, the right poise. All at the right price. The Nissan 350Z deserves its place as our car of the year”. https://uk.nissannews.com/en-GB/releases/release-12348-nissan-350z-top-gear-magazine-car-of-the-year-2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) Back in 'em good ole days a lot of us were lured into 350's by VBH. A grainy vid now, but for those who young-uns out there here is what/who turned a lot of us on.......driving the great roads around the Elan Valley that so many of us enjoyed in our 350/370 days Edited December 17, 2021 by Ebized Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted December 17, 2021 Author Share Posted December 17, 2021 No need to go all shaky Few tweaks and driven properly, they're quite handy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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