IIIsolitaireIII Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Hi everyone *waves* My name is Adam and i am from northumberland in the north east of england i am new to this forum and the whole 350z way of life. i am currently considering buying a zed soon, but have a few questions. this will be my first ever rear wheel drive car and the most powerful i have ever owned. am i diving in at the deep end or will i be able to handel the car ok? what is the car like to drive in winter as i wwill be using the car all year round? are these cars expensive to run as a everyday car? thanks for the help and advise in advance Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontPanic Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Hi Adam, to the club. This was the second rear wheel drive I owned but had bucket loads more horses, if you treat it with respect you should be alright. Drive to the conditions and you should not have a problem. I use mine as my everyday car, commuting 70 miles a day. At a squeeze I have achieved 31mpg but normally lucky to see 26mpg With the recent ice and snow I didnt even risk taking the car. I got caught out a couple of days and had no choice but to drive in the snow, luckily there were no major hills as I doubt I would have got up them. Took it easy and didnt have any problems. A few owners ended up leaving the cars at the bottom of hills! The joys of a rear wheel drive vehicle with not much weight over the back wheels. (My previous rear wheel drive was a BMW and had the same problem) Only had the car for about 8 months and just booked in for my first P1 service (oil change) and have been quoted £77, reasonably running costs was one of the things that swayed me towards the zed. The other thing was once I drove one nothing else within my price range was as much fun All the best with the search Cheers Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 My first & only RWD car aswell I've never had any problems adjusting to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Wel come Adam ... you're asking the right questions so I'm sure you'll be OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 It's not a difficult car to drive at all as it's quite lardy and the engine is a lazy lump, so don't be put off by the horror stories you may hear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yokomo Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 well HI ! will you be able to handle it , guess it depnds on what your coming from but I find the Z can be quite dosile if you not trying ie keep the revs down and shift early. winter , erm snow = not going very far i couldnt get out my dirve and becuase of small slope and ice ! expensive for everyday use , i use mine for the commute but it all depnds on your funds really . serviceing etc aint that bad its the fuel that can kill you but hey cant have it all ways . bets get test driving i guess ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Welcome to the forum I came from a 1.4 to the 3.5 v6 beast and i was fine, you just need to be sensable and get to know your car before you put the foot down. Yes it is expensive to run as it is a 3.5 lol what do you expect But it is defo worth all the pennies I say go for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 welcome to the club, cars not difficult to drive as long as you give it some time to get used to it. lots of safety aids in place to stop you being a complete tit. but if you want to learn to use it properly go and do a airfield taster day. i did one last year for about £46 for the day. big open airfield 1 car out at a time and you can learn to use the car on the limit without risk of smashing it up. as for running cost and is it cheap it depends what you compare it to. compared to a 1.4 fiesta then no its expensive to run. compared to a porshe or lambo then its fairly cheap. full tank of petrol (super unleaded is its preferred drink) is about 80 litres and costing about £85; if all long distance driving with a light foot it will probably get about 30 mpg and do roughly 400 miles. lots of short driving then its more like 20-25 mpg and likely about 250 to 300 miles a tank. permanent hooning i've got it down to 9 mpg on the track and it then drinks the fule a lot quicker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Welcome fellow North Easterner I had the same worries as yourself. I was coming from only ever owning FWD cars that were less than 150Bhp. The 350 is very simple and easy to drive, I use mine as my daily drive. Why not book yourself a test drive? It may help settle your mind. Woody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich5259 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Hi Adam and welcome to the forum. Take it easy at first and you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 from the NE crew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IIIsolitaireIII Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 thanks for all the help/advise and encouragement guys. i think i will book myself a test drive and see how i get on with the car. am hopefully will be getting a pay rise hence the wanting a zed am currently driving a ford fiesta 1.4 tdci, the most sporty car i have owned is a pug 106 1.6 gti. so this will be a big jump for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 We are always happy to have guys looking to buy at the meets and I am sure the NE owners would make you most welcome if you popped along. Its a lot better to ask them about cars than dealers who often dont have a clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IIIsolitaireIII Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 that sounds like a good idea martinmac. think i may pop down to the next north east meet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davetstan Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Hi mate, Welcome Hope you get one soon. You will find it easy to handle providing you drive within your limits in the wet. The guys on here are ever so helpful so when you are ready to buy, post up possible examples for advice... Or get one off a member who is selling. Then you can't go wrong. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Hope you find the right car, get down to a meet pronto! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Welcome to the forum. They're great fun, but just be measured to start with, until you're both used to each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IIIsolitaireIII Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 again thanks for warm welcome and the advice on driving the car. am sure i will be just fine behind the wheel of one. i will see were i cant get a test drive and talk to some people at the next north east meet and just pray i get the pay rise, then its off sopping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradders Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 again thanks for warm welcome and the advice on driving the car. am sure i will be just fine behind the wheel of one. i will see were i cant get a test drive and talk to some people at the next north east meet and just pray i get the pay rise, then its off sopping Your from Ashington. Aha! I got my Z back in Jan from Ashington Autodrome. If you are looking to buy from Trade, I'd recommend them. They did a cracking job on refurbing my Rays alloys. He is looking to get more Zs in, as he likes them alot. On the driving front, I came from a Merc E-Class(Ashington Autodrome still have it on the forecourt). The RWD wasn't new but the power was, speed is ok, as I'm an ex-biker too. Wet is not fun, but dry Thing is the Z is so tight and planted it immediately inspires confidence. I think people think that performance cars will just jump up and nut you one for no reason. Not the case, as the whole thing is designed to cope with the speed not just the engine. Just needs to be treated with respect. The hard thing is reigning that in Bradders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sally Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Hello and welcome to the forum. The 350z is like a Yorkie Bar - NOT FOR GIRLS!!! Joking - Ive got boobs and i can handle a Z, Im sure you will be fine!!!! They are by no means the cheapest car to run and remember the tyres will be much more than your Fiesta's and you need a bank loan to fill it to the top with fuel, but you will love it. Take your time to get a feel for the car, Dont drive in the rain like you would in the dry and you will be fine!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Ive got boobs and i can handle a Z!!! Candidate for quote of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Hi & to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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