mouldie Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Without wanting to tempt fate I reckon that 2013 may just be the year that I finally get a 350z, having waited for about ten years! The house is bought, the wedding is done and the wife has signed off on the purchase. So, all being well it WILL happen...... I always thought I wanted a 55 plate black coupe, GT spec with alezan leather. The road tax cost meant I wanted the older car, the black/alezan combo seemed the best to me. In reality, I will only use the car during the summer in good weather. I therefore realised that I could buy 6 months road tax only to offset the additional costs of the post 06 models. I also thought that, if I'm only going to drive it when the weather's fine, why not get a roadster! So, I'm hoping that people can offer advice on the following please (I tried the search but to no avail): 1. Please can someone point me to a source of info for the differences between the 276/296/313bhp models? 2. Does the roadster handle as well as the coupe? Same performance? 3. Are there any issues with the roadster roof? Does it need replacing with time and, if so, what are the approximate costs? 4. Aside from the obvious differences with appearance, are there any other factors that should be considered when choosing between a roadster and a coupe? I won't be buying until around June so I will no doubt be getting excited on the forum in the meantime! Thanks in advance for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Good luck with the zed hunt. There is a big difference between the engines, later ones have more power throughout the range but the 276 engineis kore torquey. The later versions of the car also have a better interior but tend to use more oil. Lots of info on the site though so you should be able to find everything you need. Roadster is heavier than the coupe so technically performance slightly down but in every day conditions there would be no noticable difference. From persoanly preference Ive always gone for the roadsters, i notice on many of our zed drives all the owners have their windows down to listen to the glorious exhaust noises. I can do one better andpop the roof down and i can tell you there is nothing like it. You feel more connected and involved in driving experience and it feels faster too. If you are only goingto use the car for summer days its a no brainer, topless everytime. Downsides - well the boot is tiny amd yes some roadsters do have leaky roofs. Ensure there are no tears and no leaks as issues with the roof can get very costly. Again there are lotsof threads on this issue which should provide lots of info. Good luck and any questions just shout. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuarty Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I'm sure someone will be along to answer your questions regarding performance and weight. If possible i would avoid waiting until June to buy your zed, especially if you decide on a roadster as prices peak from may until August. If possible i would buy ASAP and spend the winter months getting it ready for summer and you will save £££££! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouldie Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 Guys, thanks for the responses. I'm intending to go through the forum with a fine tooth comb to get all the info that I want. With regard to when the purchase is best made, I agree that it's better to do it now if possible. The problem is, it may not be possible! Which is a shame! I just missed an 07 plate 313 roadster in the rare metallic blue. White leather, low miles, FSH, UK car and local to me. The guy couldn't sell privately at £9k so traded it. That was just about perfect for me I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinjuku Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 As was said above the later engine 313 is made of substantially different parts. The 276 and 296 engines are substantially the same, but with different maps. Earlier engines have more torque and less power, later engines more power and less torque. The later engines also rev higher and apparently more freely. On a track you would probably find minimal difference in lap times - especially as unless you really rag the car chances are you will be in third for most corners meaning that the pull of torque is important. However, for a "one lap blast" or a countryroad thriller, you might feel you are having more fun with the 313 engine. The roadster is known as having retained most of the handling of the coupe. Relative to conversions of other coupes it is considered a very good drive. As also mentioned above it is slightly heavier, but I suspect outside of a straight drag comparison you'd notice the difference. The roadster roof has two main issues - tearing around the rear window area (which can be quite large) and rips at the very bottom of the hood just above the door. Mine has the later on the drivers side. Its been there since I bought the car and not got any worse. I've spoken to a specialist about it and apparently its not likely to get worse rapidly, so the one to watch is tearing around the rear screen as that can be bad news. Cost of replacing a roadster roof looks like being about £1k by a specialist hood company, including parts and fitting. If you think you are handy it looks like you can buy a hood for £350, but it could look aids if you bodge it. I dont think its a "replace with time" part as such, but the oldest coupes are only 7 so perhaps this will change over time. My hood is at the older end of that and does not leak and looks fine. If you buy an older roadster you have to be willing to accept that the hood will not look spanking new - its about getting one without major things wrong with it. The other thing to note between the variants is a nicer interior on later models. Its not much different in design but the materials are "less japanese", but that's not a coupe Vs roadster issue. One thing that is is whether you need a sunglasses holder near the RVM, as the roadster does not have one. Perhaps of more importance, although the GT pack roadster does have cruise, they wont have handsfree controls for the stereo or phone connectivity on the steering wheel. Not sure exactly why, but if you totally need phone hands free then you might want to buy the coupe. A parrot will be a pain to fit due to the bose amp in the GT pack car. You want to look for whether your car has rays or the standard wheels as these are £400+ to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Roadster is significantly worse handling than the coupe. My fully braced ragtop still felt wobbly compared with a stock coupe back to back at Bedford, and the extra 100kg does make a difference too. If you're after a pure drive, then you need the coupe as a base. That said, the roadster is still a great car to drive, I'm purely talking comparatively here. If you want to put the roof down, then you need the roadster. Obvious yes, but that's really what it boils down to, whether going topless is more important than outright purity of drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinjuku Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I knew id read something before I purchased mine that you should take a look at - the evo long term test is below. http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evolongtermtests/209490/nissan_350z_roadster.html Its a rev up car (296) They say rough tarmac is not your friend. I have to agree. Handling wise it understeers a bit more and does not change direction quite as well as the coupe apparently. As ekona says if you want the best drive from a car that was originally a coupe you have to go for the hard top every time. If you want to get the roof down the zed is as good a conversion as you are going to buy for the money. Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 There's probabably a reason Zmanalex races a roadster and not a coupe it's because the chassis IS stiffer for handling that's why there is no rear anti roll bar across the back area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Ummm, yes there is. I upgraded to mine to the Eibach ones, so I know there definitely is an ARB at the rear! If there wasn't, then the car would leap around all over the pace as the two rear wheels tried to go in opposite directions at every bump. Unless you're referring to the strut bar across the suspension tops... No chance the ragtop is a stiffer chassis than the coupe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 (edited) Ummm, yes there is. I upgraded to mine to the Eibach ones, so I know there definitely is an ARB at the rear! If there wasn't, then the car would leap around all over the pace as the two rear wheels tried to go in opposite directions at every bump. Unless you're referring to the strut bar across the suspension tops... No chance the ragtop is a stiffer chassis than the coupe. yes I was talking about the strut bar across the top, the chassis is substantially stronger than the coupe otherwise it would fold. Mouldie, I had my Roadster for sale last year then the deal fell through with a 370Z I still have the car wrapped in blankets in storage until the summer when I will get her out again. If your wanting a particular nice Roadster example I have a GT 56 model GM Silver with alezan (basket weave) seats only 21,000 miles still for sale I can email all the deatils and pictures of it if you like. Edited December 28, 2012 by ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Riiiiiiiiight. You do realise that brace is still there, albeit hidden in the ragtop? http://www.newsroom.nissan-europe.com/download/media/specialfile/491_1_5.aspx That's Nissan's own press release. 'Sense of purpose' is the paragraph you're after. There's no roof, it's got a bit of extra bracing to try and account for this, but it's still not as stiff as the coupe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Riiiiiiiiight. You do realise that brace is still there, albeit hidden in the ragtop? http://www.newsroom....le/491_1_5.aspx That's Nissan's own press release. 'Sense of purpose' is the paragraph you're after. There's no roof, it's got a bit of extra bracing to try and account for this, but it's still not as stiff as the coupe. yer ok Ekona, I'm not getting into a row about it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMT Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Not so sure on the roadster front as I'm not a fan of them, no doubt a coupe will be the better drive... but take it from someone who spent a HELL OF A LOT OF TIME here til' I could afford and find the one I wanted (ended up going over my original 'budget' lol), go for a 313. You've got the best of the last line of 350's and from recent parking next to an older 276.... the minor changes in lights bumper etc...DO make the difference and I'm glad I made the jump to one. It still and will look good and modern whereas the older ones are starting to show their age with the lights etc (admittidly you need to be into cars to notice this and if your buying a Z I assume you are!). Power wise, dunno, only driven a few couldn't tell too much of a difference unless back to back, but c'mon ...you can say you've got 309bhp.....(YEAH IM A NUMBERS KINDA GUY...N' WHAT!... ). Whatever you go for you will like it no matter what, they just got character! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Riiiiiiiiight. You do realise that brace is still there, albeit hidden in the ragtop? http://www.newsroom....le/491_1_5.aspx That's Nissan's own press release. 'Sense of purpose' is the paragraph you're after. There's no roof, it's got a bit of extra bracing to try and account for this, but it's still not as stiff as the coupe. yer ok Ekona, I'm not getting into a row about it Yeah no point prolonging an argument you already lost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 (edited) A 313 Roadster will be about 150 kilos heavier than a 276 Coupe, so the extra weight will give the coupe the edge on performance. Having access to both a 276 coupe and a 313 roadster, I find the main noticeable difference is that the pull in top gear from say around 50 is considerably better in the coupe, drop it down a gear or two though and there's not much difference. The roadster does make a nicer noise though . Also the 313's headlights are good, the 276's are just about adequate. Leaky roofs are common in the roadster, ours has leaked slightly on both sides at one stage, for us it's just been a matter of pressing the seals around the top of the window back into place every few months as they seem to work loose after a while. Other driving differences, well you have to be pretty careful while reversing in a roadster, I backed into a low wall (luckily at about 1 mph) that I didn't even know was there . Pete Edited December 29, 2012 by JetSet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Roadster is significantly worse handling than the coupe. My fully braced ragtop still felt wobbly compared with a stock coupe back to back at Bedford, and the extra 100kg does make a difference too. If you're after a pure drive, then you need the coupe as a base. That said, the roadster is still a great car to drive, I'm purely talking comparatively here. If you want to put the roof down, then you need the roadster. Obvious yes, but that's really what it boils down to, whether going topless is more important than outright purity of drive. I personally think the roadster is uglyyyyyyyy but I prefer convertibles Yes it might not be as stiff, heavier but you have a way better drive when the roof is down. Its way more involving and you can hear, see and smell the car. Top down for fun any day of the week. BTW I drive a coupe so I'm not being biased. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinjuku Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 True roof up its not thing of great beauty but it has certain angles it.looks good from (not just the front) Saw a 70 roadster yesterday and it had a nicer line at the rear prob due to being a shorter car. Roof down it looks nice though Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.