McDan1el Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) Hey Guys, Just after some adivce/feedback about my potential 370z purchase; I have been a fan of the 350 for as long as I can remember and always said to myself I would own one, then the 370z came out and I fell in love again. I've only been driving for 3.5 years (I am 28) but I've driven A LOT - including 20,000 miles in the US/Canada but never in proper sports cars, my car in the UK was a 09 Fiesta Zetec S and the cars over in the states were a Dodge Dart and Chevrolet Equinox - so nothing quite as beefy as the 370z so I imagine it's going to be a massive change to deal with as well as the loss of convenience (smaller boot, 2 seater) - but I've come to terms with all that and still happy to proceed! My only real stipulation is I want a yellow one, there are a few about for sale in the £17-20k range; now that is a big chunk of money but I can afford the ~£400 payments and my insurance quotes are coming in at ~£1100 - same as my first year with the Fiesta so again no real news to me (though the Fiesta is now ~£450); I also know the tax is £460? Is there anything major I should be aware of as a new buyer, anything when inspecting the cars to make note of? I've just taken a short sabbatical where i;ve been out of the country for 5months so will need to get another job and what not when I get home next week so I probably won't purchase anything for another 2months or so - is there any known price drops or new model releases which could effect the price and thus I would be better to hold off longer? Also, I would obviously prefer a manual car - but if a stellar deal came about for an Automatic will I miss out on too much? Argh, I just want a yellow one so bad!! Edited July 22, 2013 by McDan1el Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) Welcome to the forum. I left it quite late in life to learn to drive. I'm 44 and have been driving less than three years. I've only owned and driven two 370Zs. It's fair to say the Z felt VERY different to the Fiesta I learnt in and will probably take you a while to get used to, but if I could do it as a new and very inexperienced driver, anyone can. Very reliable cars so not many issues to be aware of. There is a steering lock issue which lead to some cars being recalled for a replacement part. You might also want to be aware that there are two versions of the sat nav - look for a model with the Connect Premium version if possible (includes post code search and a higher res screen). A lot of owners don't seem to rate the Bridgestone tyres and when it's time to replace them you're looking at £800 To £1k. Finally, you really won't get that sports car sound out of the tame OEM exhaust, so budget another £1k for a replacement (loads of great choices). Hope this helps Edited July 22, 2013 by sipar69 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian@TORQEN Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 You might also want to be aware that there are two versions of the sat nav - look for a model with the Connect Premium version if possible (includes post code search and a higher res screen). Hope this helps How can you find out what version of Sat Nav you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 You might also want to be aware that there are two versions of the sat nav - look for a model with the Connect Premium version if possible (includes post code search and a higher res screen). Hope this helps How can you find out what version of Sat Nav you have? A couple of clear indicators would be 1) Is it touch screen? 2) Can you search by post code? If the answer to those questions is No you have the earlier version. It's worth adding that the earlier version is still very decent. I've ad both and while I do prefer the newer version it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Welcome to the Forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS13Silvia Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Hi there! You're in a similar position to myself a month or so ago, I went for it and never looked back since. I agree with the OEM tires / exhaust comment though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Welcome to the forum. I left it quite late in life to learn to drive. I'm 44 and have been driving less than three years. I've only owned and driven two 370Zs. It's fair to say the Z felt VERY different to the Fiesta I learnt in and will probably take you a while to get used to, but if I could do it as a new and very inexperienced driver, anyone can. Very reliable cars so not many issues to be aware of. There is a steering lock issue which lead to some cars being recalled for a replacement part. You might also want to be aware that there are two versions of the sat nav - look for a model with the Connect Premium version if possible (includes post code search and a higher res screen). A lot of owners don't seem to rate the Bridgestone tyres and when it's time to replace them you're looking at £800 To £1k. Finally, you really won't get that sports car sound out of the tame OEM exhaust, so budget another £1k for a replacement (loads of great choices). Hope this helps pretty much covers it all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taras Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) Hi and welcome to the club. As said above pretty much answers your questions. But on the side note, if you want a nice kit for it in future, drop me a PM Edited July 22, 2013 by RT-Performance 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bounty Bar Kid Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Hi and welcome to the club. As said above pretty much answers your questions. But on the side note, if you want a nice kit for it in future, drop me a PM Getting right in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian@TORQEN Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 After a phone call Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDan1el Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Thanks for all the info guys, much appreciated! Any thoughts on Auto Vs Manual? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 an individual preference on this one - you need to try both to see what suits you but mechanically, there are still no known issues (although there have been one or two manual gearbox failures - but 1 or 2 out of several thousand sold ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Welcome mate, you will not be disappointed by the 370z at all. Where abouts in the country are you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDan1el Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) Welcome mate, you will not be disappointed by the 370z at all. Where abouts in the country are you from? Essex, but no, I am not an Essex Boy Racer!! XD an individual preference on this one - you need to try both to see what suits you but mechanically, there are still no known issues (although there have been one or two manual gearbox failures - but 1 or 2 out of several thousand sold ) I am not really a petrol head per say, but always been told manual feels more fun in a sports car, but I guess the automatic systems are getting so advanced now there is less in it then there used to be? These are two have been looking at http://www.autotrade...age/1?logcode=p I did an insurance quote on the above ^^ £1300, added both my parents as named drivers, myself as main driver - £818! http://www.autotrade...age/1?logcode=p Edited July 22, 2013 by McDan1el Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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