Should I get a Z?
 

i never own a Z. I'm looking to buy a 2009. I always love the Z's since the 280Z. Now please help me decide if i should get one or not.

1. This one dealership is willing to give me a 09 Z black base model with sports package for $32K. Is this a good deal? You think they would lower to $30K?
2. How's the gas mileage? I read a few research and they say it gets pretty bad mileage like 18MPG combined. Is this true? How many gallons do you fill up each time?
3. It will not be my weekend car. I will drive and commute with it, about 20 miles one way each day. Is it a good idea to get a Z with that bad mileage for commuting?
4. How much do you pay for insurance?
5. How reliable is the Z? You think it would last 100,000 without any major problems? I can live with paying for regular maintenance and stuff, but I don't expect major problem before it hits 100K miles.

Thank you in advance for your answers. Believe me, your answers will help me decide if i should get one or not.

Should I decide not to get a Z, my second option would be either:

1. 2010 BMW 128i Coupe, V6 200HP.
2. 2010 Mazda Miata Hardtop convertible V4 167HP.

1. You should be able to purchase the car at dealer invoice. Right now some dealers are even selling at prices below their invoice in order to sell off the 2009 MY vehicles.

2. The mileage depends on the type of driving you do - if it's mostly in-town street driving, your mileage will probably be close to 18MPG. Highway should be 26MPG or so. Those are the EPA estimates, and it's also what I get on my Z.

3. Only you can answer that. The Z is not an economy car - if that's what your priority is, go check out a Prius.

4. What we (or I) pay for insurance is not necessarily related to what you will pay (too many variables such as amount of coverage, driving record, where you are located, your age, etc.). Call your insurance agent, tell him/her what you're planning to purchase and they will tell you what the insurance will be.

5. The Z appears to be very reliable. I've owned mine for 6 months and use it as a daily driver - zero issues. But, since the car has only been out for 1 year, there are no long-term stats on its reliability.

Good luck with your purchase, regardless of what you end up with!

NOOOOOOOOOOOO




why would anyone in here tell you to get a Z?

yes

:iagree: My thoughts exactly on all of this.

Furthermore, I drive 4 miles to work one way and do pretty much all in town driving with a heavy foot. My gas mileage is typically around 17mpg. On the freeway for a 250 mile trip the best I could get was 24mpg but I wasn't exactly going 65 the whole way to california either. With a sports car gas mileage shouldn't be your primary focus. Then again our corvette got 32 mpg on the same trip with the same type of driving so go figue.

Make the best deal you can. Car dealers are in business to make money not lose. So it is just a matter of how much you are willing to let them make. I got my 09 370Z base + sport 6mt for invoice minus holdback in August. Got my 09 Mustang GT in Sept. for invoice minus $4000 rebate. Only went to one Nissan dealer and one Ford dealer. Screw shopping around, don't have time. Told each dealer the price I would pay and was prepared to buy immediately. I wanted the cars and they wanted to move them. Makes a big difference if you know what you want to pay and if you will buy on the spot and not go trying to shop them.

everything you said makes me think you are better off with an Altima or Maxima

If you have to ask if you should get a Z, the answer is no.

+1

+1 rep kick ***

Response to 1: I think anything between $30K - $31.5K would be a great deal assuming its an MT. If auto, add the invoice price of the auto.

Response to 2: I get approximately 20 - 22 MPG under moderate driving. To fill up at nearly empty, you will need anywhere between 16.5 - 17.5 gallons of 91 + octane. The tank capacity, I believe is around 19 gallons.

Response to 3: I do the same and have had no issues. Only that sometimes I need to have more than 2 seats.

Response to 5: The maintenance schedule is like most other regular cars. If you use a dealer for oil changes its a tad higher, given that they will likely recommend the Ester oil. There are numerous threads on this elsewhere. Many just chose a good synthetic and DIY instead. As far as long-term reliability, its too soon to tell.

Re, quest 4, sorry- I don't recall.

Mine was 31,500 same options but i had kick plates and matts, i have seen even cheaper than this.
Its more like 21 combined if you do 50 highway/50 city. According to the sticker on the car it agrees with me also.
If your driving 20 miles each way, you will obviously average higher, i would suspect you would average like 24-25 miles to the gallon. (just my guess)
What i pay wont be what you pay, your driving 40 miles each day, odds are your insurance is going to be high no matter what you drive.
I dont think you will get any major problems, its a nissan made in japan. I think its quality is pretty high. You will get minor problems. For example my shifter is rattling and its annoying but i think its a pretty easy fix.

Thanks. As much as i like the Z, i think i'm going to stick with a BMW. I think at $4/gal x 17 gallon tank, that would cost me about $70 per fillup.

22MPG x 17 gal = 374 miles.

I would buy it as a weekend car, but not for everyday commuting.

The BMW 128i (18/26) and 135i (17/25) get nearly the same MPG that the Z (18/26) gets, so I'm not sure why you would value those above the Z. Someone else mentioned the Altima/Maxima...unless you get the 2.5L engine, the mpg only goes up 1 mpg (18/27 and 19/26, respectively) for those cars, so no real benefit in that department.

My Z is my daily driver. Because most of my driving is done at less than 40mph with plenty of stopping, I average about 16-17 mpg. Do I care? Not one bit. I stopped caring after the first tank of gas when I realized I was driving like my grandpa just to keep the mpg meter above 20.

I don't like the styling of either the 1 series BMWs or the Miata. The Z, to me, stands out in it's class...both in terms of performance and styling.

I'm sure the 1 series are nice, but unless I had the bank for at least the 3 series, I would be looking at the Z exclusively in this price range.

As far as price, invoice is a little less than what you were quoted. I would start negotiations at around 30,500 and don't accept anything higher than 31,500.

As far as reliability, as someone pointed out, there's no concrete data on the vehicle yet. I assume, based on Nissan's recent history, that if you take care of the car it'll last well beyond 100k miles with few issues.

As worried as you sound about gas mileage you are better off with the BMW. Good Luck and thanks for stopping by. That leaves more Zs for people that WANNA GO FAST!:happydance: