Totaled my 95 Z today / Thinking about a Nismo
 

Hey all,

I'm new to this board, never been here before today. This a.m. I was hit on the freeway and totaled my 95 Z, before it I had an 85 Z, both with t-tops. Loved both cars, the 95 had 149K miles and ran like a dream, garaged at home and at the office. I really didn't want to let her go but she was beat up pretty bad. Bummer. :mad:

Anyway, I had been planning to buy the new 370Z Nismo and keep the 300 just for fun weekends with the t-tops off. Was not in a real rush to make this happen. Now I am.

Can y'all give me any heads ups or things to watch for when buying a new one? I think I want the Nismo, other than the stripped down sounds system and non leather seats, I think I like the car. It will be driven around 9K miles a year to work. And I drive the car pretty hard, no driffting...lol

Man, I miss my 95 (check avy), I would def buy a 370Z, I love this car but fully will own another 300ZX one day.

Sorry to hear, may I suggest 40th anni. edition over Nismo, no hate to Nismo owners but I'm just not feeling the looks.

The dealers seem to forget to remove the shipping spacers in the NISMO springs 99% of the time, so inspect the springs and see if the spacers are there or not. :)

Anybody hurt? And by that I mean did you attack the person that hit your Z?

Nothing wrong with the Nismo. I'm partial to buying a base model and modding it. Just a habit I got into at 17 starting with a 1968 Le Mans with a 4 spd and turning it into a GTO racer.

If you are going to mod it, safe your money and get a base with Sport Pkg.

If you love the looks of the Nismo over a modded 370, consider getting the Nismo. But only if you plan to mod it to look like the Niz. I can tell you that the Nismo wheels are very expensive (think $1200 - $1500 per wheel/tire). The rear wing will set you back $2500 after paint. Not sure what the other body kit pieces are. I don't think Cobb or UpRev are actually shipping a tune for the ecu yet either...

So sorry. Exact same thing happened to my '95 except mine was parked. I loved my car with 68K miles and had no intention of getting a new 370 (like my friend kept talking about constantly). Two weeks after the accident, I have a new love, albeit without T tops.
I too wanted a NISMO but I was disappointed with it for use as a daily driver. Google the subject note the comparisons, and make your choice. I chose the Touring, sport package. No regrets.

:iagree: u can get the sport and touring for the same price as the nismo. if its not going to be modded and used for to and from work only Id get the touring for the little extra creature comforts.

:pics:

Welcome! Wrecked Z and all. :hello:

get the money from the wrecked z for a down payment and trade the other z in for a GTR

nismo is not daily driver material....other than that... you cant go wrong.

If you don't want the power, leather seats, nav unit, go with the nismo.

Its no different than any other Z....

I feel in love when I saw the Nismo, so that's what I got. Go check 'em out, see what you like, drive them. Buy what you feel is right for you. I could drive my Nismo daily, sleeping my commute away on the bus is much better.

Nismo suspension is different, and stiffer:

"The Nismo's suspension is tuned for a firmer ride and sharper handling. Compared to a standard 370Z Coupe, front spring rates have been dialed up 15 percent, rear spring rates 10 percent, front stabilizer bar rate upped 15 percent, and the rear stabilizer bar is 50 percent stiffer. The roll stiffness rate has been increased by 15 percent and front and rear damping factors have been increased by 40 percent and 140 percent, respectively."

I'd probably like it - I'm used to a very stiff car and the Touring+Sport is a little bouncy.

I think the Nismo looks great, but the video comparison of the 300ZX to the 350Z and 370Z the 300ZX owner felt the 370Z was a little too harsh for every day driving, the Nismo will be stiffer, so it depends on what you want. I love the looks of the Nismo, however.

I DD my Nismo, only 15 miles each way. (rocking 26 mpg in the process)

I DD mine. If you've had a car with performance suspension before it's not going to seem strange.

I'd reccomend touring w/ sport. You could always mod it if you chose to do so.

Very sorry to hear about your 95 300ZX. Not alot of good ones around and now one less. :-(

Glad you made it through safely. That's the most important thing.

I agree with fullmonty, I'd go touring with Sport if I had it to do again. I'd really like to have that built in screen in the dash. The 370Z is a great car, and, coming from 2 consecutive Z's I bet you'll really enjoy it. In a few months you very well could be shopping for that weekend 300ZX...... They make a great pair.

Best of luck to you in your search for your 370Z.

Welcome! Very sorry to hear about your loss. Hope no one was hurt. You won't be disappointed with a 370Z no matter which flavor you choose. Having always owned a t-top version we had to do a roadster but that certainly isn't for everyone.

Best of luck in your quest. I think the only way you could go wrong is not getting another Z. :)

Oh come on... Tell the truth.. You wrecked the car on purpose as an excuse to go with a 370Z... Good job!! :tup::tup:

Joke aside, glad you're OK and nobody got hurt... I'd go for a regular 370Z with Sport Package and mod the hell out of it..

Welcome to the forums and glad youre ok! Go with the Nismo. I love both cars and test drove a red 370z touring sport several times but only because my dealer here couldnt get a Nismo in stock but I really had already made my mind up on the Nismo. And I purchased without ever even seeing one in person. People always say buy a sport touring and mod it but it's not the same. It's a good head start in the modding department and I have still modded mine a decent amount. Only performance mods tho. I got sold on the Nismo bc I wanted a factory track car and I believed that every mod makes it more and more ahead of the 370 sport when it comes to performance. I drive the car very aggressively. This car is easy to drift, drag, etc.. And the looks are more exotic than a 370z sport. Park em next to each other and people are gonna look more at the Niz. And I DD my Nismo 2-3 days a week just bc I cant stand to not drive it in a 24 hour time frame. I can qoute alot of people from this forum saying if they could do it again they would get a Nismo.... including the site administrator. But we all want different things from our cars so it really just depends on what you want the car for and whats most important to you

Just curious.. why are you people buying the sport package to then mod it... wheels will be updgraded, brakes upgraded or replaced with a BBK. VLSD can be replaced with OS giken/carbonetics carbon. Only thing left is SRM and imo heel and toe is more fun, i know you can turn it off. Now you have some OEM parts that need selling or held onto for backups. Oh and the sport spoiler, but i added that as an option.

Nissan is now placing a blue sticker on the window, letting us stealerships know to remove a spacer from the springs.

I really wanted the nismo, but also wanted leather seats and the little others so i test drove each and in the end went with Touring/Sport and never looked back. You will be happy no matter which one you go with.

Ya get the touring with sports package better value to me

Just check our the "parts for sell" section of the forum, see how many nismo parts are for sell, seems like people spend the extra money to get the nismo, and later on took off the nismo parts and replaced with aftermarket parts. If you are going to mod your car, get the sport/w touring.

Well, in my very specific case, the local dealer in my country only brings down Touring 370Z's with Sport Package and no NAV.

But putting that aside, I would've bought the exact same setup. I don't track my car but I wanted better brakes, VLSD, and SRM. I'm not planning to upgrade to an aftermarket BBK, maybe change the rotors, pads, and brake lines in the future, and I'm not planning to go with an aftermarket VLSD either..

I do get your point about the wheels but, oh well, I guess I can get back a bit more $$ from selling 19's than from selling 18's...

:pics::bowrofl:

:pics::pics::pics::roflpuke2:

pics
 

Pics will be forthcoming this weekend. All I got were some cheesy pics on my cell phone. Plan to go out Saturday before I sign the car over and take some proper pictures.

I so wanted a picture of my 300 parked next to a Nismo. Not meant to be. The adjuster told me the car was in "show room" condition. Not any more...:shakes head:

Nobody was hurt courtesy of my fist. When I first got out of the car I was ready, but it was a frail old Asian lady that didn't speak English and obviously didn't know how to drive or maintain a car. All 4 of her tires were so bald you almost could see no tread pattern. :ugh2:

Freaking asians! Oh wait im half japanese :eek: Half of me feels compassion, other half is saying DROP THE OLD BAG!

So to be politically correct "drop the old bag" and then bow.

I'm sorry to hear your z is R.I.P. I loved my 94 z cherry red pearl with black guts, that was just a classic/sexy body style. I still regret selling her:(

Pics
 

Here are some resized pics of the car, I took them today. Notice on the hood I'm showing a small dimple with cracked paint, there is a matching one on the other side of the hood. That's where the motor came up off the mounts and dented the hood. Neither front tire points in the same direction with the drivers side having broken linkage (not shown). The adjust put the body work and frame work at $6000, that does not include any suspension or motor mount repair.
Just put adjustable hydraulic struts on her, she was fun to drive, hate to see her go.:shakes head:

On the flip side, should be in a new Nismo by next weekend!!!:driving:

Thanks to every ones comments, I enjoyed reading them!!!

I daily drive the NISMO around 80 miles daily w/o complain. But it is stiff so you should drive both models before making your decision....

galtamar ---
 

Guess I'll find out when I test drive it, but I have a 96 Vette that feels like it almost has no spring, it's real harsh. The 300 was real tight when I replaced the struts with hydraulic adjustables, and set them to their tightest settings. Felt like the car would maybe dip an inch when I hit bumps. Don't mind either.

Is the nismo worse? Like I said, I'll find out when I test drive one, just curious.

elm_tx, where in Houston are you?
If you have a chance, come out to Planet Zero tomorrow evening and hang out. Not sure if anyone is bringing a Nismo out but give you a chance to see a few cars in Houston. I test drove a Nismo a few weeks ago and it was not that bad of a ride, but I have been in much worse so all stock 370z rides are comfortable for me.

theDreamer
 

I'm in Houston (obviously), 290 - beltway 8 area/Jersey Village. Where is Planet Zero? And what happens there on Saturday nights? If it's a 20 something crowd then I probably don't fit in. I like to RV, hunt, fish and drive like a nut (never did grow out of that one...lol) and NASCAR races. Not much into the bar scene anymore.