Engine harshness

Originally Posted by nicknick

Well, I am so pissed off at Nissan! I have owned and loved a nicely modified 240Z that my friends still speak of today. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER SOLD THAT CAR!! Anyway i went to my nissan dealer ready to do a deal, I was going to trade my MX5 in on a 370Z. I love the look of the Z, i sat in it and it was nice, i liked it. I then asked the salesman to test drive one. He said of course. So off I went to test drive an auto version. Well let me tell you everything wqas good about the car except 2 things...ENGINE HARSHNESS AND QUALITY OF NOISE IT EMITS. YUK. This is/was a major turn off for me. I had driven it before and noticed to a lesser degree the noise but now that i was serious i guess i was taking more notice of it.

WTF was Nissan thinking releasing such a good sports car with such a debilitating issue. They really missed the boat on this one. I don't mind noise the MX5 is not a quiet car either but at least the engine/exhaust have a relatively pleasant noise. The Z engine noise and noise quality reminded me of my first car, a 1980 GM Holden Commodore with an auto and as 3.3 litre OHV pushrod motor that was designed in the 50's, which developed approx 60 KW.

As much as i have been looking at this car, the Z now since its 2009 intro, i have made up my mind that this noise and noise quality have turned me off the car. Really annoying cause every other aspect is ok. I must say the manual i drove in 2009 "felt better" maybe i should test drive a manaul again but wouldn't the noise be the same. Another thing i did not like was when i was going around a corner with the auto in auto mode, i did not like the feel of the transmission in the way it was delivering the power to the rear wheels it seemed loose and not too connected. The link between accelerator position, transmission shift speed and quality, to rear wheel connection seemed off.

A real shame, cause i so wanted to like this car, i guess i will still hover around this forum and see what the nest incarnation of Z may be like. In the meantime, I will keep my MX5 and possibly look into trading for a boxster or z4. I hear the engine noise in thosethings is good too and everything else is pretty much lineball with the Z.

Nissan you have pissed me off with this. Sorry guys if i have offended you, THAT WAS NOT MY INTENTION. I just needed to express my dissatisfaction with Nissan dropping the ball on this one.

Originally Posted by Triple's

Want some cheese to go with your whine?

Looks like you made your point! Hooroo

Originally Posted by nicknick

No not a troll! I don't like cheese and wine. I do not gravitate towards European cars cause i think they are woefully overpriced for what you get but when left with little or no option?? Maybe i need to consider an aftermarket exhaust or something. Does this change the engine sound in your experience. Maybe I need to stick to roadster 370Z coming from an MX5?

As i said please do not get defensive or offended.

Originally Posted by Triple's

I would recommend meeting with some locals with aftermarket exhaust to give you an idea what direction or loudness to switch to in event you do decide to buy one. The exhaust note does mask some of the road noise from the soft tire that tend to pick up every pebble you go over. Good luck and strongly advise to give the Z a chance and not magnify the small issues that are prone with the Z. Most owners have gotten past those small issues and enjoy the feel and looks and the rarity of it. no offense taken

Originally Posted by Triple's

Want some cheese to go with your whine?

Looks like you made your point! Hooroo