High Miles Z a bad idea?

DEpointfive0

Well said! Wise man, OP, listen to this guy

bmarcinczyk14

I knew I wasn't the only one that thought Nissans weren't unreliable pieces of junk! Just cause it has "high" mileage doesn't me it's automatically a bad buy. And honestly I think Honda and Toyota being more reliable doesn't even matter in this situation. I mean what has either company made in the past 15 years that didn't scream boring and conventional? With exception to the S2000. I'd much rather go for a Z over anything either company has made in 15 years even if it is slightly more unreliable.
Whoa, wait, seriously?!?! You have Mitsubishi in front of Nissan?? I'd have to STRONGLY disagree with you on that. The only Mits I would even consider buying, and actually did before the 370z, is a Evo. IMO, everything else is junk.

__________________
'10 370z -- '09 Ducati 848 -- '05 Kawasaki 636 Track Bike -- '02 Sentra SE-R Spec V

SAmilitaryman

My mothers 2000 maxima with 225k miles and still running fine would like yo have a word with you.

Fishey

I am glad that I don't want or need a new car since my favorite era of cars are from 1985-1995 with a few models up till 2001. High mileage never bothered me it just depends on maintenance and type of car. The 370Z is a good reliable car for the most part except for some small things and like the 350Z it is extremely easy to work on. I would have no problem buying a higher mileage Z. I think my lowest mileage car is my 944 and it has like 130,000mi on the body and my highest mileage is my daily with 275,000mi on engine/body. I think about a car payment and I can put a new motor in my Volvo so hard to justify another car. I also have a 230,000 mile BMW, 170,000mi truck and a 185,000mi expedition.

I guess your opinion of high mileage changes when you can work on something yourself. I look for cars that are easy to work/reliable rather then low mileage. P.S. Toyota might be the worst brand ever for older cars. Ever try to get parts for an old Toyota? Yea, Good luck!

Cmike2780

For the most part, that way of thinking is outdated and isn't that simple. It's a relic of an era when cars had low safety standards and manufacturers had little repercussions for selling a sub-par product.

You also need to first define how something is considered reliable and go by each model year specifically. I'm sure there are plenty of cars in Toyota and Honda's portfolio that are less reliable than others...the same goes for Nissan. My dad's 98 Maxima, bought new for example, had close to 122k miles and was still running strong before we sold it about a year ago. Aside from fixing normal stuff that wear out, she was plenty reliable. By the same token, I had a 92 v6 Camry with a blown engine at 120k miles. The interior was still in really great shape and all the electronics still worked though, but it was just a useless piece of metal at that point. Before that, I had an 89 Civic that had every body panel rusting out, parts falling off and making noises...but that frikin' motor refused to die. It's up to the owner to keep a car reliable and it's up to the owner to decide what part is considered a wear item vs an unreliable part.

I guess my point is, manufacturer reliability ratings rely heavily on opinions, not facts. The same goes for re-sale values. If a part was not well made to begin with, they usually need replacement early in the ownership and usally get covered under warranty anyways. Given that the average car ownership is 6 years, it fair to say just about any new car today will last that long mechanically at a minimum. That wasn't always true, which is why there was once a great emphasis on reliability ratings.

I just think people have a higher standard these days because we're living in a world where returning a piece of electronic device because it's not perfect is normal. That's fine for an iPod, not so simple when it's an entire car. There are literally thousands of things that can go wrong and I think for the most part, just about every manufacturer these days is on the right track at making all modern cars "reliable." The problem is, people want more creature comforts in their cars, which means more stuff to go wrong. It's silly to label an entire car lineup unreliable because of a broken stereo, but for some people, that's enough to label it a POS. Most new cars made these days a better made, regardless of manufacturer.

...except maybe cars from China.

__________________

[09][MB][6-Spd MT][Touring][Stillen Gen III][K&N][Borla CBE][Evo-R]

Fishey

The thing I find to be the worst indicator of reliability is "Initial Quality" like J.D. Power.

Chuck33079

I was about to type this exact same thing. Even the Evo has some build quality issues, and it's the best-built thing they've got. Mistubishi is the Japanese Chrysler.

__________________
2011 MB Touring-Sport-6sp-Nav/GTM TT/FI TT TDX/JTran/Kosmic/Eibach/Hotchkis/SPC/CSF/RPS/SoThatsWhereAllMyMoneyWent

blackcherry20

WTG! Thanks for this thread, I am getting some answers too about high mileage Nissans that I didn't have and wanted

and I will have to say the salesman where I bought my Z looked at me the same way My husband just smiled....

__________________
Grand Sport Corvette Arctic White

blackcherry20

yea, but what is your opinion of high mileage Nissans? I am afraid (pretty much KNOW) my Z is going to be high mileage and I am interested in your learned opinion about it Do I need to worry? and attempt to keep miles down?

__________________
Grand Sport Corvette Arctic White

NickTurnon

I am driving a high mileage z and the only problem that I have had is the steering lock replaced last week. Other then that- its perfect

I wonder how many miles ill run her til I sell her. I still owe about half the car on the loan!

__________________
2009 Brilliant Silver BASE 7AT | TEIN S-Tech Springs | K&N Drop Ins & z1 Maf Tubes | AAM S-Line Short Tails | 5% Tint | 20MM Spacers | Sport Spoiler NickTurnon's 370z Build

Spikuh

What a load of horseshit. I still dd a '91 240sx with almost 250k miles on it. I estimate I still have another 20k on the 1st transmission, and maybe 3k on the 2nd clutch before they finally go. Engine runs just fine with no dead spots although I need to replace the fuel injectors and fuel pump.

My grandfather still drives an older model Nissan truck with over 300k on the clock. The speedo doesn't read correct anymore, but besides that, nothing is wrong with it.

Nissans are JUST as reliable as other manufacturers, you just have to not be a putz when it comes to routine maintenance.

70k isn't high mileage and hasn't been since probably the 80's or 90's. People who dump a well maintained vehicle after 70k because they think it has too many miles or that they can't get good resale for it are brain dead morons and should take a intro to finance class because they obviously do not understand money.

__________________

7speed

So did you ever get the car? I'm surprised you hadn't found one for reasonable miles and price in DFW.

I just got mine last week from courtesy nissan 09 std, base with 37k. Listed for $22g and dealer took off another $1,500

__________________
09 370z 6spd traded 1/12/15 for 15 Challenger RT 6spd

Rawb474

I'm going to hold off on this one. I can find deals similar to that all the time, but not ones that are sports+touring, and I'm only interested in those.

I'm going to be patient and start looking again in a couple months... maybe when I get a higher paying job (last thing I want to do is get myself in financial trouble).

I appreciate all your responses! I've wanted this car for so long but I know I really need to wait. I think if its come to this and is this hard to make the final purchase, I'm probably just not ready to buy. Hoping to get a new job soon and with that, a Z.

lemon-fresh

There are also gonna be some even more amazing cars coming out in the next few years.

7speed

Cool, I just realized as I went through more of the posts your looking for touring/sport.

Yeah don't rush, u will find what you want. I didn't mind the base, only thing that I wanted from sport was wheels (which I can find), spoiler (I found and added to mine already). Toss up was the leather but I don't mind the cloth

__________________
09 370z 6spd traded 1/12/15 for 15 Challenger RT 6spd