The real advantage of the 03 to 05 is that it was 150 lbs lighter than the 06 on. The revup engine's power kept the heavier Z in the same approximate performance window.

The rev up was a minor improvement. Didn't they just basically fix the manifold of robbing air to the engine?

The HR is a noticeable improvement. As for the weight that has been widely argued and debated, so I won't go there..

weight is minuscule really. as far as the DE engines go stick with the 04-05' model years no tire feathering window grease streaks and so forth... 07-08'z seem to be out of his price range. just remember u gotta pay to play as your buying used expect almost all Z's to be run hard and look for signs of that

If your gonna get a 350 get a 07+ btw!

Tire feathering should be corrected with updated alignment specs. I had an 04.5 and still had that issue until it was corrected.

Also bad syncros, had the entire tranny replaced under warranty. Most Z's are driven very hard, so be careful.

I have driven the HR and I have to say it is a bit smoother, but performance I really have to say its about the same. Quarter mile times are high 13 low 14 on both car depending on conditions. What I am saying is the first gen is so much cheaper than the 07+. You can get the track edition with brembo brakes and still be around 4-5 grand cheaper. Theres actually wayyy more aftermarket for the vq35de even for n/a. And too match the raised rpm might as well buy cams, an ecu, valvetrain parts. You could probably raise rpm to 8000-8500 and make the HR seem inferior.

03-04 had Tire Feathering (as sardis said there is a fix, but i never remember any one being happy from it but i could be wrong so dont quote me)
05's had tire feathering fixed. My 05 did not tire feather. There was a few 05's that were early production that did not get it fixed all the way, but i dont think it was many.
06 had brand new revup engine but it also had brand new oil consumption problem. I would stay away from this year totaly. I seem to remember quite a few people suffering from it.
07-08 are the fastest 350'z with no problems, you cant go wrong with the fastest and zero problems.

Also, if you want to mod, the HR blocks are said to be quite a bit stouter.

Fastest traps for the HR have been at 107. The HR really shines in the upper RPMs, at faster speeds there is a big differences. When my friend picked up his 335i and I still had my DE Z we ran a few times. After first gear, he decimated me... I had the opportunity to have a rental Z with the HR and a slushbox, and we were pretty much even. The difference becomes very apparent as the speedo winds around.

As mentioned the HR is a much stouter block. This is almost like comparing the 3.7 HR to the DE, the HR is not that much off from the 3.7, especially comparing the more aggressive drive ratio in the 370. I am not going there, as I firmly believe the 3.7 HR is an evolution, but there is not that much difference in the HR to the 3.7 HR, where there is a football fields of distance between the DE and any HR variant.

Regarding the tire feathering mine was corrected with updated alignment specs.. I believe this is all they did in the 05+ models, but I am not certain. I know they also eventually got rid of the bouncy ride on smooth surfaces as well.

I will say if you are just going to mod balls out, yes the DE is the choice. Full bolt on DE's will not be much slower than a stock HR, but you have just spent the difference you could of applied to get a newer Z with a better engine.

If you are going to boost the car, the DE is pretty much it, since IIRC HR FI options are limited or not available at all.

This has been debated and argued so much over on the other Z forum, I don't want to go there.

I never owned an HR, but drove one a few times, and the difference to me was night and day.

A lot of people complain to this day, even after driving a 370Z, they don't get that torque rush of the DE, but that doesn't make the HR or 370 any less fast, because they don't feel that rush any longer.


But hey if initial price is all that matters, get the DE. Better than no Z at all.:tup:

Maybe someone can post up a dyno chart of a stock DE to an HR. I am too lazy to find this info, but I remember the difference being very clear all through the band..

:iagree: As a former '06 owner, I would definitely advise everyone to stay away from that year......'05 non-anniversary model for the DE, or an '07 or '08 for the HR.

John