Totally Honest Opinion of Your Satisfaction With Your 370

italy3541 · 06-20-2014, 03:58 AM

I guess I will throw my opinion in here. This Z is my 38th car, and my 6th Z car. SO I have owned my fair share of different cars. Overall I love my Z. Not many cars have the look that this car does, and the ones that do cost a lot more. When it was released its performance and options were hard to beat in its price range. And owning a Z is more than having a sports car, there is a heritage behind the Z. Its something I fell in love with back in high school when I got my first 280zx turbo.

Are there cars out there that are faster, or handle better. Sure but it comes down to each person and what they like. I feel that most sports cars have their own unique thing that sets them apart, it just all depends if that small difference is enough to keep you happy.

Some people have had a great experience owning a Z and some have had nothing but problems. Its the same with any car. There is not a car made out there that is perfect for every person. And just like any car out there some of them run perfect with no problems, and some just seem to want to break down all the time. That doesn't mean that the car or the company as a whole is junk, it just means you were the unlucky person this time around. Talk to enough people and you can find someone who has had a bad experience with every car type out there. There are people that wont own a Honda or BMW because the one they had was nothing but problems. Then you can talk to 10 other people who swear that they are the best cars built. It all comes down to the luck of the draw.

For me the only things I have to complain about my Z are this:

1. Depreciation, cars as a whole are poor investments. There are very few cars that hold value. And the ones that do usually fall into the rare or classic type category. But with the Z Nissan is the one who killed its value. They got greedy with the Z and kept raising the price of it, then when sales dropped they cut the price back down. Which was great for people who did not buy yet, but for those of us who did we watched our cars value drop by $4000 over night. If you add that into its normal depreciation you would have a car that's less than a year old but lost 10-12k in value. Very hard to swallow for some of us. You would go from sitting good in the car to being upside down overnight. Which is exactly what happened to me. I bought my car 2 months before they dropped the price. Now I sit so upside down in the car that unless I keep it for a very long time I will be buried in negative equity when I trade it. But that is life sometimes you win sometimes you loose.

2. Clunky noisy gearbox. Altho its a very strong gearbox, its lack of refinement is annoying. It can make the best manual driver look like a noob until he gets the hang of the unique way the Z must be shifted. Add that in with the amount of noise it makes at idle and it can turn off a lot of people. But if you are familiar with Z cars you know that this is something common in almost all models of the Z. They were never known for having a silky smooth transmission.

3. Lack of premium materials used in the interior. With the price point the Z is at you would think that they would have made more of a effort to use better materials, and pay more attention to the fit and finish of the interior. I love the layout but hate the cheap feel of most of the components. And if you spend the extra money to upgrade to the touring you don't get much. 2 leather power seats and a cheap bose audio system. I wish Nissan would take a page from VW and refine the interior so it is a nicer place to spend time.

Other than those things I don't have much to complain about, I could go on for a long time with all the things I love about the Z but I don't think anyone wants to read page after page of my opinion of how great the Z is....lol.

MacCool · 06-20-2014, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by italy3541

For me the only things I have to complain about my Z are this:

2. Clunky noisy gearbox. Altho its a very strong gearbox, its lack of refinement is annoying. It can make the best manual driver look like a noob until he gets the hang of the unique way the Z must be shifted. Add that in with the amount of noise it makes at idle and it can turn off a lot of people. But if you are familiar with Z cars you know that this is something common in almost all models of the Z. They were never known for having a silky smooth transmission.

3. Lack of premium materials used in the interior. With the price point the Z is at you would think that they would have made more of a effort to use better materials, and pay more attention to the fit and finish of the interior. I love the layout but hate the cheap feel of most of the components. And if you spend the extra money to upgrade to the touring you don't get much. 2 leather power seats and a cheap bose audio system. I wish Nissan would take a page from VW and refine the interior so it is a nicer place to spend time.

I notice a significant difference in the way my 2014 shifts compared to the way my 2011 shifted (6MT). There is still a slight "notchiness" on a fast 1-2 shift, but I don't feel any grinding. The clutch engages MUCH smoother and SRM is EXTREMELY accurate with this 2014. I find my 2014 to be a joy to shift, without the jerkiness that I would occasionally getting on my 2011.

Interior...I honestly can't agree with the above. I've found the materials to be more that adequate and the fit/finish to be good, and all of it to be durable. I have the Touring model with Nav. Bose audio isn't the top of the line, but IMHO it's pretty good...more than adequate for the non-audiophile. I'm not a big fan of the Nav package. The navigation itself is pretty lame, with most of where I live in rural Minnesota not covered by the loaded map. Navigation is much, much more functional with a $2 navigation app (MotionXDrive) for my iPhone. Likewise, the Nissan voice control for the electronics is overly cumbersome and non-intuitive. Supposedly, Nissan is a participant (or will be) in Apple's CarPlay app. THAT would be excellent. I hope my nav package can be retro-upgraded via firmware update to use that app.

FairladyZ10PG · 06-20-2014, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by italy3541

I guess I will throw my opinion in here. This Z is my 38th car, and my 6th Z car.

you must be like 200 years old

kenchan · 06-20-2014, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairladyZ10PG

you must be like 200 years old

but i own 4 cars at a time so i would only be 9? oh wait..

onzedge · 06-20-2014, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

but i own 4 cars at a time so i would only be 9? oh wait..

I have 4 running vehicles and 2 parts cars (240Z).

I would have more if I had more space. Mrs. Dr. onzedge™ lets me do anything with vehicles, but they have to have 4 wheels.

kenchan · 06-20-2014, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onzedge

I have 4 running vehicles and 2 parts cars (240Z).

I would have more if I had more space. Mrs. Dr. onzedge™ lets me do anything with vehicles, but they have to have 4 wheels.

i too need more space.

italy3541 · 06-20-2014, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairladyZ10PG

you must be like 200 years old

no im 34 but have a serious car addiction. and not all those cars were new. a lot of $500-$1000 back in high school. I would get one fix it up drive it for a few weeks or months and sell it buy another do the same etc. I had a little business out of my garage.

Tazicon · 06-20-2014, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by italy3541

2. Clunky noisy gearbox. Altho its a very strong gearbox, its lack of refinement is annoying. It can make the best manual driver look like a noob until he gets the hang of the unique way the Z must be shifted. Add that in with the amount of noise it makes at idle and it can turn off a lot of people. But if you are familiar with Z cars you know that this is something common in almost all models of the Z. They were never known for having a silky smooth transmission.

My 280ZX had a very nice tranny, extremely smooth compared to the current 6mt's. Like I always tell people, my 1978 Datsun B210 and my 1980 Nissan/Datsun pickup had a far better MT's than Nissan uses in the Z's.....................and that’s sad.

kenchan · 06-20-2014, 07:37 AM

My interior is fine. Fit and finish is also very good.

tnav · 06-20-2014, 10:52 AM

I have a 2012 Sports/Touring/Nav, the car looks, feels, and handles great. I personally would not buy a basic Z as it looks way too cheap for me. I think the Nismo is amazing looking, but the interior is from the base package, which is why I did not get it.

The car has small issues as others described, noisy shifting at times (not always), low quality of the paint and some of the plastics and materials, little noisy inside, and a few minor things you can upgrade or fix with aftermarket options.

I recommend a Certified Z, if you buy new you lose your A55. You can buy used and put a 5-year full warranty. I don't think there is a better car for the money than a Z, to me the other Japanese cars are made by Fisher-Price, unless you buy an Infiniti which is not as sporty as I like, I like Lexus but they are all 4-door.

I absolutely love BMWs, but they don't make a car that is as sporty as the Z, the M3 is a hell of a car, but it's a cow. The M235i is an awesome car, but still a sports coupe and not a sports car. Audi does not make a sports car except the TT-S or TT-R, the TT-R is fast as hell, but they are up there in price. I didn't mention the R8 for obvious reasons. A Boxter-S is freaking incredible, but the new body just came out, it's big bucks. There are the Lotus Elise and Exige, if that is something you could live with, still it would not be your primary car.

Still, the Z is by far the best buy, if you want something fast, high quality build, quiet an smooth ride, and top service centers, buy German, only that you will be making several trips to the Dealership, though every one of them offer loaner cars, unlike Nissan.

Take your time and drive every car you can until you find what you like, good luck

njobe89 · 06-20-2014, 11:30 AM

^^ that's what i was thinking when i read that lol

njobe89 · 06-20-2014, 11:46 AM

i have plenty of space if you want to give me your cars lol

johnynitro · 06-20-2014, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hey32g

It's kind of a basic question, but I'd really like owner's opinions of how genuinely happy they've been with their 370. The reason I'm asking is that I just got rid of my 2010 Maxima SV (see its sorry picture as my avatar), and was extremely disappointed in the car. It was terrible in the rain, it would intermittently turn the traction control off by itself, and the quality was simply far less than what I expected from a car with its price tag. It supposedly had 290 hp, but it was a slug off the line. A four door sports car it aint! My wife backed into it coming out of our garage, there was $1700 damage to the Maxima and her Mercedes had a small scratch that I literally buffed out and you can't see it. I've owned over 20 cars and it was far and away my least favorite. I couldn't get rid of it soon enough. I absolutely hated that car. FYI, I traded it in on an SUV.

Now I'm looking for a fun sports car. I love the Z, but this Maxima experience has left me wondering if I'm an idiot to buy another Nissan.

Thanks.

Ive only had mine a month but so far all I can say is...awesome. I looove it so far. Plenty of power, tight steering, good cornering, comfortable interior (and im 6'1) and amazing looks.

kenchan · 06-20-2014, 04:12 PM

the throttle map can be smoother and clutch could feel better, but the gearbox itself doesnt feel that bad to me. actually it feels fine.

ayrton88 · 06-20-2014, 05:11 PM

I'm really surprised how many people complain of the noisy ride...I don't think it's that bad. Of course I've played guitar for 30 years. My only real complaint is that I really don't like all the attention it gets. I hadn't thought of that when I bought it. My next car will definitely be more stealthy and might have to be an auto....I can't believe I said that, but I'm so old my knees are getting arthritic and sometimes in Chicago traffic my clutch leg gets a little sore. Naw....I'll never buy an automatic....I'll take public transportation if it comes to that.

06-20-2014, 07:37 AM	#9 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141522	My interior is fine. Fit and finish is also very good. Streetlife and jpkirk like this.

06-20-2014, 11:30 AM	#11 (permalink)
njobe89 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2014 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 5,227 Drives: 2013 370z BS 6MT Rep Power: 174285	^^ that's what i was thinking when i read that lol FairladyZ10PG likes this. __________________ 2 plus 2 times 2 = ? ... hint, it's not 8 Stillen CBE, Stillen Gen 3, TP's, Uprev tuned - 324whp/264tq

06-20-2014, 11:46 AM	#12 (permalink)
njobe89 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2014 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 5,227 Drives: 2013 370z BS 6MT Rep Power: 174285	i have plenty of space if you want to give me your cars lol onzedge likes this. __________________ 2 plus 2 times 2 = ? ... hint, it's not 8 Stillen CBE, Stillen Gen 3, TP's, Uprev tuned - 324whp/264tq

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06-20-2014, 03:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
italy3541 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: pa Posts: 1,491 Drives: 2014BMW Z4 35isdrive Rep Power: 19	I guess I will throw my opinion in here. This Z is my 38th car, and my 6th Z car. SO I have owned my fair share of different cars. Overall I love my Z. Not many cars have the look that this car does, and the ones that do cost a lot more. When it was released its performance and options were hard to beat in its price range. And owning a Z is more than having a sports car, there is a heritage behind the Z. Its something I fell in love with back in high school when I got my first 280zx turbo. Are there cars out there that are faster, or handle better. Sure but it comes down to each person and what they like. I feel that most sports cars have their own unique thing that sets them apart, it just all depends if that small difference is enough to keep you happy. Some people have had a great experience owning a Z and some have had nothing but problems. Its the same with any car. There is not a car made out there that is perfect for every person. And just like any car out there some of them run perfect with no problems, and some just seem to want to break down all the time. That doesn't mean that the car or the company as a whole is junk, it just means you were the unlucky person this time around. Talk to enough people and you can find someone who has had a bad experience with every car type out there. There are people that wont own a Honda or BMW because the one they had was nothing but problems. Then you can talk to 10 other people who swear that they are the best cars built. It all comes down to the luck of the draw. For me the only things I have to complain about my Z are this: 1. Depreciation, cars as a whole are poor investments. There are very few cars that hold value. And the ones that do usually fall into the rare or classic type category. But with the Z Nissan is the one who killed its value. They got greedy with the Z and kept raising the price of it, then when sales dropped they cut the price back down. Which was great for people who did not buy yet, but for those of us who did we watched our cars value drop by $4000 over night. If you add that into its normal depreciation you would have a car that's less than a year old but lost 10-12k in value. Very hard to swallow for some of us. You would go from sitting good in the car to being upside down overnight. Which is exactly what happened to me. I bought my car 2 months before they dropped the price. Now I sit so upside down in the car that unless I keep it for a very long time I will be buried in negative equity when I trade it. But that is life sometimes you win sometimes you loose. 2. Clunky noisy gearbox. Altho its a very strong gearbox, its lack of refinement is annoying. It can make the best manual driver look like a noob until he gets the hang of the unique way the Z must be shifted. Add that in with the amount of noise it makes at idle and it can turn off a lot of people. But if you are familiar with Z cars you know that this is something common in almost all models of the Z. They were never known for having a silky smooth transmission. 3. Lack of premium materials used in the interior. With the price point the Z is at you would think that they would have made more of a effort to use better materials, and pay more attention to the fit and finish of the interior. I love the layout but hate the cheap feel of most of the components. And if you spend the extra money to upgrade to the touring you don't get much. 2 leather power seats and a cheap bose audio system. I wish Nissan would take a page from VW and refine the interior so it is a nicer place to spend time. Other than those things I don't have much to complain about, I could go on for a long time with all the things I love about the Z but I don't think anyone wants to read page after page of my opinion of how great the Z is....lol.

06-20-2014, 10:52 AM	#10 (permalink)
tnav Enthusiast Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: SoCal Posts: 316 Drives: 2012 370z Silver 6sp Rep Power: 13	I have a 2012 Sports/Touring/Nav, the car looks, feels, and handles great. I personally would not buy a basic Z as it looks way too cheap for me. I think the Nismo is amazing looking, but the interior is from the base package, which is why I did not get it. The car has small issues as others described, noisy shifting at times (not always), low quality of the paint and some of the plastics and materials, little noisy inside, and a few minor things you can upgrade or fix with aftermarket options. I recommend a Certified Z, if you buy new you lose your A55. You can buy used and put a 5-year full warranty. I don't think there is a better car for the money than a Z, to me the other Japanese cars are made by Fisher-Price, unless you buy an Infiniti which is not as sporty as I like, I like Lexus but they are all 4-door. I absolutely love BMWs, but they don't make a car that is as sporty as the Z, the M3 is a hell of a car, but it's a cow. The M235i is an awesome car, but still a sports coupe and not a sports car. Audi does not make a sports car except the TT-S or TT-R, the TT-R is fast as hell, but they are up there in price. I didn't mention the R8 for obvious reasons. A Boxter-S is freaking incredible, but the new body just came out, it's big bucks. There are the Lotus Elise and Exige, if that is something you could live with, still it would not be your primary car. Still, the Z is by far the best buy, if you want something fast, high quality build, quiet an smooth ride, and top service centers, buy German, only that you will be making several trips to the Dealership, though every one of them offer loaner cars, unlike Nissan. Take your time and drive every car you can until you find what you like, good luck

06-20-2014, 04:12 PM	#14 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141522	the throttle map can be smoother and clutch could feel better, but the gearbox itself doesnt feel that bad to me. actually it feels fine.

06-20-2014, 05:11 PM	#15 (permalink)
ayrton88 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Chicago Posts: 397 Drives: 2010 Nissan 370Z Rep Power: 16	I'm really surprised how many people complain of the noisy ride...I don't think it's that bad. Of course I've played guitar for 30 years. My only real complaint is that I really don't like all the attention it gets. I hadn't thought of that when I bought it. My next car will definitely be more stealthy and might have to be an auto....I can't believe I said that, but I'm so old my knees are getting arthritic and sometimes in Chicago traffic my clutch leg gets a little sore. Naw....I'll never buy an automatic....I'll take public transportation if it comes to that.