Is owning a roadster worth all the hassles

[Immaginazione]

Hi

I am thinking about get the 370Z roadster as my primary everyday car, and reading the roadster section of this forum, it's left me with a few concerns about owning a 370Z roadster.
So my question is two fold:
1. How many roadster owners have had hassle free driving?
2. Those of you who have had hassles, would you say owner a roadster is worth it?

[axeman71]

Very subjective question, so opinions will vary.

I use mine as a daily driver as well as for some longer trips (under 5 hours) and I have not had any serious issues. I had a problem with my ipod but changing the ipod cable fixed it. I also have problems with my wife's phone not always connecting properly to the bluetooth but my phone works perfectly.

After 7 months and 10,000 miles I have had no mechanical issues and no problems with my top. The trunk is big enough for a medium size piece of luggage and there is some room behind the seats to put small packages. I have no kids so I don't need a back seat. The car rides well (for a sports car, it is not suppose to be as smooth as a Lexus) and is quiet for a soft top convertible. I love it and expect to own it for many years to come.

[370Z_Fan]

I've had my roadster for nearly seven months now and the only hassle I get is everyone keeps looking at my car and saying "nice car!" or something to that effect.

[Hi-Step'n370Z]

I have just a little over 7,000 miles on my 2010 Roadster and have nothing but great things to say about her! I only drive my Z in the spring, summer and fall. Not on the winter/salt covered roads.

I agree with all the positive things that have been said so far about the Roadster. It's a styler for sure! Nothing but positive comments.

I could not be happier with a car than I am with my Roadster. However........ I would be remiss if I did not also say that I do have a concern about the fabric top wear/tear issues. I have not had any problems at all with my top. It looks brand new and works flawlessly. But, I always feel I should add; "so far."

I don't know what Nissan has done about the problem during assembly for the 2011's. Maybe nothing because it "seems" that only a few tops have had the issues. Of course, even a few is too much. Once again, my heart goes out to all of you who have had this issue. It has to be absolutely gut wrenching.

Those top issues are covered under the warranty, so other than the dread of having it happen to your Z, if it does, Nissan will fix it.

I don't know what they would do if it became worn/torn after the warranty period though. On one hand, since this problem was identified during warranty period, they may honor it if those exact issues happen after warranty. But then again, they may not. So for those of us who are not having the problem while under warranty, we don't know what the future holds for us regarding the fix.

But it seems that IF you operate the top over 20 times and there's no sign of a problem, you should be OK.

From what I've read regarding the issue, I kind of think that if you can feel that large cable/bundle of wires running between the fabric and the frame, then you're heading for trouble. If you can't, then it seems that you will not have the problem. But that's only my common sense guess. I can not feel that bundle of wires with my top, so I figure I am safe.... "so far: LOL

Even as the top issue is upsetting, it hasn't appeared to be a real big problem to fix should you experience it.

I would say; if you like the Roadster, buy yourself the Roadster and enjoy it. It's a beautiful, automobile.

[crash1369]

Thing thing you need to realize about a forum, or the internet in general is that is where people go to complain. Someone has a problem and they want to find a solution so you end up with a huge database of problems listed about a particular car, with nothing good to say because people are not going to post things like "My roof opens swimmingly"
But you can rest assured they will post "My roof won't close" So you need to take that into consideration. Also even if it looks like allot of people on a forum are having a particular problem, their still generally the monitory in overall sales.

That said I have no complaints about mine. I had my roof open almost every day since I got it up until lately when it got to cold even for me. I've have no problems other then my windows freezing, hopefully resolved.
I only have ~3,000 miles on mine so far though

[John Bradley]

I have had mine longer than anybody here except for one guy.. Mine is 13 months old and I have not had one problem with anything.. Now I only have 2600 miles on it in those 13 months so that's a lot less than others.. Hoepfully all stays well for the next 30 years... I do not know how it would be as a DD so I can't help you there.

[dixon cider]

Love mine. Glad I bought it and would buy another one if I was in the market.

[B52EWO]

I'm one of the owners with the top tearing problem but I wouldn't have any other car. The dealership is working the problem and I've given the warranty manager the pictures of other tops with the same problem that have been posted on this forum (thank you to those individuals).

I owned a new 2004 350Z Roadster and a slightly used 2008 350Z Roadster and, in my opinion, Nissan finally got it right with the 370ZR. The tire feathering/cupping issue has been resolved and the interior design and quality has been re-engineered and is now better than ever.

Between the 2004 350ZR (which I traded because that top rotted after 39 months – no help from the dealer on a replacement top) and the 2008 350ZR, I had an Infiniti G37 which was a great car, but it just wasn’t a drop-top. When Infiniti came out with the removable hardtop G-37, I thought this might be the solution to my needs, but it looks too much like a Sebring (in my opinion) when the top is down. I guess when you have two more seats in the back, there’s no way to make it look like a real sports car with the top dropped.

Immaginazione – get one, you won’t be disappointed. My wife’s son (Canadian) spends a lot of time in South Africa and he tells me it’s a beautiful country. You’ll really enjoy seeing the sights more with the top down.

[B52EWO]

The warranty manager just called me this afternoon to tell me Nissan is sending him a complete top assembly for my car. This top includes the fabric, struts, etc., and an improved pivot pin (whatever that is) which is supposed to fix this issue. I’ll post an update when I know more and when the installation has been completed.

[Zaggeron]

Just shy of a year and around 4500 miles on mine. No mechanical problems at all -- runs like a dream.

I am concerned about wear issues on my top, but I haven't had any extreme issues like some of the posters -- I've got a wrinkle where some other owner had a hole rub through, but in my case I can't find any wear on the inside where his wore through. There is a slight rubbing of the side of the top above the driver's door. This has caused a tiny bit of fabric to fray. I'm keeping an eye on it and if it starts to wear further, then I'll try to get warranty service for it, but if it stays as is, it will be fine.

Other than the cheap floor mats that won't stay in place and are already pulling away from the metal ring that goes over the post on the floor, everything else is fine.

[Immaginazione]

Thanks for all the responses, clearly even people who have/had problems are still happy with their purchase.

[Hi-Step'n370Z]

Originally Posted by B52EWO

The warranty manager just called me this afternoon to tell me Nissan is sending him a complete top assembly for my car. This top includes the fabric, struts, etc., and an improved pivot pin (whatever that is) which is supposed to fix this issue. I’ll post an update when I know more and when the installation has been completed.

See if you can get some pics of that pivot pin, and where it sets on the vert top frame, when they do your install. I know we all would appreciate seeing them.

Thanks for the updates too.

[LuckyJinx]

Down here its a great dd as my friend owns one, but some people can't take people with convertables seriously.

[Findlay]

Love mine - favorite car I've ever owned. One of those cars you park, walk away from, then stop, glance back and just gaze at with a goofy grin. I make up reasons to go out on errands just so I can drive it - then "forget" things so I can go out again. I drive with the top down every single chance I get - day, night, hot, cold, fog, drizzle, whatever. I take the long way everywhere, every time. And as I've said before somewhere on this forum, I tuck it into the garage with more love than my kids get at bedtime.

As my old friend Ferris Bueller once said about another sexy little roadster - "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

[Hi-Step'n370Z]

Originally Posted by Findlay

Love mine - favorite car I've ever owned. One of those cars you park, walk away from, then stop, glance back and just gaze at with a goofy grin. I make up reasons to go out on errands just so I can drive it - then "forget" things so I can go out again. I drive with the top down every single chance I get - day, night, hot, cold, fog, drizzle, whatever. I take the long way everywhere, every time. And as I've said before somewhere on this forum, I tuck it into the garage with more love than my kids get at bedtime.

As my old friend Ferris Bueller once said about another sexy little roadster - "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Sounds like you operate the top more than most. Have you seen any signs of the top wear issues with your Roadster yet?