MrDBM

Well, finally traded in the Scoob, and to be honest it feels a bit weird, for the first time in over four years my garage is a Scooby Free Zone!!!

Still, at least I have the 350Z to keep me company

Thanks to all of those who offered there opinions on my previous thread by the way, it was appreciated.

The 350 is a completely different beast to the Scooby, and TBH I'm loving it. The gearing is incredibly flexible, making the drive either very relaxing or very Gran Turismo, depending on your mood. Interior build quality is better than my classic, with some nice touches here and there. The cabin environment is a really nice place to be, and so far we have not noticed the lack of rear seating. Yet! It also looks the part, especially in black!

But above all, this thing sounds so cool. I didn't for one second believe the marketing hype that said that Nissan designed the system specifically to sound good, but boy do I believe it now. 3.5 litres of aural delight

Weirdly, it should be cheaper to run than my Scoob. Insurance is the same, mpg marginally better and servicing is cheaper.

At some point I'll be back with a Scoob. For the money there's just nothing else that's as quick or versatile, maybe a Wagon next time though

Andy M3

Excellent choice - how does it handle compared to the classic ?

MrDBM

cheers mate

Handling, well... Ahem It certainly doesn't have the idiot proof factor of the Scooby. The Scooby was so forgiving of many of the cardinal driving sins. Mid corner adjustments etc are usually taken in their stride, and generally the car will sort you out.

The 350 is a different proposition. It's definately a well sorted car, and the handling is excellent. I haven't pushed it that far yet, although it seems to be very communicative and progressive in the way that is handles.

Some sections of my morning commute (B roads etc) can be taken at similar pace to the Scooby. There are several opportunities along this road to get yourself into an unintentional scandinavian flick but so far it has proved very capable. In terms of ride quality it's actually far better than the classic. (which is nice when you want to turn it 'off')

But, let's see how it gets on come December

Terzo 333

As a 350z owner myself - congratulations

Just a word of warning though - when you turn the ESP off, be very wary ! The back end REALLY likes to step out - I have nearly made myslef look silly one or twice now - luckily a bit (OK a lot) of opposite lock sorted it

Matt

P1Fanatic

DBM - you dont live near Reading do you?

I ask as I saw my first black 350z behind me last week. Looked really nice and went passed (astra 1.6) like sh*t off a shovel.

Cheers,
Simon.

MrDBM

hi mate,

no the wasn't me unfortunately


Terzo;

It twiches now and again, but I'm developing it progressively, so hopefully it won't come as too much of a shock But that engine note

automodellistagt

rwd drive for you

mike16v

at the level of money for the 350Z, did any of the owners on here consider a 3 year old Boxster 3.2S?

Just curious, as this would make them similar priced cars if you compared new Z to older Porsche

Not having a dig at all before this is suggested Just curious

wwp8

Andy W STI

I was glad to see this thread as this is a move I'm considering myself, had a 350z out for a test drive last weekend, as well as a boxster. I was very impressed by both but think I prefered the Z.
what options did you go for, not sure I need a GT pack at all but it might be useful come resale time.

Andy

MrDBM

Andy,

Mine is the standard spec, here she is:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...k/DSCF0018.jpg

The GT spec looked good, but nothing on the list was essential really, so when this one came up I didn't hesitate. There's not a great deal of haggling to be done, mainly due to the fact that there isn't that many around I did manage to get four new Potenzas and the service, which was fine for me. Most bits you can have done later, aside from Satnav. There are some nice 'Z' accessories, which I plan to aquire sometime soon, door sills, boot mats etc.

Make sure you test drive a UK car, some of the imports I looked at had strange specs, and didn't have the Brembos. Jap Cars have more trim levels than UK. Some of the imports are excellent though, although like anything else it's worth shopping around and doing your homework.

All in all I seriously doubt you will be dissappointed, it goes like stink, sounds awesome, and looks amazing in any colour. (black is quickest though) The boot space isn't great, but it's not that bad, you can get a fair bit in there. Plus there's loads of storage all over the cabin.

Go for it mate, you'll love it.

Dave

MrDBM

just too add, the main differences from Scooby ownership will be;

1. Feelings of unrest due to you not seeing 400 identical models wherever you go
2. Feeling of being left out because Nova owners et al don't want to know
3. Rear wash wipe, ah that's cool
4. No turbo whining, incessant growl of 3.5L of V6
5. Servicing cost will be classed as 'Happy Time'
6. Fuel cost will be better all round - 80mph cruise gets 35mpg - what the f***?!?!?!?
7. You'll be able to pull away in ANY gear, god that's weird!

Stuff that's the same;

1. You can still buy the same car on GT4 and drive at round the Ring
2. The cost of tyres will make the blood drain from your face
3. It's sodding quick

Andy W STI

Cheers DBM, best of luck with your new motor, she looks well!
Andy

Deep Singh

One of the few good looking cars on the road these days

MrDBM

cheers guys. Interestingly just finished my first tank of Super, and given that the first tank is always burned off pretty quick as you get used to the car - I thought 31mpg was seriously good

russell hayward

Do they run on 95RON or is it Super only ?

davedipster

Top stuff m8, best looking car I've seen in ages.
I really like reading posts like yours, honest updates on new motors.

The new BMW 1 series 130i M, looks interesting.

dipster

RRH

sorry, couldn't resist. courtesy of sniffpetrol.com.

davedipster

I love it, can i get one in silver and without indicators?

dipster

MrDBM

Russell,

The manual RECOMMENDS 98 ron, even though my dealer said 95 was fine. (it's like having a Scoob again!)

Generally anything below 95 ron is bad news. Besides, you just can't get 98 in some places as far as I know, Dublin, South of France etc. (IIRC!)

MrDBM

Dipster,

Cheers mate, bear in mind the 1 series has Vectra style indicators - ARRGHH! enough to put anyone off

Dave