2003 Nissan 350Z Review - The JDM Mustang
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- Опубликовано: 18 окт 2024
- The 350Z is hard to beat when it comes to outright track performance for the money. So, after roughly 15 years, you're probably wondering what the common problems are and if it is wise to buy one? Or should you just look into a Mazda Miata, Scion FR-S, Infiniti G35 or a Ford Mustang GT? Watch and find out!
Thank you, Max Molt, for letting me whip this Z for the day!
(Most of) My sources used for this video
my350z.com/forum/
www.cars.com/r...
www.edmunds.co...
www.carcomplai...
low-offset.com...
Consumer Reports 2010, 2015 Autos Issue
This fucking guy is gonna make it! If you put in this much work on every video your gonna be great!
Thanks man!
Fr
I’ve owned and FRS and an S2000 and my 350 HR is better than both overall. The steering is great and only slightly behind those two cars. The FRS and S2000 were both slow with zero torque. 350 HR isn’t a rocket-ship but it’s faster than the other two and a pleasure to drive. Great gearbox, great steering feel, great seating position and nice bolstering
Wow, I go to searching up this specific car on RUclips and I am yet to find this video about a day after it was uploaded.
Just bought a stock, single owner 2003 with 26k on the clock. Replaced hatch struts and passenger window motor. Bought the car knowing it had these issues. I’m very pleased thus far. I drove a 2002 Porsche 911 Targa for a few years and I’ve had more fun in the Z than the Porsche. If I had the budget I’d be a Porsche guy but the performance in the 350Z is all the fun most drivers need on a public road. I’ve always driven Japanese cars and I love the fact that the car is practically new. It’s like getting into a time machine.
Congrats on your purchase. I've been looking at also purchasing one of these. Question is, since they are about 20 years old, have you found it hard to get standard replacement maintenance parts for them? Thanks
Are regular maintenance parts hard to find for these? Thanks
Just bought a 2003 350z w 68k miles fully stock in great condition im very happy with it
Can I ask the price? Currently looking for one and I feel my budget is around 4-5k but anything around that is 150k+ miles :(
@@mrorganic13i say to save up some more to find a better condition one
@@user-ej1yx4rw3y yeah def gonna have to, last ice say month to 2 months prices jumped again .
It was my first car, it's awesome, it never broke and very fun to drive
lucky..
Rate the car 1-10 as a first car
How’s it doing now?
This is a very well edited and filmed video, I loved it!
Thank you!
I had that clicking from the driveshaft while my car was still under warranty. Nissan fixed it by tightening the bolts to factory specs
Thanks!
Thank you soo much for getting the year model for the engines spot on. I see soo many reviews getting the year models wrong with engine options.
I can definitely see where people could get tripped up, thank you
I have a '04 touring with under 100k and I absolutely love my z. No oil consumption issues and was babied it's whole life. It's been a jem! The only issue I have that really gets my goat is the door seal on both sides are toast and leak during heavy rain. They are also comically expensive. Overall, it's my dream car I've wanted for years and it really is such a joy to drive.
I bought my stock '03 350z 6-spd performance edition 6 years ago with 77K mi. Now has 105K mi. Garaged every winter to spare it from road salt but daily driven otherwise on terrible Chicago roads, and driven quite hard much of the time. Took it on one long road trip in which I drove it 110 mph for 6 hours straight. Repairs mine has needed: both window regulators, hatch struts & springs, door handle, rear brakes, rear shocks, lower oil pan gasket, battery, one minor exhaust repair. Tires came new on it and now need replacement. Driveshaft has always clicked but it's NEVER burned any oil. Overall not too bad I'd say.
I'm thinking of getting a 350z as my first and I'm 19 would you highly recommend it ?
@@sire6551 I’m 19 and only reason I’m commenting I just got one and I was still on the fence… fell Inlove bro she’s almost as old as us I love her
One of my dream cars.
Japanese version of an Audi tt the way its shaped but definitely ahead of its time and a timeless design love Z's
I thought this dude was Fitment Industries at first lol. Good review! Love the Z
Owned a 350z Track in its 2003 release year and loved it for about 4 years. Bought a 2005 35th anniversary model in 2019 for a weekend toy,, still a stunning car when compared to my daily a current model Audi TT. - nice review!
Anniversary gang🔥 I got a silverstone 67k miles
Great review!
I’ve had an automatic 2006 touring for over 5 years, and I love it!
The automatics in 06 did not get the rev up engine, at least mine didn’t.
I find the steering wheel feedback to be good, not as good as my previous car that had rack and pinion (CRX)..but better than say a modern civic, etc.
It’s far more practical than I imagined it could be as far as the trunk space goes.
Very fun, makes it hard to imagine going back to a regular car.
Oh man I have an 2006 auto Touring Z too, I'll have had it 5 years by the end of this month! Yeah same for me it's just the regular DE but I still enjoy it, been a super reliable car and always fun to drive.
@@cdr2691 regular DE has more torque anyway
Great review. To me, the 350Z has the best looking exterior that has ever graced a car, period.
hell no
@@Yumemi_Riamu it's OK to be wrong
@@s.w.6977 it looks like a keyboard mouse
Besides newer corvettes or supercars.
@@Mike-qz4by Dear god no. All that "look at me" design with zero coherence or even a decent body shape.
Nothing better than seeing these sports car stock without any trash on it.
Stock with aftermarket wheels that aren’t ugly and they look good.
After owning several MR2's years ago, I decided it was time for another sports car. I just put a down payment on a 2004 350Z Touring Roadster. I will pick it up in a week. To say that I'm excited is an understatement. The car I found is in beautiful shape and has been cared for mechanically, meticulously. Only a few mods, that I would consider upgrades. The only downside is some problem areas with the paint. I'm thinking of having it wrapped. Oh, and it's a 6 spd manual.
Stock 2003 touring 123k miles
I’ve had oil in the spark plug wells causing over voltage and misfires. Had to replace six coils, spark plugs, alternator, battery. The problem was the valve cover. I cut the old metal spark plug tube gasket out and put Honda Civic spark plug well gaskets in with gasket maker. Fixed that.
Yes it burns lots of oil
Yes the flywheel chatters
Yes the clutch pedal kicks out unlike any other car I’ve driven (I replaced mine with RJM, completely worth it).
Yes the camshaft position sensor goes out
Yes the engine sucks to work on
because it’s so tight.
Yes there’s road noise and rattles in the cabin
Yes the window regulators go out
Yes it has body roll for being sports car
Yes the plastic door handles break easily,
both outdoor and interior
It’s not fast, but it’s very fun if you get a manual, it’s a fat front heavy Miata, doesn’t inspire confidence in stock form.
Very very good car with light mods (I’ve driven one)
It’s all worth it if you want to spend money modding it right.
Appreciate the info I was looking at an 03 I think I’ve changed my mind from what I’ve heard the 07 is a lot more reliable
Great review man! Have been eyeballing them for a while. Already own a z32 TT, but am looking for another fun project.
Thank you, I definitely recommend one as a toy!
Anyone looking for a 350z get one! I bought mine and I regret not buying it sooner I’m in love with it! Make sure you get a manual 🤤
why not automatic
automatics are fine
Amazing video 🔥 i’m buying a Z soon and this really helped me
I've got a DE.. my best 0-60? 5.1 with bolt ons, no tune. I've noticed it's all about launch and clean shifts. Be sloppy, you get 6.5 0-60. Be precise, you hit LOW 5s. They're properly quick cars, I hang with v8 challengers all day and can corner with beamers. For 03' it's a gem of a car.
Hmm, I don't know about low 5s but I have a dragy now so I can an accurate result, I wish I had it for this video but I definitely want to see what it can do now!
5.1 was with a rollout @sea level I forgot. I have fat rears, a light flywheel, plenum spacer, CAI, exhaust, 4.08FD..no tune. Anyways great review as usual, you're appreciative, simple, direct. You almost sold me on the SI. It's always a pleasure to watch. And try to execute really precise shifts, its hard to nail but itll reward you with mid-high 5s. lmk how it goes!
Hey guys I'm completely rebuilding a 1974 Datsun 620 on my channel if you guys want to check it out!
Beams Engine Swap (Japan)
Electronic Power Steering
New Paint
Coilovers
Custom Interior
and many more mods to come... Thanks
high mileage vqs seep a lot of oil through the valve cover gaskets. the water pump is a bitch to replace because it’s timing chain driven. but overall solid cars that never want to break down if you keep the maintenance up to date
Yup, I changed my 370 valve cover gasket at 141k
Finally a nice detailed and awesome spec video
this was my first car and now after being a 29 years old .. im buying one i remember it was the best steering fun car to drive. ( after this car i had jeep wrangler 13 - mustang gt 15)
This review is very honest and genuine I love it. One thing I did disagree a bit is the number steering. I just test drove a 350z 35th anniversary and steering feels connected and very good
Thank you, it's all relative really, this feels more natural and communicative than the 2020 or 2022 wrx I drove, but I was more so comparing it to cars like my civic si at the time, the miata, the old 3 series of that era.
What I love, looks, exhaust sound, handling, not overpowering like a corvette,
Wasn’t looking at my phone when the video started and thought I clicked on a Doug demuro video on accident, great vid btw!
I'm going to pick up a convertible 350Z when time is right, had a Datsun fairlady 1600 back in the eighties, this is the best next thing.
Hey there, I own a Z. The synchro issue you mentioned is correct for those years, 03 to early 05. I'm pretty much required to double clutch 5th in my '03 base. The upgraded transmission (PN CD009 in production, CD00A when bought from Nissan today) contains the revised synchros, was available from late 05 to 06. Cool thing about the CD009/A is that it's absolutely bulletproof (I've seen them run on 800+HP builds), and they're relatively affordable, around 2k for a brand new transmission from Nissan today.
Another thing I'd like to mention is the dual mass flywheel present in the Z is known for early failure, is NOT resurfaceable (must be replaced), and is not cheap (around 1k for the replacement part alone). The solution is to go aftermarket single mass flywheel & do a clutch job as normal. Potential cost of doing business with these cars
There are some cons of the HR I'd like to mention, namely oil gallery gaskets & the redesigned concentric slave cylinder in the trans. The oil gallery gasket in HR motors (07-12) is a paper-type gasket, and is prone to failure, resulting in low/no oil pressure & needing immediate fixing. Replacement is expensive since the gasket is buried (I believe the engine must be pulled to replace), multiple thousands. This was moved to a metal-type gasket in 2013. In addition, the HR has a redesigned trans, such that the slave cylinder is concentric (in place of the throwout bearing), rather than external like earlier models. When the slave fails, that means clutch fluid inside the bell housing, fried clutch, etc. I believe there are kits to convert back to an external slave, but I'm not entirely sure.
Thank you!
Any time! Always happy to see the Z get some love
There are at least two known reputable kits to convert the CSC back to external. Check places like Z1Motorsports out.
@@400Redsport Thanks for the info. I hope Z1 knows that they're the backbone of casual Z ownership, life would be truly difficult without them
@@jasonconci562 They've helped me out a ton with parts. Even overnighted me stuff to the middle of nowhere once during a long trip and I would have been stuck there for a week at least if not for them.
this has over the years come one of my fav cars especially to race with , seen one video on the track taking corners so smoothly back by a EX01 70" VictorRacing active wing , its one car i respect
Great review! I love my HR 350z I was surprised how good mine took corners. I didn't hear you mention the door handle issues tho.
Thank you and yes, I didn't read about those until after I posted the video :( it's a shame because I like how they look!
The refresh for the Z came in ‘05, great video nonetheless. You got a new sub.
hey. ive owned my 350z since last year and all i can say is its worth it. i have a 2004 350z. the engine blew but mainly due to it being 20 years old and the injectors being 20 years old. if you have the patience and money then id say this car wont disappoint. new engine soon. might ls swap lol
This is the greatest review 💯🤩 you need more attention for your reviews👌🏻💯
I have a 180k mile 6MT 03. The trunk struts are garbage and definitely need new suspension. I guess I got lucky with mine (especially for $3500) because I haven’t had any issues with the window regulators or for handles and my transmission is smooth as can be
I've got a 07 HR Automatic. Daily drive it and its modified. Some common issues that still happen to HR models are, Door handles break if you try to unlock the car the same time you pull the handle. Another is the throttle bodies like to clog up. Burning oil is less likely on HR models. For anyone interested in a 350z. I would recommend saving up past the DE and Buying an HR, you get more for your buck.
Thanks for the review keep up the good work
Thank you so much for making this video, I love the 350z and I’m deciding whether to get one or not
Love the third cup holder, cant tell you how clutch it is
Perfect recording of the exhaust, very accurate to stock.
love ur vids man keep on working
Great REVIEW !!!!
Rear diff bushing tends to go bad too, but it’s solid car, I traded in my bmw for one
Great video!!
The High Rev upgrade wasn't a small upgrade...Nissan redesigned 80% of the engine internals for the high rev. And they don't suffer from the oil consumption problems that the UP-Rev engines did. Also, the Grand Touring from 2007 and up have staggered wheels setup, 18x9 up front and 19x10 in back. All other trim levels '07 and up had 225 front and 245 rear, whereas the GT has factory Rays Engineering forged wheels and 245 front and 265 rear tire widths. I can personally attest to the amount of grip an '07 High Rev GT has when equipped with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires...it's a lot.
I never called it a small upgrade? It just came in that 07 refresh/update.
Man i want this it looks sooo cool!
Love the video man 🙏🏽
Thank you!
Always wanted one of these since I was a child.
Exterior Door Handles, Window Trim, Door Sill plates, cup holder in the dash, dash cubby bin, fuel grommet in cubby gets old and can leak, pedal grommets that get old brittle and fall out will make you think the car is f*+*** as it throws the sensors off, rear bumper markers sitting in the bumper, paint etching, headlight ballast and or wiring, ipdm for some people, all drivetrain mounts to include engine trans diff and rear subframe (to reduce wheelhop and slop), coolant bleeder valves get old brittle and break, the oil leaks come from: front and rear main, gallery gaskets (more so on De Hr and VHR), and mostly rocker/valve cover (from the tube seals, they’re built into the valve covers and require replacing entire cover), timing chain tensioner and guides (they tend to rattle with old age and de is interference), wheel bearings (only good for 3-5 years with hard abuse). And if you’re lowered tuck (or be sure they’re factory tucked) your 02’s cause you’ll rip the harness straight out of the bottom of the car. Window Regulators and their calibration.
03 350z Touring Owner of Z Years (VQ35DE)
so underrated your videos are awesome im 14 and tryna buy a car i would've bought the 350z not knowing its a two seater LOL
Buy it anyways
Hey Tyler, great review. How are you? How’s the project going?
im close to 180k miles on my 2003 350z grand touring model 😁
@@iceobi3524manual bro
"Paint Issues" are an understatement 😅 lol
Agreed, I was just so used to my old Civic SI that I was desensitized
You should all keep in mind that as far as safety goes, this car is unbelievably easy to hydro-plane, and if you live in New England like me you gotta have balls of steel to drive it year round😂
Thought I was watching Doug DeMaro lol good work 🫡
The door handles actually break quite often despite feeling solid. 3rd and 5th gear syncros are the problem ones. I basically don’t have a third gear in mine.
That's unfortunate to hear, and yes, I heard that third was the issue but didn't hear anything about 5th!
@@Realistick my 5th is trashed but 3rds fine
@@itszookus3680 my 1-6 work fine
we just gonna ignore the fact he ran that stop-sign during the outro?
Closed driver, professional course
Can’t wait to buy one and make it a drifter/daily 😭
The fact that this is titled the “jdm mustang” and I legit just came from a mustang video😭
I have one of , excuse me, 1st 350 sold in North America. Documented. LeMans Sunset, discontinued. Burnt orange leather? discontinued. it came with a hard copy book a dvd and post cards. it has the embroidered floor mats and it is this...the performance. Wish it had the Brembo brakes though. All original. The tires, the brakes and it has 41K Km. It is now 20 years old and this is about 83% Jarrett Jackson. You can eat off the underside of it. If you want to buy it you are first in by 40K
Hey 4:19 u can fix it by taking out the weight that are placed underneath the back window I hope this makes sense I can’t really speak English but it fixed the problem for me
This video was made 9 days after my 2 year relationship ended. PogU
Sorry bro
I slapped some modern rims on and gave the body a yellow paint job and my mom thought I bought a Porsche😂
He watched Jeremy Clarkson’s review of the 350z
Never seen that but I’m glad you thought of that after watching it!
It's hard to find one of these that's all stock nowadays
Get an 07 or 08 with a good service history with paperwork if possible. They're gonna have paint/body issues most likely. Including worn out interior. But a good body shop will fix that. A bad drivetrain in one of these (or any car) makes it not worth inheriting. Don't buy someone elses $3500 repair bill...
Howd he know about that relationship
The gearbox issues you mentioned is that true for both manual and auto boxes?
I want one for my first car imma save up for at least two years 💪
I’m 18 and I’m debating if I should get this or a Scion tc
That wheel might not actually be sun faded. I thought that was from the sun as well for the longest time.. it's actually just skin flakes as gross as that is. But cleans up easy and makes the wheel look new
I love my 05 and refuse to part with it. I dislike lack of glovebox, heavy doors, rear strut brace takes up so much room, rear hatch failed struts, and minimum paint on body and interior. It scratches if u look at it.
Good vid but wasn’t the HR released for five speeds too?
Yes, I realized this after the fact, the Rev up motor had 300 horsepower in 2006 and was only with the manual for that year and then with the 07, they changed how they rated the engines or something so if you Google it, it looks like they make 287 to 306 and I think I just believed that the autos just never saw a Power bump, since they were held back in 2006. That's my bad, I will see if there is any way for me to trim the video as I forgot to do so.
Thank you! I really liked how this video turned out as well. I am surprised nobody else noticed it by now, I trimmed that sentence out, thanks for the heads up!
But I Love these cars so much
I like the 350 z but the price some people are asking.I find is to close to 370 z I'd rather add a bit extra buy 370 z
I found a 350z for $2500 with a little over 200K miles i don’t know if I should get
Should I get a 03 350z with only 26k miles. My concern is the car breaking down due to the lack of miles and not being driven properly. The car is only for 8k
For 8k, hell yeah, just keep some money aside because some things probably have rotted and the transmissions on 03s were a tad problematic
Is that trunk brace removable? What’s the function of it?
front lower control arm bushings! inevitable to wear out
Yup just replaced mine yesterday 😂
How do you know If they are going bad ?
@@inaj27 your front steering starts to wander and when you look underneath the bushings are almost or out of the socket
trying to buy one soon for my own first personal car, grew up and learned to drive on an eco boost. Listening to everyone talk about how they were buying these for 3-4k just a couple months ago hurts knowing right now the lowest i can pay for a decent one is 7k. At least in florida that is
7k here in Indiana will only get you a pretty clapped out one right now, or one with a bad history. I think this car here was bought for 12 grand before the inflation!
@@Realistick do you think it’s a good idea for me to still get one as my first car, i wouldn’t feel happy wasting this much money on all these inflated cars even less if it wasn’t a z. I’m looking at a manual for around 8k tmr
@@alex6685 I think it could be a really fun first car. Might get you into trouble and cost more for insurance, but it's relatively durable. I talk reliability toward the end of this one so I would look over that again. Check out a forum or two on common issues, and get an independent mechanic to look at the car and analyze the problem areas. At that price it would probably be a good idea to get a carfax to make sure it wasn't in a major accident and/or has sat around for years. I briefly used to buy cars for a dealer and that was super common to see. I do like the Z, but with any sports car, it won't have Corolla upkeep costs and you need to beware of how previous owners may have treated it!
@@Realistick where or how do you recommend i get an independent designated mechanic? jsut look around for local mechanics?
@@alex6685 Search for mechanics in the area that you are buying in, call them and schedule and appointment for a pre purchase inspection for whenever you are going to test drive the car.
Put 20" rims, communication with the road will be very evident
roofline slight and skirt skirt
350z is really easy to tune, take apart if u want to change the seats and custom it, its cheap, its just perfect but the fuel it takes is... eh
Can I ask how tall you are bro I want one but I’m 6’5
I'm 6'5" and I fit fine in my Z. My head does hit a bit on bumps, but you get used to it.
😂 that one relationship you regret.
Who else felt that though?
Got my s197 time to grab one of these to
I literally have a 06 mustang, going to get one of these hopefully this week.
I'm here looking for specifically the 03 cause there one for 3500 I'm thinking of buying , it's all I got for now, my 335i m sport coupe got stolen last month so I'm just trying to get something close to as good as that 😭 it has 223k Miles is that bad? It has navigation so it looks like the touring package possibly, it's the hard top I want however there's a convertible for same price has less miles and ac , I'm thinking of getting one of the 2, I think a 350 will be perfect In that price range
honestly bro , i got a 03 z33 too , hard top . the thing about a 350z is to aim lower than 150k miles when buying because the more miles the more beat it is . and you have to ask a lot of questions , and if you do buy it keep checking the oil on it , these cars burn too much oil ! good luck bro
Does a 2003 DE manual only rev up to 6500 rpm?
Don’t ever call a Nissan 350z the JDM mustang.......they ain’t crowd killers tf, those are my favorite JDM cars like why bro 😭😭😭😭😭😭
Finish the video.
Ok, so let me clarify something really quick. I have an 04 350z. It came with the DE, black leather seats with heat, cruise control, viscous diff, 6mt, HIDs (not halogens) and the factory BOSE subwoofer. It is a base model. Some things you said are correct while others were not.
Other than not stating that HIDs were optional, I don't think I misspoke.
You saying to get a g35 hurts my soul :(
Did the oil burning apply to the HR as well?
All cars burn oil, Nissan just heavily minimized it with the VQ35HR revision
“Just like that relationship you regret” 🎯😂
would you recommend this or a miata?
Personally, a similar year miata is much more rewarding to drive, the 350z is the car I'd rather drive daily and/or modify.
The High octane fuel hurts your wallet ??? I have a 97 Mustang I rebuilt the top end with new stock cams and valves ,,, put the ford HP manifold .. 75mm cold ait intake ,, BBK shorty headers ,, but the thing I love most its 87 octane friendly no ticking runs perfect .. and excellent fuel Mileage ,, 300hp is perfect for a everyday sports car ,, I hardly ever have to work on my 2v 4.6L V8 .. Most dependable sports car ever made is the sn95
I need one I want one what’s stopping me from getting one hmm