Thread: 350Z Opinions and Much More

well, you know how you sometimes have tried to explain to a person who likes American cars, like their Pontiac Sunfire better than Japanese cars? and they take one for a ride? they don't really have time to appreciate how much more refined one engine is over another in a single drive/ride..

having owned the following:
1998 Maxima for 2 years - vq30de (automatic)
2001Pathfinder SE 4x4 - 5 years as my wife's car - vq35de (automatic)
2003 Maxima for 2 years - vq35de (6-speed)
2004 G35 sedan 1 year 8 months -vq35de (6 speed)

I can tell you the VQ30 is much smoother, getting back into a VQ30 powered Maxima after owning the other 3.5L cars, I wished I had it again..

If I were to put a V6 in my SE-R, it would be a vq30de from a Maxima..

A32 went from '95-'99, A33 was '00-'03.
^^^
Giggity. I like it. Hmmm, how much would it cost to buy an A32 and drop a VQ35 with a 6spd in there....? Those wheels look badass on pretty much every car I've seen them.

why not just turbo the smoother, more refined vq30?

He's selling it, actually . Located in El Paso, Tx. Wants 5k for it.

I owe you a response. my phone is almost dead though, so I'm saving this slot for later on.

Talking out of my ass, really. I love A32s, want one with a manual, but neither (turbo or engine swap) was anything I'd ever thought of until this thread. NA> Turbo for reliability is the only thing I can think of, really.



Damn, that'd be cool if I had the money. Looks like a sweet ass ride.

Ok,

I like the 350Z in that it looks good and provides bang for buck. I'm all about this as I am a middle class dude on a budget, as most of you are. I also adore the 370Z even more than the 350 because it looks better and performs better. Nissan also addressed many of the problems that the 350 had and did it well. However, I have heard of some reliability issues pertaining to the differential (Car and Driver), and overheating (no oil cooler) of the 370Z, which makes me adament about buying one in the future. I agree that Renault has stuck there hands in the performance pot and shouldn't have. If Renault is to be a joint company with Nissan, I wish that they would leave the performance cars alone (ie. GT-R, Z, SE-R etc.). Ever since they got involved, things have gone down hill. The SE-R in particular has no hope. So, I would personally wait a few years and get a 370Z if I were to get a newer Z. However, 2 seats just throws practicality out the window, which is a no-no for me.

Maximas: Love them. My brother owns a 2000 SE and man, that vq30 is the smoothest engine I have ever experienced. Very good powerband. It's too quiet though. I have to look at the tach to shift, haha! The only think that worries me is that my original b13 tranny feels smoother than the Maximas, which should not be the case at all. I have no experience on the vq35.

My head hurts.

Now an answer for you:

I'm not talking about the motor in general "it's smooth, it glides, blah blah blah". I'm talking about PERFORMANCE. Power. I was HIGHLY unimpressed with the maxima and a VQ30. It felt sluggish. It reminded me of my grandpa's Delta 88, but with better body lines. It didn't go anywhere fast, at all.

Fast forward to completing the VQ35 swap, and BALLS. A completely different car. It felt like the VQ35 belonged with that car from the start and it never got it.

That's my opinion.

All I know is, my Sentra with a T25, was walked over the 350z in the higher speeds (60+). Maybe they are faster down low (like STI's).

To me that's not too impressive, but if one was given to me, I wouldn't deny it.

Vadim the argument against that comparison would be getting the two cars on a real track (with curves) and the B14 wouldn't stand a chance. Also, you're comparing stock to modified.