Finally the wait is over and it was time to go and collect the Nissan Fairlady Z. It has actually been 3 weeks since I got the car by the time this entry is posted. I have been busy with work and did not drive the 350Z often. So, sorry for the delay. Now, before I give you the review of my drive home, here is a summary of the time line. I had to wait a total of 2 months and 13 days to finally own the 350Z.
 |
| Nismo Ver2. bumper and Top Secret Carbon Hood |
Date - Description
14/1 - Drove 540 km to view car in Perlis and back.
17/1 - Confirmed buying and paid RM 3000 down-payment to the seller.
20/2 - Bought a new Car Plate for RM 2300.
07/3 - Received documents from seller and send to process for transfer of car plates.
17/3 - Documents returned and completed transfer.
20/3 - Sent said documents back to seller in Perlis.
22/3 - Seller finished car inspection and is ready for transfer of ownership.
27/3 - Went to Perlis by train and did transfer of ownership. Drove 540 km back home with the 350Z.
 |
| Nismo Semi Bucket seats. Soon will replace with my Recaro SR6 |
I entered my new car and did the usual, adjusting of mirror and getting the right seating position on the Nismo seats. I realized that the 350Z lacks storage places and I did not even have a place for my mobile phone (later I found that there is only 1 cup holder, which is weird). Then as I started to leave the seller's premise, I was hoping that there will be petrol in the tank and thank god, he left me with half a tank. I was still in town and there were many traffic lights and so, I only shifted up to 3rd gear and I was trying to get use to moving from a standstill in 1st gear. It was only when I drove on the high way and found difficulty when engaging the 4th gear from the 3rd gear. My first change ended with some gears grinding and I thought it was due to me not used to the clutch but sometimes I could engage with ease. It felt weird but I carried on home. After driving for around 110 km, I stopped to refill petrol and I noticed that the brake pads are quite thin and there is a slight scratch on the rotor. The seller could have warned me or better yet, changed for me but after knowing it, I drove with more care and did engine braking instead of using the actual brakes.
 |
| Ray's Volk Racing GTS 19" rims with Brembo brakes |
 |
| Brake pad |
Normally when I cross borders, I would drive around 160 km/h in my Mazda 6 but I told myself I would drive slowly in the 350Z because I am still not used to its handling and the fact that it is a RWD. To make things worst, it rained for 80% of my trip back home and as it is, I did not get much chance to actually try things out. However, having said that, I did get some insights about this 350Z. First thing is the sound. It has titanium mufflers but I have no idea how intensive the modification is on the exhaust system and I do not know which brand it is. Moving around the city under 2000 rpm, it is louder than how stock would be but with just the right amount of sportiness and bass. It only gets noisy when it is above 3000 rpm and at 6th gear, that would translate to around 130 km/h. That is when you need to increase the volume of the audio system and it becomes difficult to talk in. The fastest that I have driven was 150 km/h and I really could not stand the sound anymore. This 350Z's handling was good too with the adjustable Tein coilovers and tires seem to be grippy. The clearance for this car is one and a half finger, which is quite high for a sports car and the stiffness is acceptable (not as stiff as my Celica was). I was surprised when I was able to cross speed bumps near my home with ease and straight on because 350Z is famous for having long wheelbase and the bottom will always hit.
 |
| Nismo 300 km/h cluster meter |
 |
| Hard to read with mph and km/h together. Driven 1015.9 km. |
 |
| Additional meter. Usually I read speed from this digital meter. |
The thing that makes me feel good driving the 350Z is definitely the engine's characteristics. The power delivery is really smooth and linear. Biggest surprise is the lack of lag. While I was cruising at 5th gear, I expect that if I want a great acceleration, I would need to downshift but all I had to do was step on the accelerator. Of course the acceleration would not be like when V-TEC kicks in, where your head will be touching the headrest but the 350Z will move. Before I bought the car, my friend told me because of how well it is built, it does not feel as fast as what your speedometer tells you. You could be driving at 130 km/h but it feels like it is only 100 km/h and with the Nismo semi bucket seats, it is like you are not moving at all . The advantage would be easier to control the car and you would not panic but the downside is it could feel boring after a while. When it gets boring, it would be time to dig deep into your pocket to modify the 350Z and my friend already asked me to look for a supercharger kit. That would be the last thing on my mind because now, I am more interested to restore the car instead especially the transmission. First will be mechanical restoration, then aesthetic modification and lastly, maybe some power mod but it is a big maybe. This 350Z project/purchase is entirely from my pocket and having a not so deep pocket, the scale will be slow and small. Meanwhile, I will be enjoying its stock power of 280 bhp and 363 Nm of torque which is very, very sufficient for me. I am grateful to have a JDM in my life again.
No comments:
Post a Comment