What to do?

P

Pedro

Hi all,

I am have a 2005 Nissan 350z with 42,000 on the clock. I have owned the car for 2 years and loved every minute of it. It is due it's service and MOT in 2 weeks, and it's getting to the stage where the car may start needing money spent on it.

I am getting married in a years time and need to start saving big time. I am half tempted to change the zed so I run into no nasty problems before then. I am test driving a 197 on Friday, and have been offered a very decent trade in for the z. In addition the dealer says they are knocking £500 off all their cars this week, which would give me a more or less straight swap.


http://renault.nessmotors.com/Used-...lue-manual-petrol-in-perth-ID_2241385911.aspx

http://renault.nessmotors.com/Used-...red-manual-petrol-in-perth-ID_2236085911.aspx

I have heard that the 197 is excellent to drive. I am not a car snob, and would not mind what I drove as long as it looked nice enough and drove well. I am well aware that everyone on here will give a very positive view of the 197, but I am after some advice. Will I be dissapointed going from the 350z to the clio? I like the zed because there is power at any revs, but I have read the clio flies at high revs.

Things I would like advice on:

Service cost?
Tax? £235?
Tyres - I pressume not run flats?
Ipod connectivity?
Room for golf clubs? (I presume seats down)
Is it possible to have a bluetooth phone kit installed aftermarket?
How much £ for chrome exhaust tips?
Any rear leg room?
Expected average clutch life/disc life/tyre life?
The Zed or the Clio??

Thanks in advance,

Pedro
 
Service cost? £150 upwards.
Tax? £235? Correct £235.
Tyres - I pressume not run flats? Continental Sport Contact 3. (215/45 R17)
Ipod connectivity? Possible to fit Renault Tunepoint device, if the car doesn't already have it.
Room for golf clubs? (I presume seats down) There's enough room.
Is it possible to have a bluetooth phone kit installed aftermarket? I'm not sure if you can retrofit the factory Renault bluetooth kit. I have a Pioneer BT headunit in mine though.
How much £ for chrome exhaust tips? £65 from Renault.
Any rear leg room? Yes. Very comfy back there according to some of my mates! :huh:
Expected average clutch life/disc life/tyre life? I can't say about discs and clutch but my front tyres are on 3mm after about 10k miles.
The Zed or the Clio?? Clio for me! I'm a big hatchback fan though.

While the 197 does sound very good, it isn't a V6! :cloud9:
 
Funny that, I was looking at a 350z for my next car.

I know this is going off topic but what are the like to drive/own?


Clio only comes alive at 4-5k+ revs, anything below and it’s a bit of a wet paper bag imo.
 
i was eyeing up an face lifted zed, temper orange ... only thing putting me off is the insurance quote. £1800 is the cheapest. Compared to an Evo 8 FQ 340 at £1200. Fantastic car the 350, one of the most enjoyable cars I've driven.

Kinda chalk and cheese these two cars though. Youll love the clio, but dont expect the same response as the zed.
 
Renault do a range of kenwood head units that keep the colum remote controls and have full i-pod control.
Out of interest is your 350 an import and what spec,colour etc is it as I might be interested in buying it.
 
i have ipod connectivity via a connects2 device can control with the stalk still. but doesn't display track names on the disply which is only slightly annoying.
 
One of the reasons I got a clio is because the insurance was too much for me on a 350z, Im more than happy with the clio and Im in no rush to swap it for the Nissan now - its that good!

Practicality wise they are great, my 6' 4" uncle is fine in the back with 2 others too. You will find it a massive difference between the 350z and 197 for boot space too! At the end of the day its a family hatchback so it is designed to swallow anything you can throw at it - I havent come close to filling it when going away etc.
 
Matt197 said:
Funny that, I was looking at a 350z for my next car.

I know this is going off topic but what are the like to drive/own?


Clio only comes alive at 4-5k+ revs, anything below and it’s a bit of a wet paper bag imo.
Click to expand...

It has been superb to drive and own. I have had it 2 years. Plenty of power, to be honest as much power as I would ever want on a road, it's performance stretches beyond the limits of the roads. Very fast in a straight line, virtually no understeer, very flat in corners. Quick on any gear even low revs.

Servicing has been cheap which is nice too. Hmm sounds like a great allround package!
 
stormbringer said:
Renault do a range of kenwood head units that keep the colum remote controls and have full i-pod control.
Out of interest is your 350 an import and what spec,colour etc is it as I might be interested in buying it.
Click to expand...

It's a 2005 UK 350z with GT pack, Gun metal, 276 horses, 18 inch RAYS alloys, heated full leather seats, electric seats, cruise control, Bluetooth phone, Bose stereo, 42,000 miles, full Nissan service history.
 
Graeme GTR said:
i was eyeing up an face lifted zed, temper orange ... only thing putting me off is the insurance quote. £1800 is the cheapest. Compared to an Evo 8 FQ 340 at £1200. Fantastic car the 350, one of the most enjoyable cars I've driven.

Kinda chalk and cheese these two cars though. Youll love the clio, but dont expect the same response as the zed.
Click to expand...

£1800?! Are you 17 with no ncb and 11 points?
I'm 25, have 3 points and am £450. Think it was £500 for 10 months when I was 23.
 
The 197 is obviously going to have less "ooomph" compared to 350z, but when it comes to driving, you can drive the 197 very hard into any corner and thats where it comes into its own.
Power is still readily avaliable in the 197 and is easily the most fun car ive owned. I had a 2006 3.5 v6 Dodge Charger in Bahrain, and the 0-60 timings the 197 just pips it
 
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actually im 24, 4 yrs ncb, 6 points and a car salesman. I always get raped on insurance. paying about £650 for the clio without protected no claims.
 
Graeme GTR said:
actually im 24, 4 yrs ncb, 6 points and a car salesman. I always get raped on insurance. paying about £650 for the clio without protected no claims.
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That's is crazy, why do you get pumped so much for insurance? Have you tried elephant/admiral?
 
As an ex Car insurance guy 6 points limits insurers for a start and insurers that will / do quote the points will be a 35-45% loading depending on what they are

Sp30 not so bad
dr10 or in10 very bad lol

I test drove a z before the 197 gun metal with the lightweight wheels etc bytdecided u wanted four usable seats plus cheaper INS.
 
Pedro said:
That's is crazy, why do you get pumped so much for insurance? Have you tried elephant/admiral?
Click to expand...

With admiral just now, sp30 and cu80. guess maybe I have a **** postcode when it comes to insurance. Don't know why as I live in a quiet estate. Ahh to have a clean licence again. How long till you don't have to declare points? 3 or 5 years?
 
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