Just thought you guys might want to see this if you haven't done so yet, June 2005:

Alot of faulty similarities (other than clutch) between the G and the Z are discussed there and got me worried.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....&page_number=1

"Senior Editor Andy Bornhop made two predictions after the Z had been with us a short time: First, he said the annoying-to-close center-console cubby cover "will break before our test ends," and "I wonder how long this gearbox will hold together? The synchros are already whiny...on upshifts!" He ended up going 1 for 2. The cubby cover never broke, but the transmission had to be replaced at 25,590 miles, when 5th gear started "crunching" with every shift. Nissan already knew the transmission was the weak link on first-year 350Zs, so it was replaced under warranty. But the dealer also noticed hot spots on the clutch (we verified this ourselves), necessitating a new clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearing and flywheel ($1183). We weren't thrilled about having to replace these, but we're guessing we drive the car a bit harder day-in and day-out than the typical owner. But there's no excuse for the gearbox to go that early. "


More stuff reviwed AND compared to G35 on the actual site..check it out.

 

Interesting read.

I browed around and read the "sports car" roundup, and the Z got killed!
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....&page_number=1

 

interesting point

This should be the same for the G, no?

 

I never heard of "hot spots" on a clutch, but the clutch on my car is definitely a POS. It's at the dealer for a third time right now to try to fix clutch chatter/shuddering.

I can't believe R&T had to pay for their clutch replacement. Mine has been covered under warranty, and I would raise hell if it wasn't. They replaced my transmission at 19k too, but for a different reason than theirs.

I guess this is a Nissan manual tranny. I think they should have outsourced a good tranny from Getrag or ZF.

 

This link makes me sad... the Z got wiped bad on that track, which is sad. I know our cars arent that fast, but chit it cant do better than a bmw z4

 

Also I agree with that R&T is talking about when they mentioned the Z leans a lot in turns. I think the G leans worse than my IS300 did. I really need to invest in some shocks and sways

 

Yes you do.

 

IS300TOG35,

First thing, the drivers at Road and Track are the worst in the industry. They consistently get the slowest times for both the G35 and 350Z. 5.8 seconds for the Z when everyone else gets 5.3-5.4. Remember, they got 6.1 seconds for the G35 when others got 5.5 to 5.7. Secondly, the clutch should've been replaced for free when the replaced the tranny under warranty. This is what happened for me, but I had them put in a new flywheel.

 

It should not affect anything in the comparison test if all cars are driven at the same standard by the same bad drivers though.

 

What surprised the hell out of me was how they picked the Corvette as the winner, when Road & Track has historically been blatantly import-biased, especially favoring Porsche. I'm obviously very pleased with their choice and agree with it - I just never expected it from Road & Track.

 

How about them picking the Boxster S over the 911?? Wa-huh??

 

I think it was because price was a factor. They mentioned price no object, they liked the 911 best, but its not worth $78k, and the Boxster S isn't worth $52k.

 

Almost impossible to have same standard by the same bad drivers when testing cars though.

 

thanks Jimmy for that link

 

Yeah when your bad at driving, Your probably not consistent