Buying A V35, Questions For Owners Out There

[TUF250]

Hi all,

I currently have an R33 gts-t. My partner and I are looking to buy a 350GT V35 and ill keep the skyline as a weekend toy.

Wanted to know a little about the cars, I have searched through google for reviews and such but there really isnt alot of info out there.

Was curious to hear about:

- what people think about the cars as a performance/daily driver?

- I was after the VQ35 (have driven a 350z and loved the engine) what are these like to live with, fuel economy performance etc?

- gearboxes are a trciky one, can someone explain a little about the GT8 box. also I would like to know peoples thoughs about the 5speed auto and the 6 speed manual

- are there any common failure points on the car? (eg. my r33 is known for coils and broken exhaust studs)

- do none of them have LSDs?

- also it is common for r33s to have their clocks wound back when imported, i see alot of low k v35s for sale is it likely they have been wound back too?

- I hear the auto ones can do 6 flat to 100, can this be improved on with the typical exhaust intake mods?

any info or links to good threads or sites would be appreciated.

thanks

Jason

Edited September 23, 2010 by TUF250

[AlexanderWilde]

hi i just got mine like just over 6 months ago and im loving it

if you like the 350Z then you will like the 350GT

its practically the same car just different body

same engine same transmission except for the GT8 which can cause some headaches if you have problems as they are very rare

Q- what people think about the cars as a performance/daily driver?

A- Performance is just enough for a daily driver its responsive and quick but is no GTR, personally i highly recommend it for a daily driver as is very comfortable long and short drives has great pickup when you want it, perfect balance

Q- I was after the VQ35 (have driven a 350z and loved the engine) what are these like to live with, fuel economy performance etc?

A- i went for the VQ35 because its the same as the 350z so parts come cheap

Basic maintenance is quite cheap but depends how much you want to spend on it, it would be cheaper to maintain than your r33 because is NA

Petrol consumption depends on driving stile and auto vs manual mine is Auto 5speed and i drive quite aggressive and mine usually is between 10 to 15 litters /100km

Q- gearboxes are a tricky one, can someone explain a little about the GT8 box. also I would like to know peoples thoughts about the 5speed auto and the 6 speed manual

A- sorry no experience with the GT8 but i tested the Manual and Auto and here are my thoughts

Manual more fun more responsive and it has 10HP more than auto

Auto - better for daily driver if you drive in city a lot, there is a slight delay in gear shifting but a good grounding kit will fix that very fast and compared to other cars the auto is very responsive and fun just not as fun as the manual, here is where i would take in consideration your misus how skilled is she on manual.

Q- are there any common failure points on the car? (eg. my r33 is known for coils and broken exhaust studs)

A- the earlier models had a few electrical bugs like window motors sometimes would stop working or play up

same thing with mirrors usually the 2003 model

some have issues with the bose sound system where the 6cd stalker would fail

for this i would recommend going thru the forum on v35 and see what people are having problems with or check G35driver.com as is a good resource as well check this thread http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/V3...ng-t240794.html

Q- do none of them have LSDs?

A- i may be wrong but from what i know The V35Coupe and all but the Base model 350z come with a Viscous LSD

Q- also it is common for r33s to have their clocks wound back when imported, i see a lot of low k v35s for sale is it likely they have been wound back too?

A-same as R33s it depends on the place that imports it

Q- I hear the auto ones can do 6 flat to 100, can this be improved on with the typical exhaust intake mods?

A- to many to talk about here, check the forum topics on V35 mods the usual are plenum spacers, gears , exhausts, intake but you won’t get as much out of the vq35 as you would from an RB engine

any info or links to good threads or sites would be appreciated.

i recommend reading this thread for known issues with the V35

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/V3...ng-t240794.html

and have a poke thru the v35 section http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Se...lines-f170.html of the forum and maybe http://g35driver.com/

Regards Alex

[VNS 24]

^^ Alex pretty much covered what you wanted to know.

Just a few thoughts and experience from me owning an auto coupe.

- I had problems with the window motor at first but my dealer fixed that up for me. With the Bose CD player, mine don't have any problems. I take good care of it by putting in and changing the CDs when the car is in stable condition, i.e when stop or on a smooth road.

- My auto drive fine, smooth and easy. I would recommend not getting a GT8 (paddle shifters) unless you have extra money in your bank to fix it if something goes wrong. My dealer said they are very troublesome.

- I haven't done any performance mods on my V so wouldn't have a clue on power gain.

All in all, it's a good daily car out of the box. Now that the prices of V35 had dropped, it's even worth more your money. Test drive them first and see how you feel.

Good luck.

[TUF250]

yeah the price is the main attraction. i have been doing some reading and the cvt 8speed seem alot of trouble. how can you pick the difference by looking at the car? im sure alot of owners wouldnt know the difference so would want to be sure of the 5 speed

cheers

[AlexanderWilde]

yeah the price is the main attraction. i have been doing some reading and the cvt 8speed seem alot of trouble. how can you pick the difference by looking at the car? im sure alot of owners wouldnt know the difference so would want to be sure of the 5 speed

cheers

The 2-door coupe is either 5 speed auto or 6 speed manual transmission

The 8 speed CVT is only available with the 4-door version (PV35) 3.5L engine combination until 2005 (when it was updated with a 5 speed automatic).

[VNS 24]

yeah the price is the main attraction. i have been doing some reading and the cvt 8speed seem alot of trouble. how can you pick the difference by looking at the car? im sure alot of owners wouldnt know the difference so would want to be sure of the 5 speed

cheers

I am not sure by looking at the car...maybe the paddle shifters only for CVT?

But yeah, expect to spend alot if something bad happens to it.

[TUF250]

I would be looking at a 4 door sadly as it will become a family car eventually. can the 4 doors come in 5speed?

what are peoples thoughts on the 5 speed and the 6 speed?

[VNS 24]

I would be looking at a 4 door sadly as it will become a family car eventually. can the 4 doors come in 5speed?

what are peoples thoughts on the 5 speed and the 6 speed?

Yeah, sedans come in 6 speed manuals, 5 speed autos and 8 speed CVT with paddle shifters.

Just don't get the 8 speed CVT unless you are prepare to splash cash if broke. I don't know about manuals but autos are good for daily city driving.

[grae35]

Ive got a 6speed manual 4door and they are a great daily driver. Also they come with the viscous lsd as std whereas the autos dont.

Economy depends how you drive it but I regularly get 600km to a tank when not doing motor sport stuff. Agree with comments about the 8 speed CVT. Just a fluid change alone costs hundreds to buy the stuff and do it yourself let alone some more serious issue where no one in Aust would know much about what to do.

[n15m0]

I've had both the series 1 and series 2 5 speed autos in sedan form. Definitely get the series 2 as that's the one I have chosen to keep and it is a blast to drive in tiptronic mode.

The series 2 also has the updated interior and the less troublesome Bose system.

Check out my topics for pics and posts and how to pimp one up

[VNS 24]

V35 sedan can be very hot if done up right...decent bodykit, big rims, lowered and dark tint. Hottt...

[TUF250]

grae35, what do you think of the manual, good gearbox, your happy with it? I personnally would prefer the manual but depending on the missus the 5 speed might be the go.

How do you find the performance of the 6 speed on the road? I have only ever driven an auto 350z.

what year did the series 2 start?

also I notice some has single and some have duel exhausts, what models had the twin system?

also I read that you can put standard 350z springs in for a 1 inch drop all round, is that true?

what is the power and torque output on these vq35s?

generally speaking are people having trouble sourcing spare parts?

also i notice that some people said these dont come with cruise control but on some adds i am seeing cruise control listed and can see the buttons on the steering wheel, whats the go here?

thanks

Edited September 25, 2010 by TUF250

[noone]

can anyone answer the above questions?

[austingtir]

Dont get the 5 speed auto if you do alot of highway driving. Its rubbish on fuel and the gearchanges are tediously slow compared to the gt8 the tiptronic shifter also sucks ass. In town the auto is still worse but you dont notice it as much.

I own both a 5 speed auto and the gt8 so i think i qualified to make that statement.

If you can afford a gt8 with decent gen mileage on it they are great highway cars especially for the money they go for (i could argue they are better in some ways than the 6 speed even). There are probably hundreds of these things getting around in NZ now it just makes me laugh all the scaremongering thats on this board about them.

Edited February 23, 2011 by austingtir

[GRK35L]

Just like to make the comment , have a GT8 , have had it for over 8 months , nothing wrong with it , gear changes are instant ( quicker than any other tiptronic cars I have driven ) , I do drive it on highways alot do enjoy the smootheness of the transmission , mine has only exhaust and air filter for performance mods , and it has quite easily left wrxs , falcadores , and a few R serious skylines ( no GTRs) behind . Just my opinion though as I can se most peeps on hear arnt a fan ,

At the end of the day the best way to decide on the transmission , is to drive them al!

[Son Gokou]

If you looking for a S2 V35 sedan manual, there is is for sale here:

http://csndealers.carsales.com.au/cars/NISSAN/SKYLINE/details.aspx?R=9767402&__Qpb=true&Cr=7&__Ns=pCar_StatusSort_Int32|1||pCar_DealerSortPrice_Decimal|0&__N=1217+285+287+4294862748+4294963846+291&loc_index=0&silo=1000&showdealership=&DealerRefID=11312&seot=1&__Nne=20&trecs=9&__sid=11F9ABE7CEA0

For cruise control, you can always get aftermarket, contact Chris Roger and he will sorted it out for you.