2003 Nissan 350Z Warranty, Maintenance, Wheels & Tires

However, when it comes to primary driver functions, we applaud Nissan for designing perfectly placed gauges, pedals (ideal for heel-toe downshifts), and shifter. These, along with a driver seat that's more firmly bolstered than the passenger bucket, proves that Nissan took strides to design a driver-friendly cabin.

By the end of the Z's one-year test, the inside edge of each front tire had worn more than the rest of the tire. A quick check of a few Internet message boards revealed that many 350Z owners were experiencing similar problems. Some mentioned feathering in the tread compound, while others complained of excessive tire noise. Though we can't confirm that our problem resulted from anything more than a possibly misaligned suspension, we can verify that Nissan dealers have been authorized to replace tires on numerous 350Zs. Had we kept the car, we'd have tried to have our dealer replace these $200 tires.

Undeniably, Nissan has built itself a properly handling sports car, but as executive editor Matt Stone writes, the handling comes at a price. "The Track Z sticks to high limits and communicates what it's doing at all times, yet there's a ride penalty accompanying the stiff suspension, one that not everybody will gladly accept. But if they want a softer car, there are less-aggressively tired variants." All Zs come equipped with the same stiff suspension, but we've found that those with 17-inch tires tend to provide a more compliant, livable ride as compared with the 18-inch tires on our tester.

The Z made four scheduled trips to the Nissan service department; each included an oil and filter change and averaged an out-of-pocket expense of $23 per trip.

After a year with this dedicated sport coupe, we feel Nissan got all the essentials right and managed to bring the car to market at a price point not out of reach of the average working stiff. This was the basic formula of the original 240Z, and we admire Nissan for resisting the temptation to stray from that path.