350Z

In February 2023 I was browsing 350Z cars for something to purchase because Hagerty (Insurance) listed this model in one of their yearly Market Watch articles as something that was holding their value and was expected to become popular for car enthusiasts.  I had been looking for a couple of weeks and seeing stuff from all over the nation that I might be interested in, like California, North Carolina, Florida, etc., on sites like CarGurus.com, Cars.com.  When I saw this 2006 350Z for sale in a local Phoenix Craigslist ad I was taken back, because it didn't look like other Z's I had been seeing and I thought it was a different car altogether, I wasn't sure what it was. After looking a little closer I realized the rear bumper was different, the car had been lowered slightly, and the wheels were different, but those changes were enough to make it appear like a different model to me. I fell in love with the Le Mans Sunset Metallic color, the matching burnt orange leather seats and wanted to take a much closer look at it.

The 350Z

It turns out that I am now the third owner of this beautiful car. The previous owner had it for many years and changed the wheels, put on the big brakes and upgraded suspension bits, added some slight engine modifications and the different rear bumper in addition to removing the rear rain wiper. He also had it ceramic coated and clear shields along the front bumper and side mirrors. This last addition really makes it a breeze to keep it looking gorgeous.

While not quite a daily driver, it enjoyed driving from city to city in the sprawling Valley of the Sun area as well as suburb-to-suburb in the Phoenix Metro area. It went on drives/cruises with a local "Z" club to out-of-the-way places in the state that are well traveled by sports cars and motorcycles alike, and hung out easily among the other nice cars in informal car shows, like Cars and Coffee. It also won a Best in Class trophy/award for all of the 350Z's at the 2024 Texas Z Fest in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Interior

Engine Bay & Instrument Cluster

I added small, subtle things like an in-dash Kenwood navigation stereo with Bluetooth capability, a backup camera and front and rear dash cams. Because the upgraded wheels were larger in diameter they cleared the big brake calipers just fine, but the spare tire was a different story. I replaced the factory spare wheel and tire with a custom alloy wheel that clears the big brake calipers and a tire that fits correctly in both front and rear wheel arches when installed.