My “New” Z!

On July 23, 2018 I took possession of a lightly-used 370z in Metallic Black. I’ve wanted a Z ever since the old 300zx days, not long after I could drive. Those are hard to find these days so I “settled” on a 370z. It’s only the base model, so there are no sport brakes, LSD or rev matching going on. My justification was that I never planned to track her, and I could get a newer car with less miles for the same money. Almost immediately after driving my first mile in the car, I immediately wanted to hit the track.

I bought her from Carvana. Everyone I work with thought it was hilarious, but I will never buy another car from a dealership again. It’s the perfect situation for the somewhat antisocial, because:

1. You don’t have to search inventory and go from one car lot to the next looking for the car you want… especially when what you’re looking for isn’t available on every lot. This isn’t exactly a Ford Taurus.
2. You DONT HAVE TO DEAL WITH SALESPEOPLE. I’ll say that again for emphasis: NO SALESPEOPLE. One of the most off-putting aspects of the car buying process is having to deal with pushy, rude, sketchy people trying to push you into the most expensive car on the lot while upselling you on extras that you don’t need.
3. No price negotiation or haggling. The prices are much more fair than what you will see at a lot, but if you’re all about breaking the salespeople down to get every cent you can, you will not find that here.
4. Built-in financing. I financed the Z with a very competitive interest rate for 48 months. They say financing is guaranteed for everyone, so I guess that’s another benefit. You can even trade in a car through them (I did not, so I’m not sure how it works).

The only downside is that you can’t see the actual car before it’s delivered. They do a good job at detailing every scratch or ding noticeable inside and out right on the website, complete with high-res photos. I personally found one small paint chip that wasn’t listed on the website, but it could have happened on the flat bed in transit. Having said that, they do offer what seemed like a decent no-questions-asked return policy within some initial period. If you do not live near one of their distribution hubs, they will deliver it directly to your door (I don’t remember if this is even an additional fee, but it probably is). I currently live in a very picky apartment complex, and the flat bed would not even be able to make it through the streets. I called the driver and he met me at a Meijer parking lot where he unloaded it for me to test drive before I signed the paperwork.

It’s been a year and half since I took delivery, and I’ve put about 20k miles on her already. Most of it comes from highway trips between Grand Rapids and Farmington Hills. She’s been to Gingerman once, but there will be much more next spring.