The Z-Lines
Published: 4th October 2003
It’s a case of Ready Zeady Go for the first customers in line for the Nissan 350Z. They’re now being contacted to arrange a time to come into their dealer and collect their new car. For some the wait has been agonising. Take Mark Vodden. He was so excited about his car that he started a website devoted to potential Z customers wanting to chat about their cars. Since its inception, www.350zuk.com has had 97 registered users sign up for it. On his new car, Mr Vodden says: "I’ve waited this long but I don’t know if I could wait much longer – thank goodness it’ll soon be over. I can’t wait to hear that engine I’ve read so much about."
- Deliveries of the Nissan 350Z will start in the next couple of weeks with the first batch of cars due to arrive in the UK.
- If that wasn’t good news enough for British soon-to-be Z owners, the respected used car authority CAP Monitor has predicted that the 350Z will have residual values up among the industry’s best.
- And because Nissan expects there to be a lot of interest in the 350Z from non-owners, especially jealous ones, the company has added the Trackstar advanced vehicle monitoring and tracking system to the options list.
The Nissan 350Z is fitted as standard with a Thatcham category 1 approved alarm and immobiliser. But even these could be bettered by a determined thief with a lorry and crane handy. The key to any successful stolen car recovery is speed. For that you need the Nissan Trackstar security system. Developed with RAC Trackstar, it’s the most advanced vehicle monitoring and tracking system available. It works with the car’s own immobilisation system so that if an attempt is made to start the car with the key, or if the car is moved, pushed or lifted onto a trailer or transporter without authorisation, the Nissan Trackstar unit will immediately alert the National Control Centre. The car’s owner is then alerted at one of the agreed verification contact numbers. Now comes the really clever bit.
The exact location of the car can be pinpointed using both Global Positioning Satellites and the Global System of Mobile Communication. The National Control Centre receives details of the car's movements every 20 seconds and alerts the police accordingly. And even if the car’s main battery is disconnected, Trackstar continues to report in. Once the car is recovered by the police and released, it is then recovered to its owner by the RAC.
The retail cost of fitting Nissan Trackstar to a 350Z is £599.
There is an additional subscription to be paid, with a choice of
annual or lifetime payment, and cover can be upgraded to include
all of Europe. It even comes with a three year warranty.
