Thanks for the tips. I couldn't resist a low miles (28.5k on an '05) unmolested z. Epstein, the door sticker is '04, so I wonder if I got the questionable tranny. It seems ok, but how would I know which version I have? The noisy front end is probably the oem tires, but has anyone heard of early wheel bearing failures? Also some engines have oil consumption problems but hopefully not my version.
Other concerns are the 6 spoke touring wheels (aesthetics) and the cd changer which doesn't play mp3's. I'll check with the audio experts, but preliminary research indicates the Bose stuff is somewhat incompatible with aftermarket gear such that it's all or none on upgrades.