500 HP 350z is not going to be that reliable... Unless you plan on just using it for car shows, I would never dump that much money into a 350z, there great cars but not that great....

Im not a huge fan of Corvettes or Mustangs, Although the new mustang is not as bad as last years model....

My Vote would be a Porsche 911, you can pick a new one up for $69,000....

 

I was facing the exact same dilemma. I was definitely in the market for a convertible, however, so the choices were more limited. Here's the question you really need to ask:

How much do you love modding cars?

The reason I say this is that highly modified cars require CONSTANT attention. There is ALWAYS some little issue coming up that needs to be dealt with. This can range from small to significant. It can mean some definite downtime for your vehicle. Also, what kind of access do you have to a reliable tuner/dyno facility. If access to this kind of location is a problem for you, you definitely don't want to install something like an APS TT kit on your car. This is not a set-it and forget-it proposition.

One of the biggest factors in the purchase of this car for me was it's looks. To me, the Z is one of the best looking vehicles on the road, regardless of price.

Having owned and modded five cars, my advice to anyone is simply this: Buy a car whose performance you are willing to live with in stock form. I was content with the stock performance of the Z. While not blazing fast, it still packs a solid punch. Modding should then just be the icing on the cake.

2006 Mustang Cobra and Z06 Vette will both be good for 500hp from the factory. Not a bad way to go.

 

I have a feeling that the Z owners spending a lot of money in an attempt to achieve 500+hp are going to find out that the Z is too small and too light to even use it.

I put high performance 427's and 428 cid engines in mustangs, only to discover that traction was impossible (on the street).

My buddy had a 500 hp 1978 mustang, which is one of the smallest mustangs styles ever. The car was good for burn-outs and not much else.

Take a good look at a 350Z small block. Compare it to proven high hp motors and you will see that it is small and weak looking. I actually hope that I am wrong here. We will see once this recent group of 350Z owner's who built their blocks have owned them for a while.

This is all my opinion, you may not agree, but since there are no successfull running long-term built Z's out there, it is an un-known.

Yes I own a Z and I'm smart enough to recognize what a great car it is AND know that it has engineered limitations. It is too bad, cause Nissan is ruining a great opportunity with the majority of buyers who would like to modify the car and improve upon it. Perhaps they have already realized this and are planning to put a "tweakable" 4.0 in it next year.

Buy the Saleen Mustang.

 

Just take in account the maintainence on that *****. I have the dough to get a used 996 Turbo but then I checked into parts and what not. I am on the development squad. I got to find a way better job or buy something I could only drive on my birthday, New Years, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I really want a Gallardo but all I have is a poster and scale model.

 

The 350z really does need a makeover in the engine department. Hopefully Nissan has made enough of a fortune on their entire car lineup to spend more of it making a stouter 4.0 for the next bump in power.
I am sure that they are aware of other cars that are breathing down their neck if not in looks, but just cheap ponies.

I vote for a 400Z as soon as possible.

 

Your treasure is where your heart is! You have to look at it every day and drive it. I would test drive all the cars your interested in, then take my time to decide. As I said your treasure is where your heart is! ZRA

 

Well said!

Before purchasing the Z I test drove many vehicles. For me, it wasn't :

the quickest,
the most luxurious,
the roomiest,
the best sound system,
the best transmission,
the best paint job,
nicest wheels,
or easiest or cheapest to mod................

but after many months of indecision, my heart told me that the -Z- was the car for me.

 

get a new z06 or save up more for a used 911 turbo

 

I don't know. In one of the Best Motoring videos I have some of the testers were saying how unrefined they felt the V6 was. They also believed it didn't rev high enough. I think the tester most critical of the engine was Gansans(spelling?) What if they make a kick *** version of the Z for the Japanese market and shaft us with the "American motor"?

 

I must be the only one who thinks porches are ugly... with their butt sagging into the street and those two horizontal cylinders sticking up on each side of the hood to the headlights and unoriginal interior design

well maybe except that $400+k one

but then again, I think the lotus elise is one of the hottest looking cars ever

 

Can you wait a year or 2 at the most for the Infiniti GT-R? Should be in your price range. 450hp & AWD!! Or they may just turbo the G35 in 2006 for the same hp. I have the same dilemma. I'm back and forth between building up my engine and going FI or waiting for the GT-R or something else with similar performance.

 

I love the elise but when you see it beside the 350z it looks like a toy.

 

How can I wait for something that I have never seen yet?

I guess if you wait for the next best thing it never ends cause there is always something cool bieng relesed soon.

 

exactly!

toys are fun!

 

Lol - I agree...I sat in a red one that they had in stock waiting for the owner to pick it up. I was TOO jealous and was sold from that point on....Everytime I see the other silver Lotus in town I frown...truly an amazing car!

 

Holy crap!! That looks so gay next to the Z. I'm not trying to offend anyone here but I've had a few conversations about that car with friends...we all reach the same conclusion--That car looks like something a RAGING HOMOSEXUAL would drive.

 

i'd get a used e39 m5 and keep the rest.

 

The Elise IS a bit cutesy . . . although it's hard to dog a car that goes over 1G on the skidpad.

It would be fun to drive - just put on a Slipknot clown mask or something.

 

At the risk of sounding like Mr. Spock...it's not logical to put $30,000 dollars into a $35,000 dollar car. The only people who do that are vendors trying to sell their gear. Maybe I can see going 10k or 15k at most on a Z. 60K or 70K puts me in a pre-owned Turbo Porsche.

 

While I don't think that choice is a matter of logic, I do agree that there seems to be somehing a little 'off' re: putting 30k of mods into a 35k car.

I kinda tend toward a rule of 25%+ - if I need to put more than 25% pf the price paid into the vehicle to make it how I want then I should get a higher end car.