i think it's obvious you made a rash decision. next time you spend $30K think first.

 

I kind of did the same thing you did. The week before Christmas my bimmer blew up and my MR-2 lease was ending the following week. I was thinking about the MazdaSpeed Miata, but then I just decided I wanted a Z. So I went and bought it. In and out in under an hour.

I haven't been overly excited. I think I was a lot more excited when I bought the MR-2. The Z is a really fantastic car, and I love it to death, but I've been working a lot lately and the weather has sucked so I haven't had a chance to really exercise it yet. I guess for me its been anti-climactic. I suspect that when spring time rolls around and I have more time to actually drive it I will probably go gaga over the car. I'm also still getting used to driving it. It feels like it needs a much lighter flywheel or something, I find myself waiting for the engine to complete my shifts.

I guess I just have some doubts in my mind that maybe I should have bought a used 996 or C5 Corvette. I guess I wasn't quite expecting the Z community to have attached itself so much to the "ricer" mentality and to me that is a little disappointing. Body kits and purple taillights and juvenile audio systems don't really interest me, not that thats a bad thing if you're into that stuff, but it just wasn't what I was really expecting I guess and I suppose you'll find that with any car really anyways.

I'm also finding a lot of little things with the car that kind of annoy me, like cracking the window open when it is raining out and finding that the whole door gets wet, and the the plastics in the interior seem to get dusty/dirty very easily, and the climate controls insist on turning on the air conditioning when I put it on recirculate even though I want HEAT, etc. But I also find other things that I think are really cool, like the washer fluid squirts out of the wipers, one-touch up and down windows, etc.

 

3 Things you need to do with this car.

1) Find a really winding road, grab 2nd or 3rd gear...keep the revs around 3k and see what happens.

2) On the freeway at 70mph in 6th, drop to 5th to pass someone as you change lanes quickly.

3) Leave for work 10 minutes late...arrive on time.

If you do these 3 things and the Z doesn't make you grin from ear to ear, you definitely have the wrong car. There are days where the thumping ride hurts...and there are days when the rattles may make me reconsider....but every time I find myself in one of these 3 scenarios...I'm back where I belong - cloud 9.

NzZ

 

yeah, I've had 20 something cars in my day and scores of motorcycles and I still get excited as all hell about getting new stuff.....I still about jizz every time I open my garage and see my Z in there.....the feeling is increased tenfold once I actually get in and take off

 

who here on this board actually puts their car in 6th gear when only doing 60???????

thats 4th gear for me, maybe 5th if I am tired!

 

If traffic is bad and I'm not gonna be blasting, I grab 6th as early as 50mph. Doesn't lug the motor one bit, and makes it possible to get above 25mpg on the highway. I'm **** about keeping the car in the highest gear possible when I'm not enjoying myself. The way I see it, an engine has a limited number of revs in its life...no reason to squander them when moving slow in dense traffic. Plus I can shift the car into a lower gear pretty quick anyway.

NzZ

 

your getting old..

I waited 2 years for my Z..saving etc.

I'm 21 and just got my Z... I can say that im pretty excited because not many people my age have the chance of driving this type of car everyday.

it may not be a track model or even touring, but nevertheless I was pretty excited when I finally drove off the lot with her.

is my life complete? heck no, in the end its just a car. I still want much more out of life.

after 3 weeks of ownership..I can say that the excitiment has died off, but I still get a little smile everytime I start her up.

go get married..you'll probaly get more excitment and drama from that.

 

Too many cops on freeway. What's the point of running the engine at a higher RPM.. >.<

I was beyond excited getting this car. My dad did buy it for me though.

 

i felt the same way at first.. then it got boring.. but after modding it a bit, the excitment came through a little.

 

Traded my 03 BMW 530i for the Z (step down in price). I wasn't impressed with the Z for either handling or speed (had a 01 Camaro SS and 04 Spec V with goodies) but it's been a good car thus far. Modding the Z is what keeps me from selling it. Looks better without being ricey.

 

If you're not happy with it sell it then. I mean if you're making that kind of money at that age buy a car that you'll be happy with. Maybe you're just a bit depressed. I'm sure if you sell it to someone who can't quite afford a brand new Z, they will gladly enjoy a slightly depreciated car as I did.

 

lol. Me too. I can't walk away without taking a glance back. Ever. It's become a compulsive behavior.

At 29 this is by far the most impressive vehicle I have (1) ever driven and (2) ever owned. It took me a good 2 months to get the feel for the car but lately I've been grinning for no reason while driving. If you spent $30k on car and that doesn't happen....you either need to get a truck or SUV....or you need to get a different car.

 

Sorry to hear you're not thrilled. That has to be an awful feeling.

I, however, pined for the Z and it is the best (and most expensive) I have owned so when I got it I was pee myself happy. (Although I made sure not get that happy on my leather seats!)

 

Hey man,
I guess for alot of folks, the joy of the car comes from having wanted one for awhile before they bought it, thus it was the achievement of a goal. Since yours was kind of a spur of the moment thing, there was no pent up "I just gotta have it" energy. I waited a long time to by mine, and I love my Z. My wife will tell you I'm fanatical about it. But then I've been a sports-car guy ever since I fell in love with the Ferrari on Magnum P.I. and the Trans-Am on Smokey and the Bandit as a little kid. My heart rate goes up just standing next to a nice sports car, so getting to drive one every day is a true pleasure for me (and my Z isn't my daily driver which makes my time in it even more 'special'). If you don't get it, you don't get it. That's not a bad thing, and it doesn't necessarily say anything about you and/or the car other than the two of you don't "click".

My dad really gets excited about trucks and luxurious sedans. I personally could care less about having a bed, 3,000 cubic feet of trunk space or air-conditioned seats. I want my @$$ 3 inches off the ground, my head stuck to the headrest and the ability to corner like I'm on rails. It's a very individual thing.

 

As time goes on (I'm 41) I get less and less of a emotional feeling about vehicles. I've had lots of sports cars and they all pretty much give me a good feeling about driving. I don't have to redline it to have fun but it is fun going through the gears and shifting at a high rpm. The wife says she never has feelings about a vehicle but I know she really likes the Z. She likes it when I beat on it a bit and has to hang on a little.

Probably one of the best things I like about my car is the good deal I got and the 2% financing. Sounds a bit strange but I know I would have a small feeling of having wasted money if I didn't.

It doesn't really bother me that the car doesn't give me a "hard on" like cars I had when I was younger. It's just part of getting older and viewing things more from a practical standpoint.

I went from a Tundra to this car and had a 4-Runner before that. There is much more of a feeling about this car then the others of course, but I do prefer sports cars.

Z-Stalker

 

Ditto

 

You should have waited till you found a car that you would be excited about....

 

Should of bought the roadster, you would of had a lot more fun with it vs the coupe... Everytime I drive my roadster I get a stupid grin on my face

 

I feel your pain! See my sig.

 

Ditto 3....and a good one