After reading a lot here, and looking without driving the 350Z, I went and drove 2 today.

My background... I've owned many sports cars. I am looking for this as a third car. Currently, we have an Explorer that my wife drives primarily, and I have a 996 Turbo.
(I'm a mod at 6speedonline.com & funcarsonline.com)
Gratuitous pic below:


Anyway, I wanted to check out the 350Z and see if it lives up to its looks and its possibilities as a daily driver. The answer in one word, "yes."

I drove a Touring automatic first. After letting it warm up, I got on it a bit and tossed it around as much as I could w/o scaring the sales guy. In automatic form, this is a fun car to drive. The exhaust note is nice as well.
It really feels connected to the road. It would be a blast to throttle steer around some turns at TWS!
The seats are my favorite part of this car. They just cradle you perfectly. I also like the dash. It's simple, clear, and follows the steering wheel...nice.
The rest of the car is pretty plastic filled, but hey, it's a $30k car, and it's about sporting more than touring.

I wish they would have put the stabilizer bar into the chasis itself intead of taking the easy way out and putting it in the storage area. It would be much more practical without that there.

I could also definitely tell that the stock rubber SUCKS. I would put a set of Michellins on there ASAP and save the stock rubber for thrashing at Auto-x's or something.

The brakes on the touring are fine for street driving. I suspect they would heat and fade quickly at a track though. How much is retro-fitting the Brembo's on a Touring? Since this would be a daily, I'd want the Touring package and leather, but the Brembo brakes.

The car feels smaller than it is. It fits like a glove around you, and you get the feel that it's tossable like a go-cart. It also makes me want to just drive and drive. If/When I buy one of these, I'll probably drive from the dealer straight to Corpus Christi or something.

For the money, this car is TOUGH to beat. I haven't driven a new Mustang GT, but that would be my only guess as to a car that would 'beat' the Z in feel and looks IMO. I like the STi and EVO, but they're a little too 'boy racer' for me. The STi w/o the big, stupid spoiler may be acceptable, but it doesn't 'move' me like the Z does when I get in it or look at it. The Z is much more than just its performance and numbers. It has a lot in common w/ Porsche in the fact that it's about feel, handling, styling, and the over all experience of driving it.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we returned the automatic to drive a 6 speed. I wanted to see if there was a huge difference in feel and/or performance. I had read that in performance, there wasn't. I still think that's true, but for me, I need a manual. There's nothing more fun than taking a nice turn w/ the perfect heal-toe and rev match in a manual. Again, it's about the experience and not numbers.

When we returned the Auto... the engine began pouring out steam. I opened the hood, and there was coolant everywhere. Oops. The sales guy jokingly said, "You broke it, you buy it." I said, "Well, it's damaged goods, so I expect a hell of a discount." hehe

All in all, great car. For me, a 6speed manual with upgraded brakes as my first mod would be the way to go.

Congrats to all of you who already own one of these wonderful cars!

Sorry for the long post, but I just thought I'd share my thoughts.

 

Thanks for the post. It's nice to read something positive like that. The 350Z is what it is...a great $30k sports car.

I love 911's...and at some point, I hope to have one as well. But for now, my Z is my daily driver, I have always looked forward to my commute!



BTW- Yes, the tires that come with the Z are really bad. I'm still running stock brakes with no problems, but I'm not tracking my car. For ~2k you can upgrade to a decent set. Pretty typical.

 

Thats a pretty glowing review coming from a 996 owner. If you're not careful you might start giving porsche owners a good name . Just kidding... Its nice to knowing someone coming from such a high bred car can still get a kick out of our $30K bargin. It makes me appreciate my decision even more.

You evaluation seems right on. Interior is passable, but once you're driving you don't even notice. Brembo brakes are a comon upgrade on turing models, but an aftermarket big brake kit is going to give you better performance for less money. Stock rubber is appaling. I have pilot sports and am very pleased with their all around performance. This car on the track is even more impressive than on the street. Its very predicitable and pretty forgiving at its limits.

Make sure you are aware of the tire wear issues before you buy. Search any Z forum for more info than you want to know.

Enjoy.

 

Thanks for the praise. Can you fix the link for your pic? It isn't working. I'd like to see your 996.

 

Is it now?
It seems to work for me.

 

Yep link worked, did you try the manual mode in the auto? Nice post!

 

Nice write up. It's good to see someone as yourself appreciate our cars for what they are.

I absolutely adore Porsches, especially that 996 turbo you posted above. Great choice in color as well.

I got a chance to drive a GT2 awhile ago, and what can I say? Wow! That thing is an orgasmic rocket compared to the Z, simply no b.s., loud raw, with a refined layout. But the overall driving position and stance felt pretty familiar.

Good luck with your porsche and choosing the everyday driver.

 

I think you can get an 05 with leather and brembos. I think it is the Anniversary edition.

 

Thanks gang. I'm just another car nut like you guys. You wouldn't be on this forum if you weren't most likely.

I'm 34, so probably a bit older than most here, but everyone shares the love for driving and cars.

I did try the manual mode in auto btw, and yes, it was nice. Probably the nicest manu-matic I've felt in a while. (with a torque converter I mean). I don't really like those usually, but the Z's was nice.

VandyZ, I don't think the 35th is a good deal really. I'm also not a fan of the higher HP, but lower torque. Higher HP is great on the track for top end, etc. but in day-to-day driving, I'd rather have more torque w/ slightly less HP. That 13 HP would barely be noticed anyway, but I think the torque would be noticed.

ZephyR, the GT-2 is sick. Scary fast, and notorious for difficulty to handle at the edge. I really wanted either that or a GT-3 because I love tracking my cars, but I also have a 18 month old daughter, so a back seat is a nice thing to have. I know the Z doesn't, but for daily, that's ok.
If you get a chance, drive the GT-3. It's the most fun to drive of all the Porsches I think. The high reving NA engine is heaven!

 

Sorry but the car dump coolant e everywhere after your road test... and you still want it?
I know if i road tested a car and the car did that, i wouldnt think twice about leaving the dealership and never buying it..

 

Agreed!

I bought my brembos used . . . and would have never paid the price for the track for brakes and wheels.

 

Nice, thoughtful post, Scott.

How do you think the Z measures up/down compared to your 996?

 

If I had a 996 TT as my sports car, I'd actually be looking at a G35 coupe as my daily driver. Yes, the suspension is a bit softer, but it seems quite a bit more liveable, plus you get better tires off the bat. I don't know if the new coupes can still come with Brembo's, but it's something to look at. It also doesn't come with the tire roaring problems.

Since I don't have a Porsche to track, I easily picked the 350z (over the G35c) as the compromise between the track and daily driving.

Scott, that's a very nice TT you got there. I hope that I can own one some day. I'm 34 too, and I would suspect that it's close to the average age for Z folk.

 

Wow, what a review! Thanks for taking the time to indulge us in our "poor man's Porsche"; I guess Nissan still has the right idea after 35 years!

BTW, love the 996, with the exception of those headlights.

 

Well, I don't want that particular car that's for sure, but it doesn't ruin the Z in general for me.

 

Well, they are quite different that is for sure. My car is 444 HP and 457 lb-ft of torque, and AWD, so it's quite a different animal. But one of the things that appeals to me about the 350Z is that it feels more tossable. Ironically, their weight is very close, but the 350 doesn't feel like it.

Around a track, I wouldn't be nearly as fast in the 350Z I know, but for grins on my face, it would be close. It's a very fun car to drive.

So how does it measure up and down? Well, acceleration, it's not really that close. The 996 TT is just a beast.
Handling wise, the 350 is probably pretty close in feel. It needs fatter rubber though, and bigger brakes as we described, but it's quite a handling car.

Comfort, the 350 wins. I wish I could put those seats in my car! They have better lateral support and are more comfortable.

I have video of me chasing one (350) down in my previous 996 which was a 2002 C2. Now there's a more close comparison because the C2 had 320 HP and was RWD. Around the 2.9 mile circuit I run, I ran 2:05 ish in the C2. I run 2:00 or so in the Turbo, and in the 350, I'm guessing, but I'd guess around 2:08 - 2:10 which is still very quick.

 

Yeah, I've considered the G35. It's a heck of a car, but it doesn't move me the way the 350Z does for some reason. It would also be more practical than the 350, but I keep going back to the 350Z as the car I want. It's less money, and I like it better in looks and feel.

I'm not sure why, but the G35 just doesn't quite make me want to shell out the extra money for it. Also, I still would track this 350 at times when I wanted to try something different, where as w/ the G, I probably wouldn't bother.

I'm just a sports car kinda person, so it's hard to go w/ something more GT than sport like the G35.

Ironically, I may be pushed that way in the end because of that back seat, but I'm fighting that!



Longbow, you don't like the headlights on the 996? That's one of my favorite things about it.

 

Scott, the fried eggs lights make it look too close to the Boxster for me! By the way, any chance you might host that video of you chasing down the Fairlady?

 

Well, the Turbo lights don't to me, but I know what you mean. The '99-'01 lights are the same as the Boxster.

As for the video, I do have it hosted.

Go to this thread:

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....hreadid=111867

Or you can go direct to my video:

996 C2 chasing a 350Z

Here's a pic of the car that this video was taken from....

 

Stick around, Scott, whatever you buy. The site needs more guys like you!