Car and Driver has posted online its review of the 35th Anniversary Z.

The car is SLOWER 0-60 than a Touring model previously tested (they blame weather conditions). They also praise the hot yellow color, failing to point out that it is available on all the trim levels.
They like the wheels, noting that they show off the Brembos nicely.

In all, I don't get it. Nearly $10,000 more than a base model, with little or no improvement in performance. (I have an Enthusiast model).

Nissan needs its hand slapped on this one.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=9269

 

touring modem 5.9 imo , but i remmber they wrote liek its 5.3-5.4 , ( unreal number huh , but maybe its possible ) then they tested 35'th bad so thy got 5.9 or something

 

say what?

 

If I had to do it over again, I'd buy the same car. The car is about $4000 more than a Touring and for that you get the wheels (I don't care what they're worth, they are rare), Brembos, diffusers/spoilers, and misc tweaks along with the 300hp engine configuration. I guess it just doesn't seem like a bad deal to me, but I keep seeing people talk like its a rip-off. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, just the fact it's produced as a special edition makes it worth a bit more than other Z of the same model year. That's commerce for ya. A Grand Touring roadster is $3000 more than a 35th, clocking in at around $40,000 (is it faster than a Base?)...

 

1) Stock tires suck ***.
2) None of those magazine journalists can drive to most of those cars potentials anyway. People are hitting 13.7's on stock tires, which equated to low 5.x times in the 0-60.

 

You can buy any 05 Z with Ultra Yellow and almost get the same feel as the 35th's.

 

i haven't been very impressed with the 35th aniversary model

i mean, who is their target market? performance oriented people or luxury oriented people?

they just threw it all into one car, charge an arm and a leg for, and it gets worse reviews than ever

everyone that's reviewed it that I know of has said how slow and heavy the car is, and how cheap the interior feels for being nissan's flagship car in it's price bracket

then to top it off, it has less torque. I know for the hardcore drivers that's fine since it has a raised redline and more power up top, but who's seriously going to track their 'rare, leather/heated/electric seats, heated mirror luxury car'???

 

It also said in the Magazine that Road Condition was bad.

 

Peak numbers sell cars. 90% of the population doesn't care about numbers under the curve. They see "Oooh, 300 hp is more than 287 hp. So what if it has less torque." Joe Schmoe in the general public doesn't care. They see it comes with everything available - "biggest" engine, leather seats, premium sound, special rims, Brembo's, etc. Its basically, IMO, designed for those who want a nice car and not have to do anything with it.

 

Wait, you meant to say it's not available on all trim levels right? Just the 35th and Track.

 

You are exactly right my friend. I wanted the luxury options because, hey, at 30 years old having the fastest thing I could get (by tenths of a second? lol) and sacrificing creature comforts no longer appeals to me. I've been there, done that. I am an enthusiast at heart though, so I wanted the Brembos for my spirited canyon runs. Everything else is fluff, but I like it. I have no plans to track the car and I didn't want to modify a car again (put almost $15,000 into my WRX which was a huge waste of time/money). I guess I am one of the only people who thinks Nissan did a good job on the 35th. What were you guys expecting? Twin-turbo for $30,000? They bascially hit the nail right on the head for buyers like me. Money was no object on this particular car and I wanted as much as I could get... and I dislike convertibles. I still maintain it's not a bad deal for the money. And I am still trying to find whats so cheap about my interior? Seems fine to me. If this car was up to par with the complainers' expectations, it would cost $45,000 like the previous gen and people would be *****ing about that instead...

Lastly, as far as the magazine times... It's amusing that people are usually so quick to discredit performance numbers from the majors magazines, but in this case one review comes out with slower than expected times and everyone acts like its gospel.

 

yeah i don't have much faith in magazines ever since I saw that 10 car shootout and the Z was rated low because it's suspension wasn't good enough, it wasn't fast enough, etc then a few pages later the Z was dogged for not being good for long drives because of how hardcore the suspension and handling are...yeah sure whatever.

everyone always rags on the interior - i think it's fine. What's so wrong with it? I thought my step dad's 2002 boxter's interior looked like crap. I don't care if it was lined with diamonds, it looks incredibly dated and boring

Everyone has an opinion i guess - which is all the magazines are - a glorified opinion with pretty pictures

 

To clarify, if it was needed:
I've seen an 05 Base 350z in Ultra Yellow.
That color is not exclusive to the 35th Anniversary model.

 

Another thing: I'm not trashing anyone that bought a 35th.
If I didn't already have a Z, I'd probably consider getting one.
I looked at one on the lot just the other day.

I'm just saying it's a shame Nissan didn't smack a bunch more Nismo stuff on there or something, at least the upgraded suspension and exhaust.

 

Yeah, the ultra yellow is not exclusive.. its just an extra $500

 

Well, the way I see it, if Nissan had done more Nismo parts on the 35th it would have just pushed the price to ~40K. The fact of the matter is that the average consumer isn't going to find value in any of that. Sure, we as enthusiasts can see it plain as day, but we are unfortunately a rather small segment. I originally tried to buy a Track model and the local dealers laughed at me when I asked them to do a locate. That car was order-only apparently. When I asked why I was told that the average buyer doesn't want the car, they sit around for months on the lot, and resale suffers as a result, etc etc. I guess I can see that being true... I assume that is why the majority of Z's available in Utah anyway were automatic Touring's. As it stands right now, the 35th is 4 grand more than a Touring which seems about right for the cost of the Brembos and the extras. Really for a pretty much top-of-the-line hardtop, that's not bad considering I actually bought mine for about $35,500. Anyway, we should all be happy that Nissan offers such a diverse selection of Z's. Virtually anyone looking to buy a Z can easily find a car that matches their budget and needs. As for the magazine articles, I always find them amusing. I look at it like the movie critics... those guys are paid to watch movies which is why they are super-picky and usually hate movies I happen to like. If you paid me to drive cars I would be picky too. The same guy reviewing the Z probably drove a Lamborghini a week ago and will drive a Ferrari next week. Numbers aside, IMHO, we've all got great cars for the $, regardless of which trim you chose...

 

Can the 35th Anniversary Edition be ordered with NISMO parts as options on the car instead of aftermarket add-ons?

 

Not that I know of. You could probably have the dealer install what Nismo parts you want and roll it into the price of the car. They had put a Nismo intake on mine that day it came in, so I went ahead and just kept it since it was already on there...

 

Wow, you drank the punch by the gallon.

 

Meaning I could have told them to remove it. But, whatever man....