mattduke1

choosing between the hardtop and the roadster. I'm having a hard time making up my mind on which model to get. If I go with the hardtop i'm leaning towards a black 35th. If i go with the grand touring roadster, i'm leaning towards the blue. Would anyone have any suggestions or experiences you can share to help me choose which to model to purchase. I'm a little worried about the daily wear and tear on the roadster for this will be my daily mode of transportation. But living here in central North Carolina, we have many days that the roadster would definitely be fantastic. Did anyone else struggle with this decision?

Armitage

iTrader: (15)

It was a pretty easy decision ordering mine. I went with the coupe because:

1) I'm more performance oriented and the extra weight of the roadster wouldn't bode well in either a straight line or a turn.
2) I don't like the way the roadster looks with the top up. (Mine is a daily driver)
3) Price difference.

I think a Roadster would be perfect for me as a weekend cruiser, only when the top is down. A kitted roadster looks GREAT.

mattduke1

I appreciate your honesty. I can see your rationale for the coupe. Maybe I'm just dreaming about how wonderful the beautiful Saturdays and Sundays would be for the roadster and not taking into consideration that most driving is just back and forth to work M-F.

DavesZ#3

iTrader: (26)

I'd have to agree with Armitage on all points. An additional consideration for me was weather. We only get ideal "top down" weather for about two months a year. It's way too hot and humid in the summer and too cool and rainy in the winter. Just not worth owning a convertible.

boldenmd

ask this on the roadster subforum and you'll get totally different answers. if you like convertibles at all, get the roadster. it's a dream car. it still handles phenomenally and even with the top up, it looks sexy. with the top down, there's no comparison; the roadster wins hands down in the looks department (yeah, I'm asking for it and we've debated this ad nauseum before).

can the roadster be a daily driver? there are people on the forum who do it and seem to be quite satisfied. mine isn't a daily driver, but i see how it could be. there's nothing wrong with using a convertible in the rain, etc., as long as you keep the top up! and you can always pick up a cheap truck or civic to use in really bad snowstorms, etc. (heck, if i had a coupe, it still wouldn't be a daily driver. as a matter of fact, one of my neighbors has a SB coupe and won't take it out if the weather's bad; she has a GX 470 for that).

i find that the roadster turns the most mundane trips into something special, and it attracts lots of attention, so you have to consider if you're comfortable with that.

it would be great if you could somehow spend time with both to see both worlds.

Bodie

My roadster is my daily driver. I drive to work and back, M-F...with the top DOWN. I'm fortunate to be in California though were weather allows this. If the temperature gauge reads > 55 degrees in the morning, the top goes down.

It's an absolute blast to drive. I take the service road home most times to enjoy the curves and driving under trees and such. The freeway is fun too. I usually set cruise control to 88 mph and enjoy the wind. Weekend fun drives are a hoot. Riding through Napa, hitting the wineries (letting the passenger sample of course), and getting some lunch is my favorite.

In my mind, the coupe is for performance nuts (I mean that lovingly of course) and the price concious. If you're driving more for "fun" or "cruising" and you can afford it...get the roadster.

Just my slightly-biased opinion.

wookie

i have same hard time

but i loved z350 of how its coupe is looking ( black one with , 19 black rims , and burnt orange seats )
not roadster , i really dont like how roadster is looking but

it could be fun open roof and gogo~ ha

Netko350Z

iTrader: (8)

Check out ThreeFitty's Roadster...wow

Armitage

iTrader: (15)

Completely agree.

maxpowers

iTrader: (3)

+1.

In addition, the only time I wouldn't recommend a roadster was if you:

(1) Plan to do a lot of long distance highway driving (I mean like 3-4 hours at a time). The roadster is louder on the highway with the top up and you might find the coupe more comfortable.

(2) You want the best times on the track. I doubt you would notice the extra weight during normal driving though.

gburch

I love my roadster but I live in FL and am only home 8 days out of the year. Roadster definately get more attention too. I don't run it at the track, if you are going to go with the coupe. If you want a car thats fun and you like the freedom of a convertible and can afford it go with the roadster hands down. NC the weather is probably good almost year round there to drive with the top down I think thats the biggest part of your decision.

Bubble

iTrader: (50)

i have no problem pickout the ZR. Get it while you still can. After marriage, forget it. I use it as daily drive. Love it. Hope this picture will help you a bit more in choosing the ZR.

ws350

You might want to check your brochure or go to the nissanusa.com site. If you try to "build" a GT roadster online, the white and blue exterior colors and frost interior aren't offered. Maybe that will help with your decision?

Good luck!

MomoZ

OK, I had a S2000 before and yes the top dropping was great in the summer, but....

1) Road noise is crazy at 80 mph @ 4500 rpm (in s2k)
2) If you put the windows down and open the moon roof (after market) you get the same effect with out much of the noice

3) the line of the Z coupe is so sexy compare to the roadster
4) Haters always go for the roof, now if the z had a hard top roof this will be a different issue.

wahoo5

It all depends on how each person prioritizes the pros and cons of each. I drove convertible Mustang GTs and Cobras for the last 20 years. They were my daily drivers and I also autocrossed the Cobra. I have had the ZR for about 1 month. It is my daily driver and I love it. I will also autocross it. The difference in weight is very little, about 60-70 pounds as I recall from Nissan's brochure, but if pure performance is what you want or if you are going to do track days, get a coupe. I am amazed by the number of convertibles I see with the tops up on beautiful days like today. Don't waste the extra money if you aren't going to use it.

Hogstar

RAODSTA! Most peolpe I meet like it top up and top down. Multiple choice...what could be better?
Sound with top up is not a bother, most people have stereo on anyway...so then?

gburch

I don't find it very loud with the top up or down. Of course you get more with the top down but I don't think its any worse than driving with your windows down. I love the freedom I feel with the top down.

Brandon@Forged

Here's the way I look at it, I would only get a roadster if I could keep the top down 24/7, and that is simply impossible. With the top up, it is extremely ugly IMO.

mattduke1

I really do appreciate all your repsonses. You guys are great. I really don't care about taking it to the track. I had almost decided on the coupe but after reading the posts I think I may be leaning towards the convertible. The picture of the blue roadster is beautiful to me. I guess I'm just nervous that the roadster won't "last" as long as the coupe would. Does that make sense? Especially with just a 3 year warranty, my mind is telling me the roadster will cause me more problems in the long run.

Question for the coupe owners: Why isn't there an option for a sunroof? Can it be done?

Question for the roadster onwers: When the top is down, can you see the navigation screen or is it washed out? Have you had any problems with the top malfunctioning, tearing, or fading? What size luggage can you get in the trunk?

Thanks everyone for all your help.

Brandon@Forged

As far as the coupe having a sunroof, yep. Some dealers are adding the Webasto sunroof as something that is standard. If you want to do it, definitely go Webasto, I haven't heard of any problems with it.