dmcgibbo

damn that is the thing - i was posting this b/c the dealership won't let me test drive one unless i order it and sign on the dotted line. i cannot do that without test driving it and seeing what the car is like or at least getting to look at one. its like the mad hatter that requires alice to have already had tea before she can have another cup of tea. i didn't get my point across very well on this post, but your blind loyalty to the 350z is getting in the way of answering my question...

i'm sorry. i posted that after getting off the phone w/ another dealership that told me off and said my money wasn't good for them. i offered to do all the paperwork and sign, but that i wanted to see a car first and they told me no and said i was a disgrace to Z heritage. that customer service turned me off so i my post was negative. what i really wanted was driving impressions like you said, and i was hoping for people to answer or justify why a 350z was better than this or that or why they felt it was the best in class and a good buy. And out here the Z does cost $32-37 grand so that is much different than the $26k that was posted on here.

importriders

You got a bad dealer, that is it. Some people have been able to test drive the Z, I personally haven't but my dealer let me sit in one and play around with it. The reason why no one is answering your questions is because your first post basically reads like this:

The Z sucks, but I am considering it over a celica and wrx, can someone convince me why I should buy the Z???

Now how are people on a 350z board going to answer that.

3rdpower

Well of course you should put on your flame suit - you just insulted everyone's car dude.

#1 - Z is much less then a BMW M3 - I have a fully loaded Z and it was $40k out the door - tax, license, title. BMW would be closer to $60k with tax, license, and title

#2 - No targa top will be available. I wouldn't look right first, IMHO, and secondly, body ridgidity would drop significantly, "insert extra weight here"

#3 - WRX? I left one at a stop light already. Yes they are quick, however, it takes too long to get the turbos spooled. The 1st gear in the Z is LOW LOW LOW. By the time I hit 60-80 I am pretty much stepping away nicely - slowly, but nicely.

#4 - Horrible dealer experience is to be expected unfortunately. Nissan doesn't have the reign on the dealer community like say saturn. Also, the Z is in much higher demand so as all other things in short supply... it's all about supply and demand my friend. Remember the Cabbage Patch craze back in 1984? How about Tickle Me Elmo.

#5 - This is a sports car - not a GT... it's a coupe - true through and through. If you want a rear seat go and look at a G35C. How can you complain about the performance of the new Z and rag on the 300ZX when its performance (2+2) was horrid? Performance and a 3rd and 4th seat do NOT go hand in hand.

#6 - You have never seen, touched, felt, spotted, gandered, caressed, rubbed, or even smelt the interior of a 350Z. How can you possibly comment on it? Tons of reviews indicate that the quality is better then S2000 and better then prior 300ZX. If you want real aluminum through and through take a 50 hp drop and get into a TT. BTW - I have owned (as in whipped their asses) many a arrogant TT owner.

#7 - I chewed up and spit out a Celica with one of those fancy lil body kits. I munched on him like turkish delite. Tasty morsel. If you have the cash flow for a BMW M3 go and get it. If you are looking for an inexpensive AWD vehicle with great all around performance and econobox feel - get the WRX. If you want a inexpensive FWD teeny bopper car - get a Celica. If you want a true sports car... look no further.

Quitcherbitchen... you have not experienced. I realize you put this post up to try and get peoples attention and it's obviously you did that. If you are looking for honest feedback try and do it without slamming people's car.

ToddLuc

I have always been a Toyota fan. I have always driven Toyota Tacoma (and previous model) pickups. Cars, let alone sports cars, are foreign to me.

I have no loyalty yet, let alone blind loyalty. I am sure I will develop loyalty immediately after I receive my Z today, though.

No, this is about understanding how the procedure works for sports cars, ANY sports cars from ANY dealer.

It takes word of mouth, brand loyalty from friends, styling, and specs to win a person over without test drives.

It worked for me. I fell in love with the styling, both interior and exterior. After I decided I wanted the Z, I did a LOT of research into Nissan from friends, coworkers, web, etc. I found very excellent reports. No negatives. Specs were impressive too.

That was enough... I bought the Z.

importriders

Like I said earlier, do some research. You can answer allot of your question by just reading stuff on the Z and using this board. Then if you still have questions, post them up. Most of the people on this board have read everything there is on the Z, and some have even considered cars like the ones you mentioned over the Z. Bottom line is that you have to decide what "you" think is better for "you". If you want driving impressions, just ask. But asking in this thread is a lost cause. I would start a new one.

Gadgetman

Z-NESS
which starts with LUST and THEN becomes LOVE.
Either you get and buy it... or you DON"T.
Nuff said?!

Don't ask others to make your decission. Should we pick your wife while we're at it since it should start and develope similarly?

padam07

Last time i checked all 2 seaters only hold 2 people.

WashUJon

dmcgibbo

thank you for all of your help. i understand that a lot of you misunderstood my post, and my subject line was inflammatory, but honestly...

i realllly like the 350Z and am interested in purchasing one, and i wanted the honest reactions of owners and the defense of owners on why the car is worth it b/c i'm about to buy one w/o test driving / looking at one which is a big deal to me. for all of the people that posted positive remarks or info about why the Z is great, thanks a lot, you really reassured me in my decision. to all the people that said i was ignorant and i suck and blah blah, i'm sorry that my post seemed like a troll post. i've read every page there was to read on the nissan site and they don't have that much information. the brochure i got was only 2 pages so i didn't know things like if there was a glove compartment, what the performance was like, how the handling was, etc. and nissan doesn't have any comparisons of the car to anything else. i appreciate you all taking the time to answer my questions. thanks.

ToddLuc

That's good.

WashUJon

Are you staging some kind of joke or are you just a strange person?

Chris S

My old CRX Si had enough room in the cargo area for an extra person.

As for the other stuff:
a) use the search function
b) be patient, test drives will become available once the hype quiets down and inventory sits in dealer lots
c) I can't imagine anyone thinking it's anything other than a great bargain after driving one - I'm not even a 350Z owner, but I was quite impressed after driving one.
d) when you find the better perfoming BMW for a couple grand more, let me know!

vin1024

This pre-order situation has people thinking that the Z is an especially scarce or unique car -- They will build 30,000+ of these next year -- and by winter of next year, dealers will be tripping over themselves to give you a test drive in a 350z....

I have been a long time Nissan owner myself, and the writer of the original post makes some good points. Many of you are first time Nissan owners, and don't fully appreciate the trials of dealing with Nissan's dealer network, dealing with thin chipping paint, alignment problems, rattles, etc. This is not to say that I don't like Nissans. Nothing is perfect. I am almost sold on the 350z...but part of me doesn't want to deal with the same old problems and wants to be treated better (like a real customer!) by my dealer...

importriders

Honestly, you need to do more research because every single major magazine has done a review and some have done comparisons. There is alot of info on the web regarding the new Z also, check magazine websites. After that you'll have answered all your questions including reading driving impressions by professionals whose only job is to drive cars. There are also driving impressions, by people like you and me, on this board and other Z specific boards.

Not many people on this, or any other board are going to spoon feed you information that you could easily find yourself. Now if you have some hard questions, please post them up.

nosuchsol

First, you just have had a bad dealership experience. I've been to my local dealership and they said to give them a call and that they'd have a car ready to test drive in a hour or so. They only have auto's over there so I probably won't go down there till they get a few more in. But I have had the opportunity to be on, in and around way too many now.. lol.

Second, I keep on hearing you mention the 37k track model in all your posts. There are other models, and the track model isn't the ultimate ride depending on what you plan on doing with the car. Like the name says, it has been geared for more extensive driving on a track, while yielding to daily driver status on non-track days. The best deal has to be between the Enthusiast and Performance depending on what you might want to mod on the car. They fall between 28-30k which is a GREAT profit for the dealership. ~26-27.5k for Invoice.

Third, HERITAGE! Nissan did put an interesting spin on the heritage portion when they released the Lust then Love book/ads. Personally you are looking back to the days of the affordable sports car. The exhilaration of driving by in a 240Z, 260Z. But also gives you a feeling of the GT cruisers that came along afterwards in the form of the Z31 and Z32. The styling cues are fresh, but give you a feeling of different Zs at different angles. Price is just one aspect. You can get Z32 TT straight-line performance for 18-20k less. (edit: we're talking stock for stock - no mod relation)

Fourth, the G35c is the 2+2 model you're seeking. I'm not sure if anyone posted an answer for that one. There's a lot of information being put out in this thread. Nissan is using different cars to target different areas of the sports car/coupe market. 350Z/G35C/GTR(whenever it comes) - Maximum Profit with minimal(edit:spelling fix) market creep.

dmcgibbo

cool. thanks for that info! i like the 350z better than the g35 even tho its a 2+2 and i guess i'm willing to sacrifice passengers for a 350z lol. i was just frustrated w/ nissan's customer service and their attitude and that's why i had some animosity in my original post. i agree with you all, i dislike subaru wrx's b/c they are ugly and i hate celicas, i was just wondering your takes on why you got a 350z. i'm going to wait a while until more Z's are out in my area since the dealers told me they wouldn't give me a call when some came in unless i came in person and put down a deposit b/c they only call people to let them know of availability if they have put down deposits (non-refundable haha) so i'll look in the magazines and try to find more pictures and reviews of the car in the meantime. thanks for your help to those that helped.

MaxTR

Ever think maybe they won't let this guy drive it b/c he's only 15 years old?!?!?! Thats what I get from the original post anyway.

WashUJon

He said 6 years passed, so he's at least 21 now, according to his math...

dmcgibbo

if you want to get real nitpicky about being accurate in replying and reading posts, if i said in the original post that i was 15 when the 300zx's were out that means i'm in my early 20's now...