on a beautiful, 60 degree, Sunday afternoon. No reason other than to get out and cruise around. Not once during my drive did I think, "Man, this interior is cheap!" or, "Look at all of the orange peel." or, "The ride is too harsh." or, "My nav door sucks."

None of these thoughts came to mind and frankly, they never had. In fact, the only thoughts I did have were, "Man, this car is tight and connected to the road." and "The throttle is so responsive and easy to modulate. How did I live without drive-by-wire?" and "Look at that guy's face as I slam into third and pass him like he's standing still. He's <i>still</i> trying to catch me." and lastly, "I LOVE how the back-end comes around with judicious, second-gear throttle!" I even managed to bear the BLOSE system to listen to the new Queens of the Stone Age.

Bottom line is this is a fantastic car. My feathering tires still sound like ****, but oh well. A word of caution though. The Z is not an acquired taste. You will either "feel it" or you will not. I knew the moment I sat in my car the day I took delivery that everything was right. If you don't feel that way when you go to check out the your first Z at the dealer, don't try and force it. Don't make excuses for why you have to like the car. No one should do that. It's not for everyone, and if your gut doesn't say Z, don't make a decision you might later regret. Leave that Z for someone who will "feel it".

As of yesterday, I've had my Z for 90 days. Look at all of the pictures I've taken and the silly, little site I built. Tell me I don't love my Z. The only car that would get me out of the Z right now would be a 996 C4S and well, my wife's not going to let that happen anytime soon.

 

Yeah i dont understand how people can say that the interior is cheap. I dont really find it too distracting or cheaply built. Reasons being...

1. Its a sports car
2. Anything not related to performance should not be included (extravagant interior, moonroof/sunroof etc)
3. Its a sports car, again plain and simple

I find the interior to be functional at getting the job done.
The car is what it is. A straightforward 30K sports car. I agree that it is not practical car for everyone, but just dont put the Z down for something that it is not.

 

I only get good comments from people that have seen it up close and looked at the interior, they like the doors, the nav door, interior look and love the seats, the only bad comments I hear are in this forum. This comes from S2000, Porsche, Audi guys so I think we need to step back and enjoy the car not look for things that really aren't there.

 

I get alot of compliments on my Z.

The ONLY thing I ever get is when ricers want to shave the door handles, add systems, ect. *gag*

From people who really appreiciate sport cars though I've got nothing but praise.

I wish there were a couple more Z's around here too.

H2's are flying around here like Civics for some reason. I'll see at least 2 or 3 everytime I go out. Kinda fun pulling up beside them. The size comparison is always fun to laugh at. We both get a good smile out of it.

 

I find this humorous. It shows just how spoiled we've all become. The Z is NOT a raw sports car like so many of you think. Are any of the following necessary for performance:
Power windows
Power mirrors
Homelink
Heated seats
Trip computer
Leather
Stereo
Air conditioning
Carpet
Headliner
Cruise control
Shall I continue?

Some people are happy with the features. Others could forego some of the extras for a little more quality. If the Z was really a no compromises sports car, how many would Nissan sell? Like the S2000, it would be a bit too raw for most people. So they added creature comforts, and in doing so they compromised.

I'm not knocking anyone for loving the Z. I love it myself. BUT, don't make excuses for the cheap interior. It could have been a little better and still met Nissan's goal of under $30K.

 

To each their own...

One thing I can't figure out though is with all the features, no control for the radio on steering wheel.

The only thing I miss.

 

Come on, these things add mere ounces to a car nowdays and their practical value is extremely high. They don't detract from being a sports car.

Okay, now you're not talking about a sports car. You talking about a race car.

 

only production car coming to mind as a car with no radio or AC is the viper ACR I believe. (might be another model....) but it still has carpeting and a headliner....

as for interior, what is so horrible about plastic? its resilient, stain resistant, lightweight... I mean, seriously, what DO you want them to use? wood dash? hahahaha I guess they could have done real carbon fiber, but ummmm yeah.... thatd be a first for a car anywhere near this price. I mean seriously, leather? then youd complain it weighs too much. I fail to see what material should have been used.

as for steering wheel controls, this will forever puzzle me, the japanese spec has them, G35 has them. I thought maybe it was bad for steering on the track, you know, get in the way or something, but cruise control is there.... so that cant be it plus japan has it. I just dont know. but Ive never had it, so I dont miss it.

otherwise, just something about the way the Z feels, light on its feet, and fast as hell. a tight seat hugging you, with the wheel that just cuddles in your firm grip. when I am driving my Z, hard or not, there is nothing else Id rather be doing. and it is the only thing I can say that about, I would have paid twice the price if I had the cash for the Z, just to enjoy the 30minutes to an hour I spend in the car each day.

 

Dude should get a CTS

 

I totally agree with you on this one. I don't have a lot of experience with a powerful RWD car, but I'm starting to learn the limits of the Z -- and it's a blast!! I love it when doing a quick u-turn in 2nd gear. A 'lil throttle breaks the rear end loose, then it straightens up with such ease.

-Mike

 

The Cobra R has no AC or sound deadening.

I see a couple people got the point of my post without realizing it. People talk about the Z like it's a race car, saying that quality doesn't matter, only performance. I disagree. It's a fairly comfortable daily driving car that deserves to look good inside and out.

It's the extensive use of hard plastic that makes the interior look and feel cheap. My '79 280ZX had an interior made of plastic covered by foam and vinyl. Almost all of the panels were made this way. If I'm not mistaken, the only panels in the 350Z that aren't hard plastic are the door panels. The dash and everything else is cold hard plastic. It's cool if it doesn't matter to you, but it matters to a lot of people. I'm tired of hearing "shut up, it's a sports car". That really has nothing to do with it. Nissan has stooped to the level of an American car as far as interior quality. The fit might be better, but the materials are the same.

I hope this helps some understand what others are seeing when they say the interior is cheap. It may not be a deal breaker, but it is a valid complaint.

-TB

 

Now I am gonna stick my fingers in my ears and sing.... la la la la

Inside and out I enjoy this car.

I havent yet popped the rear loose.. still too woried about rocks flinging up on the rear. perhaps after I install the mud guards.

Now I am going to go and drive a little bit...

EZ

 

AMEN!

Somebody needs to figure out how to get the Japanese wheel buttons installed, or the ones from the Infiniti FX45 (looks like the exact same wheel).

 

The Cobra R and the Viper ACR are not for sale to the general public. You must hold a competition license to purchase one. There were two Cobra R's sold at my dealership. Both times the buyer had to send a copy of their NHRA license to Ford before Ford would ship the cars. Both cars ended up in private collections never to see daylight. Another case of a dealership ripping off Ford.

 

Horseshit! Have you been in a domestic lately? Go and rent a Ford Taurus or Chevy Cavalier and I defy you to come back and repeat your previous statement.

I've seen Big Wheels made out of higher quality plastic than what some of the domestics call an interior.

 

I've been in many domestics lately and I'd be happy to repeat my previous statement. THE MATERIALS ARE THE SAME. If you think otherwise, you're in denial.

I guess I feel strongly about this because everything else about the Z is so great. Why couldn't the interior be on par w/ everything else? This thread is about fence-sitters. Interior quality is one think keeping me on the fence between the Z and the G. Previous Zs have had interiors of MUCH better quality. Did they really need to make such a huge change?

 

Exactly, and what did I say?

You, sir, do not feel it. No problem, but you really should move along and find your "high quality" interior. Remember the old Infiniti tag line, "Drive one and you'll understand."? That applies to the Z as well. Until you've driven the Z, how in the world can you make a purchasing decision based on the f**king interior?

If the interior was so important to the overall driving and ownership experience, then why are S4 guys jumping ship from arguably one of the best interiors available today in the Audi? A Stage II S4 will obliterate a 350Z, no question. Why jump from a low 12 second car to a high 13 second Z? I'll tell you why, it's the visceral driving experience of the Z.

 

Now, don't sugarcoat how you feel on my account. But I do agree with you. I look in some cars and ask myself, "what the hell were they thinking?!?!?!?"

 

Every time I hear a negative comments about the interior it makes me laugh. Literally, EVERY single person that's checked out the car for the first time has said from the get-go that they really like the interior. The range of people that have sat in the car are 15-60, male, female, hard core racers, and people who know nothing about cars. They all sit at the wheel and say, "whoa, this is cool." I say, "I know...now get out."