The Z is one of my daily driven car....depending on the weather I alternate from the Z to my Yamaha R1. Vrooom! Vrooom!

However I am considering a beater for possible winter season (No snow, but do get icy roads during Dec and Jan. Yes, even in TX.

 

Granted its a very fun car to drive and love every moment of it its just not fun when your not in the mood for spirited driving. Example like going to work in traffic or going to get groceries etc..

 

Tell ya what tho... I never did offer to go get groceries before I got my Z

 

No whining or complaining here,

It's my daily driver, and I don't mind the constant "1 -> 2 -> N" shifting in heavy traffic either.

I'm just so happy that I don't have a "slushbox" anymore...(AKA Maxima)

The direct connection to the powertrain is always a plus for driving feel, even if you're stuck in traffic and trying to change lanes to get 2-3 car lengths ahead... in the typical LA fashion.

 

Fellow Tampanian here...and I drive my Z everyday to work and back and sometimes make a point to go for a joyride at night on top of it! If you are a homeowner or have a job where you need to drive more than one person around at a time keep the Pathfinder, otherwise, financially you'll be better off with the one vehicle. IMO you didn't buy an investment, you bought a sports car man, drive it and get your money's worth!

b.t.w. If you don't know about "The RUN"...you might want to check this out:
http://www.350zclubofflorida.com

 

i have to disagree with you. That's why i bought my z, to go to work, to the store and plenty of other things i do without the family, cause i love to be on my own playing my own music and driving my z.

 

I actually joined that club (or at least the the forum) first thing after getting the Z. While I read up on "The RUN", I was wanting to know just how quick everyone is going to be driving on this event.

 

There are usually side bets for who runs the most old ladies off the road and who can outrun the cops the longest. j.k.

For frame of reference, the guy who won the second prize/timed portion of the event last year was the slowest driver and he still was faster than the recorded time, so there is definitely incentive to cruise vs. speed.

 

I have driven a 91 Pontiac Grand Am for the past 7 years. I ended up with it in the divorce. When I got my Z I was more than happy to make it my daily driver. Why would you keep something so beautiful in the garage? The Z makes a perfeft daily driver. Just keep a eye out for all those drivers that seem to look over your Z

 

When i'm not at school...the Z is my daily driver. When i'm at school, if i need a car, I bring the 240SX. However, apparently we are trading that in for something slightly more reliable, so hopefully it'll be something that's slightly better in adverse conditions.

 

MY Z is not my daily driver. Living in NY, even with snow tires, I don't want to subject the car to the pot holes and salt. It's also nice to keep the miles down by driving a beater. I have a pretty big loan on my Z since I really didn't put much money down(I just had to have it.It makes you appreciate the Z more when you get back in it after driving a beater all day. Also, my work requires me to drive over 20k miles a year. By the time I paid off the loan, the car would have Sh#t load of miles on it.
About my beater: MY beater sucks to drive. 0-60 in about 20 seconds. ITs dirty as hell.(I rarely clean it and do alot of fishing so its filled with dirt and sand). I work from my car (beater), so I accumulate trash to the point that my girlfriend has NEVER been in it. During the winter we ride in her car. MY beater has dents...alot of them. Too many scratches to list. My beater cost me $1,500. It gets 30 miles to the gallon. It's a 95 Corolla 5spd sedan. I don't care if someone hits me, spills sh$t on it,pisses on it, etc. I can pop curbs with it, kick it when I'm mad and run it into trees at low speeds for fun. It has 130k miles and runs very well. IT is SOOOO hard to come out of the house and get into my beater when my Z is sitting right next to it. But I Do. Don't get me wrong, I drive my Z about 10k miles per year but put another 20K on the Crapolla. Also, insurance only costs and extra $20 a month for the beater. Beaters RULE!

 

I wish the insurance on my "beater" was that low.

 

Well I only drive my Z part time of the year and still have over 8,500 miles on it after a year now. I would drive it to my job everyday, but there is a big rock company that has dump trucks driving on that road all day long. I only drove it a week to my job and had a chip in the hood and winshield, that was enough for me.

 

I drive usually 3,000+ miles a month, for my job. The Z is my daily driver, and I think it's simply brilliant at its task

The Z is not a limited production vehicle like the Supra or NSX. It is a phoenoman due to its everyman pricetag. It's an everyday sportscar that in my opinion (unless modified) is really best on the street. The Z at 7 or 8 of its full potential is one helluva car but near the limit it doesn't drive like I would prefer it to. This can be remedied with simple suspension adjustments.

I just don't see the reason to keep the miles low on the Z, you could always buy another one. It's never going to be the Supra, where you can only find high mileage ones or beat up extremly modified examples.

A car like an NSX or Elise I would be more concerned for miles. The less limited status of the Z makes it that much more enjoyable to drive.

 

My Z is my daily driver, go to the gym, go get groceries, go play softball, go play ice hockey, go on short trips and go on road trips car. I love it. Personally, I wouldn't want a car that I was scared to drive because of putting miles on it. I bought a sports car to use it and have fun with it, and I do.

 

+1

Considering how much happier I am when I know that I am going to be taking the Z into work, the notion of driving it everyday sounds very appealing. Judging from other threads that I have read, I guess then I should invest in one of those clear bra's (considering the length of the commute I drive).

Do the clear bra's take away from the look of the car?

 

Depends on what your commute is like. Great fun car, but not when you are stuck in the 405 for 2 hours each way due to traffic. Mine was a daily commuter from Irvine to Burbank. Thats about 65 miles each way. Roundtrip of approx 140-150 miles, because of additional around town driving up in Burbank, once I get to work. If your commute is 30 miles and the traffic is not bad then go for it. But if your commute looks like mine, I would strongy suggest keeping the Pathfinder or maybe just a beater with an automatic tranny to save you on those days you just don't want to deal with traffic and a manual tranny. The Pathfinder will have a cushier ride so it could help in those traffic conditions regardless of the tranny.

 

right on.. i appreciate it so much after driving a beater all day, makes me so happy to be able to drive it. i would rather have a beater because i lowered it and im scared of all the pot holes,dips and dings from other people, it breaks my heart hearing my car scrape the floor.

 

I appreciate it as a daily driver too..but I get what ya mean.

 

My '03 350Z Track is my daily driver..
My weekend car is a 1977 Ferrari 308 GTB 4-carburetor/non-catalyst beast!
Makes the Z seem tame!!!

Greg