I am 37 but have been drivingng Z's since I was 19ish(first car was a 71 Camaro then a 78 Firebird, from then on a 240 woke me up, haha), one thing to remember is that alot of Z owners have been Z owners....they know what they are buying and appreciate and respect the lineage......on the flip side how many post on here have you read where people went out and drove this and that and then once they drove the Z that was it, the kool thing for us is that it is not practical for all situations ie: families and so on, which makes the car even more unique, just like all other Z's have been............to get back on th thread......"this car fits anybody from age 16-55 that is looking for a bads%% car off the lot for $30,000".....thats about the best demographic i could put on it.......

 

Someone mentioned more power, like the option of a 400z or 450z, my dealer told me to be on the lookout for the new US version of the skyline, price tag possibly in the $60's, motor would be a v8 or tt. He said Nissan is so hush hush with this no one has even seen pictures and it's suppossed to drop this year. Originally it was going to drop under the Infinity brand to justify the high cost, but turned out to be for Nissan since the Skyline is known by all Z enthusiasts as a Nissan not Infinity, believe it or not, it's what I was told.

Z's target demographics- 20-40 year old males, even though I see more females driving them.

 

dont believe the guys at the dealerships, by the time they know whats goin on with a car, especially of that stature, the info has already been released on the web or car-n-driver or something like that. which means that the public already knows. and there are quite a few pics of the knew "skyline" out, though they might not be what the final production version looks like.

 

Thats me too!

 

I am on the high end of the demographics but I have wanted a Z since they came out but had to wait. 1970's college student could afford the car but not the insurance. 1980's and 1990's parent with children hard to justify 2 seat car. 2000's no kids, new wife and no problems on affording car or insurance bought the Z.

The Z has enough performance for almost anyone and perdictable handling and styling makes it a great bang for the buck. The styling still turns heads after 4 years of production. I get men and women from the 20's to 50's telling me how good looking the car is and then after talking about the Z and finally getting to price not believing the affordability of the car.

There will always be someone who wants more horsepower, better handling, louder pipes, better wheels or bigger tires, the nice thing about the Z is the ability to do this with out completly killing your wallet or the drivability of the car. I admit I am going to add CAI and a new exhaust for more HP and better sound so I guess I fit into the louder, faster and better group too.

 

The Z represents balance, in all aspects, in building a sports car for the street. It is the perfect balance of power, handling, amenities, fuel economy, cost, reliability, all wrapped in a drop dead gorgeous package and built within reason.

Honestly, I can't think of one single vehicle better than the Z in all its aspects combined, including practicality of ownership. The Porsche Cayman comes close, but it costs double what a Z costs.

 

Yep the 350z has gone from 3200 lbs in 2002 to 3340 lbs in 2006.... Roadster tips the scales at 3600 lbs... But the market for a light weight 350z would be extreamly small... Only people it would attract are the hardcore street racers...

 

My Z has more than enough power to get me in trouble now. I'm quite happy with it the way it is, though I will be adding a few things here or there to change it over time.

25 and Wireless Network Operations here... a form of IT I guess.

 

+2

 

So I'm slow since my car doesn't have sh*t. Well, guess thats sort of depressing in a way. I hope we'll be fixing that some day! I'm dying to get a ride in one of those FI 350z to see what their made of. I know I've riden in modded 300zxTT and they are definately scary.

 

I think that the demographical target market of the ZS has evolved and expanded since its debut in 03. At, first, I'm willing to bet that the car targeted knowledgeable young individuals with careers and aphisionados like the majority of this forum is. The 03 car has a pretty ruf suspension which no other second age male person will tolerate. Then we can observe a slight expansion in the scope involving older males with the roadster like lawyers and doctors. By 2006, with the softer suspension and 200 pounds of sound deadening, they are definately involving women now. So, to me, IMHO, the 03 base is the most raw, intolerable, hard riding, hard clutch, hard steering piece of beauty in the this last design spectrum.

 

+1 That makes two of us....but I have a 2004 base and I adore it to death.

I love not having ***** on the steering wheel, nothing light up when you purposely break traction. No gadgets, no frills...no buttons to worry about. Engine in front, six-speed in the middle, driving wheels in the back....done!
Svelt and athletic.

The car tells you right away if you suck at driving, and it reminds you "We'll be in a ditch the second you act the fool!"

 

I'm a 55 year old, affluent Baby Boomer married woman, no kids, with a Touring Roadster. Old enough to remember the Z cars of the mid-70's, which were my first introduction to Nissan back when I was young and impressionable!

There's a thread in the Roadster topic asking for ages and there are quite a few 40 and up. For those of us in our 50's and up, the roadster is almost always a second car, could be considered a "toy" almost as it's a want, not a need. Most of us appreciate the history and heritage of the car, are still young enough (impossible as that seems to you 30-somethings!) to want a fun car, and old enough to feel like "if not now, when?"

I like that it's a bit heavier than other roadsters; I feel very secure in it when on the Beltway traffic around Washington with heavy trucks whooshing past. I test drove a Miata and hated it; felt very much like I was in a toy, just waiting to get crushed! Saw a guy about my age or a bit older today in some very small roadster, and frankly he looked ridiculous, he was almost bigger than the car as he was tall and husky. It looked like he was wearing it, not driving it.

Anyway, as others have said I think the Z appeals to a wide range of ages, tastes, and incomes. It's not a car that's just for one small niche, even though it's made in limited numbers (especially the roadster).

 

CPEG/ELEG...but (un)fortunately in the middle of a career change...but still love electronics and machines

 

Ditto. The car is very balanced. It's a toss-able easy to drive car on the street. I drove my Firebird today in traffic and it was annoying as heck.
All that torque and nowhere to use it. In the Firebird, it's idle shift, idle shift. I barely can push the pedal. The 350Z power is fine for everyday use. I can push the pedal a little bit. Perfect for getting into tight parking spots, easy to turn around, fun to mod and heart pounding looks.

I give NISSAN a A+ for the general public. For those of us that want to mod it ..... you get to mod it the way you want. I mean really, when has a Manufacturer built a car with high horsepower and not charged a arm and a leg for it? If you want Corvette Power .... Buy a Corvette. Otherwise, what for the GTR to come out and pay ~50K for that. I'm OK with a 30K with 300HP. You can get them for as little as 25K stripped like me and set it up the way you want for dirt cheap as well. JMHO