I have a base Z and love it. I just could not justify the $ difference. Down in New Orleans it gets so hot that I felt the new cloth seats were betterand I was right. I don't do much autocross or curvy road driving mostly straight or highspeed interstate cruising so the base is just fine. Also I immediatly removed the stock radio( which would have been Bose), didn't want leather, mirror doesn't matter, can't stand traction control but the cruise control would be a very good option. Guess you can't have everything you want all the time. If you don't really need these options save yourself some money get the base and use the 3-4 grand to do some noticable mods. just my 2c.

 

yea if the area you live does not get a lot of rain or snow and you can opt to drive the car without the creature comforts as leather, navi, and whatnot then I would go for the base too

 

I went with a base model because of the value. There so much aftermarket support for the Z these days I couldn't justify getting the more expensive trims just to end up swapping the nissan parts for aftermarket items later on. I also rarely ever use cruise control...I guess I don't take enough long trips.

You can take the money you save by getting the base model and buy a few aftermarket parts that are much better than the OEM nissan parts.

 

If your the type who enjoys tinkering (adding mods) with a car and you do not need/want TCS or Cruise, then Base is fine. Otherwise, Enthusiast,

 

I bought the base in April and have zero regrets. Upgraded my sound system slapped an aftermarket spoiler on it and tinted the windows so far. It gets up to 105 degrees here in Northern California so I just didnt want to stick to leather seats and went with the cloth.
I also never use cruise control so it was an option I just didnt see justifying paying for. In the end no matter what one you buy you will pinch yourself for about the first month remembering that its actually yours.