This may have been posted already, but this is a fun subject and our cars are supposed to be "fun", right? So I'll start it off . . . .

I was looking for a nice performance coupe and I had a list of about 10 different cars that I liked. I already had a Mustang V6 for the past four years, and after researching for several months, I had the list narrowed down to two cars: a 2007 Mustang GT/CS and the "Z". I shopped and shopped, and looked for prices, went to Edmund's etc. etc.

Well, one day I sat in a "Z" car. That's right: just "sat". It was a rainy day a few weeks back and I was at my local Nissan dealer. I asked a salesman if I could just "sit" in one (no test drive) just to see what it looked like inside and what it felt like, etc.

It was a red 2004 Touring AT. As soon as I shut the door, I just KNEW this was the car I wanted! I loved the way it felt, and the way the leather smelled. I played around with the seat settings, the tilt steering wheel etc. then I left.

But I couldn't get the car out of my head! I tried to talk myself out of it, saying it was premium gas, no trunk space, no rear seat, can't rotate tires, too much maintenence, not practical etc. etc. But I just couldn't shake the "Z" out of my head. . . I just couldn't.

I test drove the Mustang GT and it was "OK" . . . felt a little more powerful of course than my '98 V6, but it didn't "do" anything for me. I also drove an '06 base "Z" car as my first test drive. (It was the Interlagos Fire paint. That's how I got my screen name). Same thing. It drove "OK". . . . But I liked the way it felt. Like it was enveloping me. I liked the tight feeling it gave me, like I was more connected with the road than I was with the "Stang".

I struggled and struggled with the idea. I wanted to buy an "American" muscle car, and felt that I would somehow be "unpatriotic" if I went with a "Z". I felt guilty. Really really guilty. I felt bad.

But the idea just wouldn't leave me alone. Night after night I tossed and turned.


In the end . . . after studying, and analyzing, and comparing, and arguing with myself, I went with my heart instead of my reason and got my baby . . . my 2003 Daytona Blue Touring 6MT . . . .




OK, so what about YOU??

What made you decide?? Or what was it that convinced you??

Post your thoughts here.

All best,
Joe

 

I loved nissan before hand when I had my mitsu because of the skylines and the original Z cars, the 510 datsuns were cool too, I finally decided to go with a Z because the platform is sweet, its RWD, light, not to small like an S2k, and it looks nice, I was tired of my 95 VR4 AWD TT and it was showing its age, I couldnt think of anything better then the Z...

 

06Firebase,

I hear you. The car makes no sense, but I can't get it out of my head. I'm not even a "car guy". Lost sleep over it. I am making another thread on this topic, but for me it boils down to styling, V6, rear wheel drive, and the exhaust note.

 

I have a very small ***** is why.

 

"The Run"

 

Me Too

 

It was time. I had put off buying the 1991 300ZX and then I saw the 350Z. Just had to have it!

 

awww...you two match!

 

We've had a Z in the family since 1984. When the Z33 came out, I fell in love with it. But, at the time my wife and I were shopping for our house. I didn't want buy her till after we closed on the house. After we closed on the home, I let my Z plan fall to the way-side for a while till a co-worker handed me the keys to his DB Greddy TT Z33. After a couple of drives/rides in the Z, I went home to my wife and told her I want the Z. The following day I brought home my 05' SB

 

i have my DVD copy of "The Run" and it is very fun too watch even now after seeing it so many times.

 

Wow, very similar to my buying experience... Here in St Louis, there is a Nissan dealer right next to a Ford Dealership, and initially I was looking for a used 03-04 Cobra or Lightning. They had a couple, and I liked them alot. I also drove a new Stang GT, and it felt like a boat. After spending a whole day at the ford dealership, I went next door to Nissan because I had been looking into the Z as well... test drove an 06 Interlagos 6MT, and I never looked back at the Ford dealership. Left Nissan thinking of how connected I felt to the car, and how completely different it was than all my friends Camaro's or any other sports car I had ever been in.

Came back to Nissan February 1st, also the first day at my new job after graduating college, and got my 06 base. Since then, my free time at work has been totally consumed with this and other Z sites, I love this car!

 

I read the reviews looking at sports cars as cheap as the 350Z on up to the Porsche 911. I narrowed my list down pretty quickly removing the Mustang (WAY too damn common) the Corvette (I still have all my hair and the a$$ end of the thing looks like the designers just got tired and quit). The BMW Z4's sides/styling just didn't work for me. The Honda S2000 doesn't come in auto (I have a service related disability) and needs 15000 RPM to get it going.

So that left the Audi TT, Porsche's Boxster S, 991, and the Nissan 350Z 35th Anniversary.

The three dealers touch with a VW dealer between the two German and the Japanese dealer. I test drove the Audi TT which seemed "nervous" with a suspension stung way too tight for my feel. The view out of the car was way too narrow - that long dash and the roof arch worked together against me. I sit pretty tall in the saddle and my head ends up in that arch looking out though a tiny mail slot at the road in front of me.

The Porsche was my dream car. I've wanted a 911 since I was like 18 (1978!) but driving the thing around on the test drive I just felt like I was going to get car jacked. "Yo foo give up the car" The Boxster S was alright too but I wanted a coupe rather than a convertable and the Boxster just doesn't look good with the rag top up.

I wanted a coupe because of cancer, most of the time I wouldn't remember to put suntan lotion on and we have bit of a different sun here in the high desert of California. The heat - even with the top up the heat burns though the roof (the Porsche at least has a lay of felt in there to absorb the IR heat). OPM - other peoples music. With every **** in SoCal mounting 1500 watt amplifiers in their hoopdies it's a ***** getting stuck in traffic with someone blasting their music into your life. Smoke, dust, and smog - too many Mexican tagged cars driving around here bellowing out gagging smoke from their cars.

So that left the 350Z 35th Anniversay coupe. The thing fit me better than any of the other coupes. My wife took an instant love to the car. The 300 ponies are more than enough for around town and will get you arrested in about eight heartbeats worth of accelleration even in a 75 mph zone. My first go-fast car was a 1973 Plymouth Baracuda with the 340 HP engine ... I don't go fast anymore thanks.

The Z was cheap enough to finance for 12 months vice the 36 I would have needed for the Porsche which was more than twice as expensive. The only regret I have is getting Super Black which is a super ***** to keep clean!

 

I had been stuck in a Civic for the longest time... being raped by the bank... 435 a month for a Civic... i kept thinking, 435... jeez i should be driving a lexus or something... so i began looking... first thing was a GT Stang, my sister had a canary yellow one with black racing stripes... but i though to myself, why should i have good when i can get great... and started looking at the Cobras...03-04... i found a Black one, with suede/leather interior...pretty nice...

then i remembered that i always liked the 95-96 Z32... so i began looking at them, and then remembered a kid at my high school talking about the "new Z" (this was like 2 years back) so i went to the nissan website, and looked up the car, instantly fell in love with it... my weapon of choice was an 04 SB Touring...so i began searching different dealerships... seeing who could do the best deal, it came down to Grubbs Nissan in Irving, they could do the color, options, and anything else i wanted but just needed to check the paperwork (credit)... they ran it through and kind of gave me a little run around, saying it would be best if we let you talk to another guy and such...

My dad was driving around I-20 and spotted a Chrome Silver Z (touring) in a Honda Dealership... he insisted that i call them and go check it out... i kept saying that i didn't want a Silver one i WANTED a black one... but he still insisted so i called... talked to a guy at the dealer, he told me about it, and he told me the color... i told him i wasn't looking for a silver and he told me what would it take for you to be color-blind? he was asking 34K for it... so i said sure, drop the price to 29K and we'll talk... he said DONE!

i chuckled a bit... thought to myself WTF just happened?

next day i went done there... talked to the guy, he drove us to the Nissan Dealership down the road (the Z was having so VDC issues worked out)

i test drove it without VDC... scared the hell out of the Dealer... and i was HOOKED... i drove back into the Nissan Shop with a huge grin on my face and said to my dad I want THAT ONE!...

we started the paperwork, and a few days later they handed me the keys to my 03 CS Touring... ever since then... i've been Z-ing everyday... 50K on it now...got it with 26K

 

i owned a Z32 91, my previous car was a 98 LS1 SS. i definately did not want to buy another domestic, bleh. came down to the Z and a RX8. rofl, it was an easy decision. not sure why i never liked the G35, but they have grown on me. would have made my decision much harder if i liked the G as then as much as i do now but i still would have gone with the Z.

 

I always wanted an EVO 8.. ever since it came out in 2003. But I was to young to afford it.. so one day sitting in Iraq my buddy showed me the IMV FILMS video of that Blue Z killing the EVO.. as that dude said "This is a nissan 350Z I was like " I just couldn't stop thinking about it.. 10 day later after I got back from iraq in september my crazy *** decided to run about 5 miles to the damn Nissan dealership.. I didn't want none of my buddies to know, so i couln't ask for a ride.. the damn bus was going to take another hour and a half.. so i ran and I took less than an hour. I was so desperate to get one.. so i began to search the lot.. i saw this nice red 2005 track.. the brembos were shiny..as a sales man approached.. I decided that this was it. I asked him if he could show me this car as I intend to purchase it. I was just wanted a Z no matter what trim it was.. I just want a Z.

He walked back into the building to get the keys.. inpatient that I was.. I walked behind him... So there we were waling back and I suddenly this number posted on Z caught my eye.. the number was 300hp.. I was like what the.. and I told the sales guy "I didn't know nissan made a 300hp Z" and he replied by saying that's the latest model a 2006.. I was but it's only september and it's out already..? So I took a look at it black, nice rims.. I looked back at the other Z and said NAH.. so i asked to see the new one instead.. so ther i stayed observing it. He came back and gave me the keys, I opened it.. I felt joy just looking at it.. so I sat.. and it was like a dream okay.. not really going into details but I asked to drive.. he drove it off the lot.. we exchanged seats.. I saw 4 miles on it.. I drove it came back 7 miles on it.. we went in.. 2 hours later.. I was the first sale in the island on Oahu in Hawaii to own a 2006.. my pic is at the dealership posted.. I couldn't sleep that night just wanted to drive.. am sure we all couldn't sleep that night we got our Z's... I thank my buddy for showing my the video..

 

I chose the Z because it was the one i ended up with out of the 3 i woulda been happy with found the Z right place right time and bought it...great car..

 

I wasn't looking at the Z at first. I was thinking about getting soemthing practical, but still somewhat sporty -- such as Mazda 6. Love that car (and still do).

My friend mentioned the Z. I was like "meh, kind of expensive for a used car." I used to have an Rx7 so sports cars aren't new to me. Anyway I decided what the hell, lets go see what they have for Zs. Went to the dealer and looked at it, very pretty. Asked to test drive it, they let me.

SOLD.

 

I bought a used 2004 Murano last year as a 2nd car. My daily driver is a GMC truck. However, I've also liked the 350Z -- I used to have a '78 280Z. The Murano was practical (I have three kids) and it drove nice with the CVT but the Z kept calling my name. The itch was bad enough last month that I traded in the Murano for an '06 SS 350Z. My wife did not know about it until I drove it home. I know it's not practical but I still have the truck to shuttle the kids around. Yeah, she's pissed and all my friends are teasing me about my mid-life crisis. You only live once so what the heck . . . I'm enjoying it with my new Z!

 

When the Z came out in '03 I remember saying to myself "I want that car" but it was a "dream car" to me. I never thought I'd ever be able to afford it so I didn't even bother taking a close look at one. I would drool everytime I walked past one in a parking lot. In 2005 I was at a Nissan dealer looking at the new Maxima ...they had a Z in the showroom and I just glanced at the interior and drooled some more but I still didn't sit in it nor ask for a testdrive or anything. I still figured it would cost too much and insurance would be sky-high. I also couldn't afford the Maxima at the time either. Now fast-forward to about a month ago my 2000 Lincoln LS is giving me a lot of problems and costing me more money than ever. I woke up one morning only to find about 2 quarts of oil laying under the car and I'm fed up with it. I figured instead of paying so much money to fix it I could trade it in and use the "repair" money as a downpayment. I was going to get the '06 Civic SI or '06 RSX-S but no Honda/Acura dealership wanted to deal with me or give me a decent price for my Lincoln. I don't know what made me go to a Nissan dealer...maybe I thought I could afford the Altima. I walked into the Nissan dealership and a salesman caught me staring/drooling over an '06 Lemans Z with the Nismo kit on it. He asked if I was interested in looking at a Z...I was like sure why the hell not? What do I have to lose? I should atleast sit in one. So he opens the door to the Nismo Z in the showroom and told me to get in. I sat in that car and it was like those old Maxima commercials when the guy stumbles and puts his hand on the car and gets stuck in a trance. I was like "hell yeah I want one of these" but not this one because they wanted too much money for the Nimso kit. Long story short...I ended up test driving a MT '06 Silver Alloy base model fell in complete love/lust with it...ended up buying it. While driving it home I just wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I did not sleep that first night..stayed up sitting it in, staring at it, flipping through the manual, etc. Now a month and 2300 miles later I'm still in awe with the car and I know I made the right choice. Sometimes I look at it and shake my head thinking to myself "wow you were about to get a Civic over this hahahaha."

 

I was driving an 04 Dodge 1 ton diesel (heavy hauler chip, AFE Intake, MPRB 4" dual exhaust( pushing 415 hp with 800 lbs of tq. 15.5 1/4 mile) around last X-mas gettin' 12 mpg in city and 23 hwy paying $1.10/liter. Not very economical. So decided to buy a car. Was looking at new stang, new mits and RX8. Then drove past a nissan dealer, remembered "The Run" I saw in '03. 6 days later drove to Edmonton (heading to Fort McMurray) and bought one.