I know we all love the car, and it will sell well for nissan, but what I mean is do you guys honestly think Nissan has smacked one out and touched all the bags with the Z, or is it more like a solid base hit or ground rule double??

I mean I owned a 96 maxima then a 98 accord and a 99 passat and they were all fine cars. But I didn't see the maxima as the clear winner. I owned a Z3 that was a nice little runabout and fun, but it was let down by it's motor and mechanical problems (for me at least). My 2000 odyssey so far is the best car I bought in that it is clearly the best in it's category for the money. I payed MSRP after being on a waiting list for a few months and never had any regets about if I payed too much.

I know the 350Z will be at the top for bang for the buck just like the altima may be better than the accord/camrey twins, but I don't see people with accords grinding their teeth and second guessing themselves saying "why didn't I buy an altima??"

Or do you see the Z as just another solid effort from japan, and for a short time will have the stage like the miata,WRX, S2000.

 

I'm thinking the Z is a homerun. The Z has fallen into it's own category of sports car in the upper $20k range where nothing else resides. Performance numbers to almost match the big $40-50k sports cars at a lot less of a price. to me there is no other sports car under the price tag of a Vette that is worth mentioning (the S2k & Z3 are both roadsters, not sports car, meaning I don't view them the same) and the only other sports car I'd think about would be a Vette. The future RX8 is not, was not, and will never be an option for me.

Basically Nissan has hit a homerun with the 350Z as it did in 1970 with the 240Z.

 

hmm... seriously open ended question. Depends on what you are looking for in a car. If you are looking for a 4 door econo box - no - they didn't hit a home run for you. If you are looking for an affordable sports car, with gobs of power and torque under $35k - yes, they hit a home run for you big time.

 

Right on carguy, no one has seen a production model yet so how do you know whether its a home run or a foul ball?

I, like you, want it to be a hit seeing I've put my money down!

We'll have to wait and see.

 

what car's do you guys consider home run's?

 

Well I think it's a bit to early to say that Nissan has truly hit a homerun. Yes, on paper the Z is a home run. Nissan is reviving an otherwise dead market space. But, we have to take delivery and drive the cars for a while. We have to break the cars in, experience our first scheduled maintenance. We have to find out if there are any hidden bugs in the car.

I currently own a Nissan Pathfinder and it has been a "Homerun" for me. So let's hope that Nissan has put the same quality into the Z that they put into my '92 Pathfinder and the new Altima.

Sure hope it's a homerun though!!!

 

I've been wondering the same thing. Trying to judge by the conversations with coworkers and friends and the new vehicles they have purchased recently. And ultimately, time will be the best judge and yes after we have driven ours. Judging from the reviews from car and driver and motorweek and ignoring the reviews from people that have only reviewed volvo station wagons etc...

I think that Nissan has hit a home run for an affordable high performance sports car. And I think it will be cemented with some minor tweaks probably to come along in the 04 models. But they will have to work fast and sharpen their pencils because the other manufactuers are on the move.

What I can't judge is how large the market is. Judging by the response of the other manufactueres, somebody thinks its a huge market. but obviously the 350Z will not replace the mini-van or the SUV markets. I've been wondering about the effects of the "Murano type" vehicles coming out. Just about every manufacturer has one. It's kind of a cross between a mini-van, station wagon, SUV and sports car. Or maybe more appropriately somewhere in the middle of all that. I guess the point is, I think that these combo cars have the potential of being the next big automobile market. Kind of a merging between all the other markets. And I can't help but wonder how that is going to affect the 350Z/affordable sports car market. IE family compromises.


Enforcer

P.S. Don't want to flame these new vehcile types but ever notice they kind of look like tennis shoes on wheels?

 

I prefer to think of it as a Slam Dunk

But that's only because I'm Basketball Jones!

 

Actually, I think Nissan already hit a homerun with the new Altima. Remembered all the magazine reviews, and it also won North America Press Reward or something at the autoshow.

Someone said it right, the Z is more like a slam dunk then home run

 

Ms. Cleo, what is the future of the Z??

Seriously, I think the market for the Z is dwindling a little with the economy. What will be the difference between the Z being a home run or a solid double will be what affect it has on the image of Nissan as a whole and how it affects people who are looking at Nissan's other models in more popular/efficient categories.

 

Yes! I will go out on an easy limb here and call it a home-run. The reaction I've gotten from the people I've shown the car to has been incredibly positive. And give the specs and the price and people are amazed. I can think of a few people I've talked to at work that might end up getting it (but most people are more sensible than I and will wait until they can test drive it before ordering!)

I think Nissan will sell as many as they can make for the first few years, make a good profit on the car, add a lot of excitement to the Nissan name, and draw people into dealerships. That's a home-run in my view. (After a few years they may have to freshen the line with new looks and more hp, but that's normal with any car.)

 

Compared to other cars? Yes.

But for ME a home run would be something like a Ferrari 360 for $15K!

 

One can always dream....

 

With runners on base!!

 

GRAND SLAM!!!

 

Why don't we wait until we drive the thing a couple thousand miles guys. What happens if there are major problems/recalls etc. with the car? I think that Nissan would have some serious problems if that happened. Hardly a home run/slam dunk if ya know what I mean.

 

Nissan is slowly in the process of hitting for the cycle, if you ask me. The company was on the brink of collapse in the late 90's, and was producing lackluster cars which had strayed from the company's sporting image that it reveled in in the early 90's.

The introduction of the 3.5L VQ, the revised Maxima, and the Altima were the warning shots that Nissan was mounting a comeback.

Throw a supercharger on the Frontier -- a little more attention.

Then the cannonball heard round the world -- the Z is back. With that one statement, Nissan reclaimed their history and legacy in one swift action. Now, the only trick is to verify that the Z is everything the reviewers have said. (I doubt that'll be much of a problem.)

Where Nissan could have released a mildly exciting two-door coupe, the opted instead to set the auto world on its collective ear just as they did in 1970. Anyone who doesn't think the Z is a bargain needs to have his head examined. And truthfully, if you scan the entire auto market, Nissan has once again carved a niche all its own, and set the other manufacturers scrambling to the drafting board to come up with a snappy two-door coupe.

Bravo to Nissan, my most favorite of auto manufacturers for upholding the legacy of the almighty Z car. For the first time in decades, the Z is back to representing what its original intent was -- high-end performance at a remarkable price point.

This ball's already out of the park. Perhaps when the GT-R comes along, we can watch Carlos swat another ball to the cheap seats. (I mean really -- what auto manufacturer has a more exciting lineup of cars today than Nissan? Wait a few years, and it's only bound to get better!)

 

It really is amazing how quickly Nissan has been turned around. It just shows that with the right person at the helm, anything is possible.