My wife and just returned from 5 days and 1500 miles of touring SD and Neb., Badlands, Black Hills, Rushmore, etc. The car was flawless as we did about 1100 of the miles on red roads. Plenty of room for soft luggage and a 12volt cooler. The car performed perfectly as a GT(grand touring) vehicle, with speed, style and comfortable as well.
If I could only have one vehicle this could not work but with an Accord sedan and an Explorer too it couldn't be better.

 

It's not a Z, but I'm glad that you're considering a cheaper car. If the tiburon make you happy then good for you. Regarding the engine power, Alpine Developments makes a supercharger for that car that is carb certified so you could also boost your power that way later when you've got more cash and surprise some of us Z owners with a fast tibby. Of course that will void your warranty.

 

WHAT??? Leave Conroe?? and say Goodbye to Banana Bay and Tut's??

I'm in Virginia now, but I spent a couple of years living in a condo on the lake. Conroe/Montomery isn't so bad!

 

Wanting a Z and geting a Tiburon is like wanting a nice steak dinner and going to taco bell.


If you're going to be happy with a Tiburon you shouldn't even be thinking about spending 30K on a car.

 

People are strange...

On the matter of practicality... Half of the USA housewifes driving trucks which are much more impractical. Unless use practical as synonym to big... Not enough space inside and no trunk to put laggage in (protected from weather and movement)...

 

Of course it's practical. How else would you escape from asassins armed with machines guns riding in black BMWs and Mercs. And racing against time to prevent those loser terrorists who's are planning to bomb the white house. And after you've throw the bomb into the potomac river, you drive your Z to pickup your swedish bikini model girlfriend.

now what's not practical about the Z??

 

Everyone,

Please take it easy on the poor guy for considering less-expensive alternatives. He can't afford a Z right now(refer to waay previous link in this post chain to military pay tables), so be positive and give him some advice on something more practical and less expensive.

Personally, I'd keep your Sentra for now, and wait until you get another stripe or two before buying anything new. Then you'll be able to easily afford a lot more car than you can now. But by all means, wait until you get your first few paychecks, so you have a realistic idea of how far your money can stretch. Then go talk to your First Shirt, and ask him what's reasonable, as he or she has to counsel guys at your rank every day who bought too much.

 

Can't fit your groceries? What are you, shopping for an army?

The Z isn't 'practical', but it's not as bad as people are making it out to be.
I can easily fit 2 sets of golf clubs behind the strut. I imagine I could fit at least one more in front of the strut.
I bought some long quarter-rounds from home depot for the floor I was installing. They slid right under the strut and over the wall and fit without an issue.
Most important of all, my bass (double bass, bass violin, string bass, acoustic bass, gigantic cello, whatever you want to call it to make you know what I'm talking about) fits (but does take a passenger out of the picture.)

It's as practical as you make it.

George

 

George: Do you have a picture with your stand-up bass in the car. I had been complaining because I couldn't fit a guitar and amp in the car--I leave the front seat in.

If you can get your bass in the car. Maybe we should start a thread of people surprised at what they can carry in a Z.

 

thanks ttheisen...

yeah... i am all exited over getting a new car, and its getting all in my head and making me go crazy and everything
its my brother's fault.
before he went in, he totally bought into the "'BLING BLING... FAT MONEY!!! MAJOR BANK!... CAASSSHHHH!!!!'- recruiter" thing, and he would take ma along on his test drives, and it poisoned my brain

the only thing i had planned on getting was a nice little mac laptop

but now, im hearing all these creaks and bad noises from my sentra, and im thinking its life is drawing to an end :|
and so now i really am worried that i might need to get a car
which is just totally doing bad things to my mind

so... basically, i think i can probably drive my sentra until a while after my job training is over
if im even still in the us after that... well... you know what?
i'll do what i have done all of my life- i'll wing it
it works for me

oh, and all you 'haters', (i use the term jokingly... i just cant say it otherwise) go test drive the tiburon... before i drove it, i figured it would be basically like a tercel, but with a nicer looking body (not quite a brick, but a brick with some shape to it)
it was really surprised
its pretty damn fun to drive


but yeah... i'll just have to wing it and see what i can afford when the time comes

 

Man I wish my Z was here. I'm still waiting for the thing to arrive. 4 months to date. Also I have a second car so the practicality of the Z is just perfect for me. The Z will be drivin between April and October. The rest of the year it will be stored. I will drive my 93 Ford Explorer I got for $500 bucks.

 

Good thinking Sketcher. Wait and see and you might be overseas anyway and you can get some totally cut-rate deal on some european machine. Oh, and the first time you deploy, you can buy a car through AAFES at your deployed location and its at invoice or a little cheaper. Only American cars on that deal, though. Its a program that used to only be available if you were permanently stationed overseas, but now its open to people on temporary duty as well. You put the order in overseas and its delivered to you stateside after you get back.