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2003-2009 Nissan 350Z

My unbiased opinion about the 350Z

Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:10 PM
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Default My unbiased opinion about the 350Z

What up my350z!

My bad in advance since this might be a little bit too long since it's just a ramble

I guess I've been lurking these forums for a bit and I want to give an unbiased thought about what I think about the Nissan 350Z

Now, I don't own a 350Z, in fact I own the opposite of what a 350Z is. I own a Lexus IS300--a 4 door, inline 6, underpowered "sporty" sedan--so I'm not being biased whatsoever.

I've seen many places (namely forums) and people hating on the 350Z. Why? Is it jealousy? Envy? Actual hatred? Competition? "Yes" could be the answer to those questions most of the time but that's not really why.

The 350Z is a benchmark car. It's well powered, sexy and it gets the job done around the track better and or on par with cars above it's price point. It's reliable and it comes from a land where the economical cars come from.

I've been to several car "meets" (read: ricer's paradise) and some car shows. I've talked to several people and a lot of them talk down on the 350Z. I ask them what they drive and they say they brought some base Integra with an intake. Now don't get me wrong; Integra's are decent, economical cars but talking **** about a faster, better looking, more expensive SPORTS car when you bring an Integra? Something's a little off there.

To be honest, the 350Z has the most presence than any other groups that show up to me IMHO. Why? Some are twin turbo'ed monsters that are pushing 700bhp on a STOCK block A 4 cylinder would explode with that much power.

Nothing looks like the 350Z (minus the G35/G37) and it's exhaust sound is different than most cars. It's almost a purrr and a growl and I couldn't believe it was coming from a V6. It definitely isn't underpowered and it can take a corner like a ****ing rocket.

The 350Z is a true SPORTS car. 2 seater, stiff suspension, powerful engine (could be debatable compared to F/I cars) and some people can't accept that.

What about the European car scene? "The 350z has a shitty interior, it's all plastic compared to my [insert BMW, Mercedes, VW car here]" is what I usually hear. The Z's interior isn't the best that's for sure but there shouldn't be Alcantara, fake Carbon Fiber panels and wood trim in a sports car. Sure it would be nice but you won't be fondling the interior of the car when you're driving and if you do you've got some problems.

The American car scene? LOL, Mustang GT owners are still a bit peeved that the 350Z can take them stock for stock. Turbo's and Superchargers in a Z doesn't help Camaros and Cobra's either

I've talked to STi and Evo owners and they're usually the ones who dislike dislike the 350Z for what it is. They think they're driving a sports car but in reality they're driving a turbocharged family sedan. Don't get me wrong--they're fast as hell but they will always be a sporty sedan as long as they have those 4 doors and that body style. Sports cars don't have 4 seats.

The Honda S2000 and the Z has been competing for quite some time and it has never been settled. S2k owners who usually dislike 350Z's call it fat, ugly and not as good on the track. Now I've seen 350Z's keep up and even own s2k's around the track before. That's the crazy part though--it can beat a track legend that the s2k is, yet still has more weight and more spacious interior and trunk space. It's even more comfortable and daily drivable than an s2k.

All cars have their ups and downs but for some reason I don't know why 350Z's get shitted on more than other cars do. It's annoying because most people that talk crap don't know what the hell they're talking about.

I think people who bought 350Z's made the best bang for the buck choice. A lot of people hate it when other people make a better decision than them.

With that said, I'm saving up money because I'm planning to buy a 350Z for myself in the near future

You guys own an incredible piece of machinery. I'm gonna join you guys one of these days!
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:17 PM
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Pretty Good Review But A Stock Block Z Cannot Handle 700bhp. More Like 400-550 Depending On What Year Z You Are Talking About. ONCE YOU CHANGE OUT THE RODS AND SO ON THEN IT CAN HANDLE MORE POWER. THE BEST CAR FOR THE MONEY TO ME IS THE CORVETTE BUT THE Z IS A CLOSE SECOND.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:19 PM
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Well put. I daily my Z and found it takes very little to make it a fun car. All I really did was swap in a LSD, coilovers, and some weight reduction and the car is a lot of fun considering how comfortable it is to drive.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:28 PM
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Originally Posted by marques1
Pretty Good Review But A Stock Block Z Cannot Handle 700bhp. More Like 400-550 Depending On What Year Z You Are Talking About. ONCE YOU CHANGE OUT THE RODS AND SO ON THEN IT CAN HANDLE MORE POWER. THE BEST CAR FOR THE MONEY TO ME IS THE CORVETTE BUT THE Z IS A CLOSE SECOND.
Ah sorry, I meant to put 500bhp

Of course the Corvette is the best car for the money but a lot of people find $50,000+ a bit to be attainable nowadays. I guess it's more of a realistic attainable car than Corvettes are
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:38 PM
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thanks for this review, i too will own a z quite soon i own wrx right now, and i used to hate z's too because i thought they were heavy and slow. but i drove one and it was nice smooth quick power and handles nice.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:43 PM
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Nice review.
Yes the most hated car out there is the 350z....maybe it was because of Tokyo Drift
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:46 PM
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Good review.
People usually hate what they can't have,
or don't understand.
The more people hate on the Z, the more I love it.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:48 PM
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buy my z
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted by DanielW
buy my z
Hahaha, maybe if you still have it when I get enough cash flow I'll let you know

Thank you guys for the input, I was afraid I'd get crucified for posting it haaaa
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:55 PM
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Yes, Nissan could have done a little better with the door panels imo. A few of my friends have s2k, and they feel smaller and a lot more cheap than 350z.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 06:57 PM
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nice write up
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Motionblurrr
Thank you guys for the input, I was afraid I'd get crucified for posting it haaaa
If you posted this on some of the other car forums you mentioned, they would have strung you up by your ballZ and ripped you limb from limb.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 07:17 PM
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Nice unbiased review. lol
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 07:30 PM
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I must live in a vacuum. Nobody tries to street race me, they all compliment my Z, and Mustang owners have newfound respect for Z cars when I give them ridealongs at autocross and drift events. Nothing but love. Get a Z. You won't regret it.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 07:39 PM
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Originally Posted by 12AutoX
I must live in a vacuum. Nobody tries to street race me, they all compliment my Z, and Mustang owners have newfound respect for Z cars when I give them ridealongs at autocross and drift events. Nothing but love. Get a Z. You won't regret it.
My feelings exactly. I enjoy all performance cars. I have personal preferences on which I like more, but I don't bag on the rest. It's a shallow mind that doesn't see the capabilities of the various performance car models.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 07:41 PM
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Originally Posted by 12AutoX
I must live in a vacuum. Nobody tries to street race me, they all compliment my Z, and Mustang owners have newfound respect for Z cars when I give them ridealongs at autocross and drift events. Nothing but love. Get a Z. You won't regret it.
same here usually anybody that rides in my car etc. like it as well.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 08:02 PM
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yes, lots of haters out there
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 08:03 PM
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I've noticed I get more hate from my friends with civics and my friends with mustangs are always telling me my car is slow.

My friends with rx8's and s2k's actually respect me more beacause they are the only ones who care more about cornering than going fast in a straight line. I'm glad other nissan car owners don't hate, but i've had a few tell me the sr was better than my vq.

I'd have to say the only bad thing about the 350z is that when buying the top model (non nismo z) it should come with the nismo lip kit imo. I know the rx8 comes with a lip kit when you buy the top model and it's the only thing I really didn't like. But you can't go wrong with brembo's and ray's.

Deffinatley get the z it's a well rounded car for the price. It's the vette of the v6's imo.
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 10:19 PM
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Well said..
I never really understood why people sit around putting down other people's cars.. maybe its a self confidence issue?
I can appreciate anything that someone puts their time, effort and passion into..
I own a 350z and I can auto cross with it.. drag race.. drift.. and break necks with it anywhere I go.. all with the same car.. that's why I love the Z and because of it.. it is the best bang for your buck in its price range.. a true sports car!!..
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Old Aug 18, 2008 | 10:34 PM
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The reason why I always favored the Z, even in my strongly biased Honda days, was how balanced it wasower, handling, appearance, and price tag. Imagine the 370z, will absolutely destroy this car. With each generation, improving, its gonna be hard to go another route.
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