Previous to my Z I had 2 cars

a 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra SVT picture here


and a 2003 Mitsubishi LS AWD pictured here


Comparing the Z to them hmm....

I'll start with the Cobra

1. It got bad gas mileage
2. It was horrible in the rain
3. It had leather and suede seats (try cleaning leather without messing up the suede )
4. It had horrible plastic ancient looking interior, dash, and gauges
5. It only came in manual (I hate manuals)
6. It could not handle at all, and the rearend liked to swing around alot.
7. The AC didn't work worth a crap
8. Every single car on the road wanted to race me
9. There was absolutely no room inside, the Z had alot more room

The only things I miss about the car is the speed and torque, it was very very fast in a straight line lol and had more torque so it was easier to impress people riding with you because even if you weren't really going fast it sure as hell felt like you were.

Now the Outlander

1. It doesn't get as good gas mileage as my Z.
2. It doesn't handle as well, but it's a SUV so that's expected.
3. It does handle alot better than the Z in rain or snow guaranteed the benefits of AWD.
4. Well I have a better perspective of the road in a SUV and I can haul more people around.
5. The interior, dash, and gauges while not as bad as the Cobra are not nearly as futuristic looking as the Z.
6. The AC is decent but not as good as the Z.
7. It has no power at all, no comparison to the Z.
8. Both are sportronic/automatics but the Z seems more efficient
9. It's an overall pleasant ride and it will get me thru the winter while the Z is put away from the harsh snow and winter weather

I still have the Outlander obviously and I pretty much grew to hate the Cobra. I knew I was gonna get rid of it I just didn't know what I was gonna get I knew it would probably be the Z or a BMW 325XI/330XI but I did briefly look at the Lancer Evolution which I think looks like crap btw. When I found out that the Evolution only came in manual that pretty much sealed its coffin. The BMWs are very cool and would have allowed me to sell my SUV because they are AWD, but the Z is just so awesome looking and there are so few of them on the roads around here.

Truthfully no car I have ever owned stacks up to the Z it handles better than any car I've ever owned, the AC is awesome, the brakes are awesome, and the interior, dash, and gauges makes you feel more like you are flying a F-16 than driving a car it's so futuristic looking. I'm really happy with the Z

 

my previous vehicle doesnt compare at all!

2000 Sand Dune (champagne-color) Nissan Frontier 4 CYLINDER!! I HATED it for that.

 

Had a 86 300zx and had to sell it because it was so bad in the snow, couldn't commute with it anymore. Got a pathfinder, then a expedition and then a Camry. Finally got a Ford F150 for the winter and bought the Z. Still have the truck and use that for my daily driver. It is strange driving the Z and the truck at the same time. I get out of my truck that has 30" tires on it and then jump in the Z and go for a ride.

 

The two cars I was driving before I got my Z were my '72 Buick Skylark and my '95 Nissan 240SX SE.
The Skylark is a totally different animal than the Z, pure musclecar, 530 lbs. ft. at 2400 rpms is hard to beat and with a balanced and blueprinted engine it was also very smooth. But, with 30 year old suspension technology it didn't handle or stop very well (although that is currently being taken care of) and it doesn't have working A/C which sucked in the summer.
I wish I had my 240SX back. That was an awesome car, I had it for about 2 1/2 years and 50,000 miles and it gave me no problems. In terms of performance and the way the cars drive, the 240sx felt almost exactly the same as the Z, just with slightly lower limits. I had an Apex'i N1 exhaust and a Hot Shot header on the car so it was pretty loud but other than that it was a great driver. I really miss the car now and when I get some more money I am going to get another one. In a way I sort of like the look of the 240 more than the Z and it was a bit more practical. I think a perfect compromise would be a 240SX w/ 350Z brakes and the VQ35 and 6 speed.
I really like the Z, in terms of overall performance it is the best car I have ever owned, but there are some things such as the tire feathering issues and other small problems that have really taken away from the ownership experience.

 

1996 Nissan 200 SX. I still have it at 103,806 miles. Use it in the rain/snow or for places I don't want to take the Z. It's been a great car and very reliable but being a 4 cylinder and not a sports car there is no comparison.

 

1998 200sx SE-R
My first "New" car - bought it 9/28/98 and took delivery of the Z 1/25/03. I sold my sister the 200sx w/ 63,000 miles on it. Great shape and new tires. I miss my 200sx, just a great little car. I give her $hit when she doesn't keep it clean or when I saw her last week and the damn front bumper was hanging off!!!!! Come to find out, a plastic piece broke - not her fault

Granted, I wouldn't go back though - Love my Z except for the tires and bose.

 

1995 Infiniti g20t

with a few mods and 132,000 miles... the things i miss the most:
the roof rack for the bikes and the fact that i could park it anywhere with out worrying about it and finally trunk space

the Z just rocks!

 

I like both. The E36 is aging, but the interior and build quality is much better than the Z. I sold it and needed a new car!!

The Z is sexier and sportier looking, but performance is about the same!!

 

LEASED A 2001 VW 1.8T JETTA FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. H-A-T-E-D IT!!! THE DEALERSHIP COULD NEVER EXTINGUISH THE CHECK-ENGINE LIGHT FOR LONGER THAN A MONTH, SO THEY KNEW ME BY NAME. BEFORE I FINALLY TRADED IT FOR THE 350Z WENT THERE FOR THE LAST TIME TO HAVE THEM RESET THE FAULTS TO TURN OFF THE CHECK-ENGINE LIGHT, AND THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE COME UP WITH A CURE FOR THE LIGHT. WOW WHAT LUCK - THE DAY I TRADED THE CAR IN THEY COULD GET RID OF THE PROBLEM THAT HAS CAUSED ME HEADACHES FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. VALUE OF THE JETTA DROPPED ABOUT $8,000.00 IN THE TIME PERIOD THAT I HAVE HAD IT, AND WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET RID OF IT FOR $13,000.00. OTHER THAN THAT LIKED THE INTERIOR OF THE JETTA, STANDARD BBS WHEELS ON WOLFSBURG MODEL, AND LARGE TRUNK AREA. HATED - LACK OF POWER, LACK OF SPORTS SUSPENSION ON MY "SPORTY" WOLFSBURG MODEL (WHAT A JOKE !), FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE.

RECEIVED MY Z IN MID JUNE. OH - MY - GOD!!! ITS BEAUTIFUL !!! I TAP MY RIGHT FOOT AND I GO, I TURN AND THE CHASSIS REMAINS INSINK, PRESS BRAKE = STOP ( AS COMPARED WITH SLOWING DOWN). THE 350Z HAS ALMOST TWICE THE HORSEPOWER AND TORQUE OF MY JETTA AND THE DRASTIC CHANGE IS A LOT OF FUN. I NOW LOOK FORWARD TO DRIVING WHEREVER EVEN TO WORK. LOVE THE DESIGN INSIDE AND OUT, LOVE THE LOOKS AND SMILES I RECEIVE DRIVING THE Z. BY FAR THE BEST PERSONALITY-MATCHING CAR FOR ME AS FAR AS MONEY IS CONCERNED.

 

95 Integra GSR Coupe. Sold it for $3000 over blue book 2 days after I listed it on craigslist. Those things sure are popular still.

Integra was fun, roomy (since it was hatch), and great gas mileage (lost a whole 10mpg). But man I would never go back after driving the sweetness that is my Z.

 

2001 Hokked up Eclipse



I loved the car, but needed more power and a stick.

-J

 

I loved your Eclipse!!!! I saw mine at the dealership the other day with the bumper twisted.

 

None. Z is my first car in 21 years of my life

 

had a 1997 eclipse gsx with several mods....of course the z is better but i miss my AWD and turbo spooling noise......

 

01 Integra Type R w/ too many mods to list.

My R was a better handling car than the Z although driving it daily you needed a kidney belt due to the stiff suspension. As far as acceleration they are pretty much tied...you would really have to beat on the R to get it moving though....miss the 8500 rpm redline sometimes.

I sold my R basically because it almost became a purpose built race car and driving it daily became a little annoying. That and worrying that it would be stollen any time I parked it....The Z is a much more refined car to me.....quick, handles well, and has class....the R was to boy racer for me over time.

 

02 WRX Wagon which my wife now drives as we traded in her 98 1.8T Passat for our Z.

Switching back and forth between the WRX and the Z is really odd. Both have about the same 0-60 times, but the Z is much smoother getting there. The throw on the clutch is night and day between the two cars as well. However, the biggest thing that throws me off is the front windshield. I feel like I'm in a fishtank when driving the WRX after spending lots of time in the Z.

 

Marcus you are right it not up to par with that, I dunno if I could have given up a GS400 thats GS was tight.

 

97 Accord VTEC 5Speed. I spent $2K on suspension mods to make it handle and it was very comfortable but bog slow. I would like to have it back, I would drop a supercharger in it, stock 8.8:1 CR would have been perfect, but I couldn't drive for over a year so I sold it. I bought it on impulse trading in my 91 MR2 Turbo w/128,000 miles. Owned it for a commuter, beautiful dark green metallic w/ivory leather, after 3 years, I really respected it as a terrific car. Sold to a Honda dealer for 49% of what I paid for it w/56,000 miles. Preordered the Z 2/12/02 4 weeks after major surgery, on crutches and full of pain meds, my wife drove me to the dealer to put down my $1000 deposit.

Picked up my Brickyard Touring 5AT on 9/6/02.

 

Prior car was a red '91 Mitsubishi 3000 GT SL 5 spd. Handling was close to same when it was on "sport", but was kind of doggist unless I really got on it. But I liked it a lot, but am real happy with my '03 redline touring 6 spd. before that I had a '83 Honda Prelude, which got handed down to my son. Wife drives a red '01 Acura CL Type S. I tend to keep my cars for a while as you can see.

 

1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. I kept the Jeep on the off chance I ever need to transport more than myself and my fiance but the poor Jeep has been relegated to the driveway and has been driven only once in 2.5 weeks.