I just moved to Chicago, and was wondering if there were any other 350z owners living in very dense areas of say, Chicago, NY, LA, etc.

Do you think it's worth it when a lot of your drives will only be a mile or two?

With the terrible roads littered with huge potholes?

Having to be extremely careful going up rough inclines so not to scrape the car?

With the poor rear visibilty that makes it a pain to parallel park?

Having to be extremely careful each time you parallel park because the car sits so low and you could easily scrape the back bumper on the curb?

Rarely being able to go faster than 30-40mph?

Having to worry about getting hit by some dumbass driver / taxi?

Do you guys think its still worth it, or would you prefer a different, perhaps smaller car for the city? I don't want to get rid of my Z, but I'm not sure it's really the right car for here.

 

My cousin lives in Chicago and drives a wrx. It is up to you but I would rather have awd/4wd or fwd if I lived in Chicago and only have one car. If you have more than one car I would keep the Z. It is perfect car for summer up there, especially if you drive up to Wisconsin. They have nice twisty roads up there.

 

I do have a beater car, and a garage for the Z, which is nice. I definitely couldn't do it as a solo car here.

 

I live in the Bronx, one of the borough of NYC. I'll tell you every time i drive the Z I enjoy the drive, no matter how much distance i cover.

It is the only vehicle that I have but it doesn't get driven on a daily basis since we have tons of transit options. I would probably get frustrated if i had to drive it during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

 

If you live in downtown Chicago, you wouldn't even need a car at all. There's plenty Z owner around. Try hit up Chicagoz.com

 

I lived in Chicago for many years (Streeterville) and drove my Z without issue at all. Taxi drivers and pedestrian drivers in large cities are better drivers than those in suburban areas. They are far more attentive and KNOW HOW TO DRIVE!!!

Where in the city are you living??? Some neighborhoods are far better than the rest for means of escape (roadtrip, cruise, errands, etc...). Where I lived (right next to Navy Pier), it was easy access to freeways and the longer stretches of roads, such as Lakeshore Drive. Parallel parking is easy in a Z, but you have to watch for the high curbs in the Downtown areas- it is easier to smack your door if your passenger opens the door wildly.

If you can garage the car, go for it- the exhaust note from the Z bouncing off of the Skyscrapers is MORE than worth it

 

Definitely agree with this!

 

I miss that more than anything in the world

Here in Detroit, we have to worry about keeping quiet when driving thru the city- every time I rev, I worry that one of our buildings will crumble to the ground. It's lovely here this time of year

 

I'm in Logan Square on the Northwest side. I wish I was that close to Lakeshore Drive, it is definitely a fun, scenic, road in the Z, especially when traffic is light.

 

The 350z is the perfect car For the City. If you were around when the 350z was released in 2002 (2003 model), you probably saw the promotional video of a Z running through a European city (great sounds and great driving).

I’m in a city and my 350z is a DD; We had >50 days below zero and I drove my 350z every day.

--Spike

 

My hats off to you, sir.... this winter has been brutal. I'm itching to get my ZR out of hibernation.... I've driven rwd my whole life so the snow doesn't scare me, but the drivers on the roads these days- NO WAY!!!! These morons have a hard enough time walking and chewing gum at the same time. I can't remember the last time I saw someone JUST driving to get somewhere.

 

I live/work/drive in Seattle and the only bit of advice I can give you is that if you drive in the city, don't parallel park your car. Some d-bag in a SUV WILL smash up your bumpers so that they can squeeze in or out of the spot in front of/behind you. I always find a pay lot and even if it means walking an extra 15 minutes, I always take an end space. If you don't do that, you WILL get dinged. Also, your fuel economy is going to SUCK from all the stop and go traffic. Apart from that, your car will get looks, it's easy to pass morons who double park in Chinatown and no one's going to beat you in a red light to red light challenge. I did get stopped by a cop once who thought I was driving drunk. I was just dodging potholes and told him to have a look at my low profile tires and all the potholes in the street - this was right up the road from my house. He laughed, said, "yeah, no kidding" and let me go on my way.

 

Wow… Apparently drivers in Minnesota are more courteous than those in other areas and States.

--Spike

I admit that I do avoid parallel parking for the reason you mention.

 

A 350z is a terrible car for commuting in Chicago. You can make it work if you have to. You have to slow or stop for speedbumps, big potholes, or steep ramps and you will still scrape at some point. Low cars suck for commuting. I only take my 350 away from the city for rides and regret every time I drove it into the city when I first got it. Snow driving? I drove a 6 speed Z28 and many other RWD cars in heavy snow and they made it fine but every FWD car I ever owned would walk all over it in the snow. Just assume your bumpers, doors, fenders, and quarter panels will get dinged, dented, or scratched if you park on the street. Good luck, Chicago is a terrible place to have a nice car.

 

The last thing I'd want to do to my Z would be to take it on regular 2 to 3 mile journeys. I can't think of anything that is gonna do more damage to your engine! The fuel consumption will be really poor, you will probably end up with condensation in the engine, the oil won't have warmed up in either the engine or tranny. I'd get a beater for these short journeys then it won't matter about damaging your bodywork or having other drivers damage it for you, plus you won't run the risk of wrecking your rims, suspension or even puncturing tires in giant potholes. Keep the Z for what it was built for, spirited driving on country roads, track days or driving on the freeway.

 

I drove my Z everyday this winter to and from Chicago. My commute is about an hour and a half one way and I travel between work sites in Chicago. Literally didn't have a single problem. Luckily I can expense parking so I usually park in a garage, so I can't tell you about street parking. Other than that though I see potholes, speed bumps, ramps and even drove it in the snow. As long as your a competent driver you'll be fine .

 

This. That is the worst thing for an engine - short drives, especially in Chicago winters when it is azz biting cold. Save the Z for what it is designed for - spirited driving.

 

The problem with taking a weekend drive on the freeway around here is that it's pretty much guaranteed you'll get rock chips on your paint each and every time. Gravel trucks are everywhere and they always drive around uncovered, which is against the law, but they don't care and neither does law enforcement.

I agree that it's rough on the car to do city driving, but my fluids get changed regularly, the car gets a monthly look-over in my shop and it's less stop-and-go than it would be if I was commuting on the highways and bridges. My daily city commute includes a 15-20 minute wonderful drive along the perimeter of the Lake through some pretty nice neighborhoods with only a few stops between the house and the office. My old "traditional" commute between the suburbs and the city was in stop-and-go highway traffic and it'd take between 1-1/2 and 2 hours each way. Honestly, I'll take the city over the highway any day. My average speed has actually gone up since I moved back to the city.

If only they'd fix the potholes...

 

LMAO @ you guys thinking these are Bugattis or super cars of some sorts.


We share the same engine with the 3.5L Altima, jesus christ calm down guys.

 

This IS my Bugatti. I have a 10 year old car that looks and drives like it's brand new, only one way to keep it that way. I do get your point however. Driving a nice car in the city of Chitcago is just a waste and isn't much fun, kind of like having a super model who can never take her clothes off and just wants to read the bible all the time.