to the guy who said "what do you end up with after you're tired of the stock performance?" well in the STi you end up with a car that's easy to get more performance out of since it's a turbo car.

to the people discussing stock numbers - the STi is a 13.5 second car stock at best. The only way to get better times than that is to ABUSE THE HECK OUT OF the transmission and drivetrain. imho, if that's what it takes to get the ET, it's not worth it and if someone does that when they race they'll soon find themselves with a huge repair bill and a denied warranty. i would be fine losing that race because at least my car wouldn't be beat to **** afterwards.

Really it all comes down to what sort of car you're buying. I'm looking for a daily driver. I certainly wont be getting an Evo8 or STi (and I've driven both to know for sure), and even the Z is pushing it for me as far as creature comforts, but I really enjoyed the Z test drive the other day.

I just have a couple luxury cars left to test drive. Thing is I really want a car with some fun and performance to it, and that's clearly the Z in my budget range. (I find the G35Coupe pointless to stretch my budget to spend several grand more to get sunroof and rear seats).

I might decide to spend a bit more (I'd get an Enthusiast Z btw) and go with an A4 with most of the options packages which is low 30s if I decide to go for comfort, luxury, and amenities over performance.

I'll know after I test drive one later this week. I really think I'll end up with the Z, and I think I would have already done so if it weren't for the issues reported here so often that people have with the Z. Especially how poorly the service departments handle the issues and often DON"T fix them. Sorry, but my daily driver has to be a reliable car that won't need lots of repeat trips to the dealer for the same issues.

I know I can get quality service at a luxury dealership (I owned an Acura CL TypeS last) and taking a step down to Nissan for a shorter warranty and poorer service for a daily driver is something I need to convince myself about.

So between that self-convincing and test driving the A4 I will make up my mind and get something in the next couple weeks. =)



Btw, what other companies are releasing sports cars in the same price range that you think will steal sales away from the Z? I can't think of a single one right now. The RX8 doesn't count because it's a turkey rotary and I'll have nothing to do with one of those no matter how nice the interior looks. Also looks really wimpy from certain angles on the outside. =p

 

Anyone know if they fixed the transmissions and feathering in the 05 models?

 

look at my sig to see what a stock Z is capable of...It's just as fast as an STi minus the AWD launch. If I pulled a 1.7 60' time, I could run a 12.9....

350rwhp can be achieved on less than 6 pounds of boost...and the VQ motor in the Z will be just fine as long as it is tuned well with anything under 10lbs for a daily driven car.

 

They should have fixed them on the 04s...I haven't heard of many 04s with problems at all.

My car is an 03 and I have the latest trans update which is perfect to date...and they fixed my tire feathering problem the first time in.

 

Did you cut the 13.68 light at Byron?

 

yup...last saturday...

 

Our Data Acquisition Sales Manager was also up at Byron with his Cuda. He mentioned about a few Z owners running mid to high 13s at the track. Looks like that was you guys.

 

yup

There's some video in the drag section of the racing forum if you want to check it out...

 

theres the new mustang, the GT is technically competition, though in a very very different way.

theres rumors of a supra eventually as well.

and the possibility still of an rx7.

 

get a z with a lightweight flywheel/cltuch combo and a few other boltons like cats/exhaust/CAI/plenum and give it to the STI. People dont seem to respect the flywheel potential. Jason of pnp said it was dyno proven 20-30hp on their race car.

 

The answer to that question is no, nobody knows. But technically there are no problems with the 05s. Since the cars are nonexistent, so are their problems. You'll have to wait until probably August/September/October to find out if the problems are fixed.

 

who needs the radio or music when u are driving the Z or the STi... blah!

 

Maybe by you, but there are not many Z's around here. They are a rarity, which is part of the cars appeal.

 

simpl solution. go to the dealers, give them both a test drive then go with which one you like the best. problem solved

 

Let's not forget the GTO too. Definitely not my style and probably not in the price range but I'm sure it'll cut into some sales from domestic fans thinking of going Japanese with the Z.