I will be purchasing either a 350Z or a STi in the upcoming month. I've always had my heart set on an STi due to it’s bang for your buck. However, after seeing all the beautiful 350’s at IAS in L.A. last weekend, I am now heavily considering a 350Z. The STi is a great car, but a STi can never look as good as a 350. Unfortunately, the search function on this board seems to be down, and I myself am new to this board. I have been browsing the threads and have seen a significant problem with the 350’s manual transmissions. After reading the 14 pages, it seems that the word is that the problem has been fixed on the 04 model, however there still seems to be a significant number of 2004 350Z owners with the same problem. I appreciate anyone who can give me some insight on the 350 (unbiased please) compared to the STi so I can make the best decision on purchasing a new vehicle.

 

I just got my 350z about 2 weeks ago. I was running around the same exact idea you were. i was tossing around the idea of a 350z, s2000, or an STi. I ended up going with the 350z becuase the styling is the best imo and it just seems to be a pretty well built car. Not to mention I know someone high up at nissan and they hooked me up! hahaha But nayway no problems so far and defitnly no regrets on my choice!!!!

 

Are you kidding me? Have you seen the STi? Is there really a question here?

 

Yes, but a high 12sec slip comes with the STi stock. Personally, I don't think the STi looks bad with a drop and wheels.

 

you must not have seeen the wing....

 

Don't even think about the STi unless you are hardcore about performance. The interior is nasty, much worse than the Z, worse than my Civic. I can live with that. It's a modern-day muscle car that is obnoxious, brutish and rough. It makes an incredible symphony of noises with the diffs and tranny whirring and winding, the engine note, the exhaust. It pins you back in the seat and executes turns that will leave a Z sliding off into the weeds. There is no feathering the throttle with the STi. It's all throttle, all of the time and will dig itself out of 99% of predicaments you might find yourself in.

It's ugly and at the same time so ****ing cool.

 

What is the power potential of a N/A 350Z with bolt-ons.

 

I like the STi, but how many of those launches can you do before you're buying a new clutch? I dunno if the lag on the STi is anywhere as bad as on the regular WRX, but if it is.. I dunno, I'm not the biggest fan of turbos unless you really plan on modding the hell out of it. But, I like a car that feels quick without having to flog it, and the Z wins hands down. And, then there's that looks/interior thing... Again, gotta go with the Z.

 

Z looks good but its getting common...

the sti looks nice in its own way...

id get a STi if i was more towards performance and get the Z if the exterior matters more...

either car is sweet...too bad u can only get one..unless u are rich and buy both... hehehe

 

about 290hp. hehe naw, maybe 300(Im talkin crank here).

simply put if you want power from the Z you need FI. no way around it.

with FI it will burn a STI even from a stop at half the boost.

from a roll. well its not even close the Z would desimate it with pure HP. WITH FI Im talking.

stock itll die from a stop and lose slightly on a roll.

interior, and handling, the Z has it beat. but the STI does have a back seat which is always nice.

 

Wow, only 13 flywheel horsepower to be gained with full bolt-ons?

 

my vote is for sti. faster stock, plus more mod potential (per dollar). and no tire feathering. the z looks a lot nicer though.

 

She's a tough beotch to get power out of. It's tuned pretty well. Best bets for instant power are high flow cats, plenum and pop charger...oh and UR pulleys. After that, you can do an exhaust/headers/etc but don't expect a whole ton more. (headers probably being the best).

FI is pretty sweet tho.

Comes down to this: What makes you happy? You gotta drive the thing everyday....speed is all relevent, because most of the time you're not hitting full potential. Even an STI will start to feel slow to the owner after you get used to...so when the honeymoon is over, what are you left with?

At least the Z looks GREAT!

(I almost bought an evo BTW)

Oh, and I LOVE having people say "That's a BEAUTIFUL car".
Had a guy on a bike tell me that while I was sitting in city traffic. That's the difference. No one ever said anything when I drove my maxima.

 

Dr.Volkl,
You’re absolutely right. Will I get as many looks in a STi then if I was in a 350, probably not. The 350 is a hot looking car and the potential is there, just take a little more $$$$ to do so. Since the new R35 Skyline is going to use the VQ platform, hopefully that means more options in the aftermarket to choose from. At IAS, some manufacture offers a stroker kit for the 3.5L and bumps it to a 4.8L with 3 different compression stages to choose from. 8.5:1, and two higher compression stages.

 

I went through the same debate when I was purchasing my car.
STi is faster, but I just don't want to be seen driving one, I can't live with the styling and the quality of that car......YEW!

 

I disagree, only a handful of people have dipped into the 12s...and who knows if they were really stock....you need a great driver, GREAT conditions...and LUCK to get 12s out of an STi stock.

I wouldn't go around saying it's a 12 second car...because 99% of the time it isn't.


About the N/A potential of the Z....most guys with a bunch of bolt-ons dyno 30-40whp over stock...some have even gotten close to 300whp with bolt-ons...Still you'll end up spending 5 grand in bolt-ons for 40-50rwhp....not exactly a bargain.

 

I'm just saying that the car has the potential to run a high 12s period. A few members on NASIOC and I-Club have posted high 12s slips including one in the 12.80s. What does a stock 350 run, low to mid 14s? With around 350RWHP with the Greedy Twin setup, could the 350 be a reliable 12 second car on safe boost levels?

 

the 350 has run as low as 13.7 stock. but just like the 12sec sti I wouldnt expect it often. it require great driving and prime conditions. more normally its 14.0. under or over. I got 14.1 with a full tank of gas, 45degree temps(cold tires), and my first time ever at a drag strip. so a 14.0 is not hard to get at all. but a 13.7 is.

the 350Z hits mid to high 12s easily on 7psi/350rwhp. it is safe boost for a properly tuned engine. tuning could be easier though.

on the bright side, the Z is alot cheaper than an STI. atleast in my opinion. the wrx has no features at all. other than brembos. it doesnt even have a radio standard. so when you consider over 30k for it, enthusiast is close to it and about 3grand cheaper. not quite enough to bridge the performance gap, but the performance gap is 99% traction related, not hp.

 

I've said it before....

but if you can totally get over the looks of the STi then go for it. It seems like this cars got so much going for it in the performance department.
Personally, an STi is like Wal Mart to me...lots of bang for the buck but I'd hate being seen in it! j/k (i stole that quote from somebody)

(bias mode off)

The Z is a gorgeous car, but like someone said above, it will become common. With over 13,000 sold last year and a climbing 9,422 sold this year that puts the Z as the number well selling sports car (per Motor Trend May 2004). The numbers might decline because of other car companies releasing their own sports cars.

However, the big numbers means a lucrative aftermarket. If you have alot of money to throw at a car and want a sexy car to boot then I'd say get a Z. FI/ tuner parts may be expensive but I foresee a decline in the near future.
For now, if you have loads of funds, the Z is a beautiful canvas to paint on when considering a tuner car.

 

Sounds more like you are describing the Evo8 than the STi in a few areas - the STi's interior is much better than the Evo8s, and there is much less drivetrain noise inside the STi's cabin. Maybe the Evo8 is just that much WORSE.