I see lots of comparisons of Z to old-Z, Z to S2k, Z to Boxter-S, and all that. No point in comparing Z's to Vipers and Modenas and the latest high-end Porsches, obviously, but what about the not-so-latest generation of NA 2WD 964 and 993 Porsches? Proper sport cars, those, and the numbers aren't _that_ far off the Z.

 

Porsche, there's no substitute.

 

woo-hoo another s2ki member here, right M Powered?
glad you could join us, i must say i really really like your car!

 

IMO the 350Z looks a lot like the 996 In fact, (with my not-so-great eyesight), during a recent Porsche Supercup race I noticed that the 996GT3 race cars look a LOT like the Nismo Z33 from behind (wing and all).

No wonder I like the Z so much. The 996 is one of the few cars on the market that I would say is more attractive!

 

Stats in the back of Motor Trend magazine show identical 0-60 and 1/4 mile times for the 2002 Porsche 911 Cabriolet and the 350Z.

 

this is like a S2ki thread.

I think the last gen 911 is a tad faster (top speed), and even used ones cost $38-50K. Must be more $$ to fix.

The new Z has similar performance, but less status and is more common.

I guess the 911 was selling like 5-7k per year in the US.

 

There was a post a while ago from a fellow that owned numerous Porsches and did a lot of SCCA racing. If I remember right, he said the Z compared favorably with the newer 911s. Do a search on posts by X Porsche Guy and you should be able to find it.

 

The new Z reminds me of a poor man's (or is that not-rich-enough man's? ) 911. The only 911 I could imagine wasting my money on now would be the 911 Turbo...

 

I guess I need to learn how to dream bigger!!! (it would be a stretch to come up w/ that kind of money to "waste")

 

If you want a daily driver with near the same performance go with the Z. If it is more a weekend thing I'd consider a Porsche.
Maintanence on the Porsche can be horrendous - I spent $1,800
to have the oil changed and one oil hose replaced and I didn't have the car for 6 weeks. While I still liked the Porsche my '88Z
with 260k miles never cost me near that much to maintain and had triple the mileage. Of coures the '88NA was fat and slow.
The new Z will get you MANY more looks and comments than the
Porsche but this will wear off as they become more common place.
The Porsche will still get the stares 10 years from now - I'm not so sure about the Z 10 years down the road. The Z suits ME better but you really have to decide for yourself as your needs may be different.

 

I think <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2002/07/08/0708feat.html">this Forbes review</a> compares it to the cheap model 911.

<i>In fact the car we kept thinking of while driving this Z both on the road and at the raceway wasn't the Porsche Boxster S, a car Nissan openly admits they wanted to better, but the base Porsche 911. Having just driven the new Targa recently (our review comes out shortly), in fact right on the heels of the Z, our instincts were confirmed.

The Z is forgiving as a daily driver, like the Targa, fast as a whip, and eminently at home on any raceway, also like a Porsche 911. </i>

 

I could afford a Porsche or a Vette (with a stretch and a lot of honey dos for my wife), but I decided on the Z, just as I decided on my 93 z32 TT, because, although I am an enthusiast and enjoy driving and maintaining a sports car, I have other interests (kids, golf, guitar, work, college football, etc.). The Z is part of my life, not my whole life. Unless you live in a shack to sacrifice for the car or make at least 200K a year, the Porshe will BE your life like it or not. In short, I don't feel as guilty with the Z as I would with a car 15K-50K more.