atom777

i had a 2000 neon and it was a rather nice car.. people talk down about it becuz of what it started out as.. the srt-4 happens to have that body sittin on it but itz one hell of a sick car..they tear *** back and forth with those up behind the factory in NY and the cant kill it.. yeah if u compare the Z and srt, the Z looks better thatz why im gettin one next month.. but therez always gonna b something faster and the srt was built to b a rocket.. get over it.. u guys r alwayz talking bout people hatin on u cuz u have a nice car.. well stop hatin on the srt cuz ure squinting to c itz taillights...

Spideynw

I do not think I will ever buy a domestic vehicle. I am a die hard import fan. That is why I will probably never buy a Dodge, or a Ford, GMC, or Chevrolet. Reason is quality. Don't get me wrong, there are poor quality imports, like Mitsubishi and Hyundai. I would not buy one of them either. Maybe I am wrong, and domestic manufacturers make just as high of quality as imports. I haven't seen anything to convince me of it yet, though. Also, except for Dodge, the other domestic manufacturer's vehicles look pretty boring to me, for the most part.

OgreDave

Many ppl say the Neon's shifter is a PITA .. don't forget driver is very important .. and I'd expect it to lose out in the upper end just due to lack of displacement ..

IMO its fugly but pretty quick .. It might beat you off the line w/a good driver, but if yer cruisin up in the 100's .. dunno how fast its gonna be leaving

And OMG is it cheap (pricewise) .. longevity also scares me, tho so does Nissan's paint job.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

its so funny to see all the people say "its still just a neon" blah blah blah "just a dodge" blah blah blah. And then when they read the M3 forums, and see "its still just a nissan" they throw a fit. Dodge put out a hell of a car. It didnt go for straight looks, it went for bang for the buck performance. Srt-4 vs 350z stock, Drivers race. SRT-4 with $1000 worth of mods vs 350z with $1000, $2000, or even $3000 in mods, bye bye 350z. Being turbo'd, its just so easy to make more power. Also, if you look at the hood scope in person, not only is it completely functional, but they made part of it to be cut out while adding a CAI so that the scope takes cool air and sends it right on top of the filter. Thats pretty good by me. My buddy just got one and i was definetly impressed. With stage 2 of mopar parts, hes easily low 13s. Just love your z cause its one of the sexiest cars on the road. And please stop the ignorant "its just a neon/dodge stuff" it just makes you sound retarded.

pj550v12

Very nicely put. People who buy this car typically know that its not the most attractive car. They are usually buying this car for its price and performance, so you're not exactly telling anyone anything new when you bash the car.

Basically put, Z owners buy their cars for beautiful looks and good performance. SRT-4 owners typically buy their car for excelent performance and average looks. Thats just how it is, accept it.

As far as reliability goes, that mostly depends on maitenance (spelling) of the car. I've known Hyundias to last a lifetime.

Z04

iTrader: (15)

i guess you need to tell Dodge that before they issue a press release on the car

http://www2.daimlerchrysler.de/media...eon_2004CY.pdf

Ghost6

Everyone talks like the SRT-4 is so much faster than the Z. Road and track lists it at 0-60 in 5.6 and the 1/4 in 14.2 @ 101.5. I've also seen tests (although I can't remeber the magazine) where the SRT-4 didn't even break 6 seconds 0-60. Road and Track's test of the Z roadster touring edition (only test I can find right now) comes in at 0-60 in 5.7 and the 1/4 in 14.3. As everyone knows, the roadster is going to be heavier and have worse aerodynamics so logically, a coupe would probably be even with the dodge or better (seen tests of the stock Z coupe doing 0-60 in 5.4 -- Motor Trend). Bottom line a stock SRT-4 should not be faster than a stock Z coupe. People talk about the SRT-4 like it's a freakin Viper or something. Don't get me wrong, I realize it's quick for the money, but not faster.

Z04

iTrader: (15)

plus car magazines really do not test the cars at proper track conditions or how the car can actually launch. that is why i never believe what a car magazine says is the 1/4 time or 0-60 time.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

mag racing is stupid. R&T had the 2004 Touring Roadster having faster 0-60 and 1/4 mile times than a 2004 Track. They also have the RX-8 really close to the z, and its just not. Mags dont know a doorknob from a turbo, so let it go. SRT-4 with 800 in parts runs anywhere from 12.5-12.8 in the 1/4. Thats tough to compare because i speant $850 on a nismo exhaust and i love it, but it didnt shave much if any from my 1/4 mile time.

Ghost6

Professional car testers who have thousands of dollars in calibrated test equipment and thousands of hours testing cars are ''stupid", but your 1/4 mile time is the gold standard that all 350z's with nismo exhausts should be compared against. I think I'll take their word over yours anyday, even though you do have a nismo license plate frame.

I'm not saying that magazine racing is not without it's flaws, but it is certainly more objective than your or my 1/4 mile times.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

so are you saying that the magazines with thousands of dollars in calibrated test equipment and thousands of hours testing cars are correct in saying that stock for stock a 2004 Touring Roadser curb weight of 3,479 and heavier stock rims is faster than a 2004 Track Coupe with a curb weight of 3,225 and light weight rims. They amass all this data, and they do runs on different tracks and on different days with different drivers and different road conditions. There are to many flaws to just look at that. I never stated my quarter mile time btw before or after exhaust/intake. Its a given fact that they dont make much power. Its a given fact that SRTs are easily modded for lots of power. This is a fact not an opinion. And please lets try to be alittle more muture than your last post, because i love my License plate frame.

Spideynw

mofoz, dude, settle down. I can understand why the guys on the M3 forums would say that the 350Z is still just a Nissan. Nissan is not known for luxury like the Bimmer's. And I can accept that. Nissan does not have the status of a BMW, Porsche, or Ferrari.

As to performance tests by magazines, they even admit that they are flawed. They do not push them as scientific proof. On most tests, they run the vehicles through them 3 times and then do an average. They also list the conditions the tests were done under so you can try to make a better comparison.

Now, back to the the SRT-4. It IS just a Neon. A suped up Neon. Just like a Mustang Cobra is just a suped up Mustang. Do you know that you can get into a base model Neon for about 14k? Did you also know a base Mustang is around 19k? The base model 350Z is 26.5k. So what is the point? Point is that the Mustang Cobra, Dodge SRT-4, Evo VIII, and STI all look like suped up cheap cars. I have driven an Evo, and it feels cheap inside too. Point is, that a 350Z looks classy and feels classy compared to those other cars. Plus, stock vs. stock, it competes pretty good with all of them, except the Cobra. So, the point is a valid point, when people say it is just a Neon. If you do not understand, then you should trade in your Z and get one, because you will probably be happier.

mofoz

iTrader: (1)

i guess i should have put a smiley face after my post cause i was only being sarcastic, but anyways. Im sorry i dont see the legitamacy of an argument by stating the cars name. Its just a "blank". You could say, its fugly as hell. Pretty much. Cheap interior. You bet. Not in the same class. Nope not really, only by performance numbers. I give credit where credit is due. IMHO there is not a better mix of performance, style, class, and beauty for around $35,000 on the road right now than the 350z. Im simply giving credit to dodge for creating an out of the box pocket rocket for about $21,000 that performance wise, is a force to be reckoned with. Also, you bring up the 14,000 neon, which is not what anyone is comparing. The srt-4 is obviously much different than the other models bearing the neon name. Anyways i digress, there will always be people who say "its just a neon" and give it zero credit. Just like the bimmerforums where a few, not all, give the 350z no respect. If you look at some of their threads they talk about the 350z saying its shaky at high speeds, talking about how they thought it was gonna fall apart. And all of these people arent driving a new m3. theres regualr 323is, old school m3s, and many others, and all put down nissan because its japenese and not "german enginered" Is any of that correct? No. But will the m3 still take the 350z in most aspects. Yes, but the 350z deserves credit for being half the price and still holding its own damn well against a german enginered marvel. Now i know noone will argue with that point. Im really not trying to get into any kind of argument, especially a flame war, but the srt-4 deserves some credit, and more respect than "Its just a neon" just like we deserve more credit than "Its just a nissan".

Maybe were gonna have to agree to disagree.

yiaquemini

I agree with Mofoz, srt-4 is not just a neon, Evo is not just a regular lancer etc. As for the comment about those cars feeling "cheap inside"... well lets just say the 350Z's isnt exactly known for its high quality interior either. Unforunately, just about every magazine blasted the 350Z for its cheap interior in their reviews.
Its ok to point out flaws in other cars, because every car has flaws. But to blast a car just because of its brand is just ignorant.
Back in the days, Datsun owners faced the same ignorance and prejudice from some people when the 240Z came out. "Its just a Datsun" was not an uncommon phrase thrown at the first Z owners. Its great that Nissan is doing great these days, and the Z car have grown in prestige, but its pretty ironic that some of us are showing the same ignorance toward other cars.
At the same time, I feel a lot of what Wolverineut is saying. Im not a srt-4 fan my self, its pretty ugly to me for a 20k car, Id take a V6 Altima or accord or RSX over it for that price even though they arn't as fast. There might also be reliability problems with it. To me speed isnt everything, Or Id have went for an EVO over a 350z... plus, no matter how fast you are, theres always someone faster out there. But I do respect the srt-4 for what it is, and its quite a bargain for those who look for a pocket rocket.

Montez

agree!

Montez

Agree again!

Spideynw

I would not buy any of them because there are other vehicles out there that better meet the qualities I look for in a car.

Go Speed Ricer

iTrader: (1)

Fast car going straight but what about the twisties? I respect its power going straight but thats not the only factor I look at in a car especially a sports car. I'd sacrifice power for a more tossable car.

ml2316

if a car manufacturer released a dump truck that out tracked a z, that would be one kick *** dump truck and it would sell for a lot more than a z.

ml2316

for $20k it's an awesome car. for $30k, i'd rather have a z than a neon+$10k.

if i was only spending $20k, there are no beautiful cars in that price range so i would go all performance and--if buying new--get the srt4.