jonoz

Hope you get your car just in time for a great spring ...nothing beats driving in the peg in the sun...cruising down portage..or racing... or getting the babes attention on Corydon


I lucked into my Z... I was at Birchwood in the early summer to get a flat tire fixed on my pathfinder when Mark Stevenson head of sales asked me whether I would like to buy a Z....never had seen it ...apparently the guy who had bought their 2nd allocation had not shown up that day for his down payment...so of course I said yes

The car is an absolute rocket but be prepared for some attention you may not like...I was driving down Grant Ave this evening when some ****ing ******* in a big fing monte carlo or some like jerk *** car cut me off ...boxed me in and threatened to punch mylights out..what fun!!


that aside I wish I had this car when I was 18...new friend every night


It is so much FUN
speak to you later

(chrome silver/charcoal leather ...waiting for supercharger!!

Boomer

Another review, late in coming and less than complimentary. He says he tested a 350 Z, not the track model, and found it to be just a sports tourer, not a sports car. Canada has different models than we do, so we don't know which one he tested. Its kind of hard to refute since that data is not available. Also, not dissng the Canadians, I've never heard of Pistonheads and their credibilty has not been established to my satisfaction.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember 2 models, a Track and a Touring with very different performance options. The Track is like ours w/Brembos, Rays, etc. The Touring is AT and/or MT, leather, 17 ' tires. If I'm correct in the package, 5.8 0-60 for AT is right on the mark and is more comfy than the Track.

If my guess is right, he tested the wrong model. He should have tested the Track which would reflect a 5.4 0-60 w/MT and more aggressive wheels and tires. Everyone here knows more rubber, lighter wheels, aero pkg and such would yield a different result and maybe fit his definition of a sports car. Opinions vary among testers and owners on what is a sports car but I tend to disagree w/his sweeping statement that a Z is not a sports car. I don't believe he has the data to back up his opinion and he has no rep here as a car reviewer.

As for comparisons, some of your friends seem to be pretty uninformed about the Z. I would respectfully suggest they find out more about it.

Boomer

Some of the reasons I bought the 350Z:

1. 2 Seater Sports car-my first new car was a 1965 British sports car w/2 seats;

2. I like small, quick cars rather than larger quick cars like the M3 or 330, the Z is smaller than both the M3 and the 330;

3. The Z's looks appeal to me more than the M3 and the 330, they look like their predecessors, more refined, maybe, but I've been looking at them for years and the shape is pleasing but nothing new or exciting, just more power. A good thing, but not different like the Z even though it too builds on the older Zs to retain its identity, it catches the eye and my 20 year old goddaugther asks "WOW! is this the new Porsche? I have had dozens of people verbally, thumbs up, etc praise the Z where, I would have gotten Hey! is that the new 3 series, very recognizable;

4. The VQ 3.5 Engine. I have owned 3 Maximas w/ the 3 liter VQ, including an 89, 92 and our present 99. No problems with any of them. Fast and reliable, nothing breaks on this engine when taken care of. Getting it with 287 hp and 274 ftlbs of torque, it develops over 200ftlbs of torque at 1200rpm and keeps climbing, faster than the 330, almost as fast as the M3 and $20K less than the M3 $7K less than the 330;

5. I fit. I'm 6'5" 289lbs w/34" inseam and size 13 shoes. I ordered the car w/the AT and got flamed big time. After 37 years of MTs, I thought a 5spd automanual would be fun, if it wasn't, I could sell the car and look for a 6MT. No need to worry, the AT/with manual shift is a blast. Its lots more fun to play with than the MTs I have owned, including the 91 MR2 Turbo I owned for 7 years.

6. I love the way this car drives; I thought my stock MR2T was a great driver, the stock Z beats it, no contest.

Traffic

More Reasons Why I Purchased the 350Z:

7. Affordability. Who would've thought I could get Boxster S M Coupe performance for $28K? I saw no reason to pay a $10K or more premium for the sake of having the gold shield or the blue & white star on my hood and boot. Thankfully, because of that, there's no pretense or pompousness associated with the Z.

8. Enhancability. Sure, the VQ is a stunning engine; to me, I think it's the best V6 in the world. But I still think it has room to improve, it's a good base off which to build. 400HP seems a realistic possibility from the VQ35. I also think the 3.3 in the M3 is also brilliant despite its problems, but I really don't believe you safely extract any more than 375 HP from it.

9. Class & Sporting Tradition. Sure, I could've gotten an old 240 and if I poured enough money into it, I'm sure it could be faster than a Z, but at the end of the day, it's still an old 240. The Z has history and fresh, sharp good looks.

10. A car for the driver. I appreciate the fact that the tach is in the center, the special seat design for the driver. There are very few elements that compromise the driving experience for the sake of practicality.

knihc2008

i'd still get the 350z. even if i had the money. looks better, more distinctive.

TJZ

should be few (if any at all) changes for '04. Get it now, you know you want to.

raceboy

I'll take the Z over the M3. I just won't spend 50K on a single car! That is what also stopped me from getting a Z06 (well the 50K and the cheap interior). I already have an I35 and a truck for race car hauling. I would take the 16-20K I save and use it to race shifter karts for a year or 2. I track my car routinely and $52-55K is just too much to risk for me. $35K is a lot more palatable and if I lost it and insurance didn't cover it, it wouldn't be so bad.