i just sold by 97 cobra for the Z too . needless to say i am much happier with my z it just feels more solid and i never liked the shifter feel on the stang either. but damn that V8 had some real torque and the rumble of the exhaust was a beautiful thing too.

 

My Z has been great so far (3000 miles), but the stiff suspension is beginning to cause some rattles throughout the interior. Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person that gets easily annoyed with rattles and it's beginning to drive me batty, mainly because I wonder what the car will sound like at 30,000 miles.

However, I AutoX'd my Z last weekend, and it totally kicked butt. Not my times necessarily, but the fun of driving. With the windows down and the helmet on, the rattles simply disappear.

I may spend some time trying to track down some of the rattles, but I'm pessimistic about finding them. If that kind of thing bothers you, you may want to wait a bit for Nissan to iron out the bugs of the initial Z's.

-D'oh!

 

I'd probably agree and disagree with you. Keep in mind that most car manufacturers are trying to meet the demands of the largest number of people when they are determining things like suspension stiffness, handling, etc. This "generalization" of a car's configuration usually results in it being toned down a bit to meet the widest variety of road conditions and driving habits.

For example, consider suspension. Most car manufacturers are going to make their suspension a bit on the soft side, as that will made the ride more comfy on the highway, despite the loss in cornering ability. However, *most* people are okay with that, and are willing to sacrifice a little handling to make the car more comfy as a daily driver. However, other people are willing to sacrifice the comfort and go for stiffer suspension in order to increase handling capabilities. It's a personal choice.

Also, consider understeer. Most car manufacturers are going to tune the car so it has a certain amount of understeer, as this is usually safer for the average driver who doesn't know how to handle hard corners properly. If you get into trouble in a corner, understeer is usually easier to deal with than oversteer. (for the average driver) However, if you are a hardcore enthusiast, and take your car to the track or autocross, you'd probably prefer the car to more balanced with less understeer.

Basically, no matter how sporty a car might be, the manufacturer has to try and please the largest number of people. This often results in the serious enthusiasts wanting a bit more, which can usually be obtained with aftermarket suspension upgrades and the like. I've found that the American companies tend to tune their suspensions a bit softer and more comfortable than other manufacturers, but that doesn't mean that the car is any less "worthy" of being upgraded with aftermarket parts.

STANG's Mustang is a good example. It's a fast, powerful car, but it might not handle as well as it could only because Ford decided to tune it a bit soft for more comfort. As long as STANG is willing to sacrifice some comfort, then installing a nice aftermarket suspension kit will fix that. Nothing wrong with that, and I'd still consider that being within the design of his Mustang.

However, I'd consider someone taking a minivan and slamming it and trying to turn it into a track vehicle to be going outside of the original design of the vehicle. (But they do have that 12 second minivan club... now *that's* just cool.)