I got my 350Z DB Track on Wednesday. Ordered on May 25th. I purchased my Estoril Blue M3 in Chicago in 06/96 and had 6 trouble free years out of it. The only expense was the replacement of the Pilot Sports with Potenza S02’s. Normal preventative maintenance was absurdly expensive.

Build Quality – both cars are as tight as a drum. The exterior panel fit on the M3 was much better. I am disappointed in the size of the gaps between the exterior panels on the Z. Compare them to a Toyota sometime. My Mazda(Ford) Tribute is much better.

Paint – I have orange peel and it is worse than the M3, but the M3 was worse than my current Tribute and my previous RAV4. That said, I have never been in a car that attracted so much attention.

Transmission and Clutch. The 350Z is way better than the M3. I let two friends drive it. One has a 2000 Carrera 4 and he could not believe how much shorter and tighter the shift on the Z was than his car. My friend with Miata thought it was as good as the Miata, but could not believe how much power the car has.

Power – Reserve judgement until after the break-in.

Ride – The Z has a harsher ride, but corners flatter. However the M3 benefited immensely when I switched to the Potenza S02’s. I will get S-03’s next spring and that should reduce some of the harshness.

Interior – I like the interior of the Z more than the M3. The M3 was black everywhere. The only colour in the interior was the M insignia colours on the seats and the shifter. The gauges are more complete on the Z. However the seats on the M3 were way more adjustable and hence more comfortable. I would love to get those seats in the Z.

Radio – Who cares? I listen to one AM news station and one FM music station. I like the sound of the exhaust which is much more ominous in the Z.

Handling – Both are beyond my limit so not really something I can comment on. I did let another friend who is a Porsche driving instructor drive the M3 and he could not believe how easy it was to drive that car fast. After break-in I will let him take the Z out.

Brakes – Both have incredible brakes.

Visibility – M3 hands down.

In a lot of ways the E36 M3 was a car without peers. It was fast, handled great, nice trunk, 4 usable seats and listed for $38,500. Cars like that come along very rarely. Had I not had a fight with the BMW dealer I might still be driving it.

But now that I have the Z, I don’t regret the decision one bit. I think a set of S-03’s and after market seats would make the car just about perfect. I am only 5’ 7”. The M3 let me jack the seats up about 3” to 4” giving me a commanding view of the road. The Z will not let me do that. I have 3” of wasted headroom. That being said I am only 145lbs and have no idea how a 200lb person fits into the seats. I fit in beautifully. A large person must ride on top of them?

 

i agree with the visibility
thats the only thing i dislike bout my car.
i mean the back windshield is almost useless lol

 

There was a guy at the track a while back, who also traded his M3 in for a new Z car.

The Z pushed so bad on the track, and his laptimes were considerably slower than with the M, that he finished out the weekend cursing the Z.

My E36 M3 dyno'd in stock trim at 215 rwhp. The difference in power is not nearly what you'd expect from a car rated from the factory with 47 more hp.

 

Normal preventative maintenance was absurdly expensive. I couldn't agree more. I have owned 2 BMW's now and I will not own another due to the maintenance expense even if they are great cars. I have owned 2 previous Z's and matenance is way way lower and they are GREAT cars.

 

I have to disagree with one point in the original post. The ride quality. I currently own both cars and the ride on the M3 is extremely harsh. Bumpy roads are a back specialists visit waiting to happen. I find the Z to be much smoother on rough surfaces. The Z also corners much flater as you stated.

 

You must have 17" wheels

 

I guess it's all relative. While I've driven the new Z, I don't have much seat time in it. My M3 with stock suspension was softer than the Z, but when the suspension was worn, it became harsh and 'jiggly' with lots of NVH.

I now run a custom coilover setup with big springs. . . it's pretty stiff now, much more so than most any production car.

 

My M3 has 17 inch rims w/ 40 profile tires

My Z has 18 inch rims w/ 45 profile tires (I think)