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They seem to be the same price here. I would rock a roadsters z, ive never owned a convertible but it seems like a good time. And if the top leaks I have plenty of home depot stores around, they stock plenty of black gorilla duct tape.
I've owned 3 convertibles and my 350z is the only one without detectable flex, probably because it's a 2 seater with a small passenger compartment. When I jack up a front wheel the back one also comes off the ground (and vice versa) if the front is raised more than 2 full inches. The doors open and close when one tire is jacked up as well. I was shocked at how stiff a convertible 350Z is, I was expecting at least some cowl shake. The cornering is super consistent and predictable, unlike many convertibles I've driven.
Subjectively no. I've driven a few ZRs and they seem to be just as taut and tight as either of my coupes. Maybe not up to our former 370N though.
Objectively, I'd guess that the additional reinforcement of the chassis (front subframe, mid-chassis, and critically, the side sills/door structure) seem to do their jobs well. Whether or not it can handle the torque uptick from an LS (or even a full-up suspension) is debatable. Good news there is that I surmise it wouldn't take a lot to gusset up the existing support trusses - particularly the front subframe A-frame to handle it.
But take this all as pure conjecture. DeusExMaxima built up his roadster to Nismo specs so maybe he can elaborate.
Mic
I havent driven a coupe yet. The ZR seems a bit flexy to me although not bad relatively speaking. Maybe Im used to my Maxima which has a harness bar and strut brace which makes the chassis quite rigid. I would love to do some welding to stiffen it up, but that is one skill I do not possess.
If I lived in Colorado or some place cold I sure as hell wouldn't want to mess with a drop top. But here in CA they seem about even with hard tops. I just happened into a convertible by chance honestly. Never thought Id ever own one but I thought mine was pretty sick and just what I wanted when I saw it.
Take my man card all you want, but my Z is dope AF haha
Here in florida a drop top is WAY more to insure then a hard top for theft and vandalism reasons, especially when you don't have a garage like many people don't.
Also on the 350z when the bar motor goes out or something bad happens with the top and you need to spend 3-5k to fix it on a car worth 5-8k? Not a good combo.
When I was in Seattle for a few years, the verts were cheaper for some odd reason.
I was able to nab my 05' ZR 6MT @ 28k miles for 12k. (Pestered the dealer for $2k less for the ripped top) Original sticker was 15,900, they really wanted it gone.
Now it only has 54k miles and at the shop being boosted.
I really hated the LONG rear end they have though, so I resorted to a retarded huge BCL wing.
