I'm in a bit of an interesting situation here. I test drove a Z recently, however the sales person I drove with was quite uptight about pushing the car (I don't think he thought I could afford the car because I am young, but I work full-time and just got a hefty raise so that is not an issue) and kept the test drive short with hardly any turns. So I didn't really get a chance to see what the car was all about.

My girlfriend has a 2002 Eclipse GT that when I drive it it feels "zippy" and "quick" like I can toss it around. I know Eclipses are slow and aren't sports cars so I expected to really feel it when I drove some actual sports cars. That said, I also test drove a Mustang GT in which the salesman did let me push it and the thing just felt sluggish. I know the Stangs have poor suspension, but I'm not even just talking about that. Accelerating just felt like I could feel the engine working, but it didn't have that push me back in my seat feel that even the much slower Eclipse had. I'm guessing this has a lot to do with the weight difference, and when looking at the weight of the Z it looks like it's ~100lbs. less than the mustang at 3339 and a good 200lbs. heavier than the Eclipse.

So I guess my question is, does the Z feel "quick" and "zippy" accelerating and turning at low speeds, etc?

 

why do you want a 350z if your going to be accelerating slowly and turning slowly?

 

It sounds like you didn't get a proper test drive. Go try again at another dealer.

When I first test drove my Z I was floored by it. My hear-rate was fast and I had a serious case of OMG. The Z is plenty zippy and if you didn't get that impression, you didn't redline it. Find a cooler dealer.

 

Who said anything about accelerating and turning slowly? I want to accelerate fast, and while I'm doing it I want it to FEEL fast.

I guess you got that from me mentioning turning at low speeds feeling quick. I only mentioned that because at high speeds when you turn you feel it no matter the car you're in, making lots of quick sharp turns at spots where you don't have room to go 80 is another story...

 

 

I explained that above. I'm not exactly sure what's so hard to understand about accelerating from low speeds.....do you people not want your car to feel fast from a dig? No, I don't care how fast it feels accelerating from 120 to 140 because I'm not going to be doing that very often. 0 to 45, 0 to 60, 30 to 80, etc around town from stops and whatnot I will be doing quite often.

There is a difference between accelerating from low speeds and accelerating slowly, and there is a difference between turning at lower speeds and turning slowly. I thought that was pretty self-explanitory.. I certainly did not say anything about doing either "slowly".

Hopefully I've been more clear now, sorry if what I originally said wasn't.

 

If thats the case buy a Yaris and drive the snot out of it!
The Z, G feels slow. Dont get me wrong its a fast car, but at highway speeds they are steady to say the least. I`ve caught myself doing 200+ km/h thinking I was doing 130km/h.
Long story short, you know you`ve got a 'performer' when you drive it fast yet it feels like your going 5mph over the speed limit.

Goodluck with your purchase.
Cessna

 

I don't know where exactly in the "USA" you are but you might be able to finagle a ride with an enthusiastic owner in your area.

Sure they probably wont let you drive their car, I know I wouldn't, but with them driving you will probably get a better example of what the Z is capable of.

 

how old are you. i bought my Z when i was 20 and i got to test drive it alone. i test drove a Silver base and drove it really hard then came back to the dealer and said ill take a Black touring, it was pretty simple.

 

What a stupid thread. Is the Z "zippy"? Just let the salesman know you're serious about buying it and he should let you push the crap out of it. I test drove a Z two years ago (when I was 16) and the dealer let me push it hard.

 

If you really need a sense of hard acceleration, the Z isn't it. I would suggest looking at turbo cars.

 

It doesn't matter how the car feels to me, I am not shopping for one. Find a dealer who will let you push the car. Attend autocross. Ask for a ride along.