Hi i am currently a college student and since my brother is going to start driving soon he will most likely be taking over my 2011 gti. I really enjoy driving my gti and eventually tuned it (ecu, exhaust,downpipe,intake) which made roughly 260hp and 280tq to the front wheels. It was extremely fun (despite fwd traction issues) and I'm currently looking for a car that is rwd.

I have always loved certain aspects of the nissan 350z and 370z, however i currently am having a tough decision choosing what car i should get possibly down the road. Here are my nissan options:

1) 350z nismo
2) 370z sports
3) 370z nismo

1) Here is my dillema. I really love the way the 350z nismo looks from both the front and rear. I feel like the 306hp and roughly 268tq will be awesome. Most importantly i hear that the 350z nismo is the best handling car of these 3 and it doesnt have cooling issues with the brake pads like the 370z nismo. And lets not forget about that awesome exhaust note

2) i really like the 370z and the nismo version, however i have hear'd numerous complaints/ issues. One of them being the brake fading issue (which is mostly for people with track use) and another is that they dont "handle" as well as the 350z nismo. I have hear'd feedback from individuals that test drove both and said good things about the increase of hp (333hp or 350hp vs 306), however i hear that the steering is much more "light" and you dont "feel the road" as much.
As far as the 370z nismo goes i completely am in love with how the cars rear looks with the spoiler and the aerodynamic design, however i feel that the front of the car looks really bland and the front bumper inst that good looking to me . Another awesome thing is how the car comes with synchro-rev match and its always nice to have a car that's newer with more hp.

I unfortunately have not test drove either car "yet", which i will be doing sometime in the next 2-3 months. I thought that i would also point out that i plan to buy a used car. If you were in my shoes what would you recommend? Keep in mind i will rarely track the car, it will mostly be for Daily Driving,however i do not mind driving cars that are "rough" and connected with the road.

 

how much is your budget?

less than $20k? Go with the 350z nismo.

Anything above? Still get the 350z nismo and put extra money into modding.

 

07-08. Nismo if possible, least amount of problems, better amenities, /thread.

 

I was fortunate enough to be able to test drive an 08 350z NISMO and a '12 370Z NISMO at the same dealer, back to back.

Was also able to park them next to each other and spend a solid 30 minutes looking over both cars.

The 350Z won hands down. Sharper looking (my opinion, I know....), better handling, MUCH more of a raw sports car feel (the 370Z just felt too refined, for lack of a better term, it didn't seem to have as much of a "soul"). and for whatever reason, I didn't like the feel of the clutch and feel of the shifter on the 370.

The fact that a nice used 350Z Nismo can be had for in the neighborhood of 10k less than most used 370Z Nismo's, was just icing on the cake.

 

Get the 350Z Nismo. Looks wayyyyyyy better imo.

 

The less i pay the better, however anything around 25-30k prob.
roughly how much money would u personally recommend putting into modding esp for hp gain? ( exhaust, header, ecu, intake) How much would those cost? i hear it tends to be more expensive due to the fact the car is a nismo.

p.s. im sorta stumped on what color to get also. I really like the red but it seems like too much of an eye catcher for the cops, thats just my 2cents

 

Sounds like money is no object.

Where are you going to college?

 

Im currently going to community college atm (glendale) and have saved up a fair share of money, however i will be getting a decent amount of assistance from my parents. I obviously will be trying to find the best deal possible ( least miles, and hopefully not more than 25-26k.) I intend to drive the car stock for a while and then add some minor aftermarket such as header/exhaust/ intake/ (ecu). My hope is to get the engine to pump out roughly 350 hp while staying na

 

I love the glendale area. Lots of nice curvy roads in the mountains very close too!

Make sure you check into insurance rates for the car too, so there are no unpleasant surprises.

Sounds to me like an 07 or 08 350z fits your bill the best.

Nismo's are nicest, but they do cost a bit more too.

I got lucky and picked up a low mileage 08 NISMO 3 months ago, for 24,900. Put 2k into it for an S-tune exhaust, stereo, and to have 2 curbed wheels refinished. Cost me about $500 to register, and insurance isn't too bad (but I'm older).

 

Check this one out.

I was surfing last night and came across it. I even wrote an email to the owner suggesting he list it here.

It looks like it might fit the bill for you exactly.



darn it, couldn't get link to work.

Go to autotrader.com

do a search.

enter 350z 2008 "NISMO" in keyword.

There is a nice red nismo with 22k miles at Camp Pendleton, private sale, asking 27k.

Good luck.

 

There is a used Nismo 350Z in the Houston craigslist for 19k with 34k miles...

 

must be an '07? even if so, good price for miles.

if it's an '08, that price is awful low, I would worry about salvage title.

I think once you get into texas, you have more of a chance of getting east coast cars that may have been in floods......