Despite my not owning a Z, I read this board daily and have lusted after a 350Z, specifically, a FI one, for more than a year now. When I bought my TL back in May of last year, I'd wanted a Z with navi and the salesman never got back to me. I went to the Acura dealer the next day not expecting to drive out with a car. When I offered 33k with a navi TL, I didn't expect the dealer to actually agree to that price. Still, there's always the "one that got away"...

Anyway, to the point of my post. I admire all of you who've gone the FI route because there's a *huge* amount of risk that you've all accepted as par for the course. I can't imagine the apprehension and anxiety that went along with some of you who were amongst the first people to emerge with a fully built Z engine. Would it crank? Would there be piston slap? How much would the block take?

It's the unfortunate pioneers such as the untuned non-crank-wire-sensor-Greddy owners, as well as some owners who have gone through multiple engine rebuilds (as Gurgen, 350zcalb come to mind) who have learned lessons that cost thousands of dollars that hopefully will save others trouble, heartache, and pain. As a fan of the car, I'm grateful, even though it pains me to see someone who has invested more than 20K in a car and is still having problems.

By the same token, if you were buying off the showroom floor, there are no ~$50K cars out there that have more than 500whp. By building, it becomes personal, and therein lies the satisfaction I suppose. For the price of a new BMW M3, you can have a car that will beat 99.9 percent of the cars on the road, and do so with surprise.

Still, I just can't help but feel like Nissan engineers know this engine and know its limitations better than any of us. They get to blow up motors on the factory dime, make corrections, and then retry. It makes me nervous, for example, that they didn't choose the VQ35 as a basis for the new Skyline. Having said all that, I have to ask...

Are we (and I say "we" because I've become personally attached to some of the experiences you've had) all going to be heartbroken when Nissan brings over the Skyline?

 

No we'll just need to make room for her little sister to come home. If the price is as planned well that may be my next car.

 

Ditto - All wheel drive 450HP GTR or 500 HP Rear Wheel Vette Z06 coming in '08. Until then, having fun with the Z

 

No disappointment for me. If she's as advertised, that will be the next project. In 2007, I'll see how I feel about my Z at that time.

 

I'm assuming you mean the GT-R when you refer to the Skyline... I won't be disappointed in the least bit. Unlike some here, I don't have $70k to spend on a car. (The last press release I read, that's the price they stated) My Z and FI kit cost me under half that.

 

Until the Z06 comes out (and you can actually buy one for list price) I will be sticking with my ZR. That being said, I wish I had gone with a TT.

 

Nope. The 350Z (as others have posted) is a place holder until the GT-R arrives. I was planning on going 911 in a few years, but the GT-R has my interest as well. For this reason alone, I won't go FI because that is basically money towards the next car. It's never too early to start saving!

 

No regrets, and the earliest the GT-R is projected to touch US pavement is calendar year '08. No way I could possibly drive a 13.5 to 14 second car for the next 28 months. Besides, then the Z is paid for. Nice equity down on the next project.

 

Not disappointed at all..plan to have a TON of fun with the Z and see what the GT-R brings to the plate in 08..if its no good keep the Z or get an R34....if its worth it the Z will be paid off and I'll have ANOTHER car payment to replace it I guess.

 

I am in a wait and see mode as well. If Nissan gets the next gtr setup correctly from a looks,performance,cost standpoint I will be all over it. If they miss the mark. I will either mod the hell(internals) out of the Z or look for older skyline gtr and mod the hell out of it. I get a little pissed sometimes that Nissan gave us a great engine to play around with but we get gayd by the ECU(unless you have enough cash to get a Motec.)