Is there something special about both cars, I'm missing?
I ask, because I'm in the market for a car.
I have boiled it down to two cars, 350Z or G35.
I'm still a 23 year old kid, so I'm more attracted by 350Z's design.
Is there a difference in performance?

 

g35 has a backseat, and yes the z will perform better stock for stock

 

I had the same dilemma as you last year. I was inclined towards the G35c but being my age I wanted to own a two seater before I get married and have kids. The Z has a strong heritage and presence in my childhood so I see it as more of a purist sports car.

I know there are tons of technical bullshiet that differentiates these two cars but here are the general things that matter to me when I think of both cars:

G35c:

Plush built with many amenities
has the back seat for pre-teens
a little sluggish and slow on the take off..slightly underpowered compared to Z
feels a little heavier than Z
more bushi..and pretty looking
aftermarket parts are very very limited and expensive if available

350Z:

A little more agile and quick
noisy (in cabin) high end speed (but what sports car isn't?) I've driven porsches that are just as noisy.
two seater
Interior not as pretty as the G35c but a little more daring?
Torquey take off
aftermarket is growing rapidly with things becoming affordable


IMHO: Japanese/luxury/coupes are short lived. Who really cares about the LEXUS SC's from a few years back? how about an ACURA CL? or the Infiniti M30? They get old fast.

I still get excited when I see a Supra, Rx7, or 300zx because they were built to be enthusiast cars.

Just my opinion...flame all you want..I don't give a Fuuuuuuug!

 

The design, man, the design.

 

I had the same decision as you. I test drove the G35 and the Z 3 times each and still couldn't decide. I finally went with the Z and placed my order 2 weeks ago.

Here were my deciding factors....

- I like the Z's outside look better.

- The Z seemed to handle better in turns, accelration I couldn't really tell on the street test drives.

- With the bar in the Z close to the wall, it sort of acts like a back seat. Not to sit people, but to throw like bags, computer bags, small groceries, etc. Everything I'd use the backseat for in the G35.

- Touring model to me seemed like enough luxury to compete with the G35's.

- And lastly, they would "deal" the Z with me on price where I couldn't get anyone to budge on the G35.

So I went with the Z and don't regret it.....of course I don't have the car yet, so I guess I won't really know until then.

 

At first I wanted a Touring Z with all of the Track performance. I was a little "scared" of the looks and went with a coupe M/T. Got more lux, sun roof, near Z-Track like performance (Brembos) for less dough and Infiniti service, being my dealer is Grubbs in DFW,Tx (best in the business).

After 6-months of ownership my regrets are mainly lack of aftermarket for the G35, the Z has better paint choices, and looks overall more sporty, I'm not scared any more

 

i chose the G because i like the exterior better
driving around in a fixed up G will be less common then a Z
i bought the G when Zs were still being marked up
for $32k you get the track package pretty much
couldnt test drive the Z
it was somewhat of an impulse purchase and unlike the nissan salesman the infiniti salesman was a really nice guy.

btw the aftermarkets opening up alot for the G
once a certian company releases their bodykit everything i want for my car will be out.
sure theres not as many options but we still get products from all the best companies.


btw if i could change one thing about my purchase it would be black interior or just the cloth interior from the Z, i prefer it.

 

I just got my car about 3 weeks ago and I had the same decision to make and I went with teh G35.

I like the look of the front of the G35 better, and I love the interior of the infiniti, the small plush amenities were nice and important to me and for not much more money for the same options were a much better deal IMO than the Z.

Also, you have a touch more versatility in the G because of the 2+2 design. And the sunroof, which sounds dumb, was a big deal for me, I love it and you cant get it in the Z

When it comes down to it...do you want a pure sports car or a sports coupe? You will get a hair more sports car feel and drive in the Z, however its very close cousin will be one breath behind you (meaning you do not lose much performance at ALL in teh G)

For me (g35) and one of my buddies here in town (zcar driver) the decisions were on money...I could afford the amenities and the leather and premium packages in the g35 are way nicer than a loaded zcar IMO, so I went that route....he was on more of a budget and went cloth and cut out a few options so the zcar was much better on his wallet (because you cannot cut out much on the g35).

Either way you will be very happy.

 

I too have been in the market for a new performance car. I currently have a supercharged Saleen. I love my car to death, but the warranty is now done and i drive my car very hard and have open tracked/auto-x/drag raced it many times. So i want to get a new car and was in the market for either a vette, evo, g35/350z. I have looked into many others but these were my main choices amongst newer cars. Since i work as an interior repair vendor for many car dealers here in the Atlanta area, i can basically drive whatever i want. I really wanted to like the 350z, which i do but at the cost of the track model the g35 just seemed a much better deal to me. Especially considering what you get in the ways of luxury and styling in the g35. I also figured the G is a little rarer and there will be performance parts eventually that will make it faster. All that and the niceness of the salesman convinced me the g35 was a better deal. Lastly the warranty is better, and you get a loaner car. The z is an awesome car, but the G is a more well rounded package in my mind. I was brought up on 300's as my sister has had an 88 and her current 91. I havent brought myself to sell my car yet but if i do the G will be high up there on my list.

 

why would you put the evo on your list but not the STi

 

Interesting you mention that "bob". Well i really didnt like the looks of them at all, and i have driven an evo and really loved it. Also my doctor is who was my track instructor at a couple of events said that the evo would make a better track car and would still fell better in the city. After driving an Sti the other day i realized he is right, but that power is intoxicating. But stilll, i cant justify 35 grand for an Sti. For that price i can by the evo for 29, (which i can get since i know the owner of a local mitsu dealer), and then mod the hell outta that DSM motor. Or even better buy a used 03 cobra and put some towards hp and more towards handling and have a civilized 450hp street car. Basically not raggin the sti, but not my cup of tea.

 

id have a tough time between the two if we had the JDM evo but with our watered down one id haveto choose the sti always.

 

All I can say is extra's extra's for less money.
I can wait for the aftermarkets....


My best friend has a Daytona Blue Z (eric1h) - it's cool - both cars are bad ***........... I have no regrets with the G purchase.

 

The main things I prefer about the G are the interior, exterior, ride, features, brand name, dealer, rarity (at the moment), and versatility. It's neck and neck in any competition that a Z could handle, yet you could still take the managing partner of your law firm to a board meeting in the G. It's a little awkward in a Z, the same way it'd be awkward in a Corvette. It's also more versatile in that, if I want exhaust noise, I can pop the moonroof vent, but if I want quiet I have that option too. The same goes for the ride, to a lesser extent. I imagine it's much easier to stiffen the G than it is to loosen the Z (while still maintaining good handling balance). There just aren't alot of performance "loosening" products out there. Finally, I think more (types of) women dig the G. G's get the ones who go for exotics as well as the gold-diggers, whereas the Z doesn't look as expensive.

Things I prefer about the Z: the lighter curb weight and the corresponding performance benefits. The G feels a little heavy to me sometimes. That's pretty much it though. I'm okay with the aftermarket situation. To get more aftermarket attention, there'd need to be more G's on the road, which I don't want. I think riding on the Z's coat tails in this regard is the best scenario. Any products that sell well for the Z (other than body kits) will eventually make their way to the G, because the conversion is so easy. We won't see the lower selling stuff, but most of that is going to be low selling for a reason. I think it's a good compromise. Though it'd be better if there were as many Z's as Civics, that'd be ideal.

So, yeah, if anyone asks me, buy a Z, not a G!!

 

what if i prefer the girl next door type, with a cute smile, and a decent body

 

these are all my opinions and why i bought the g35c:

1. it looks better
2. infiniti interior > nissan interior (for similar amount of money)
3. infiniti 18s look better
4. i'm almost 30
5. infiniti dealers > nissan dealers (free loaner car??)
6. infiniti warranty > nissan warranty

 

I like the looks of the G a little better then the Z. Also the G has a sunroof and the backseat.

If there was no G, I would have gotten a Z.

Chris

 

could care less about my backseat and the sunroof adds unnecessary weight to my car.
hmm why didnt i buy a z

 

well according to the guy in racing the G35 platform is better for a racing...yeah believe it! I read that somewhere in Race Car Engineering magzine i think its called...dont remember exactly but it went something towards those lines...the guy also said this is why F1 has long wheel bases...bla bla i forget the full article it was a wile back...

is this true or the guy in the mag was out of his mind?

 

no it is true...

and the g35 is better made for some types of racing...it handles better through the cones stock vs stock and in corners....partly because of wheels, partly because of wheel base...