Thats a better than comparing a z to a ferrari.

 

Take a ferrari, throw around a track with a 350z, both cars being driven by "good" drivers, and you will see that your wrong. The 350Z is fast as hell around road courses, but its not to be compared to a ferrari.

 

I feel pretty good about it. The $10,000.00 extra I spent on my car gave me a lot of bang for the buck compared to a SI. A better comparison, though, then an SI would be a Dodge SRT-4.

Civic SI (R&T July 2002)
$19,440.00
4-seater
160 bhp @ 6500 RPM
132 lb-ft @ 5000 RPM
FWD
0-60 7.6s
1/4 mile 15.9 @ 87.8 mph
Stopping from 60 mph 154 ft
Skidpad .81g
Slalom 64.6 mph
city/highway 26/30
Top speed 130 mph

350Z Track (R&T March 2003)
$34,688
2-seater
287 bhp @ 6200 RPM
274 lb-ft @ 4800 RPM
RWD
0-60 5.8s
1/4 14.4 @ 99.7 mph
Stopping from 60 mph 122 ft
Skidpad .88g
Slalom 67.3 mph
city/highway 20/26
Top Speed 149 mph

Ferrari 360 Spyder (R&T July 2001)
$146,930
2-seater
395 bhp @ 8500 RPM
275 lb-ft @ 4750 RPM
RWD
0-60 4.5s
1/4 my est 13-13.5s
Braking 60-0 125 ft
Skidpad .93g
Slalom 66.6 mph
ciyt/highway est 15/20
Top Speed 175 mph

Areas that a $20,000 Civic SI does better in:
Price
Gas mileage

Areas that a $35,000.00 350Z does better then a Ferrari 360:
Price
Braking
Slalom
Gas mileage

So, a Ferrari 360 Modena wins in most performance departments. It should for $120,000.00. However, were we to compare a Mitsubishi Evo to a Ferrari, the numbers would be even closer. And should you put $10,000.00 into an Evo, it would just about be tied.

The difference is if you put a Ferrari in a race that it was built for, neither a modified 350Z nor a modified Evo would be able to keep up.

Let's talk looks. Which is where this all started. This debate is all based off of one photograph. If you feel that a 350Z looks bad, poor, or lame just because of one pic, then that is your choice. I would bet you I get about as many looks in my 350Z as I would get in a red 360 Modena. Only reason more people might look at a Modena is because they would know the price tag. Of course no one has the time nor money to do a statistical analysis, so the argument is mute. About the looks, both are 2-seater RWD vehicles. They are both sports cars. Here is a new photo. You may or may not like it, but I think it is a better shot.

 

Here

 

So Reggi, per my post, please tell me why a comparo between a Civic SI and a 350Z Track is better then between a 350Z Track and a 360 Spyder? A civic will have as hard a time keeping up with a 350Z as a 350Z will with a 360 Spyder. I think, however, the comparo between a 350Z and a 360 Spyder is much better, since the price difference is $120,000.00 , they are both RWD, they are both sports cars, and they are both 2-seaters. Whereas, between a Civic SI and a 350Z Track it is only a $15,000.00 difference, the one is a FWD, the other is a RWD, one is a 4-seater, and one is a 2-seater. If you look at the stats I posted, the difference between a 350Z Track and a Civic SI is much greater then the difference between a 350Z and a 360 Spyder in looks and performance (ie, the 350Z/SI do not compare as well).

As I stated earlier, a Dodge SRT-4 would probably be a better comparison. However, it would still be comparing a 4-seater to a 2-seater, and a N/A to a forced induction. Hands down, though, the 350Z would win in the looks department.

 

You obviously have never driven a Ferrari. A Ferrari is a style. Its a style that no other car company can copy. When your sitting in a Ferrari, you feel something special. You feel like you are in a race car built with years of tradition and passion. The legacy of Ferrari is something that no other car company has. Why do people go crazy over Ferrari's? Because its a car like no other. When you pay $200,000 for a Ferrari, you are paying for the style, for the feeling, the engine, for the name, and at the top of the list, the sound. An EVO with $10,000 put in it may be close to a Ferrari on paper, but its not even comparable to a Ferrari when it comes to the driving expierience.
And you dont get as many looks in a 350Z as you do in a Ferrari. I had a friends Ferrari for a weekend and i couldnt leave the house with out starting at least 10 conversations with total strangers about the car (a 360 coupe). People would yell things at me while driving, such as "Ferrari!!" "Sweet car!" "BEAUTIFUL!". I never get that in the Z.

 

So let's list the reasons why you argue that a 350Z cannot be compared to a Ferrari:
Style - For some reason a Ferrari has style that no other car company can copy, which also means that you cannot compare it?
Feelings - You get some kind of feeling sitting in a Ferrari? Is this sexual in nature? Or is it a warm - fuzzy? Or some other kind of feeling?
Tradition - Somehow tradition means you cannot make the comparison?
Car not like any other - The car is imbued with magical powers? Um, or maybe that really isn't an engine inside? Special super power tires? I guess those Porche's, Lamborghini's, Aston Martin's, and Saleen S7's cannot be compared to it either?
Driving experience - So if it is different, that means you cannot compare it somehow? I'm confused.
I get the impression you are part of the "Ferrari" religion, as you seem to have a religious furor for the company and its cars. Give me a break, $200,000.00 for the sound! Hahahahahahahahaha. Dude, they are both cars, and sports cars at that. They are both N/A, 2-door, and RWD . They most definitely can be compared. And when a new Ferrari is compared against a new 350Z, the Ferrari will come out on top. But is the Ferrari as good of a bang for the buck as the 350Z? NO! And to make sure you are clear about what bang for the buck means, that is talking about performance, not the feel of a car. I'm sure Ferrari's do "feel" better. If I pay $150,000.00 for a car, the average price of a HOUSE in America, that car better "feel" like it when I get in.

 

WOW, you have no idea what you are talking about because you have never driven a Ferrari. Is a Ferrari "worth" the money? No way. The quality on a Ferrari is horrible. But taking a Ferrari for what it is (a sports car), it can be compared to nothing else on the road. Including porsches, lambos and a saleen s7.

Oh yea one more thing. If you think that Ferrari would have the same following if it didnt have that sound from the engine, you are wrong. The sound from the engine is what drived people crazy. You dont know this because you have never driven a Ferrari and you are talking out of your ***. I have many friends who own Ferraris and if the Ferraris didnt have that special sound they would not enjoy them as much.

 

Reggi, with all due respect you are being a moron about this. I help with marketing/advertising and development for my local Ferrari chapter and have ridden and driven in nearly every Ferrari made including unique one-off cars and supercars. The only exceptions are a few vintage models. I have driven these cars on the road and the track, as I have also driven the Z. I do not care how many Ferraris you have sat in or driven, so do not try to swing your dick at me. I have driven enough to form a reasonable opinion about the cars and the company.

It is very fair to compare a 350Z to some models of Ferrari, and once you get past the name I can count the number of things I find unique about Ferrari on one hand. I have also driven many other exotics and the Z is still a joy to drive in any circumstance. I take my car to the local track (not drag) and have fun with my friends in Ferraris.

Making a stupid comparison (aka 350Z v 575M) will not help this arguement. But basically any V8 f-car made before 1995 is an easy match for the Z on the track.

Don't get me wrong, every Ferrari is unique and a single depression of the gas pedal will remind you of that. However saying that a Z is no good next to any of them is ignorant and closed-minded.

 

You are comparing the Z to an older Ferrari in terms of performace, thats fine because performance is about numbers. I was talking about comparing the two CARS, not only performance. You seem a little bitter, is everything ok?

 

What would I be bitter about?

 

I dont know, thats why i asked.

 

All I'm saying is that when we did mountain runs with the Ferrari club, other Japanese and Euro sports cars would tag along and keep up just fine. I'm not talking about Pole Day at LeMans or a 0-150-0 sprint, just hauling *** through some twitsy roads. Yeah there's a difference, but it's not quite the gap when you're at "this level", whereas a 120hp Civic on 185/14s trying to keep up with a quick Z is going to be a lot harder. I worked for a Ferrari body shop for 5 years, then was crew chief for a Ferrari Challenge team for 2000 and part of 2001. I have a pretty good idea what Ferrari people drive like, how capable the cars are etc. Not comparing car to car (that mystique and reputation BS), magazine numbers or price.. Whatever, obviously you're missing my point.

 

Wolverineut, nice pictures! It must be fun to know Ferrari owners that are big car enthusiasts.

As far as comparing cars, I don't. It's all opinions on whether or not you like the car. They don't even have to be factually based. If I sit in a car and for some reason I don't like it, I leave it at that. If I sit in a car, drive it, etc, I place a value on it myself and determine if I really think it's worth it. As far as performance, someone will always be faster/handle/brake better than you, so I don't try to look for a car with those attributes (although the McLaren F1 is pretty badass).

Edit: If I wanted an all out performing car, I would just buy a Ferrari F1 car and take it to the track. That's if I had the money

 

Reggi,

The problem is you are talking about taste/values. I value bang for the buck, reliability, sound, and style. I love the exhaust note of my 350Z. As do all of the magazines that have test driven one. I love the style. When I saw one, I had to have it, because of the style. I wanted something classy, not an EVO or STI, which look like 4-seater, 4-bangers with a rear spoiler and a scoop (no offense to those of you that own one), even though they have better performance and better bang for the buck.

I don't value name or heritage. Which is why I will never own a Ferrari, even if I can afford one, given what my values are. Again, it sounds like you love Ferrari's. And that is great. I like diversity. But please, don't tell me that a Ferrari cannot be compared to a 350Z just because you think your values are superior to mine.

 

If you read my posts you will see that i wrote that performance cannot be argued because its all number. So if you want to compare performace that is fine. I was just trying to say that a nissan cannot even be compared to a Ferrari in terms of being a sports car. Thats abvious because of the price tag. Is a Ferrari a good bang for the buck? Absolutly not! But its a very special car. Is it worth the money? No!

BTW, I also love the way my 350z sounds. It has a very distinctive sound and when ever i hear one on the road, i immedietly know that its a 350z/g35.

 

Well, this is obviously a hopeless discussion. It is like talking to a religious zealot.

 

Great that you got on the run there ... but to nearly ANYONE that would happen to pass by or see that pack of cars ... they would be like ...

what is that Z doing with all those nice cars?

it looks out of place

kind of like when I showed up to my old mustang club meet in my Z ... it wasnt "right" .... yeah i can out handle em ... oh and I may be as fast as some (not) ... but it still didnt matter ... they were two totally different types of cars (sound familiar) and I didnt fit in with the general look, style and type of car there ... and no this is not about the cost of the car

some things are just that way .... Reggi has an opinion of your car not fitting in ... so let him have it

PS
- I'd love to see you run a 360 coupe at a track ... remember the Z33 is a new car ... so compare new to new .. and yes, you'd lose

 

JimRHIT,

I'm sorry, but you cannot post and say that people passing by would say "what is that Z doing with all those nice cars?" and have that be fact without first conducting a scientific study, so that point is mute. You cannot back up your statement with proof.

You also cannot just say that it looks like it is out of place, and have that be a fact. Again, please conduct a scientific study, and then you will have some proof to back up your statement.

Yes, your Z and the Tangs are two different kinds of cars. So what is your point? Are you saying that a Z cannot be compared to a Mustang just because they are different? So you never make comparisons in life? I mean, if you cannot compare sports cars, how can you make any comparisons in life? I guess you never compare the brunettes to blondes? Or presidents of the United States? Or different brands of cheddar cheese? Or digital cameras?

Reggi does not just have an opinion of a Z not fitting in with a Ferrari. His opinion is first, that a Z looks like crap compared to a Ferrari, and two, that you cannot compare a Z to a Ferrari. He further says you cannot compare the two because of the price difference. I guess the looks of a person who has spent $20000.00 on plastic surgery cannot be compared to a person who has not? The one with plastic surgery just automatically looks better? If that is true, then Michael Jackson looks better then all of us.

Now, back to the Z being "out of place" with the Ferrari's. How is that? So the old 1970's Ferrari's that were cruising with the group were also out of place because they were old? Or the convertible's did not fit in? What do you mean by "out of place"? This was not the "360 Modena" club. There were many different kinds of Ferrari's there, a Porche Boxster, and a 350Z. They were all "sports" cars. Seems like the 350Z fit in just fine to me.

Yes, I did compare new to new. I think most would consider 2 years difference as comparable. Maybe you disagree, and feel that they have to be the same year. If that is the case, then my comparison is invalid. And, yes, I already stated that a 350Z would lose in performance. But if you calculate in the cost to the equation, the 350Z would probably win. R&T figured that the 350Z is right behind the Corvette C5 for best bang for the buck for N/A cars.

 

LMAO, and you called me a religious zealot. A scientific study?!

Why dont you conduct a scientific study to show that the Z is comparable to a Ferrari. I require 10 page minimum size 12 font single spaced, stapled in the upper left hand corner. Thanks.