well this is my 5th time driving the beast and the more i drive it the more i start to love it!

i dont know if im getting better at driving a stick or the car just gets easier to drive the more miles you put on it???

well today was the first time i have ever stomped on the gas from a stop. i have no clue how to launch this thing so i revved it to 1500 rpms and just floored it!!!! freakin slip light kept going off the entire first gear but 2nd gear this thing is just FAST!!!

then i was crusing at 60 and downshifted from 5th to 3rd and damn its quick!!!!

im sorry but i dont think a cl-s(NA) can ever take this thing. im not a good driver at all but damn i never go this quick and fast in my cl-s!!!!

man i want a 6 speed RWD g35 coupe bad now!!!!!!!!!!

sidemarker

 

I drove one today too and it is truely a very sweet car. Very fast and nice drive.

I'll still take my CLS though for OVERALL drive (IMO). It is slower though...

 

guess it all depends on what you are looking for ... if you are looking for something that (even in Marion form) resembles a luxury sport coupe, than the CLS is still the hands down choice ... if you are just looking for a sport coupe (with a ((very)) little luxury thrown in) than you need to go for the Z (G35C). And since my height dictates that the G35C is not an option, I'll be very happy in my CL-S, thank you - even taking into consideration that the insurance on a new G35C would be marginally less than what I'm paying for my '98 M3.

 

I sat in one the other day at a nissan dealer, and let i thought that interior was rather tacky for 35k!! also I had very little leg room! its not for the 6 footers that for sure! it was really, really cramped, but not as bad as an s2k!! I sat in an s2k at the chicago autoshow, and literarily got stuck inside! :P

 

Bastard (I am about 5'6"). Never had that problem... :pfawk:

-hehe

 

i totally agree.

i was one of the first ones here to gripe about the interior. it does suck indeed but the performance of the car just make everything obsolete and the only thing you feel is SPEED

personally i would never get the Z but i would settle with a little bit better interior from the g35 coupe. my only problem with the coupe is the styling. too plain in the front and the rear is ugly. but from a side view the car looks pretty good!

sidemarker

 

Must be a new Nissan problem...cheap interiors. They should put as much attention into that as they do their V6.

The Infiniti coupe is indeed as sweet ride...IMO.

 

oh yeah the Z motor sounds beautiful when you get above 4000 rpms!!!!!!!!!!

sidemarker

 

they have a few problems but the ones im concerned with:

all their models have the same interior

they use really soft body panels and bumpers which makes paint wipe right off!

the infiniti fx45 is one sweet ass ride though. AWD 315hp extra large sport wagon!!!!!

sidemarker

 

The g35's interior is pretty rough IMO. That analog clock has got to go, as well as the early 80's AV equipment look. I think the G35 is a better looking car than the Z on the exterior, but I wouldn't consider it because of the interior. I have never understood why people are so critical about the Z's interior...it's actually one of the things that attracted me to the car. I guess it's a matter of opinion though so I wont argue that point. I love the pod guages, the aluminum accents, etc. I did sit in a Z that didn't have the bose system, leather and navi though and it looked pretty spartan. As far as luxury is concerned the Z is really not as shabby as everyone makes it out to be; I've got heated power leather seats, DVD navigation, traction and stability control, 6 disc in dash CD, front and rear tire pressure sensors, cruise control, digital and analog speedometer, trip computer with stopwatch, automatic climate control, heated mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror...you get the idea...only things the CL has over it in terms of features are tilting rear view mirrors, and memory seats with lumbar.

I wasn't sold on the car until I drove it though. I urge anyone that hasn't tried it to do so. It's just a blast.

 

huh? My paint stays on??

 

Wow that was a funny post!! You go test drive a 350Z 5 times, praising how fast it is and stuff and conclude that you want a G35 coupe soo bad. Funny shit!! haha
-Justin

 

Yeah, I checked out a Z this weekend too. It has no sunroof making you feel a little closterphobic. The salesman said that all the stick cars are selling for MSRP...and the automatics get an additional premium. I asked about a convertable and he said it would be available sometime this summer and God knows what the premium price would be on that. I guess if you have a lot of money and don't give a shit, you could buy a car this way. I work too hard for my money not to get some kind of deal on a car, plus this way of buying rubs me the wrong way. I pass! And to tell you the truth, if I wanted to get a new car, it would be a tough decision because there is no car out there like the CL/TL for what you get for the money.

 

it's called supply and demand, and I think that most people are damn lucky to be getting this thing this early at MSRP. I remember back in '98 when the Volvo C70 was first introduced ... dealers were hijacking that thing for 5-10 thousand over MSRP, and one dealer by me wanted a $10K deposit even to order me one! I told him no thanks, as I could place a $100 deposit on a new CLK down the road, and besides since Volvo had left the 2dr market nearly 15 years ago, there was no bet that this thing would even come off. However, since it appears that there are more Z's sitting in the dealer showrooms than they had expected, I wouldn't be surprised to see the prices become more negotiable somewhere down the road.

 

As time goes buy, you will be able to buy a Z for a discounted price. But, when you pay a premium or MSRP now, down the road there will be no adjustment for that when the car is appraised. It's too much to pay for the first one on the block, in my opinon. When the salemen tell me MSRP, I tell them FUKU.

 

Styling aside (sometimes, it looks real good to me, other times it looks like a fake TT/911) and cheap interior aside (we all know the story) the performance is okay to me. Hell, my car is just as fast, meets/surpasses it on the skidpad and the Z weighs 400lbs less with only 13 less h.p.

The WRX and Lancer wipes it's butt with it too.

I don't really understand the 2-seater concept if the car really ain't all that. I mean the last Z had a top notch interior. Why not this one?

When the Z TT comes, then I will be impressed hopefully.

 

What lexus do you drive?


I hope you meant WRX STI and Lancer Evo..but you're still comparing two FI cars with a NA car. Looks wise, those two cars look like riced up econo boxes. Speed isn't everything. There will be plenty of aftermarket turbos/SS/ecu/ etc out for the Z anyway, so the speed thing will be remedied for me in a few months. I've already put money aside for one .

btw, nissan has no plans at this time for a TT 350z. The reason is that it puts the price too close to that of the old 300z which was too expensive to sell.

 

how many miles do you have?

my dad only put on 2000 miles before i saw the front end start to chip and peel away

sidemarker

 

i think those cars will get better launches and better 0-60 range but im pretty sure at the end of the quarter mile the Z will close the gap to maybe a car length

when i took my cl-s to the track the wrx always got like a 5 car jump but that puppy has no high end speed after 60 i kept creepin and creepin

i think from a highway race the Z will eventually take the wrx

sidemarker

 

well i am assuming the 2 cars will drive very similar. its just i need the extra 2 seats.

i am liking the RWD and 6 speed MT and the g35 offers that.

sidemarker

 

I don't have any chips whatsoever at 1400 miles. Then again, I had the front bumper professionally stripped and repainted with only 15 miles on the car. The dealer scraped up my bumper on a curb during delivery. You're not the first person I've heard mention this as a problem, so I'm not saying it doesn't exist, it was your description of the problem that had me confused 'wiping off of the paint' sounded like a peeling issue.

I also thought you were insinuating that this has something to do with the materials used for the bumper rather than the paint quality. That didn't make much sense to me; its urethane just like every other car out there. I really think the Z's bumper gets chipped alot because of the perpendicular angle of the bumper in relation to the road...the point of impact absorbs 100% of an object's impact with very minimal deflection. I also don't use my Z as a daily driver, so I'm also not in the bumper to bumper commute where these chips normally happen. Sucks about your dad's Z, has Nissan done anything to try and resolve the problem for him?

 

I got my Z at $700 under MSRP. They are more willing to lower the price now that the car is not brand new.

I wasn't too crazy about the Z until I took it for a test drive. But after driving it, the power/handling is outstanding.

1SICKLEX? Big deal if your Lexus meets it on the Skidpad (means nothing). No Lexus will take a Z at the track. Look at the Latest R&T. The Z BEAT a 911 and the M3 at the track and only losing to the Z06 by fractions of a second. Show me a Lexus that can do that. Also, the Z is faster in the 1/4 period.

The interior of the Z is nothing special, but it's functional. It also has more head room that my CLS, and my friend who is 6'1 had no problem fitting inside.

The car is about performance, and I think it fits the bill nicely. It feels like a V8 which provides an overall superior driving experience around town than a Turbo such as the WRX.

The CLS is more Lux, but I decided I wanted a pure sports car.

 

True, they are turbo'd cars but they have what 2.0 liters to the Zs 3.5. And the 3.5 has more HP anyway. I am comparing price points. Greddy has a Turbo for the Z already, correct? Nismo will bring the S-tune car stateside hopefully as well.A GS 400.I won't argue this point stock vs stock. Maybe I was expecting more from the Z, I dunno. I mean 3300lbs, why does it weigh as much as an Altima? If it was 300lbs lighter, the car would be a BEAST. Agreed, the turbos lose all their steam 100+ stock.

I guess we'll see this spring at the track!

 

Then the price would probably shoot up.

 

Thats pretty normal for nissan paint.

 

you guys need to realize what your comparing it to. The car is a steal, its really cheap. Of course your not going to get the interior of a bmw, but for what it costs, i think its sweeeeet

 

Nissan paint quality has been a problem for many years ... just go to the Maxima board and see all the complaints about the paint. But it doesn't appear to be that much worse than Acura.

 

why does it seem like every Z thread on this board ends in people bitching about the paint or interior. Move on. The car is a great deal. That's why it and the g35c got car of the year awards. You can't talk shit until you actually take one out on a twisty back road and open it up. This is a drivers car. Best fun i've ever had in a car (cept for gettig laid). I wish more people could get a chance behind the wheel; i'm sure their opinions would change very quickly.

 

I agree 100%. I was one of those people who complained that the interior was crap, the door handles were ugly (I still feel they are), etc...

Well, I decided to take it out for a test drive, and I couldn't get it out of my mind. That's why I replaced my CL with the Z

 

Well, they are stating there opinion. And all I can say is they aren't lieing. The quality that Nissan has left from 1994 to now, sucks.

 

I would never buy a Z over a CL-S or G35C. The G35C is a better car overall than the Z. Also cheaper.

29k with Brembo brakes, etc on the G35C in 6spd. The Z, 35k for all that.

 

WOW, It's been a couple of weeks since I browsed this board, but looks like alot of people are crossing over, ME INCLUDED..... LOL..... Got mine on 2/16/03, and loved every minute of it..... I LOVED my CL-P but I think It was time to move on.....

I wasn't sold on it right away, till I went to the dealer and looked at one up close...... Now, I think this car is perfect as is. NO need for a kit and at the very least new bigger rims.....

Yea it's not as comfy as the CL but it's not really that bad either. Cuz after I let go of that clutch and take off nothing else really matters....... (That kinda sounded F&F, didn't it?)

 

I looked into both cars. The G35c with the 6 speed is not 29k. It's ~34k for the 6-speed model. I don't need Brembo brakes, and the Z has more power, looks better IMO, and is lighter. I just felt for the 30k I spent, I got a better value than the G35c. To each his own though.. That's why they make them both.

 

haha do you just pull this shit right out of your ass? seriously i'm not even going to bother to try and correct you this time, because everyone already knows the figures you posted above are BS. I'm only mentioning it because I'm curious if the alternate universe where you got this info is the same one that had several car magazines choose your car as 'car of the year' based soley on its 'superb' interior and 'exemplary' paint job?

 

Everybody is making its speed its selling point I don't think the Z can take my car and I have an auto. Granted I did a little modification but Nissan did every possible mod. for that car and still can't do sub 14 sec. In my opinion that car will not retain its value because it started out too cheap. Not only that but Nissan loves to come out with new version of cars that beat its predecessor. The Altima for example has effected the sales of the Maxima and when the new Pathfinder with the 240 HP came out they couldn't give the 170 HP ones away. Don't know exactly why but a car has to be somewhat expensive for it to retain its value if the company is giving them away nobody would want to buy used. I know Im not wording this correctly but I'll post it anyways

 

Lou, better do some more research, Z's are trapping high 13's. Even with your headers you're gonna get smoked. Wow this is going to be an enjoyable race.

 

Oh shit Zeroday those are pics of your car yo that looks HOT!!!! Damn I take that back dude that looks good did that color leather come stock looks perfect with the silver very nice Ive never seen that combo. VERY NICE!!! Don't mind me I'll just be gazing at your pics.......LATEr

 

The Z is such a beast! The one time I was riding in one I thought I was going to have an org. Once you get over 4000 RPMs the engine sounds soo incredibly amazing. This car is definately worth its price and no matter what anyone says .. it has really nice interior.

 

hey lou! how's it goin playa!

 

haha yeah lou that's my ride, thanks for the props, it's not that often Z's get any lovin around here so Ill take what I can get . It's got the stock 'burnt orange' leather seats...really 'pops' the interior IMO. I haven't seen too many with the same combo...usually the orange leather is found in the black and lemans sunset touring Z's (aka pimp daddy gold )