A close friend of mine got a new 350Z about 3 weeks ago. It's the Track model (with the lightweight Rays wheels and Brembo brakes) in silver.

Well, after driving this car extensively, I think I've gotta have one. Months ago, I took a Z on a short test drive at my local dealer, and I was unimpressed. The ride was extrememely harsh, the view out the back sucked, and I didn't care for the rear-end styling.

After driving my buddy's Z, the ride on his seems MUCH better. We think the tires on the test-drive car may have been grossly over inflated. His rides really nice (perfect balance of firmness/handling)

The view out the back still sucks, but the rear end styling is growing on me.

But the greatest part of this car is the handling. I'm convinced that it handles better than my E36 M3 did (which I still think handled better than my E46 M3)

I think I'll be a Z owner soon.

 

thats a sweet choice as long as you have another more practical vehicle, which i know you do.

what color? what would be in store for mods?

 

how about the new RX8?

 

I'd take the Z over the RX8. The lines of the RX8 looks funny, but nice engine and suspension though.

 

how does rotary engines in mazdas work?

200+ hp from a 1.3 liter engine?

 

http://travel.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm

 

http://www.keveney.com/Wankel.html

Check this site out it shows exactly how a rotary/wankel engine works. sweet stuff. the site has plenty of other animated engines also.
www.keveney.com

 

Tom2, thats about the best thing ive ever heard you say (j/k). I think i may be going the Z route also in the near future, i love my CLS, but its just not enough....plus with the Greddy turbo already out for the Z, the aftermarket support is gonna blow up in the near future....good luck on your decision.

 

poser! :P

 

this man has some good taste. G35's are pretty, but real men drive Z's

 

Come over to the Dark Side, Tom. You won't regret it.

 

I'm kinda diggin' the Silverstone Track model, with Navi of course

As for mods, well, I dunno yet. The car would probably keep me happy for a long time even without mods.

 

From what I've seen so far, the styling isn't my taste at all...... maybe it will grow on me when I see them hit the streets.

 

Hahahaha.... I've seen you, zeroday and other former CL-S guys over on my350.com. I've been reading the threads there for about a month now....but only reading. I've yet to make my first post.

 

350Z > M3????

 

Let me put it to you this way:

In all honesty, I think a 350Z is equal to, or slightly better than an E36 M3, in terms of performance. They seem neck and neck in acceleration, with a slight edge in pulling power going to the Z.

As far as handling, to me, the Z feels like it can be pushed harder than my M3. I don't know which one would be the hands down winner in a handling contest though..... but by the seat of my pants, the Z seems a bit better.

The E46 M3 is a totally different story. It pulls quite a bit harder than a Z, but I'm fairly confident that the Z could outhandle it. I've always thought the E46 M3 lost a little big of it's edge compared to the E36.

Still though, I shouldn't really be making 350Z/M3 comparisons. They're just too apples and oranges.

 

Originally posted by Tom2
Still though, I shouldn't really be making 350Z/M3 comparisons. They're just too apples and oranges.

Yep, apples and oranges... And the oranges cost amost twice as much as the apples

 

really? maybe I should take one for a test spin....and bring my tire pressure gauge with bleeder valve

The design of the Z is growing on me...seeing it in person helped a lot. Still don't know about the interior though.

Is the suspension different on the track model? Or just the wheels and brakes? I have heard both yes and no about the suspension. I wouldn't get the track one if the suspension wasn't different. Wheels and brakes are easy to upgrade, but getting a suspension that is compliant ridewise and truly great performing isn't always so simple.

 

The Z interior is not luxurious for sure. What it is, though, is clean, functional, and sports-car efficient.

From my initial look at a Z interior in person several months ago I was not blown away either, because the dash and door material looked so different than the CLS I had been driving for the last 2 1/2 years. The door panels are very plain and uncluttered and lack much adornment. But the simple, clean look has grown on me, and it is in perfect character with the car overall. And the material in the headliner looks nicer and more durable than what is in the CLS.

Anyway, I think the interior gets its job done, which is to not distract the you from the enjoyable feel of driving the car.

 

Yea Yea but rumor has it that Red Rider's S/C CL-S owned ur 350 Z and your waiting for the turbo to come out to save face. Who did win that race between you and Red? My money is in RED

 

Tom, any interior quality concerns? I mean isnt it hard for you to come from a 3 Series interior to that of a Z's?

 

Not at all..... a pretty interior was never on my "A" list of importance. As a matter of fact, the interior is the LAST thing I think about when choosing a new car. The exterior styling and performance/road manners are much more important.

But in all honesty, I like the interior of the Z. Yeah, it's a lot of plastic and has plain door panels, but there are things I really like about it, such as the center mounted tachometer, the way the gauge cluster moves along with the tilt steering wheel, and I love the seats!

I also love the center mounted gauges....they bring back memories of a friend's 280Z back in high school....

 

The suspension is the same on all 350Z models.

But to me, the Track model is worth the extra $$$, because of the Brembos and the Rays wheels (which I REALLY like a lot)

You also get the small rear wing and the chin spoiler included with the Track model.

But you can't get leather/heated seats/Bose stereo (which sucks anyway) on the Track.

 

getting the navi makes it look nicer also; no gaping hole in the center of the dash, and a bunch more buttons, plus a cool looking display w/black background. Check out the pics in my sig; i've gotten nothing but compliments on the interior from those that have seen it in person. Aftermarket seats or the stock burnt orange leather also help spice it up a bit.

 

Tom...

I absolutely LOVE my Z. I've had it 3 months now and I still like it as much as day 1. The handling is amazing. I remember reading Road and Track a few months ago and they put the Z up against the 911 Carerra, E46 M3 and a Z06. The Z outhandled the 911 and M3 and came very close to the Z06 at the track. In the same issue, the Z out handled a S2000 at the same track - I know it's just a magazine, but it shows that it probably does at least equal the handling of a M3.

In regards to the Z's interior, I actually like it. It's clean, functional and I love the aluminum. I actually got more compliments on my Z's interior than my CL's. The plastic quality could improve, but it's better than an Altima.

In regards to handling, Automobile Mag had the same issue. They at first said the ride was unbearable, and then they realized the tires were overinflated. After they put it to stock pressure, the ride improved.

I think the Z is a good choice if you decide to go that route.

 

The suspension is the same on all 350Z models.

But to me, the Track model is worth the extra $$$, because of the Brembos and the Rays wheels (which I REALLY like a lot)


just a thought....couldn't you get nice brake and wheels for less than the difference in price of track and base model? Not to say the Rays wheels and Brembos aren't nice, but you could personalize it some more otherwise.

 

btw...don't get a touring model. It's just not worth the extra money to be perfectly honest. The Bose radio is pretty weak. If you want heated leather seats go to www.katzkin.com. If I could do it again, I'd have gotten a track and added aftermarket leather and an Alpine radio like cusdaddy's. Oh well thems the breaks!

 

Congrats. ALthough if i had to make the choice now, i'd would probably choose the rx8. Nothing like the sound of a rotary engine at 8000rpms

 

you know with all due respect to the z, and all, I don't know how you can pass up on the lancer evo/wrx sti right now! they actually cost less than the track model Z, and offer loads more in the area of speed, and handling. I mean how can you argue with LOW 13's stock, and mid 12's with just a boost controller? combine it all with ALL-WEATHER versitility, and you have a sports sedan for all 12 months of the year!

PLUS you can't argue with a car that isn't scared to get all muddied up and dirty on a mud filled twisty country road!

 

________________________________
Real Men drive 4 seaters, plenty room for the bitches...
while ur stuck with ur wife in the car

 

rx8's are relatively sloooo...if you want a rotary sportscar built by ford, wait for the rx7. I'd take the one I saw in X2 tho...

 

If you're going to rally race then the Evo/STi's are a sure bet but the Z will outhandle both with relative ease. I just saw a Z yesterday @ Etown that ran a 13.1 second ET with basic boltons. I'd be eager to see what the boosted ones would run.

The Evo is an Evo under the hood but just a plain Lancer in the interior (exc. seats).

 

Well, if you only compare the BASE model and TRACK model, then yes, you're correct. You could easily get wheels and big brakes cheaper on a BASE model for less money than the TRACK.

But I would never even consider the BASE model. It's missing all kinds of stuff that I like..... it doesn't even have a limited slip diff or xenon headlights. No way I'd buy a BASE model.

 

Sorry, but the EVO and STI are ugly and look like kids cars to me. Sure, they may be fast, but I'm not looking for the Fast And The Furious....if you know what I mean.

And do you really think they'd outhandle a Z? I dunno about that....

 

I beg to differ! I think an sti/evo would murder a Z in the twisties. thats just my gut feeling. If you think the bolt on ET for the z was amazing, just buy a boost controler, and apexi air/fuel controler for your lancer, and they put down 12.5 or less at the track! WAY BETTER BANG FOR YOUR BUCK with 4 seats, 4 doors, and all weather versitility.