DailyDriver2k5

Alien Blender? Wow ...i really thought the Z had a pretty good exhaust note,granted the earlier Z's had that nasty harsh engine noise in the upper rpm , but Nissan tuned that throughout the life span of the Z. IMO the 350Z has always had a good sounding exhaust note from day one.

Carrera26

^^^Alien Blender = Rotary. The 350Z does sound pretty friggin nice...

You guys are all so used to the Rotary sound now. I hadn't heard one in years until that day. I liked it, but it just seemed so very different. Also, I had driven a 2005 Mustang GT right before it, so V8 --> Rotary was an awful big change...

Tirminyl

Z fan here! I would have gotten a Z but decided on having a car with a bit more room instead.

dmc27

I just thought it was funny that the rotary note was not just a blender, but an alien blender.

Phantom Menace

You ever come up to SF and sure. I'll let you drive my Z. Just don't drive it like a "test drive!"

Sunset ZR

Interesting there is a thread just like this one on my350z.com that appreciates the 8. As for the looks of the Z and being bloated or a bathtub I obviously disagree. I like the ZR especially in Sunset color, but put the top down and the car is pure joy. I have bought plent of cars now over my driving span and have gone back and forth between Mazda and Nissan the whole way. If I can convince the wife, I would love to sell the P5 and Millenia and replace with an 8. Probably already would have but keep thinking that right as I do they are going to announce the next best RX-8.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Both are sexy car sbut the back seats seal the deal for the family men. The exhaust note of the Z is one of the sexiest of any engine. I hate it when i line up to a Z because they just sound so damn good. I know the sound of a car means little but some exhaust notes just raises the hair on my arms.

Bloated?

imput1234

iTrader: (6)

I haven't driven one, but have wanted to.
But from what I have heard
the Z is very powerful, but wears you out when you drive it because of the shitty gearbox.
And doesnt handle as well as the RX8, but because of the power will beat it every time.

Phantom Menace

Sounds like a stamina/endurance problem, not a gearbox problem to me. If shifting gears wears someone out--then they're out of shape to begin with.

True, the Z's gearbox isn't as smooth as the 8 and the shift throw in not as short, but compared to other cars it's still pretty good. The steering feels heavier and the wheel takes more effort to turn, but it is far from a "workout" or to the point where I'm "worn-out." Just hit the gym couple'a times a week and driving won't be so tiring.

NoTears316

Werd

TheKDog

I don't dislike it, but after owning a Nissan previously (Spec V) and test driving a G35 I had no interest in it.

The guy is exaggerating about the gearbox, but it is true that it is notchy. Reminded me of the Spec V gearbox.

I think it looks great though. To me it looks more aggressive and sporty than the 8.

CarAndDriver

Thanks! I have proof of insurance.

Phantom Menace

I go down to Monterey ever now and again to dive. If you come up for a drive, maybe I can go down for a beer or ten?

DailyDriver2k5

Well compared to many sports cars out there, the 350Z has a porkish look to it. Line the 350Z to any other Z bretheren, and the 350 is not sleek at all. Especially compared to the Z32. Line it up to most sports cars on the road and it heavy and porkish looking. If the Z was one of those concept Z cars that i posted a few post up,then i would be owning a 350Z as we speak along with my RX-8. But because Goshen was trying to save Nissan in 1999, he decided to make a japanese mustang, cheap,multi platform sports car that the masses could enjoy. 7 years later i think he accomplished his goal. Nissan is now out of trouble , and in reality, Goshen probally would have sold us the Z of present a '07 Z with all the bells and whistles and refinements, but back in 1999 he couldn't because of expense....but it still no excuse to skimp on exterior design IMO.

A car enthusiast/reviewer for European Car magazine said it best about the 350Z, and he said,The design of the 350 Z is more of a timely design instead of a timeless design of the Z32. My thoughts exactly.....till this day i can look at a clean Z32 TT or N/A and it will always turn my head. When i got rid of mine 3 years ago, which was 2004 , before i got rid of mine people would flock to my car and ask me, is at a Lamborgini, Ferrari or some Euro exotic. When i travel with my buddy , my RX-8 gets more talk time than his 350Z, he hates it because i usually spend 5-10 minutes explaining about my car to intrested ones. As i said before...i really hope Nissan gets it right with the next design. They need to make it sleek and wide again like the Z32, not porkish and thick.

Like this example:

The Z vert is horrible looking IMO .... compared to a S2000, Miata, Solstice,Z4,911/Boxter, Corvette, Ferrari,etc.. convertables out there. Its a bathtub on wheels with a happy smiley face.

No thanks....i'll pass on the cheese.

diabolical1

i, too, think the Z33 a bit generic-looking and "porkish" (i liked that one :D), that's not to say that i still don't think it's good looking. the Z32 looked and acted it's role - a sports car - and that is something i just think is missing from the Z33. it seems to be a bit of a bastardization. i see many German styling cues in it and it seemed to drive like my Mom's '04 Accord (which, i love to drive, by the way) - which is what i was referring to when i said it lacked a soul.

i think sports cars as a whole, as i like them, are dead. there are places that i think the Rx-8 is lacking, too. however, since it didn't really "replace" the Rx-7 per se, i think it's appropriate for what it is - and successful, too. it's just that i think the Rx-8 held some of the remnants of it's history, while starting something contemporary, whereas the i think the Z severed all ties with it's past, with the exception of it's name. would i still buy one though? hell yeah! that San Marino Blue speaks to me as i type this.

CarAndDriver

There is not a lot of 8 drivers down here on the site, but I'd definitely be up for getting together.

The Bay is a great place to dive, unfortunately I've only done it once and it was not around here.

RX26b

True, but I think that's been the trend for sporty cars for a while now. The greenhouse has shrunk, while the body panels are more bulged-out looking, while extending higher up than before, giving the person a sitting-in-an-old-style-porcelain-bathtub feel....the complete opposite of riding in an NSX- a car that makes the driver not feel like he's sunk down to the point of the walls (panels) suffocating him. I personally don't like that generic look in general, as it draws those types of cars closer in stature to their sibling trucks.

Last time I saw a Z32 up close in the Nissan dealer lot a few years ago, I wouldn't describe it as timeless as I thought it would be (given that since the Z32's intro in '89, all the way into this millenium, I never thought the car outdated itself). Surprisingly to me, next to the new model, it did look dated. That's not to say the styling of the current car is better; it is, as you said timed for its era.

Though not a big fan of the concepts you posted on the other page (maybe because there are lots of Eclipse elements, which end up bringing the look downmarket) with some tweaking I think that type of style does look better than the status quo.

Though they did post record profits (in the billions) for '05, their sales are currently declining; maybe a result of the bland-looking product line. It looks to me that other than the GTR there's nothing exciting debuting in the next few years for Nissan. Maybe Carlos isn't the savior people (especially those that so desperately wanted to recruit him into the American car industry) thought he was.

DaveCM203

I don't hate the 350Z. I simply cannot drive one since I am 6'2". I could never get the seat set so that I could shift and brake properly. So, it became a no brainer between the two.

Rosko350z

I thought this was the "I don't hate the 350Z thread"

I've known quite a few Z32 guys, and none of them like the Z33. One of these old Z enthusiasts approached a forum member of my350z.com and told him his car was not a real Z. LOL. Hilarious.

As RX8 fans you might be intrigued to know that this beautiful old Z32 weighs 300 pounds more than a 350z. THat's 100 pounds more than the difference in weight between a 350z and a RX8. Folks fondly remember that big turbo and how that car could be modified so easily, but honestly, it's more of a Japanese Mustang than the 350z is. As soon as it hits a corner, the 350z waves bye-bye.

Is it prettier? Hell, I don't know. The eye of the beholder and all that.

Oh, and I'm 6'2, yet somehow find it pretty easy to fit in my 350 ... even with a helmet on no less.

imput1234

iTrader: (6)

Thats not what I think, but what my friend told me about the Z when he test drove it.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

I was gonna say because my friend is well over 6ft and has never complained about his 350Z feeling cramped. He also autox's a lot.

MoodDude

Hi everyone - I have a Z, so if any of you have a question about the car, let me know. I also love the RX-8, but when purchasing a car I think the pro's and con's all lead us to a different car.
The three things I wish the 350Z came with that the RX-8 has: lighter wieght, camber adjustment in front, and caster adjustment.
The things I wish the RX-8 came with that the 350Z has: more torque, more head room, pistons, and less triangles displayed all over the place.

Please don't read any of my comments as negative, this is just the list I went through. When I narrowed down the field between the 8 and the Z.
If I had to buy a new car today, I would probably pick the 8 since they made the Z even heavier now.

Phantom Menace

They also gave the b!tch 306BHP and 268FT/LBS!


Why is it that a "I don't hate 350z club" thread, undoubtedly and inevitably, turns into a RX8 vs. 350Z thread?

You guys...if anything ya'lls consistent...I'm going to start a "I don't hate S2Ks" thread in a minute. How much you wanna make a dollar-bet that it'll turn into a "RX8 vs. S2K" thread by 2-3 posts?

MoodDude

The 350Z 287hp engine will actually beat the 306hp engine due to the fact that the 306hp engine is tuned for an extremely high RPM. The the 287hp engine has more torque until you get up towards the 6000 to 6500 rpm range. Thus having a car that weights 150# more now even with the extra horse power doesn't help.

Another thing - the Z didn't have any problems with its transmission, it was 100% operator error (not pushing the clutch all the way in). Since the Z has an adjustable clutch pedal, some of the Z's had it adjusted so that you had to have the pedal on the floor.

DailyDriver2k5

The 350Z is a Z car, i just don't like the exterior. Fact: Yes a 350Z will toast a Z32 on the track...but not by much.

300lbs more? Are you sure about that? click here:http://www.300zx.cl/

The source articles from Motortrend, Autoweek,etc . all have the Z weighing in at 3474lbs. There was one that weighed in 3500lbs. But the majority is going with 3474lbs. The 350Z started at a healthy 32xxlbs but now weighs in for '07 stats,http://www.nissanusa.com/z/specifications_coupe.html

base/enth/ tour/ grand
Manual transmission 3,339 3,346 3,400 3,404
Automatic transmission N/A 3,344 3,380 3,391
Weight distribution 53/47 53/47 53/47 53/47

The Z32 TT is heavier yes, 300lbs more no.