Wow! What a ride! I bought my 8 in Feb of '04 and was also considering a Z at the time. Somehow I was much more impressed with the Z this time around while the last time I test drove one it didn't do anything for me. Perhaps it is my yearning for some low end power that made it seem a lot better this time. I don't know. They also made some improvements to the interior. It seems to be of a higher quality than years past, but I still think the 8 is a little better. Also, you've got to see the new solar orange color in person. It's insane! Pictures don't do that color justice. It "shimmers" in the sunlight. I may have to think long and hard about this. I have been waiting for the MS8, but for emissions reasons or whatever else the problem is, I don't think it will hapopen anytime soon. The dealer already wanted to deal on the Z. He offered $200 under invoice on the Z and blue book for my 8.

 

Change is good, do it!

 

Just go with what fits your needs. Raw power, nice handling? The Z sounds like a great car for that. Rotary up to 9000, 2 extra seats, tossability and looks? 8.

The money loss you might have with a trade-in may be the same cost of a turbo kit, btw.

 

Nissan has been improving the Z constantly, I have not drive one for over 2 years but the little tweaks the made to the handling are supposed to make for a more enjoyable car. Take a week to think about then go back and testdrive again, maybe even test a couple other cars, and then make your decision.

 

might want to wait till they unveil the new G coupe at the NY auto show in April as well if you have the patience to wait...

 

I know the 2007 350z's have been upgraded. They now have, as others above have posted, more HP and refined handling but I found this article comparing the 2003 RX8 vs. 2003 350z and was a good read.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...pageId=57427#2

BTW, sorry if it's a repost.

 

Thats a really good offer from the dealer. Blue book and $200 below invoice. But I can't drive a day with out seeing a Z next to me. THe 8 is not around as much. I like the Z but its my neighbors, cousins, uncles, brothers, dad, co workers, and friends car.

 

Nissan has made steady and consistent improvements to the Z. Mazda has pretty much sat on its **** on the 8.

 

yup, mazda is concentrating more n their main market. though the rx8 is the flagship, they are trying to get a mainstay in the market with their mazdaspeed divisions and family vehicles. Though the rx8 hasnt been refined, who knows what may come next for their flagship rotaries. But to think about it, theres little that can be done to the 8 power wise just because we're maxed out on a N/A 2 rotor. Once we try to add a turbo or supercharger, reliability drops, cost are higher and we're going to hear bit*hing about gas mileage, reliability and so fourth. Keeping the rx8 N/A is a great idea to keep it running reliable and i couldnt be anymore happier. I'm sure if our cars had a piston engine, there are many things to do to increase power and etc.

 

Yup, can't wait for the 2.3 liter 300hp MX8...

 

I saw that color at the auto show last week. It is insane. I loved it. My wife thought I was insane. Talk about cop bait!

I still like that car. I drove one the same day I drove my first 8 and originally tried buying the Z. Long story short I endend up with the 8 and I'm very happy.

The interior is improved but still way behing the 8 IMO.

 

I test drove an '06 and just could not justify getting it over a RX8. If I were to go back to the Nissan banner, it would have to be a GTR... To bad Mazda has not decided what they will do with the RX7 (or maybe they have)....

 

Nissan has done a good job continiously updating the Z. I like the car, I just wish it was lighter weight.

When the all new Z comes out i 2009ish it will be something I may look at if the platform gets lighter like I think it might.

 

I like the Z.

Having said that, the cliche' Japanese Camaro really is true.

 

<from Tony @ Moytordyne, dynopack is reading a bit high but the delta is whats important>

The 2007 VQ HR dyno results!

Comparative dynos of the NON-REVUP AT and the REVUP MT have been included to illustrate the relative differences of the three engines.
As you can see in the plots below the 2007 HR engine completely shadows the prior generations in both peak power, torque and in area under the curve by a very large margin.

I've seen both the prior engines with all the boltons can do similar numbers to eachother, but the HR engine greatly exceeds what any amount of boltons can do to the other engines.

Congratulations to Nissan for really stepping up to the plate and doing a great job on this latest engine. Let the modding begin!


2004 AT Vs 2007 AT
http://www.motordyneengineering.com/images/HR_Vs_NON_REVUP.gif



2005 MT Vs 2007 AT
http://www.motordyneengineering.com/...R_Vs_REVUP.gif



And the HR 6MT on the same dyno.

[/QUOTE]

 

If I only needed a 2 seat car a Z would have been high on the list next to a used Z4.

 

The Z is FUGLY, has no room, and STILL has a cheap interior. It's heavy, and still suffers from understeering in its lower-priced models (higher priced models have wider front and rear wheels). Nissan has increased the power, but the best changes have come from changes made to the shock valving.

That said, I do like the Infinity G35! :D I think that's an attractive car with great "curb appeal".

You have to realize that when Nissan planned the Z, there were no RWD Japanese performance cars. They brought something to market which filled a gap, but didn't have the best interior, room, or at-the-limit handling. Then, immediately, there was the RX-8 and the Z, and in the AWD department, the Subie and Mitsu mini-monsters. Add in the 300+ horsepower Mustang with it's radically improved suspension and you've got a real dogfight in the market. Nissan has constantly worked to improve their car with changes which do not require additional US crash-testing. Mazda has made zero changes, and it's hurt their RX-8 sales. I still bought one though! :D Handling, braking, and interior room won out over torque in my decision.

I'm holding my breath for the new US-bound Skyline because 1. my income might allow such a purchase and 2. it's an f-ing Skyline and 3. companies will give me **** just to have their product on display! If I get rid of my 8, that and the new Evo X will be the only two cars I'd consider.

 

when the Z was released japan already had the rx7 (spirit R no less), the silvia, skyline gts,and the nsx.

 

I should have specified "new RWD JDM cars in the US". I'd forgotten about the NSX and it's, what, $90k pricetag. Oh, and the Z wasn't designed for Japan. After all, Nissan already had the R34 Skyline (but I believe Silvia production ended in 2001) which seats 4 (it's considered rude in Japan to NOT be able to take your friends along) and pretty much stomps the hell out of any Z built so far.

So Nissan designed and built a 2 seat, 2WD, non-turbocharged, V6-powered torquy car when they're best known for their turbocharged, high-revving I4 and I6 engines, AWD, and 4-wheel steering. Still think this car was designed for Japan? It wasn't. It was designed for the US market.

AND... this new G35 platform actually IS the new Skyline in Japan, where the tuners have ROUNDLY ignored it.

 

Don't get me wrong...I love my 8. But I've had it for a tad over three years now, and I love cars, so I am at the time where I'm starting to itch for something new, and the 8 is paid off so I'm in good shape. A lot of you have commented on how Nissan has constantly beeen tweaking the Z year after year making it better, and I agree. At the same time I am disappointed that Mazda hasn't done the same with the 8. I hardly consider new colors an imporvement. I'm still deciding if I should pull the trigger or not. I'll probably sit on it for at least another month. I don't feel like buying another set of winter tires for this season anymore (just in case). Where I live in I might see one 8 every couple of weeks and maybe 1 Z per month, so they are both pretty rare. I know that orange will be a head turner for sure, especially since there are no Zs around to start with. I know the HP is slightly improved for this year, but I don't think that is the reason the car felt so much better this time around. I don't think I can even put my finger on it, it just did. I definitely have nothing against Mazda, and I'd definitely be interested in a MS 8 or a new RX-7 if they ever come up with one. I just don't know if I feel like waiting for a definitive answer from mazda anymore.

 

I agree with everything you said except this statement above. When it comes to engines, Nissan is most widely known for their vaunted V6, which has been around in one form or another for over 20 years. And of course, Ward's 10 best engines for the past 10-15 years.

No offense, but I think you're a Skyline GTR and/or 240SX fan, not a Nissan fan.

 

I personally dislike the new hood. But it definitely is a nice car. Looks like the dealer offered you a very good deal. Blue book on the RX-8? Wow. That's just awesome.

 

I think you should hold out one more year. There are going to be a shitload of new cars hitting the market in 2008.

 

+1 jerky.. also


if u were gonna go for a Z.. yes its a nice car and they have made some nice improvments.. however.. of the 07 models.. id def go with the G35 AWD sedan..same engine.. allwheel drive.. and you got a very nice lookin car.. back seats and a much higher quality interior..

 

Doesn't anyone find it funny that Nissan keeps making little changes to the Z every year? It has to contuinally upgrade the sum of it's parts in order to stay current. The RX-8, however, does not. The car was built with better qualitly from the get-go. Plus, wouldn't it suck if you owned a 2003 350Z and the next years one is better, and so on and so fourth, until now when your car is really outdated because the newest Z has more HP and better interoir qualitly. That would suck!
And I'm not a Z-Hater at all. In fact, they were the first car I ever fell in love with (then the RX-7 after that). In fact, I own a 1974 260Z. They're great cars, but I love the rotary too much.
Plus, I think the Z looks like an overweight cheerleader. Just too much dress for all that mass. The Z weights a lot- over 3600lbs, too, and has no back seats and little cargo capacity to speak of.
And they aren't the powerhouse everyone thinks they are. To get over 400-rwhp, you need to put $10,000 into building the engine- forged internals, blueprinted and balanced, new everything basically.
I'll stick with my 8. Althought I do have to admit the upcoming GT-R looks damn sexy and it's 450-hp twin-turbo V-6 outta be a barrel of monkeys, but I can't imagine the dealer markups! The "rumored" MSRP is around $65,000-$70k or so I hear (From Road & Track). The dealer markups will be crazy, atleast $15k. I think someone would be extremely lucky to get an OTD price under $90,000. I remember for the first few months the 350Z was on sale dealers marked it up over $10k over MSRP, and still today it's hard to get a 350 at MSRP.