23109VC

Well...I'm not trying to start another RX8 vs. 350Z thread... just posting my recent observations.

Any of you who have followed my "noob" threads know that I am in the market for a sporty car. I'm looking at stuff like the S2000, 350Z, RX8.

I test drove an RX8 a while back at the dealer and LOVED it. The car was so much fun. It felt good to sit in, the shifter was great, the steering was great...everythign about the car was fun. Yeah, it lacked torque and it never "shoved me back in my seat"...but zinging it to 9k and zig zaging through some twisties....made up for it. the test drive went through some small backroads that were PERFECT for the RX8. by the end of the test drive, i really wanted to buy one... of course i wasn't ready and had other cars to checdk out..but the test drive sold me on the car.

now this past weekend i was visting family/friends over the easter holiday. a relative just picked up a 350Z. i was checking it out and was offered to "take it for a spin". of course i said yes. I was expecting the thing to feel really fast..but in all honesty, it didn't feel that quick. now granted there was a big gap between my RX8 test drive and this 350Z test drive..but i've driven a ton of cars..and my last car was a high hp sports sedan...i have a turbo volvo sedan as my current "beater" which has roughly 250hp/250lb torque in 3200lbs... and that car can shove you in the seat...i've driven corvettes, boxsters, first gen rx7s, second ge4n turbo RX7s, third gen RX7s, miatas, crotch rockets... i've driven a lot of stuff..some fast, some REALLY fast...some great handling, some ok handling...

anyway... bottom line..the RX8 is a better car than the Z. the Z did not feel that fast. it felt much "cheaper" inside. the shifter was total crap. it felt spongy and lifeless. the steering was ok...handling seemed good..but it felt too stiff. great for a track day, sucky for a commuter car. it felt REALLY cramped inside too. from the outside it looks big...but inside it's VERY tight. and i'm only 5'9"...so i'm not THAT tall and I felt cramped.

if i were buying..or leasing..and spending hard earned money for a fun car...and was consdiering the 350Z or the RX8.... no contest. I'd take the 8. the 350Z isn't all THAT much faster..if at all..and the overall feel/fun factor is not even close.

the Z felt cheap and clunky and not much fun. the RX8 was nicer inside, more fun to drive... maybe in a drag the Z would win...but it woudln't be enough of a difference to make me switch.

now I have been inside an EVO..and that was hands down a TON faster than an 8...but i haven't driven one...i wa a passenger..and it scared teh crap out of me the guy drove so fast...and through some of the turns..the thing was friggin amazing...it was squeeling all four tires drifting through a turn going so fast my brain said we should be sliding off the road and going into a tree...but the darn thing just held it's line and powere through...amazing... not sure an 8 can do THAT....... but i don't lke how the evo looks...not the image i'm after.

but z vs 8... 8 all the way. and i don't own either..just an objective consumer.

mattvit

i concur.......test drove both cars, and end result....i bought the 8.......everything 23109VC said, is exactly how i felt about the Z when i tried it......i think its WAY over rated, while the RX-8 is too under rated. just my opinion.

Endgame

Amen.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

lets not let all that get out just yet. i need the retail values to stay low for a little while longer until i get one.

buzzardsluck

i dont think the 350 is POS, the fact there are so many show thats it not.

that said, i planned to buy a 350 until I drove one (even test drove another thinking maybe I got lemon the first time). later that day i drove an 8 and owned one maybe 2 weeks.

cLLcLe

Well, I personally think the 350Z got much more publicity than the 8.
Mazda also had a pretty crappy reputation before their entire new line-up so that didn't help it's sell too.
And the numbers didn't help the rx-8 either.
But, I'm not saying 350z is a POS either. Just saying you can't base it on the fact that alot of people drive it.

CarAndDriver

I'm sure some of the Z folks would say the same thing about the 8.

captain mercury

word. friend and i swapped cars for a short drive and his 350z was boring, and (ive heard this word used before) piggish. plus the interior was crap.

TheKDog

I had the same thoughts about the G35- notchy shifter, bad ride quality and the handling was nothing special. But the interior was nice.

bsteimel

iTrader: (5)

plus you can't do this in a Z (see attached picture), picked up a new desk chair today.

i was first scared that it might not fit but i had no trouble at all getting it in or out. I could have fit something even bigger in the car.

TRUOMEGA

preach on brother!!!! Tell it on the mountain!!!!
Seriously though. Does the same hold true for the g35 or did they change anything (with the exception of the rear seats). I wonder if the g35 is much different than the 350 z such as handeling, performance, comfort, etc.....

Crazy Rx-8 Driver

lol now that's a sedan used properly! lol

mjd

I test drove an '07 solar orange Z coupe a couple of weeks ago. I was strongly considering it when I bought my 8 in '04, and again recently. I agree with previous posts. I'm still not sold on the Z, and it seriously didn't really feel much faster than my 8. I think the worst thing for me was the fact that you can't see anything out of that car. You can hardly see out of the back window, and the side blind spots are huge. The ride was ok and everything, but I don't know...I like the Z and don't like it at the same time. I won't be getting one, now Im pretty much just looking to get into another 8.

saturn

And yet, that's exactly what you did. "Good job."

Cattywampus

Yeah and my rx-8 gets more *** than a toilet seat. Sorry had to add that

mac11

iTrader: (1)

you must be a luwak harvester

Groundrush

Referring to the Z as a POS is maybe a bit harsh. I owned a Maxima for 8 years before I got my RX8, put 192k miles on it...the damn thing was bulletproof...it still ran great when I traded it in. Nissan makes a nice car, and I would have probably gotten a Z if it had a back seat. That said, I still love my 8, and wouldn't trade for any other car currently on the road.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

I have owned two Maximas and a 280ZX. All were very reliable. Oh, and the Z may not "feel" faster but it sure as hell is. Too bad it does not have a back seat. Oh, and I agree about the blind spots.

tiggerlee

Not to mention the fact he posted it in RX8 Discussion.

23109VC

my next car to drive is the S2000. totally LESS practical than the 8, but in my opinion, just as Impractical as a 350Z and probably loads more fun.

the cars I like bread down this way.

RX8
S2000
EVO

I like the image/look/fun factor of the RX8. and I love the practical nature of it. It's a sports car...but it's not. I can fit the kids back there on the rare occasion I need to..but for most of the time I will be behind the wheel it will feel and be like a cool 2 seater sports car.

I like the top down nature of th S2000. i live in so cal and a roadster would be sooo much fun. but the money ti costs to get one is $$ for acar that is so VERY UN-practical. it would really be more suited as a third car.

the EVO is the brusier of the bunch. bone stock it is sick fast, and can handle great. it has larger rear seats...and a more usable trunk...but it looks like a boy racer on steroids...not what you would expect of a 35 year old professional to be driving. yeah k know a lot of "grown ups" drive them...but it just looks so ricey.

the RX8 is the nicest blend of fun/practicality.... my only peeve is that they depreciate like a brick and the lease terms aren't all that great. i've been shopping around and a car with invoice under 30k...costs almost the same to lease as an S2000 that in my on[pin is a more expensive, better performaing, mroe reliable car. the RX should be cheaper... on a purchase it would be..but i want to lease and dyump it....

j67345

if you are going to lease and dump it, why do you care about resale value?

dillsrotary

i really like the 350z

























+1 post count!

The_Bark

My first car was a 1985 Nissan Pulsar NX. Loved to bang that thing around for what it was worth (not much). That being said, when I got rid of it (gave it to my sister), it had 176,000 miles on it and never failed to start up once, even during -20 degree temperatures. Because of that, I'll always feel some sort of admiration for Nissan.

When it comes to the 350z, I haven't driven one, but have seen enough around and up close to realize I prefer the looks of the previous generation over the new one. The latest incarnation looks like a poor man's Porsche, with it's sloped backside. I think the newer ones look quite a bit better when there's a spoiler attached, but all in all, I got my 8 because it had more of what I wanted with the practicality one can't find in cramped two-seaters.

NoTears316

meh

saturn

I dislike pie.