I had a great opportunity to compare two pretty nice cars, the RX8 GT ( which I own ) and the Nissan 350Z.
I've had my 8 for a year now, just love the car and still get excited getting behind the wheel.
My buddy is in the market for a similar set of wheels, he knew nothing about the 8 but had spent a bit of time with the 350Z.
We took my 8 for a good run with him driving and later that day he brought over the 350Z.
No question the 8 is finished better, it has more extras, better sound, handling is miles ahead of the Nissan.
Anyway my pal bought the 350Z, he never said too much as far as why he chose the Nissan. He mumbled a bit about rotary engines and poor gas mileage.
To compare the car he bought against the 8 at the Mazda dealership, well the difference was substantial, no question.
His Nissan cost him $ 34,500.00 it had 13,000 kilometers on it ( 2008 model ) the beautiful RX8 that was available, same year with 9,000 kilometers the dealer had a $ 23,900.00 sticker price on it.
Well how much gas can you buy for $ 10,600.00 ??? under no circumstances is that Nissan ( as nice a car as it is ) worth that amount more than an RX8.
To be honest other than some pretty awesome torque that 350 has, it really isn't close to the car the RX8 is.
Anyway that's my humble opinion,,,,the 350 drove like a heavy tank !

 

I for one would love to test drive a Z. I want to compare it to my 8 as well. It can't be THAT bad compared to an RX8 lol

 

There was another thread like this just the other day............seemed to come to the same conclusion in the end.

 

that 350z's are a pos? i agree, end of thread

 

I drove one before. the torque is undeniable, you can feel it in every gear. sadly the whole thing is not as refined as the eight for several reasons. the steering is a bit numb, the engine makes just some noise (same problem with E46 M3, although the M3 has a much worse chassis, and pretty much everything else.), the shifter feels plastic and not connected (M3 is 10x worse than that, and I hate the click sound when you get in gear).

 

I have been trying to grasp the dichotomy: the 350z is crap, but with a few tweaks it is suddenly the cat's meow (370z)? Or it is more probable that they are more alike than different, and if one doesn't suit your style, then neither will?

 

When I bought my car I was in the market for a 350z. Once I drove the 8 I was no longer in the market for the 350z. The z has good straight line acceleration but absolutely handles like a heavy *** tank. The two cars can't even be compared to each other in my opinion. Enough said I suggest closing this thread as well.

 

Totally different cars....

The 370/350 has much more torque..but is heavier and almost dead feeling in the steering....

RX-8 has less power...but handles much better and feels light and tossable

But I am biased