delhi

Hello,
Yup, I'm still searching for the perfect 964. I'm just wondering for similar sum of money for a good 964, one can get a slightly used 350Z. Nameplates and badges aside, has anyone drove the Z? How does it compare to the 964? I know the pros and cons of these two cars in terms of ownership. I know...or I thought I wanted a 964 until I came across a 350Z track pack and have to admit it looked very very nice.
thanks.

jford

Just bought a 993 to use for pleasure and occasional DE's. My 964 will become a garage, or in my case actually, a car cover queen. Paid the same for an 8 yr. old 993 what i could buy a new Z for, or for that matter an RX-8 with some change left over. I admit it made me flinch just a bit...no warrenty, expensive car to fix, already 37k miles on the car etc. But, when it comes down to it, I love the 911 (all of them), i love being part of this community, owning part of history. Lastley its nice to have a car with some exclusivity. I see lots of Z's and Q45's around town, and not so many 911's. I guess, re-reading you post, I did not address your ? regarding drivablity and charecteristics. Really doesn't matter to me how it drives I guess.

delhi

i agree. when the z first came out, i wanted to buy one until I spent some time at their club boards and realised the mentality amongst the members are similar to those of the Honda ghetto crowd. But I told myself that it's unfair to judge a car because of the immaturity of it's owners. So back to the overall performance of these two fine cars.

Wachuko

I do not buy cars based on the clubs or other owners... ...there is always good and bad everywhere you go... I buy them because there is something about the car I love.

I would buy a 350Z... love the looks, the engine, not to thrill about the interior. But I have to agree with jford. I would buy a 993 instead. I can take the kids with me wherever I go (can't do that with a two seater), and it is a classic with the sweet sound of an air/oil cooled flat six in the back.

But that its just me...

Ohh, yeah... I had one 350Z looking at the rear of my car the other day... not even came close to catching up... but those 350Z still look nice.

Cupcar

I own a 350 Z as a daily driver and general grocery wagon and it's actually a pretty nice car. I got it for $30,371 all taxes and license fees included, it's an Enthusiast model.

The Z rides stiffer than my friends GT3 which surprised us both. I thought the GT3 would be a stiff beast like my Cup. The GT3 has more roll stiffness than the Z though and turns in better.

It's a completely different car than a 911, another friend says it feels like his 928 and I have to agree.

Z has adequate power but not as quick as my Cup but that is unfair comparison to regular 964 as it weights a lot less. It has a nice gearbox (so far), handling is ok but I won't really know until next month when I autocross it. Brakes are small but stop car well for at least a few stops.

One of the best things is that there is a fairly extensive performance parts program-NISMO PARTS- that is provided by Nissan, things like forged alloy wheels, suspension kits, cams, exhaust systems etc. Many of these parts can be dealer installed and covered by warrantee. Here is a link to Nismo parts list Nismo parts list

JoeW

My reaction is a little different, I guess. 350Z was on my short list early last summer and I even got to drive a friend's in autoX as well as take two extended test rides at dealers. I was looking at (and driving) the track model.

Style: (I know you didn't ask this) there are already too many on the local roads. No one except small children really pay much attention anymore, and it's been out only a year.

Performance: defines the word 'heavy' for me, especially in autoX. The power is okay (and if you want more there are lots and lots of mods coming available, already 2 or 3 SCs out), but the platform is designed to carry not only this sports car but also the Altima, the Maxima, the G35 (Infiniti) and, I think, a SUV (could be wrong on this). It's made to fit so many big sedans, I don't see how you would ever get this thing to drive light.

In SCCA BS where both the stock 964 and the stock 350Z drive, the Honda S2000 reigns supreme ... light and tossable. The new RX-8 looks like it will be competitive given experience. But the 350Z weighs in around 3300 lbs. and drives even heavier. It was fine to drive on the street, the track model would be tiring on the highway I think (and on the Z boards many have confirmed this), but the experience at AutoX, where (all summer) I NEVER saw a single Z trophy in the top third, finally convinced me to resume my search. At Nationals in September I believe there was one Z among the 16 or so trophies (I'd have to check to be exact).

Actually, my guess is the car has more potential on the race track than at autoX but will need more power, clutch, transmission, etc. to do well. But I haven't followed the Z since last July/August really.

I'm sure you'll read up on the Z boards and find out the status of the TSBs for transmission and suspension that Nissan was working on last summer. I think it is a real nice car -- even liked the interior just fine -- but, one way or another, I think you get what you pay for. I'm looking for a Porsche because I'd rather have a great car with miles than a pretty good car with a warranty.

My .02, J

Cupcar

Don't get me wrong the Z is no substitute for a 911.

In my case it's an addition to the 911 that I can have a little fun with and drive every day.

Personally I have a little difficulty driving my 911 to the grocery store and seeing it get dinged, dented and generally disrespected.....I have no problem with this and the Z.

ckkrause

I was in an SCCA HP driving school at Thunderhill last weekend and there were several Z-cars in my group... They seemed to handle well and looked good on the track. It seemed a pretty even run in the curves, but they pulled away slowly on the straights...

On the other hand, who knows where the drivers were on the experience curve...I'm not very experienced myself...

-CKKrause

Randall G.

I recently drove the 350Z's brother, the G35 Sports Coupe. While fast, it's noticeably slower than my 964 (er, 994) in straight-line acceleration. I would say it's analogous to going from a 964 to a 3.2L Carrera--a tangible difference in straight-line acceleration.

If someone doesn't have the patience to maintain a 10 year old 911, I think the 350Z (or G35 Coupe) makes complete sense. Financially, I think it's about a wash, with the 350Z/G35C's repair costs savings being offset by the 964's low rate of depreciation.

Of course, as nice as they are, the 350Z/G35C will never be as interesting or exiting to drive as a 911.

clubrcr

I drove a 350Z. A co-worker was so impressed with his, he wanted me to drive it. I found the car's power to be less than my Cup, it's handling was good, but not as good as the Porsche. IMHO, I think it was be a better compared to a 968 or Boxster.

I also was not thrilled about the exterior door handles, what was Nissan thinking? It looks like an add on. The interior is cheap and the gauge cluster from outside windshield look as if it were a racecar's add on.

Don't get me wrong, drive them both and decide from yourself.

One last thing, I agree with delhi about the boards. I bought a 2001 BMW M3. I lsten to the owners talk. At 42, I felt like I was their grandfather.

pzull

Do you mean you find the handling of the 964 better than the boxster? I think the boxster beats the pants off ANY 911 in AutoX handling department, including the venerable 964

delhi

STONE HIM!!!! Blesphemer! Heathen!
having test drove a coupla 964s and a g35c amongst others, only these water-cooled cars gave me some kinda pulpatation after even a mere round the block. Such is the thrill each time I jump into one. Nothing of this kind amongst the new gen of sports cars. too refined and efficient.

clubrcr

Since I don't autocross, I only race and do DEs, I haven't found the Boxster to better or worse than a 911 except for speed. My point is the comparison on price and the amenties should be more like the Boxster. I have, however been in a DE with Boxsters and given the different skill levels, I haven't felt the Boxster was a better handling car in the techincal parts of the track vs. my 911.

I do think the statement that a Boxster beats the pants off any 911 in an autocross handling is a strong statement. You might as well say that a 914 would also do the same.

My point was. I don't think Nissan was trying to build a car that competed with the 911 old or new.

wjk_glynn

Very true. If you look at the acceleration curves of a G35 Coupe (6-speed) and a 968 Coupe (5-speed), they are very similar up to ~100 mph. Beyond that, the G35 does pull on the 968 though.



Karl.

JoeW

Nissan seems to be taking steps to upgrade the interior and to soften the ride a notch:

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=08456960

FYI. J