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Originally Posted by UNKNOWN_370
The 350z's competition was only really the mustang.
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Sure.
There certainly weren't options like the Honda S2000 or the Mazda RX8. I feel like Pontiac may have been selling something during that timeframe too...GTO? All this to say nothing of the cars that would realistically be cross-shopped, notably the EVO, STI, GTI, R32, and things like a slightly used 4th gen camaro.
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And though it wasn't the greatest Nissan had put out. The Z was a better overall car than its only realy power competitor. build quality, performance, handling and interior was far superior than the mustang. That said, the Z was pretty crappy inside, which didn't say much for the mustang at that time.
Then there was the mazda rx-8 but it dropped off power after 80mph and consumers dont like hearing about cars dropping power and lack of torque. The Z filled a gap for people who couldn't afford corvettes or wanted a better quality car than a mustang, and needed more power than Rx8.
There were no camaro's, gen coupe flavors, BRZ's FRS's Challengers, and the solstice in the first 3 years of production got no respect. Afterward it got a small cult following.
German cars were undepowered in the affordable ranges and FWD sports cars were worn out by the public. The Z sold because there was NO true competitor and it was the best of the worst.
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Your expectation for consumer's purchasing decisions is demonstrably inaccurate.
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Alot of weak sports cars sold at one time because there wasn't a competitive market. The market is competitive now.
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I'd argue it was more competitive then. There's very little competition now.
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While you are bringing up vlid points from a business aspect. You are negating consumer response to negative hype. this whole country runs on hype. You hype it, people buy it. Lets keep it real. The Z never got hype, love or respect except for the first 6 months, before the american entries. Once the american market pulled their cars out the bias began.
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It has nothing to do with biases and everything to do with the media cycle. There's nothing new to say about the 370Z anymore. Ooh, it has an oil-cooler (standard on the Honda Fit) and some LED lights. And the wheels look like they've been melted.
Rule one. Do not make the media's job hard. Do not release a boring vehicle.
The 350Z got great late-lifecycle reviews against the mustang because Nissan added power and changed the game. The 370Z gets worse reviews than it may deserve (or maybe gets a fair review, who knows) because the media wants a horse race and Nissan's behind.
Do you remember in the 90s when MT and C&D were pitting the RX7 against the viper? Do you remember when that same RX7 was wiping the floor with the much-hyped NSX? The media ate it up...the car could do no wrong.
The 5.0 is much the same now...not as extreme, but when was the last time a 30K car left license plate imprints in an M3s bumper? Nothing sells better than a story like that, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a car that looked better in print than a 3rd gen RX7.
But wait, why did it get killed off after just 3 years?
1978: 19,299
1979: 54,853
1980: 43,731
1981: 43,418
1982: 48,889
1983: 52,514
1984: 55,696
1985: 53,810
1986: 56,243
1987: 38,345
1988: 27,814
1989: 16,249
1990: 9,743
1991: 6,986
1992: 6,006
1993: 5062
it didn't sell. You'll note the dramatic lack of
anything interesting out of Mazda for a while after.
Sure, the price was creeping and times were changing, but there's not been a car that fared better in print than the 3rd gen RX7.
The problem is, as always, fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders trumps all. Don't sell, get cut.
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example
2010 Camaro V6 vs. Genesis Coupe V6 - Comparison Tests
Just to show a non Z example... A lot of this was going on in 09. The camaro v6 couldn't beat a civic on a track. Let alone a gencoupe 3.8. The gencoupe v6 compared to any v6 muscle made them all look like garbage. Camaro, mustang and challenger.
But this happened.
And camaro v6 sell more than gencoupes. Genesis coupes are superior to v6 muscle in every way. But watch a review and you swear its a tight race between the two. I've driven v6 muscle cars in 2010. They were jokes on wheels. I see the gencoupe as a respectable option below Z's and real v8 muscle.
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Yes, we all know you love the gen coupe.
I don't agree with your assessment of the Gen vs the V6 mustang though. I've autocrossed both, and the mustang is way faster. I seem to recall the V6 mustang putting over a second on the gencoupe during the lightning lap, despite spending a good chunk of time bouncing off the limiter....