I've had a Z since I was 17. Bought my 84 300zx on my own and fell in love. At 18 I bought a 280z in addition to my 300zx. When I graduated from med school I bought myself an 09 370z touring sport as a grad present to myself. Sadly a year and a half later it was totaled. I replaced it with a 2010 370z NISMO. At the end of last year my Z was involved in an accident (no luck) and I begged the insurance company and body shop to total it. The screwed me claiming it was worth more than it was, so it was fixed. Long story short it was a nightmare that took almost three months and the car was never the same.
So a few months ago I sold it and was car shopping. Nothing but another Z or a vette were on my list. My fiance already had a Camaro 1LE which i love but didn't feel like having identical cars. The STI is a car I've always loved with only 305HP no way. Couldn't bring myself to like the mustang. After lots a searching and a drive to Arizona I bought a 2012 Grand Sport with under 3k miles on it. Flawless car. I haven't been happier.
The Z is a great car but needed a change. Plus for the money I no longer think the Z is the best deal. Sure it's fast and corners great, but the mustang and Camaro are faster while cornering just as well. No I'm not nit picking down to tenths of tenths. In general the domestic competitors are just a better bargain. The Z has fallen behind and is in serious need of a refresh. Compared to the Vette, there is no comparison. It's better in just about every way or equal to at the worst, except in in-town gas mileage. The Z wins there but loses in fwy gas mileage.
Where I'm at Z's are rare and Vettes are common, yet with-in days of owning my Vette I was already getting more attention in it than my Z did in all years ow ownership. No sure why. Personally I think the Z is a sexier looking car but I guess majority of people think otherwise.
Lastly, I did consider a C7 Vette but decided to wait for now until mid cycle so they could iron out the bugs. Guess it's a good thing given recent events regarding the C7. However after having my Grans Sport I'm in no hurry as it's a wonderful car.
Ninja edit: It does kind of suck being the youngest member of my Car club at 32, most everyone else is older. Sadly average age of Vette owners is something like 65
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