GreggoEggo

Long time lurker, first time poster...

I am looking to create a fun company car for my fellow tech geeks to thrash around town and for me to use as a DD and weekend day tripper.

My first thought was to just get a 2015 nismo AT with tech package and call it a day....that is still an option though besides the price I am a bit concerned about the stiff suspension becoming a bit too much on daily commutes and longer weekend trips. I have done a bunch of reading around here, but really can't remember enough of what I find here and there to put a real plan together. I have test driven a 2011 sport/tour model and I have test driven a BRZ (my other contender), and even though I could probably use a back seat for the rare need, the 370z just feels like a much more substantial car and one that I had much more fun driving. The reality is that I will rarely get a chance to really enjoy the limits, or even 80% of either type of vehicle, but I love the look and feel of the z and rather than get a nismo and constantly worry about messing it up, especially in the winter, I was thinking about a more modest project:

1) I have no tools or mechanical skills, so any project has to consider cost and effort to find a decent shop that can do the work for me.

2) I could start with a base model that is 3 or 4 years old as that seems like it would be the sweet spot value wise???

3) I would go with an automatic transmission because I intend to loan the car out to co-workers once in a while and let my wife and high school aged son drive the car and I don't want to worry about everyone's skill level with a three pedal setup.

4) I am under the impression that a 3rd party LSD would be superior to the factory version so that would be first priority if I got a base model z that did not come with the factory LSD.

5) I don't need anything too fancy body kit wise, no rear wing required as I actually love the clean lines of the base design... maybe just something to dress up the front and rear with minimal work/expense and some side skirts.

6) I would look at intakes, exhaust system and a tune chip to get some better horsepower/fun out of the thing, but only if I could find a really good bang for the buck combination. I will be very honest here, just the basic cabin and aesthetics of the z are most of what I am after... I am gong to make it look like a race car for the novelty experience and promoting the software startup I work for (assuming they go for this idea) with a vinyl wrap design, so I can patiently look for a car with a little bit of cosmetic damage to keep the price right.

7) Then just add some nice wheels, maybe some suspension work if, again, the value is there, because I don't want to drop the car much if at all, so that it survives general daily driving as much as possible, but a smoother ride that still performs as well or better than stock setup would be worth going for.

I know many of you get a bit irritated with folks who ask about the z and then seem to really want things that just don't sound like a real z fan, but trust me, I don't want any other car for this type of project. I just know that I don't need and probably won't ever fully appreciate all that much more than what a base z with AT can do performance wise, so I just want to maybe turn things up one click and just focus on having the car be a head turner and provide a great user experience. Old guys like me just want something with a little kick that helps me escape the typical family car boredom, but I don't want a real tuner project or full on track car by any means.

Any ideas on what you would recommend for a plan / parts list? Again, the final stage would be a vinyl wrap with an over the top graphic design. I would try to find the right base car by this spring and then have the project done by this time next year.

Thanks for any and all help... and yes, feel free to badger and demean this thread post as needed to feel better. I am here for you.

Regards,

Greggo in Minneapolis MN