Not without some trepidation, I took the plunge this afternoon and committed to a Platinum Graphite Coupe with Sport Package, 6-speed manual with black cloth interior. The car is "in the wrapper" (dealer speak for fresh off the transporter, not used as a demo, etc.), with six miles on the odometer. It will be delivered from another dealer tomorrow morning around 1100. I am trading in my dearly beloved, Titanium Mazda RX-8 6-speed that I bought new in January 2004. It is a wonderful car, with perhaps the best road-holding and handling of any car I have ever owned. But it does lack a great deal of the technology and the power that I expect to find in my new 370Z. Life is a series of trade-offs. The only thing I will regret is not having a "paid off" vehicle, which is, after all, a wonderful feeling.
The only other car I seriously considered and probably would rather have had was a Porsche Cayman S. However, I would have had to buy it used, as I could not possibly have afforded a new one. But I did my research and listened to Cayman owners talk about $500 to have a battery replaced and $250 for an oil change (seriously). In the end, I decided that getting a semi-exotic car with years and miles already driven and notoriously expensive maintenance was a kind of stress I didn't need right now (about to retire; just lost my father). What I get with the Z is a car that some automotive writers have described as "the performance of a Cayman S at 1/2 the price" and five years/60k miles of blissful, warranty protected driving. So, hello, fellow 370Z people; I hope to meet some of you along the way. And oh, yes, I doubt that I will seep much tonight.
PS: Any advice on break-in and early maintenance will be welcome. I will begin scouring the forums for info.