Nissan 370Z Forum - First time 370z owner

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgosh (Post 3541597)

Love the look of your new Z. A (what some might call traitorous) move from the Corvette - a mighty fine ride itself - is quite interesting. I commend you on being brand agnostic, and open minded! LOL. (Although I totally get it, I brand hop constantly).

I know we shouldn't compare girlfriends ... but ... we all want to hear what you love about the Z, and what you hate about the Z, from the perspective of being an ex-Vette guy!

Congrats, and enjoy the ride. :D

I've owned 4 Vettes, a 99 FRC with bolt-ons, an 02 Z06 that was fully built tip to tail and had a 418 stroker with a Vortech T-Trim at 12psi (that care made 700hp on a Mustang dyno), an 07 N/A Lingenfelter, and an 06 Z06 with only a Borla catback. The 99 was tons of fun and a great track car; awesome first Vette. The 02 Z06 beast was an amazing car, but wasn't very streetable, so I didn't own it that long. Great for the track, but a PITA to drive on the street. The Lingenfelter was extremely fast, but was an auto with really deep gears. The auto didn't allow enough control, and combined with the low gears, narrow body, and the medium stall speed, it was impossible to get traction. Best ET was 12.3 at 126 mph with like a 2.6 60'. Do the math on that one. That care just wasn't much fun. The C6Z was a blast; refined, yet otherworldly fast, as it quite simply put the power to the ground. The engineers nailed it when they designed that car.

There's my brief Vette synopsis. I considered another C6Z, but really wanted something different this time. My biggest ding on the Vettes up until the C7's (I'm 6'6" and there is no leg room in the C7's) is the interiors are horrible, and the Bose stereo is crap. I wanted something more refined. I considered an M3, but don't want to hassle with the maintenance. I decided on the 370, because I've always loved the style, they drive well, and I personally feel the interiors are top notch. Will it keep up with a Vette? Not even close; not anywhere or anytime. I didn't need a rocket ship this time. I just wanted a fun car with good looks, and a nice interior. I have children now, too, so something that requires little to no maintenance was also important, as I just don't have the time that I used to have. It made the 370 a perfect choice. After driving several, I quickly realized I wanted an auto (sorry M6 guys, but the auto is faster and more fun). My plans in the next couple of weeks are an Invidia Gemini CBE, and possibly a K&N Blackhawk (I know the downsides to this setup, but I like the sound and don't want to disassemble the car to install it).

Is the 370 fast? No. Is it quick, hell yeah. I can chirp the tires into 3rd; plenty quick for street driving. This is something that a lot of people don't realize about cars like Vettes and Vipers until they've owned one. The cars are mechanically amazing and incredibly quick and agile. The problem is though that you can't have fun with them in town or on the highway without speeding to the point of being arrested if you get pulled over. On a big track, a Vette is amazing. In town, the 370 is more fun in a way. There's a philosophy that it's more fun to push a slow car to its limits, than drive a fast car at 4/10ths. While I wouldn't call the 370 slow, I think it fits this statement fairly well. I'm having a ton of fun with it. I've spent time talking about power and speed, as that's what most people care about. Personally, I weight handling, braking, and general driving feel just as heavily, if not more. The 370 doesn't feel as stable at high speeds as a Vette does, but I certainly wouldn't call it loose (this may also just be the cheap, stretched tires). What I love is how it drives in the twisties though. I haven't pushed it super hard, as I'm still feeling it out, but throwing it into some curves and corners, it feels every bit as planted as my C6Z. The brakes also feel plenty strong for the street (I'm guessing they might not fare as well in a track environment though).

Wow, that got long; sorry guys and gals. I'm just really passionate about cars of all kinds and am having fun breaking it down. I'm not brand loyal; I'm fun loyal. I've owned Mustangs, a GTI, an STI with a forged engine, BMW X5M (horrible reliability), and probably a couple others I'm forgetting. The 370 is not a DD for me, it's just a toy. It's already working it's way up as one of my favorites though. If I wanted a track toy, I'd probably go a different route. For a fun street car though, it's awesome! Will I own a Vette again? Most certainly. I want to try out a 911 and a Viper at some point, too. The awesome thing about the 370 though is how cheap it is relative to those cars. Used for used, it costs about 60%-70% less than any of those cars, and is just a ton of fun. When it's time to buy another high HP car, I'm hoping to just keep the 370, because I already think I'd miss it. If you made it to the end of this, thanks for reading. If you want more info or opinions, I'm happy to share.