what do you think ?
 

I drove a Nismo a few months back. After driving it and a Roadster, it wasn't really what I expected. . .

I'd say it was intimidating, brutal, and serious.

I stalled about 4 times during the drive, couldn't see out the back, and thought the midrange power was intoxicating.

Is this car designed more for track and high speed driving ?


In comparison, the Roadster was more laid-back and smooth. I definitely felt the lower horsepower, but the torque curve seemed more linear.


For those of you who bought the Nismo. . .
Was it hard to drive at first ?

If I was to spend forty thousand $ on a car, i would want it to be pretty special. The 370z Nismo is one awesome car. The fact that it was intimidating makes me want to drive it some more. It seems like the car would teach me to drive better.

Are these first impressions normal ? what do you think ?

just curious but how old are you bigsix?

and im not saying you cant afford it but isnt the Z in thailand crazy expensive? way more than 40k!


reguardless, yes the nismo is a bit "serious" handling wise but i still daily drive mine.

hey fuct,

I'm 23. I'm from Colorado, but live in Thailand now.

Yes, the 370z touring costs $176,000 here. just insane..

Yikes!

Insane cost for real. So you have been thinking about buying one in the states and shipping it over?

No, I'd get one in Colorado. It costs quite a lot to ship a car here, and the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car. . .

Most cars that are imported into Thailand are taxed 300%
.

As well, they have increased tax brackets for cars with larger displacement than 2.0 liters (!)

It's a nice place to live, but truly an automotive nightmare for an American car enthusiast.

Any thoughts on my original driving impressions of the Nismo ?

I test drove a Nismo before I bought my Sport coupe. I didn't feel the power difference was worth the added cost, especially when you add in mods that will be done. The one piece of advice I would offer though is that if you are hoping to buy a faster car to teach you to drive better, save yourself some money and buy cheaper. That way you will only be out 35K if you total it :). Also all the Z34's have terrible blind spots, not just the Nismo. Whatever you choose you'll have a great time with your Z.

Your initial impression is pretty much on target. I would have checked for the spacers as well. I love my NISMO and aside from the visibility issue (I got used to using the side mirrors a lot more), have no complaints. Good luck with what ever you decide.

Thanks for the advice; but, i got the impression the Nismo forces you to concentrate more while driving.

This is one of the only cars i've truly wanted to buy. I just think it's so damn cool. I'll try driving a normal coupe with and without sport package, too.

The idea of a black car is tempting, but the i'd say the 370z looks best in white or red. Which color do u recommend ?

The very first car I saw that I had to have was back in 2003 and it was when I first saw the 350z. Once I saw the car I had to have one. Then in 2005 I bought a used silver one and I had no idea how to drive a standard. So when I was at the dealership I ended buying the car. I then had to call my friend up, to come and drive my car home for me because I had no idea how to drive the thing. But I wasn't going to buy a sports car and get an automatic. I spent the better part of the next day learning how to drive my new car. I must have stalled about a million and one times. I was so intimidated by the car that I called the dealership up and asked if I could trade it in for an automatic. The salesman told me he would see what he could do. After the phone call though I thought to myself I am not going let this beat me. I am going to learn to drive this thing one way or another. After a week I had a pretty good handle on it. The car intimidated the hell out of me at first, but over time I got used to it and now the Z is the only car I have ever owned. I traded my 03 in for an 07 and then traded that in for my Nismo. And the only reason why I got the Nismo was because the dealership I went too was all out of standards for the 370z sports model. So I got talked into getting a Nismo but to be honest it wasn’t hard for them to talk me into getting it. I must say that I love driving my car and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. There might be faster cars or nicer cars out there but I love my Nismo. I think that if you get a Nismo it might be intimidating at first but you will get the hang of it and you’ll have a blast. That is just my thoughts on it. And as far as color, mine is black and I get comments on it all the time by people saying it looks kind of like the bat mobile. So I really enjoy black. But the red one also looks amazing. Honestly just getting a Nismo in any color and you can’t go wrong. Let us all know how things turn out and what you end up going with.

Same level of concentration for base/touring/Nismo, recommended color choice... W H I T E then red then silver then black. I've found white easier to maintain, keep clean and it shoes all the curves in the Z, just my opinion. ;)

Yeah, i think i agree with you about color choice: white, red, silver, or black.

I guess each type of 370z would have its own characteristics. Even individual cars of the same type-

Cool story. I remember learning to drive stick with my Mom. Starting on inclined hills was so scary, but I got better with time.
I didn't know enough about cars when I was 15 to think about a manual vs. an automatic. I just took the manual as a normal part of a car.

There are definitely faster and nicer cars on the market. The 370z seems to know what it is, and I like that.

Yes, but in all seriousness, any color on the current Z generation looks great, you would be satisfied with whichever you get :tiphat:

the white ones handle better, its noted in the manual. look it up! :P