Initial thoughts and pics of my new Z!

Pushing_Tin

Okay I've had my car for a whole day now but I put over 100 miles on it so far. The weather has been less than ideal with wet roads and left over gravel from the snow we had two weeks ago.

First off I LOVE THIS CAR! I've owned a lot of vehicles, but this is the first one I repeatedly go to the garage and just stare at. I know its design has been panned, but I really find it sexy, muscular and graceful at the same time. It reminds me a lot of a Cayman S from certain angles. I love the door handles, another design element people have complainted about. To me they really suit the car and are so much different than everything else on the road.

People have been going crazy over this car, I realize it's new and all, but everywhere I have gone people stop and stare, take pictures or come and talk to me. It seems like I'm driving a Ferrari or something.

I have been taking it pretty easy on the engine letting in break in as directed. That said, the exhaust note is great, not too loud or imposing, but not civilized or quiet either. It did not drone at all in the cabin, but the tires sure do. On very smooth asphalt it's quiet, but on any rough road it is very loud. The ride is very nice, much more compliant and soft than I anticipated, but sticks to the corners nicely. The outright acceleration is fantastic! As many people have said the rev-matching kicks ***. My wife drove today for about 15 miles and found it very easy to use the clutch and shift.

The steering is heavier than I thought it would be, much more so than my FWD V6 Accord. It's not a problem per se, just will take some getting used to.

The Bose system seems fine, nothing like the Mark Levinson I had in my IS350, but fine for a non-audiophile like me.

The negatives so far: The huge blindspots are terrbile, and very challenging in a busy parking lot. Why there is no standard rear view camera baffles me. No heated mirrors in the "touring" edition? WTF my wife's Focus and my 2000 Dodge Ram have them.
The steering wheel has tilt, but no telescope feature. It isn't that hard to find a comfortable position, but this is also a glaring oversight in a $40k car.
I have a really bad rattle at the back of the car. When I was washing it today it appears that it is from the taillight assembly. I'll take it in when I can and have them look at it.
The front lip spoiler is very low, I have already scraped it twice, and the dip wasn't deep at all.

These are just my initial thoughts and observations. I think I will use this thread as a diary of sorts to post my thoughts and feelings/problems with the car.

Attached are pictures that I took today. Enjoy, and if you have questions feel free to ask.