Initial 370Z v. 350Z impressions (after 5 days of 370Z ownership)

semtex

Great question, but I'm probably not the best person to ask. You see, I didn't trade in my 350Z -- I totaled it in a pretty serious accident back on Nov. 4. I was hit at 70mph, fractured my left hand in 2 places, and had to be taken to the hospital strapped down to a backboard and neck brace. It was a pretty unpleasant experience. Luckily, my neck and spine were fine. Other than the hand, I had heavy bruising on my chest and side from the seatbelt. The hand was in a lot of pain though. The knuckle that connects my middle finger to my hand -- a chunk of it actually disconnected right off. I couldn't even dress myself without severe pain. As if that weren't bad enough, I had to undergo surgery on my left ankle a month later due to a torn achilles tendon (unrelated to the car accident). The pain in my ankle post-surgery was also quite severe. Point being, for a while there I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to walk without a limp and a cane again, or grasp a steering wheel, let alone drive a proper sports car with a manual-transmission. And even if I could, it was by no means a foregone conclusion that I could afford another Z. Indeed, when my wife and I went to the showroom, it was to just have a look. I didn't go in assuming that I'd be able to buy another Z. If anything, I went in assuming that it was out of reach and that my days of owning a Z were over.

When things worked out and I left the dealership with a new 370, the emotion I felt wasn't pride. It was relief, a sense of closure, and most of all it was a sense of humble gratitude for all my blessings in life. Gratitude that my left ankle had recovered sufficiently that I could operate a clutch again. Gratitude that I could grasp a steering wheel without excruciating agony again. Gratitude that my 350's safety mechanisms worked during that horrendous crash. The airbags deployed, the safety belt locked, and to be sure, the car absorbed the majority of the impact energy. That's why it was totaled -- the entire frame twisted. The emotions didn't really hit me full force until the next morning, and it nearly overwhelmed me to the point of tears. My feeling was a strange mix of happiness and sorrow. Happiness that I had a gorgeous new 370, but sorrow at what happened to bring me to this point. For me, the 370 isn't a normal car purchase -- it represents the closing chapter of a difficult story. The story begins with a horrendous crash, the chapters in between consist of a lot of painful physical therapy and days doubting that I'd ever be free of pain again, and the final chapter is the 370. It's a happy ending, no doubt. But overall, this is not a happy story in my life.

So this is why I'm probably not the best person to ask. The circumstances aren't 'normal'. There's a certain sense of somberness about this acquisition for me, as I'm just getting my life back to normal. And let's face it, 'somber' is not an emotion normally associated with purchasing a brand new sports car! See below for some pics of my 350.

Attached Images

	n576802129_1456877_6874.jpg (9.7 KB, 200 views)
	n576802129_1456843_8209.jpg (8.6 KB, 167 views)
	P1000500sm.JPG (291.7 KB, 132 views)