From a purely asthetic perspective, if you want someting nice, the Z hands down. people don't look at civic si's any differently than a civic ex etc. I've gotten waves and nods from people in porsche 911's etc. The civic SI is the sporty version of a 2 door version of a 4 door subcompact economy car. The Z is a sports car that has a history, and has evolved and every generation is unique, while improving upon the last. the evolution of the civic is that it has managed to get progressively less shitty each new model year.

RWD>FWD
2 seater sports car vs4 seater coupe
power and great handling vs fuel economy

Not to be overly critical of your friend, but he sounds like a bit of a honda fanboy. you make it seem like he says 'honda w/ mods=better than anything' not true. I'm no Z fanboy. if you were talking about Z vs getting a cheap supra and modding the **** out of it, i'd say, whatever you want, both will be awesome cars, but civics not really anything to get excited about. i can wholeheartedly say that i would rather have a Z over some 500-800whp civic with full mods, even if it was tasteful.

Theres a ton of other cars you can get for cheap and turn into a really great project car that will get great performance AND looks to boot. nissan 240sx, 03/04 mustang cobra, toyota supra, 300zx, subaru wrx STI, Lancer EVO, even a 350z can be had for pretty cheap. if you want a new car, get the Z. If you want a project car, i can go on naming a bunch of other cars that have way more potential than a civic SI.

so do you want a project car or a new car?

and potentially one less "Crashed Z, VDC Off" thread:tup:

Heh, getting the Si for less tickets isn't really an issue for me. But thank you for the concern.

@Waaaasabi:
It's actually complicated, but simple version is, I got out of the Army a year ago and they recalled me back to go to Iraq for a year. Yay!

The 370Z is what I was looking at from the start. The Civic was just one that was throw on the table as an alternative by my friend. So in all honesty, I was 90% sure I was getting the Z when I go home for good. I just wanted the 10% of "what if" in the back of my mind blown away, and thankfully you've done that in one fell-swoop, heh.

@m4a1mustang:
Thanks for the appreciation. And by the way I'm a fan of the weapon you chose for your username.

Thanks again to all who posted, I've been reassured I'm buying the right vehicle.

i suppose for a 24yr old guy like yourself either car will do fine. i asked because these 2 completely different cars have its benefits.

4door sedan = family car dd friendly + carry your friends around.

2door sports car = not family friendly, but since you dont sound like you got kids who cares!

if budget is something to consider, check with your insurance agent on wat the rates are. fuel consumption the Z is pretty hungry.

Hey, KainZ, if it helps your Honda buddies, it would probably be harder to make that choice if they still made the S2000 or NSX.

word. honda has made some way better cars than the civic si. thats what i was trying to say before. some WAY better modding cars out there than a civic.

Wow, I can honestly say I could have never imagined somebody actually asking this.

The only cars Honda has ever made that even compete in the same league as the 370Z are the NSX and S2000. Not even the Civic Type-R, Integra Type-R, nothing else...

The NSX and 370Z are are very good match-up but the 370Z simply has more power potential, though it is definitely less exotic. The S2000 doesn't even compare as it's completely anemic compared to the 370Z, but it is also a very good car.

I won't even address your Civic question. As people have already described, the only thing it shares in common with the 370Z is that it has 4 wheels and tires.

Hey man, I bought mine after I got back from the 'Stan; you will not regret the gift. I only asked if you wanted to consider factory-FI cars because you also have the choice of picking up a new 335i for ~38k.

You can still buy a Civic for DD purposes :D

:iagree: I'm set on getting a NSX within the next 2 years or so.

335i for 38k? where?

Alrighty, well you've all given me alot of info, some more slap-stick then I thought I was going to get but it's all for a good cause. Again, didn't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers about comparing the two cars, as even I with as little knowledge as I have can openly tell these cars are in different leagues. They were just the two options I was currently looking at.

I'm not looking to get into his Honda club. Don't get me wrong they're nice people and all, but I want my car to be for me, not to please someone else. And the 370Z looks and sounds like it's going to be that car for me.

Yeah, no family yet, but when I do the Civic will still be around to buy to take the kids to soccer practice or whatever they're into, if their mother isn't doing that while I race around in my Z. (Just kidding I wouldn't do that to her.)

Again, thanks for all the immediate responses, I had no idea I would get this many this fast, glad to see a very active board. And supportive if not a little tongue and cheek depending on what you ask, heh. It's all good though. I think I've found my new home when I get home in a 370Z. :)

@Waaaasabi:
When were you in Afghanistan and what branch? If you don't mind me asking.

BMW has a special program for service members deployed overseas; they offer ridiculous discounts on a lot of their cars. When I was deployed and inquired about the program, they sent me price sheets for the 325 and 335 - I don't remember what options were available for the 335i, but I recall it was ~38k. I'm pretty sure the program is still in place, although the prices may have gone up slightly to proportionately match MSRP increases.

01/2008 - 05/2009; Army. How about you?

I had a 2007 4-door Civic Si prior to having my 2009 NISMO 370Z. The Honda is a fine car and more versatile. The interior, power, and price definitely put the 370Z in a different league however. In either scenario you're getting what you pay for. Depending on your finances it may be a better move to get the Civic though. One thing to consider is no car is perfect no matter how much you pay. If you're the type that obsesses over things having the cheaper car may give you more peace of mind. You won't go wrong either way.

May 10 - May/June 11; Army. Found out first hand, IRR DOES get called back from time to time. But this will put me past my 8 yr contract, so I'm done after this.

I had heard about the deals for BMW's (was a bit of an M3 fan for a few years when I was active), but then I saw that they took down the promo stuff on their website, I don't know if they still have that or not for soldiers.

I'm not really an obsessive person, I just needed some slightly less Honda-biased opinions. And I think I found the right place. As for finances, nah all good on those, being deployed overseas allows for good money saving. Especially, being unmarried with no kids.