:iagree:

just my 2 cents worth. 99% of buyers won't track there car so they could care less about how much the pig weighs. if they can afford it and keep gas in it
to most thats all that matters... the 3 cars we are talking about might as well
not have a back seat anyway. have you ever sat in the back of one.

so my point is if nissan wont's to compete in that market and imho they already
are. the next generation Z will have to be lighter not much and better bring over
400 horse's to the track........

The 2010 Mustang is pretty irrelevant to this conversation though. The 2011 Mustang obliterates the Z.

:iagree:

This is the way I see it.

1. No one still knows what the 2012 refresh entails.

2. Musclecar to Z comparo are the stupidest comparos on the face of the earth. I don't see anyone comparing the camaro SS to the porsche boxster.

3. In the end the Z is a tuner car. There was once a time not too long ago when you bought a car like this and didn't worry about how fast it was stock. Cuz you know of its FI potential.

4. People who worry about the muscle car market zap the fun out of owning cars like these.

5. That's also why they make different types of cars. When you pay off the Z. Buy a mustang camaro etc... or just trade. Maybe you can afford both????

Either way they are different enthusiast segments. You cant maneuver a muscle car as well as a Z. Also I want to add this. Don't forget you opted for a V6 SPORTS CAR. If you want v8 power? Buy a v8. This is why after a few years japan just cuts all there cars from the US. They provide the best v6 engines on the market and the american consumer complains the v6 is not good enough. Show me a V6 musclecar that can outperform the v6 370z?????? I personally can't think of one.
Comparably, a porsche cayman has comparable specs and acceleration times @ double the cost. Why doesn't anyone complain that the cayman is slow???

:roflpuke2:

I agree with all the points you make. However, you have to look at it from a market economics point of view. The Z vs muscle car comparisons make sense in that they are both performance oriented cars in the same price range. To true performance enthusiasts, this is meaningless, but to the manufacturers and the average customer for these vehicles. This average consumer will look at price and most likely just straight line performance. They know they won't ever go to a track, so they just want to be able to go fast in a straight line and get the most horespower they can with the car stock. This point of view is important because it affects sales numbers, which ultimately effects development and importance of the Z relative to other cars in the Nissan lineup. The reason some people believe that Nissan might stop making the Z is due the low sales, which in turn are due to the comparisons against these muscle cars. Nissan does need to step up their game with the Z soon if it wants to stay relevant in these comparisons for the average consumer.

No one looking for a 5.0 Mustang or Camaro SS is cross shopping a Cayman, it's usually way out of their price range. The way they look at it, I can get almost 100 more hp and a faster car (0-60, 1/4 mile) for half the price. The market for those cars is much larger than for the Porsche. Same with the Z. They're thinking I can get almost 100 more hp and a faster car for the same price or even less.

Just my :twocents:

maybe i am not normal, but who the hell would buy a car based on fi potential? maybe i need to hang out with the fast and furious crew

Most anything has FI potential. Just take a look at what a blown or boosted ls3 puts down.

Yup, just look at those 1000 HP civics. IMO that's a stupid thing to consider when getting a car. Something that makes more sense is getting a car that comes with FI with the intent to beef it up and increase the boost.

lol yeah i agree,and its surprising since in NY you'd expect alott more of us

This.

Fast and furious has nothing to do with this. Its like that's all you guys ever bring up when anyone mentions these are tuner cars. They should have never made that freakn movie. Wayyyyy before fast and furious there were tuner cars being made since the early 70's. The first modern tuner car that came out that can be tuned from the ECU was the 82 mitsubishi starion. That car is the reason we tune cars in the way we do today. That was 20years before those stupid movies you mention.
I wouldn't buy a regular car on potential but I definately buy my sports cars on potential. Especially a 2 seat sports car with little utility. If I wanna ride around with my wife, i'd buy a sports sedan or a gt at best. Then I wouldn't worry about potential. Everyone here talks about lightweight, intakes, exhausts and FI all the time. So I don't know where you get sports cars aren't bought for there potenial. That's a laughable statement.

Anyway I enjoy the car for what it is tuned or not.

Actually, most cars have very low FI potential.

I think he meant potential for forced induction applications, not overall performance potential. I don't think I would buy a car based on its potential for forced induction potential, but overall performance potential is definitely near the top of my list.

O rly? :p