My intro / cross-shopping questions
 

Hey guys, been enjoying lurking and learning about the 370... this forum is great. I wanted to solicit some opinions from you on my situation, all responses welcome.

I'm about ready to buy a new car, probably between the end of this month and July or so depending on what I decide to do. I've been daily driving my trusty ford ranger back and forth to work (65 miles each way, 50%... I work from home the other 50%), as you can imagine its not the most enjoyable thing in the world. Tall, wind noise, crap stereo, 18mpg you get the idea.

Before my wife and I bought our first house, I had a '00 Toyota Celica GTS which I really enjoyed driving / owning. Had to trade it for the truck for practicality reasons, but now the truck has almost 100k on it and I'd like to retire it for trips to Lowes / towing our dirtbikes around and get something fun to drive. No kids (no plans) / no friends / no need for back seats.

So this is more or less where I'm at... the 370 is where I'm currently leaning, the issue being that its more or less the top of my price range. I'd probably be getting a plain old base model (though it seems the base 370 has a lot more to offer than the base 350 did). The other Z option is a still-on-the-lot '08 350. I'm sure I could get a pretty good deal on one of those, they've been offering cash / financing options for 2 months now. Problem is, I'm in SW Missouri and its not like there are 350s sitting all over the place. Finding one to sit in and compare will require a trip, so I'd like to make sure its even worth it. I realize the 370 is better, but I go back and look at 350 reviews and its not like that car was a slouch. This is kind of a tough call for me and I seem to change my mind quite a bit.

Other cars I've looked at are down in the price range. I've looked at the MazdaSpeed3 and the Hyundai Genesis (come on, don't stop reading you've made it this far). The genesis is nicer than I expected it to be, but I don't know that I care for their options packages (the brown leather seats are terrible IMO, and they are the only option on the mid-range coupe) and people are paying over MSRP (yes seriously) for them right now which... well... I'm not even going to go into that. The reality is that its close enough in price to the 370 that I'm not sure it makes any sense in my situation. The MS3 would be the cheapest of the bunch, but I'm not so into the look of it... plus 4 doors and front wheel drive, meh. I'll still go drive one before I decide, but I really want something I'm going to be excited about seeing when I walk out to the garage.

I know it upsets the sports car gods when people say things like they are concerned with things like tire wear, but for me thats just the way it is unfortunately. If I were to go with a non-sports pack 370 I imagine I'd have more options when it comes to replacing rubber? I don't see myself tracking the car, so the LSD etc. might be lost on me anyway. I could see myself replacing the stock stereo (and get it dynamatted perhaps?), and maybe get the seats upholstered in leather over time. If I did that, I don't think the base 370 is really missing anything I care about too much.

Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any comments.

Honestly if you are going to put some miles on the car the best deal is going to be on a left over 350Z. You're going to take a smaller hit on depreciation, and as a highway cruiser it is just as good. Yes the 370Z is better, slightly nicer interior and improved cornering grip but the 350Z is no slouch either.

Cross the Genesis off the list, it's not an attractive option at the moment because of the price gouging (maybe next year).

Yes, you will have many economical tire options on the 18" wheels.

Only things I think you could cross shop w/the 370Z that is new, is the Mustang GT, Camaro V6 (300hp), Challenger R/T, RX8, Solstice GXP, Sky Redline, S2000 and the Genesis V6.

They all are RWD and around 28-30kish. Depending on options.

Welcome to the sight, i don't know what part of Mo. you are from but just seen an ad in the post there's a dealer with 2 08 350 roadsters for somerwhere around 22.

i say avoid the 350z not becuase its a bad car. But becuase i know dam well you will be kicking your self saying you should have got a 370z.

If your sure you can avoid that feeling then a cheap 350z is a steal. They should be giving you a really good deal. Just make sure its a real good deal before you pull the trigger.

Heres some 370z thoughts for you.

Sports package = bigger wheels = Bigger Tires = more weight = wing on back
Bigger Wheels = More Grip = probably pointles if no track for you
Bigger Wheels = May equal less gas milage
Bigger Wheels = Im dam sure more road noise due to more tires
Wing on back = probably decreases gas milage
More Weight = decreases gas milage

If your getting manual, i feel you need sports package for syncro rev
If your getting auto i think you can do with out the sports package with ease.

Dude, just buy the 09, i cant sit here and tell how much i luv the car because i haven't received mine yet. But the test drive was more than enough for me.

Thanks for the opinions guys. Yeah comparing the 350 vs. the 370 is a much more difficult one for me than the 350 / 370 vs. other cars. I'm thinking the difference in cost could be pretty high though... I don't think its out of the realm of possibility to think it could be between 5 - 7k more (or maybe more? Hard for me to determine what 350s are going for currently) for the 370 (using an Enthusiast 350 as comparison). Nothing to sneeze at. Since I'm not ready to buy within the next couple weeks anyway, I'll just have to re-evaluate everything then I guess. If I go with the 370 I'll probably wait until summertime to save up the extra $.

The resale value will be *way* better on the 09. Buying the last of a generation is a sure way to screw yourself, because there are already quite a few years worth of similar cars out there that someone could buy instead of yours.

The 09 has a long time before a new generation will devalue it much.

This is only a concern if you might sell it in fewer than ~6 years, but it is worth thinking about...

Let me just say this...

If you decide the 350z is probably your winner, DO NOT GET IN A 370z. The 350z will be nothing but chop-liver afterwards. When I was shopping for my 370, I got in a 350 and got right back out about 3 seconds later.

OP: The new Z rocks, but don't go out of your way and break the bank to buy it. It's always better to buy well within your affordability range.

And the rest of you: fat tires and LSD only matter on the track? I don't know about you, but unless I'm stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, I assure you I those tires and that LSD make a noticeable impact in my daily driving :)

Sports car, 2 seater, primary vehicle, higher insurance, premium fuel, lengthy commute, premature tire wear (compared to most other non sports cars), deathtrap in snow without winters (not sure if that is an issue in MO), at the upper end of your price range.

I dunno man. You need to be realistic. As much as I like the 370, it is only a car. Make sure you have your priorities right.

A '07-08 350Z is a great deal especially if it better fits into your budget.

Other used cars in the low 30K range I'd consider is the M Coupe and cayman. Actually if I could choose right now, I'd try to find a low mileage M coupe out of all your choices. The Camaro is an awesome value as well, especially the V6, but it's not really my flavor.

I'll check out the M... I've heard the used car market is pretty tough right now. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm in the same boat as you with the Camaro, I think its cool and I hope it does well... its just not my thing. I think I'd still like to see one in person before I buy anything, but if the interior is anything but 180 degrees from what I see in pictures I'm not sure I could see owning one.

My budget is basically as follows: I bought a tractor 3 years ago, financed at 0%. Coming up this fall, that 500$ / mo. payment will be going away. I'd like to see a net monthly gain when that happens, even if its 100 bucks a month. I won't take a loan for more than 5 years. Voila... budget. If I have to save a while for something thats going to make me happy and hit those numbers, its not the end of the world. I could buy a Corolla or something but I'm a software engineer so by definition I'm already dorky and pissed off enough as is.

I do wish the 18"s were styled like the 19s. The 19s are some sweet looking wheels. I know the tire wear thing seems counterintuitive to a lot of people and I understand the argument. I'm going on what I know about myself... if I wind up spending 2 grand a year on tires, its going to bother me to the point that I probably wouldn't enjoy the car as much. Thats just me though...