What else did you cross shop?

CBRich

You do understand that a 6 cyl Camaro that "has 300 horsepower . . . and costs several thousand less" is also 1.4 seconds slower to 60 and doesn't handle nearly as well, right? The SS is the closer competitor and costs about the same.

FlashBazbo

For handling, the 6 cyl Camaro is the closer competitor. It's a better handler than the V8 because the engine is lighter and the chassis is better balanced as a result. On a tight road course or autocross course, the LT Camaro is the better way to go. Of course, as I said, neither is a statistical overall performance match for the Z (although I haven't seen or heard of anyone driving a 6 cyl Camaro as slowly as you claim). But from a practical standpoint? . . . Nobody is using the maximum potential of any of these cars on the street. That's why cars like the GTI and the MINI have a fighting chance in this market. It is always more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slowly.

The only reason I'm even considering a Camaro are the visibility issues of the Z, the lack of luggage space for the Z, and the poor customer service history of Nissan. If the Z were to be my only car? It couldn't happen.

But since my wife drives a fogey-mobile . . .

sensi09

I agree that a slower car is more fun to drive fast than it is the other way around, but then again, 426HP will be a lot more fun than 304HP. Straight-line acceleration does get boring, but it's hard to pass up the extra power.

Unless someone is buying a base V6 with little to no options, it doesn't make sense, at least to me to spend a tad bit more for the bigger engine.

FlashBazbo

That's why they make more than one kind.

Back in the day, there were just about always two sizes of "hot" cars in every lineup. The 289 Cobra was the handling/road racing machine but the 427 Cobra was a straight-line monster (Le Mans with its then 4-mile Mulsanne straight was the exception among road courses). The big engine made the car too nose-heavy. On most road courses, the 289 would beat a 427. On most drag strips, the 427 would win. It was the same with Mustang (351/429), Camaro, Trans Am, Barracuda, even Jaguar's XKE had the six cylinder for handling or the V12 for straight line power.

A Camaro LT with upgraded brakes might be the perfect mountain road weapon (among new Camaros). The bigger engine would be a detriment in that application. It's all a balance of weight/handling vs. power.

speedworks

I looked at:

Used c6 vette (felt like it would fall apart long term, but was very fast)
Used 996 911 - no wow factor
335i (wanted a true sports car, with 2 seats - that is what the wife decided)
s2000 - too small and too tight
WRX - too soft
Mazdaspeed3 - too much of an econobox - small
Boxster - a little slow, tough on maintenance costs

If I could add any: Genesis, Camaro

It really came down to 335i and Z, and the Z won out.

CBRich

Well, if you feel that 10/10th performance isn't the most important thing to you I'm sure the V6 Camaro would suit you fine. That is if you are placing more emphasis toward visibility and luggage space than absolute performance. And that is totally understandable if it's not a weekend warrior.

Izzoh

I'm currently crossing the Z with the Camaro SS. Orignally I had it up aganist:

Camaro SS
2010 Mustang GT
Genesis Coupe ( both versions )
Challenger RT
Evo X
G8 GT

370z4Steve

370z with bugatti veyron of course

shabarivas

haha where is the evo X in that list ?

Pushing_Tin

2010 Mustang GT
Challenger SRT8 and R/T
Camaro SS
Hyundai Genesis
New 2008 Z51 C6
135

AK370Z

Leftover 08 Z51 C6 = very reasonably priced right now. I would drive it!

Even 09s are going for cheap http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-d...chevrolet.html

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Pushing_Tin

I came very close to buying that 08 model. It was jet stream blue, but in the end we were still about $4k apart in price and I know how fast they depreciate so I walked.

FlashBazbo

That's an amazing price. A much more realistic price.

tolnep

for those who had vettes and now have 370z or have driven both, what made you decide on the 370?

reason i ask is because i was gonna buy a vette this spring. economy and gm situation put that on hold perhaps permanently.

what i'd like is the power of the vette in the z. but alas.... is not to be..

so how about some comparison info?

alan64

well, I have been a corvette fan for all of my life. I had a 58, 64 small block with air, 70 454, c6 vert, c5 z06 commemorative. Loved them all. But,,, the new nissan z is really something special. The car just looks terrific. The interior is outstanding. Those 19 inch wheels are excellent. It has to be one of the best values on the market today for such a great sports car. Now if they would just put on twin turbos or supercharged it, I would get it in a second.