import you should just save up and buy the Z cash.

The nav you could get alil cheaper then 1k, I started with the base model Z because I planned on upgrading the nav & the base seats weigh 80lbs less then the touring seats. If you want power in the Z, it's forced induction or nothing. In the Z06, cam & bolt-ons and your almost at 600whp.

I <3 Mazdaz

i cant get over their stupid :D <= grin face.... :shakes head:

I agree, that's teh ghey.

But my dad owned a 2000 MX5, and I DD a 2003 Mazda6. Those cars don't have :icon17: grilles.

My impression is that the Z's interior is the real deal. It's nice. You do begin to notice some "$40k" qualities in various ways when you drive the car every day, though, such as:

-ergonomics (for example, resting your arm on the left armrest does not put your hand in a great position to hold the wheel, for long drives - I drove an M3 and have to say it was PERFECT on this aspect)
-clutch smoothness (or lack thereof)
-clutch chatter
-knotchy shifter
-engine harshness above 5-6k
-incompetent traction control system
-can't open hatch from inside
-big blind spots (you get used to this quickly though, with proper side-mirror alignment)
-apparently, short people can't see over the big side mirrors

On balance, I think these issues are minor for what you are getting. And for people who use their Z as a weekend car, most of these are probably not an issue whatsoever. But when you DD a car, you will always catch on to its imperfections.

At the end of the day, These are mod cars. They are built to a certain spec and you need to complete the rest. JDM is all about incredible platforms that need personalization.

IC,

I see you're alot closer to this move than I thought based on some of your earlier posts on this topic.

Some thoughts:

1. I agree 100% with you that everyone who loves cars should, at some point in their lives, own a supercar or car w/supercar performance, it's totally worth it.

2. House > car all day long if you plan ot be in an area long term. I think you've posted before that you'll be looking to purchase property/house once you move.

3. The 370z will, if you're looking for a 2 seater sports car, do everything just good enough to keep you happy, while it's no 505bhp rocket, it's plenty fast and enjoyable on the street. I can totally empathize with having a car you can't open up at all legally except for the track.

4. Trans issues seem to be less frequent in 2010+ Z models. I have a '10 and have no problems, even after 4 track days and almost 14K miles.

5. Good luck with your decision/purchase.

yah, especially the exhaust is too quiet for sure...

You and JDM. Honestly you could say the same thing about any car in this price range.

Nothing is going to be "just right" south of $40k.

I have to jump up to GTR/911 and higher to find a car that I wouldn't feel the need to change anything on.

FYI, these are all 6MT-specific. The 7AT doesn't share these problems :)

This is a big one to me. They really could have done a better job making it less-invasive than it is. It tries to nanny you too soon and too harshly. At the very least, maybe a programmable option to make it default-off instead of default-on would have been nice.

The "proper" side-mirror alignments are indeed proper, and there is no blindspot when you set the mirrors correctly. The problem is not with the car, it's with the 95% of the population that's apparently never learned to adjust a side mirror correctly.

I'll add two more complaints to your list:

- Power sockets. One hidden where passengers will inevitably damage it with their feet (or anything plugged into it) and the other hidden inside the center console? They should've killed the one under the glove box, and replaced it with one in the center stack near the ac/radio area. That or just dropped it and put a couple of USB power-outs there.

- Dangerously Addictive. I swear this Z is like crack. It's just too much fun to drive and too easy to mod. Look me up in 5 years and you'll find me selling body parts to keep up my Z addiction. I can hear it now: "I'll give you a kidney for a set of brake pads and a track day fee".

I learned something new today. I had no idea there was a power socket under the glove box. Seems like an odd place to put one.

/\ I'd amend that to be 100-150K honestly.

If you picked up a 911 or GTR, I can GUARANTEE you that w/in 6 mo or less, you'd be looking at tweaking/improving certain things here or there. It's just the way it goes with folks like us. :tup:

How are we doing with setting up that support group? :bowrofl:

I need to get on that. I brb, I'm going to receate a thread for us...