The Complete Package?
 

For those of you 370z owners who've spent a lot of time with your cars...

Do you truly love your car or just like it? or hate it?

Is there a part of the car or driving experience that is the weak link? or can you say the 370z is the complete package?

Is the NVH bothersome after owning the car for a long time and/or driving it daily?

Thanks for your opinions

When I get off my motorcycle and get into the Z, I think I'm driving a Rolls-Royce. Perspective....

Same goes to me dude, coming off from an Evo 3. My Z feels like a whole different world :tup:

Z
 

Since its not my daily driver, I really look forward to it. Its amazing to drive. The looks, the feel of it. No its not a luxury sedan, but very comfortable too.

It's the greatest car in the world. Not a single flaw


/thread

My only complaint is I occasionally take it for granted when I'm driving it in the summer as my DD. But then when I have to switch to my 97 Maxima beater, it makes it SO SWEET when I get back into the Z, and I fall in love all over again. The perspective somehow makes it an even better car.

i luv the 370Z, it's a great all around package for a fun car imho... but needed some tweaking to make it mine... check out the albums page for info on wat i did.

My 2009 370Z is my daily driver. Although there are certain aspects of the car that can be improved (all of which have been discussed in various threads on the370z.com), I really love this car. Great performance, handling, interior comfort, and styling along with good gas mileage - what more would a reasonable person ask for?

As far as the noise issue goes, if you tend to drive on gravelly roads, roads with loose material (sand, pebbles, etc.), or rough roads then the interior noise is probably going to be unpleasant - although that can be tamed by adding sound deadening material such as Dynamat (also described in various threads on the370Z.com). I live in SoCal and I don't have a problem with noise in the passenger cabin.

All in all - after owning and using it as a DD for almost 3 years, I'm still pleased as all get out with my 370Z!

I love my Z, but I also own another car. I was disappointed with the room that my Z has like the week after I got it, but now, I have learned to love it.

its no Mustang

love the car, but dont love the rattling noises the tranny makes, but love the car.

:icon18: esp your old one right? :)

OP, I am well aware of my car's shortcomings, (and have rectified most of them easily), BUT, I love my Z, it's a great car and it puts a smile on my face everytime I get behind the wheel, even if its' just to run to the grocery store and back.:driving:

I think the z is a great car for dd/cruising. I was actually (mostly) serious

:facepalm:

I give up, What is NVH?

My Z is my DD and I love it. I traded in my 350z for it so I was use to the size. In reality as long as I can fit in my golf clubs, I'm happy. My girl has an fx35 that I drive from time to time. But I always look forward to getting into my Z. I have a long commute to work evey day. So having a ride I enjoy makes the commute worth it. I've also taken many long trips in the Z and it's great for that too. Can't really hear the road noise over the exhaust. So NVH doesn't bother me. All in all a great match for me.

NVH. Overexaggerated. Its well balanced with ample power and extremely fun to drive. But we can't love our cars too much cuz mustangs with brembo pkgs are the best cars on the planet and outhandles bugatti's.

Z weaknesses,
Torque isn't as immediate as i'd like.
Trunk can be a little bit deeper.
Of course solving the oil heating issue is costly.
It eats a lot of gas for being a v6.
Base radio is the worst I've ever heard. Bose radio is not far behind.
Weak exhaust note at low rpms.

Z strengths
Incredible cornering
0-120mph happens very fast.
VDC keeps this car on track on bumpy roads that cause extensive slippage.
Seats comfortable and well bolstered.
Looks beautiful compared to other cars in its price range.

Immediate needs.
Oil cooler
1" drop via coilover or suspension mods.
Intake and exhaust
Aftermarket stereo.

Most beneficial mod.
Forced induction.
Automatics need transmission cooler.

Overall thoughts.
Its my belief that with mods... the Z would be more than an amazing car. The stock car screams potential when you push it and find its strengths and weaknesses.

The 370Z is pure sex! It is hot, loud, and rough!

stock, the NVH is actually not bad at all. most of the immediate mods people do really make it a lot worse though. (coilovers/springs, exhaust, HFC/Test pipes), all of which make the car louder and harsher. after i de modded mine to sell it, i was like 'wow this is actually pretty comfy.

Some professional car reviewers have said the VQ37 is like a "school bus" or "tractor" engine. I think this is degrading and a little bit ridiculous.

I don't think Nissan's VQ35 and 37 engines have the best sounds, but they make great torque and power. Both Nissan and Infiniti do good things when tuning their exhaust sounds.

The Nismo's ride and handling are fine for everyday roads + surfaces. The lack of visibility out the back is something to note*

You've got one of the best looking Z's on here IMO.

As for myself, the 370Z is perfect for me. Being the first owner makes a big difference too. Much stronger man/automobile bond. After 7 months and almost 8k miles, the novelty hasn't even come close to wearing off.

When i brought my Z all of my friends hate it especially Alex "w/ the 135i N55 engine that can make 475whp, by jusy putting a chip in it (plus few addons like intercooler exhast etc.) He told me that like onehundred Kazzillion times and i kept telling him "its not about the hp its about the car that you like" So a year goes by we finally agreed to swap cars for a week.

I must say 135i is quick, soft, smooth, handles pretty good, but it felt like i was going to brake the shifting knob if i try to shift it like i do on my nissan not that i shift hard or anything it just felt frigile. At the end of the week when we trade back he says ''you know its a nice car for that price.'' Another week goes buy he calls me up talking about buying 240sx and dropping an RB26 in it. Another week goes buy he is talking about getting a 350Z that he found for sale at 7,500k so i tell him why would you waist your money like that? weit till your lease on the bemmer ends and buy your self a 370z then build it. He sad nothing, i think he hates when am right.

In the end I love my car, its great start if you are trying to build an 800whp monster heheehehe.

thanks, mantella! :tup: i like to keep my Z as factory as possible cause the designers and french guy did a great job on this car already. :p considering i still luv my G35C like the first day i brought her home 8yrs ago, the Z will be the same way.

i honestly think the NVH is a non-issue on this car. i use to drive a MINI before this and those are frikken excellent examples of NVH. and even so, i luv'ed the pre-R56 MINI's. those were real fun cars too.

I mostly agree. Best car value. Gravel can be dealt with by a quick stop to allow it to fall to ground or listen to it, no big deal. Mileage for me is a happy, 12 MPG. If I get better it means that I had to drive slowly. :icon17:

I am fortunate and could buy most any car on the market. Spending over $200,000 for a car is just hard to justify in my working for a living mind. I feel it is a story when I tell my friends about blowing away a more expensive car, with a cheap Z. Telling friends about blowing away a 370 while driving a McLaren MP4-12C, sounds like a bully picking on a child. So what, who expects the Z to win?

As far as street racing goes, I drive fast with or without another car on the road. If there is another car around people call it a race but that is how fast I planned on driving anyway. With this said I have encountered all kinds of more expensive cars that have had me stuck to their bumpers or pulled over to let me go. They might be racing, I just want to get past them like they were a Prius etc..

With the 370Z I can complain about small things* but when put up against other expensive sports cars, $1000 for an oil cooler or an exhaust seems petty.

* I needed a new short block and some emission warranty work.

I will probably get kicked off of here but I will say this anyway . I love my car! When I am driving I feel like James Bond. However , I feel that the 370z is the red headed step child of Nissan . We get an under performing package (by that I mean all the little niggles like overheating ,brake freeze ,fuel starvation,etc.) Which when compared to other competative cars are not that bad .It only took Nissan 3 years to have the Z come stock with an oil cooler (the 2012 z ) while the F--- juke-r gets a GTR engine in one year of its release . Great ,thats what I want is to have a car that looks great but is the slowest thing on the block . Dont get me wrong I love my Z but I feel that we are getting the short end of the stick here. I am sick of making the argument that we have all that superior handling ability (which we do), but it makes me feel like I bought a more expensive Miata (at least their FI options are cheaper). I just got back from watching SCCA auto cross event and was told that its too bad I bought a 2011 Z because my oil cooler will put me in the street mod class and a 2012 model includes the oil cooler but will be in stock class . My choice is ,to mod into FI (get a turbo /supercharger etc) or dump the car and choose another to compete with . This is about 50% of the reason why I bought the car to do track days and autocross . Well its a great excuse to get a GTM TT (LOL). Which is what I plan on doing ! Perhaps in 10years Nissan will give the Z its own turbo LOL! .
Over all, the one disappointing factor that bugs me most, I want ,need just a little more POWER ! 400hp/400 tq would be a great balance not the badass V8 muscle car on the block but devilishly quick like japanese TVR . So in the end love her or leave her but if you stay Build her into what she is suposed to be ..........Great


This car with all its minor faults is still great I just wish Nissan could see that as much as the people that love here do.

:roflpuke2:

135i isn't getting 475 whp without upgraded turbos, meth, race gas, and full bolt ons. your friend is full of it. do your own research on it. he just wants to make you feel bad. tell him the n55 is shittier for modifying/power than the previous n54 engine if you want to get back at him.

your friend sounds like a very impulsive car owner. usually people who lease cars are like that. they think their car is the best until they see something better and it immediately becomes a slow pile of junk. If i had a nickle for every time i heard someone say 'i wanna buy a ______ and drop a ______ in it, i'd have a lot of nickles.

That's what happens when they have to keep the costs down, as well has not cannibalize the GTR. Nissan has clearly marked the GTR as the superior, vehicle. it costs a lot more, has its very own, purpose built engine, and every year get gets about a 50hp/tq bump. meanwhile the 370z gets heated sideview mirrors, and eventually an oil cooler. It is by no means their flagship car, and as a result, gets much less attention from their engineers.

It's pretty logical if you think about it.
1990-1996, the skyline GTR was NOT imported to the US, and nissan sold a TON of Z's. Additionally they had a higher end model with an overhauled engine with forced induction from the factory. Yes, it was expensive, but the car got the attention it deserved from engineers and they really put lot of effort into building an amazing car. but eventually got too expensive and they stopped importing them to the US.

1996-2002, when the Z was not produced, Nissan came out with the R33, and R34 skyline GT-Rs, and those were amazing cars. during this time nissan stopped importing Z's to the US, and from 1999 to 2002 totally stopped producing Z's completely. So, they only had to concentrate on one car.

2003-2008 Nissan had figured out a way to make the Z a cheaper, more budget friendly sports car. Instead of its own motor it got to share the VQ with the other high end trim packages on nissan/infiniti cars. However, the 350z sold like hotcakes. There was no GTR to compete with.

2008+ Nissan GTR is released, gets its own purpose built motor, 485bhp, eventually becomes 550bhp. Meanwhile the 370z comes out, gets a very nice redesign, but is more or less the same car as the 350z. It is improved from a looks/interior quality perspective. Each model year that comes out has very marginal improvements over the previous year. At the same time the GTR gets more and more power. Then after 3 years of complaining, they finally put an oil cooler in the 370z. however, little has been done to improve the Z year in, year out, and it still share the same engine with the maxima, murano, g37,m37, fx, altima, etc. good job nissan:tiphat:

It's pretty obvious that Nissan is like a child with ADD. They simply cannot concentrate on two very good, good selling performance cars at the same time. The only time the Z was successful (good sales high, performance) was when the GTR wasn't around in some way (not being imported, not being produced). as long as the GTR is around, and being imported to the US, you can look forward to the Z not selling that well, and hardly getting any improvements year after year.

I want the GTR with a manual. I do not care how much less the car performs. I can get around a track faster when I let Michael Schumacher drive too. The deal is I want to drive myself.

If I could fit in the Viper comfortably, I'd own one of those instead.

me too! :tup: but will probably not happen. :(

I make up reasons to go into the garage just to look at my Z and other reasons just to drive it! I love it and am glad that Nissan is still capable of achieving this kind of value. :tup:

Thank God for that! :tup:

Simply, Why would I keep it if I don't like it? hahaa

And that's why I am here.

Even the people in the forum are the nicest. LOL

I think that's also why some Mustang guys hang around in here too!! LOL

Sad but true.

I think the Z is a great balanced package. It's not the fastest, but it is fast enough. If I ever really wanted to be significantly faster, I can drop a SC or TT into it. Handling and feel is great. The hatch can fit surprisingly more in it than you think. I agree with other posts that the NVH issue isn't too bad stock and is more pronounced from mods which are obviously optional and up to the owner/driver. If you come form a non-performance car, then it will feel rough and loud but not so much that you will never get used to it and it will forever bother you. The pebbles in the wheel wells are the most annoying thing, but dynamat can solve that. The sectret to appreciating the car is to hop itno a normal car every once in a while. Whenever I drive my mom's camry, my gf's civic, or my sister's accord, I realize how much more fun the Z is. Also, it just looks great. I think it looks better than porsches and owning it has skewed my opinion on most cars. Most cars look so dull to me now. I might have some trouble when I need a new car in the future because of this. :icon17:

Also, the more I drive it and the more I learn about it, the more I love it. The Z community (at least this forum) is also one of the best around, filled mostly with mature respectful enthusiasts.

The sensations after being bored to death in an economy car (or something like that) could be great. All of the mechanical movements of both your limbs and the car's drive train.
Life's too short not to drive something fun

Yes, i really enjoy this forum. Always something going on with new topics to talk about.
..kind of like a big playground

And he finally comes to his senses folks :bowrofl:

Perfect screen name for that quote :roflpuke2: