Probably a 5.0.... but I wouldn't want to be associated with the Mustang crowd stereotype.

I love my Z, but man.. I'm really loving the new 5.0s. I'm holding out for the 2014 redesign.

2015 redesign I believe. in terms of performance for your money, the 5.0 is pretty tough to match, but there are other factors for choosing a car as well

yeah i would just like straight line speed and just daily spirtied driving im going to sell my m3 so i will have my lancer and hoepfully a 370z pretty soon!!

For straight line speed, the Z will not feel as fast because it is NA. If you want to feel fats, then you want the turbo kick.

:iagree:

mustang

It really depends on what you want... The Z is a sporty 2-seat coupe, the 335 is a luxury coupe, the Evo is an AWD sedan, and the Mustang, well, it will put down some impressive lap times but at its roots it is essentially a GT coupe built for straight line speed- or at least that's what most people do with it, and that's what it seems to feel the most comfortable doing.

I haven't driven a current-gen Evo or 335 but between the Mustang and the Z I have driven both fairly extensively and the Z wins for me.

You have vastly different cars in that list. 4 doors and power ratings are where similarities end. Fit/finish luxury, dynamics dealer experience all are *vastly* different.

You need to tell us what the top priorities are and focus in that direction. Each vehicle has its merits and demerits :)

Recently went looking for fun coupes for the wife and cross shopped G37/A5 etc...and you know what we ended up with? CPO base Cayman.

It was less expensive then some of the used/CPO ones we were looking at, though also more spartan in appointment. She's happy as it isn't about the power but the feel of the car, and that car just communicates with you.

So for her/us, giving up the posh luxury of a 335 coupe was worth it for the mid-engine flat 6 wail behind your ears.

Still keeping the 2010 Z...our dogs fit just fine in 2 seaters :D

- b

im leaning towards modyifing my car , when i want to hit the track i can take the car , something thats fast and reliable and that i can even make it faster , not really all about the luxury more of the performance type and the best bang for my buck

If the Z is not fast enough for you, that's just how it is (unless you go FI). But throw the Z around some turns at speed and then go drive a Mustang. Of the four you listed, IMO the Z will give you the best track experience. Just my :twocents:

I strongly considered a 2012 or 2013 5.0 Mustang congruently with the Z. I even test drove a used 2012 automatic for a weekend. Loved it, the torque is extremely intoxicating and I love V8's, especially 32V. I think mildly lowered and a good exhaust system on the stang and it would be all that much sweeter. Handled well too for a bigger car. Just couldn't work a good deal on the stang and it came down to timing with the Z. I was considering a WRX Sti but I don't think they thought I was a serious buyer. Kind of got that, "You're not worthy of our precious Subaru" or you're here just to tire kick and be a test pilot only. They did not offer me any test drives on the WRX so that turned me off in a way. A two seater is not an issue with me since the wife has a three row Traverse for our small family and I have a Mazda daily driver. I know there are plenty of Mustangs cruising around but I'd go with the Z or Mustang. It's really hard to get used to the short first gear of the Z having come from my ZX-10R that would pull 100 mi/hr in first gear LOL.

I came from a 4 seater - 2008 Subaru Legacy GT. Don't miss it, but then again, I have a suburban to haul people/things when I need to.

dude get a Boss302 you wont regret it, if not the 2013 Stang is legit.

Best Forum name I've seen in awhile lol :tup:

For the OP. I had no issues going to a 2 seater from my 4 door Lancer Ralliart.

Coming from an M3, I don't think you'll get the same "off the line" jolt but this car is a blast to drive and as mentioned, based on your list....more rare, fun to toss around and I think the Z will be more reliable.

Its funny, just today someone stopped me at a light while I was driving my wife's 328 and asked "how is it, giving you lots of problems??" lol.

Z

yeah i want to test drive the mustang today , i will be doing but i just feel like the z has sooo manyyy curvess and just looks way better MHO i will need to go test drive another z because i need to drive it a bit harder to seee the straight line speed an accelration actually because first time i was just cruising because cops were everywhere :owned:

It's not really that hard to figure out the orders of those *numbers*.

370 > 335 > 10(X) > 5.0;)

Yeah, but the scoring works like golf :p

Oh no!:gtfo2::icon17:

+1........ :iagree: The Boss 302 with the back seat deleted option is pretty sweet looking & fully loaded will run you around $49k~.

Car and Driver says:

1: EVO
2: Mustang
3: 370z

I do not know what possessed me to buy a G37 sedan after driving (2) 350Z's for 6 years. There is no comparison in that car and a Z for handling and looks. I would not buy a BMW. Too many maintenance problems. A couple of years ago, BMW's and GM vehicles were neck and neck on vehicles declared lemons. I found the interior of the Ford as just plain butt ugly. The EVO would be my last pick.

I had more compliments on my Z than you could shake a stick at. It is a beautiful car that puts the others to shame. Ordered a 2013 Z a week ago.

Brilliant.

I do not know what possessed me to buy a G37 sedan after driving (2) 350Z's for 6 years. There is no comparison in that car and a Z for handling and looks. I would not buy a BMW. Too many maintenance problems. A couple of years ago, BMW's and GM vehicles were neck and neck on vehicles declared lemons. I found the interior of the Ford as just plain butt ugly. The EVO would be my last pick.

I had more compliments on my Z than you could shake a stick at. It is a beautiful car that puts the others to shame.

So what. One magazine rag voted the Volt car of the year. I quit subscribing to C & D because of stupidity like that

I do not like a boxy 4 door cars. Put the Z up against the EVO and see who wins in the looks department. The Z will beat the EVO hand downs.

You have posted the results of Car and Driver several times. You must have an inferiority complex about your car or are you just trying to be a smart @ss.

370z is my DD. Im 23 tho i dont need 4 seats. i like having 2.

i looked at Mustang GT, put did not like the how if felt inside, too big imo
the others were not considered
bought the Z, for I have like the Z since I saw them in 70-71.
the current version, is what the 240z grew into...

Car and Driver? :roflpuke2:

Who cares what those idiots think. The car with all of the electronic gadgets that help it drive itself is the best handling car, OK. :ugh2:

And they said of the Mustang that you couldn't tell it was a live axle... The SRA is it's "best feature." Really? They complain about mid-corner bumps unsettling the Z, but the Mustang, you can't even tell it's a SRA? :roflpuke2:

But with the Mustang, even though the steering is fairly light (even in Sport mode) and has no feedback whatsoever, and any sort of mid-corner bump unsettles the 1950's suspension with a nice pogo-stick sidestep jump, it's still a great-handling car. What a bunch of clowns. :bowrofl:

Really the Mustang is a decent handling car for a 3600 lbs muscle car with a solid rear axle but I want to know how much Ford paid Car & Driver for these glowing reviews that completely ignore or gloss over the shortcomings.

Maybe they used some of the left over 5.9 billion borrowed from the Gov't in 2009 to grease palms of the reviewers.

Isn't Ford the only who didn't get bailed out?

Yes! And I think they make good cars. Don't get me wrong the Mustang is a great car and I'm not hating on it, but it's not a sports car, and doesn't drive like one.

I also think Ford is on the right path now. I am interested in the Focus hatch if/when I need a second practical car. Ford might be the only American brand I have any faith in and would buy. Not a fan of Chevy and Chrysler is a definite no go for me.

I always laugh when I see comments like this. You are like one of those wine experts who can "really tell" the difference in quality between that $5000 bottle of wine and the $100,000 bottle. Except I switched the labels:facepalm:

I won't deny that the rear end of the Mustang is prone to waft a bit at speed, but it is largely due to the underdamping. Honestly, anyone who claims they can feel the limitations of the SRA with the stock dampers is full of ****. There's no way you have such a discriminating *** that the subtle lateral movement is evident amongst the mud generated by the travesty of underdamping that is the rear of the car. You call out SRA because you are trained to, like when you are told your wine should have the scent of bananas, even though it doesn't:ugh2:


The reason that every set of objective reviewers that review the two cars back-to-back decides that the Mustang has a more settled rear end in corners is because IT DOES. This is confirmed subjectively and objectively by a host of reviews and measurements. Anyone with an internet warrior's handbook can call out SRA and think they've won, but if you take a deeper look, the ridiculously high rear rate and extreme toe change under compression gives the 370Z a looser backside than a gay hooker (OK, maybe not, but it is prone to coming unglued like a cheap Chinese iPhone:icon17:) Can't drive with an objective backside? Hook the car up to anything that measures dynamic toe and let me know what you find. I found this quote from a very wise man:



But of course, let's take the approach that Ford had to pay for that finish. Had to sneak in to get their spot, despite laying the hottest lap time. Had Ford and Mitsu played fair, I bet the 370Z would be sitting on top the podium. Seems logical :ugh2:




[Somewhat in the defense of conspiracy theorist, I personally think C&D moved the Mustang & 370Z back in the rankings simply to give the appearance of being lap-time agnostic like they claimed...basically, they overcompensated to "prove" lap times didn't matter. But that is just my crazy theory:ugh2:]

dang i'd pick the 370Z by now...

They accepted 5.9 Billion in 2009 as a loan.... even Nissan did like 1.something billion in 2009. PRobably why we got no oil coolers, fuel starvation and oil temps.

i did it because i didnt want more than 1 passenger in my car, too much distraction and let me have an excuse to let me drive it alone :) EXCLUSIVE. Plus i wanted a sports car that actually "felt" like a sports car..... sat in a 5.0 and the power was lovely and all BUT the inside of it just didnt click to me and register in my head like i felt a Sports car should have............ When i sat in the Z though, it had the look and the inside of it, fit everything i wanted in what i pictured a Sports car to look. so Z it was.

for me it had to not only have power but look and FEEL like i was in a sports car.


" oh we can take your car....................... wait..... i forgot..... only 2 seats..." >:)

Easy there, buddy... You don't sound like you're laughing to me. :ugh2:

Maybe before you went all keyboard commando because you were butthurt I said something negative about your glorious Mustang, you should have take a deep breath, relaxed, and read what I wrote objectively.

I said it handles well, but you can certainly tell it's a solid rear axle... And you can. Or at least, since I learned to drive in heavier cars with live axles and drove them for years, and recall what they felt like, the Mustang brings back faint memories of 1970's GM handling that weren't all that welcome, which I, perhaps incorrectly, attribute to the SRA. But whatever the reason, the handling is far from flawless.

It does float a bit, it does take some time to "set" into a corner, and it does feel a little odd when changing directions quickly or over mid-corner bumps. Is it the SRA? Is it the inadequate stock damping? I really don't care, I just found it less than ideal, and overall it just didn't feel as great to me as I thought the magazines have implied.

And I said that I feel that C&D glossed over the shortcomings of the suspension and car in this review, and made a joke that Ford probably paid them to. Then I said it's a really great handling car for what it is. I mean, regardless of whether those shortcomings are that horrid mess of underdamped whatever you said, or the SRA, they made it sound like it is without flaws, and it certainly is not.

As far as the lap time, well, it's putting down almost 100 HP over anything else in the game so, hey, that's just terrific, who would have expected that.

Have a terrific day arguing about magazine numbers and chassis dynos, I'll be driving my Z. :tiphat:

I'm sorry, I know sarcasm doesn't translate well through the internet, but I thought the "come unglued like a cheap Chinese iPhone" comment would have given it away. Especially to someone so discerning.

Sure, I got your sarcasm, what makes you think I didn't? I guess dismissing someone's entire argument because they failed to comprehend your point could be interpreted as failing to interpret sarcasm, especially by someone so open-minded as yourself.

I understand now that even though I've driven cars with live axles vs. cars with IRS and think the Mustang feels like a live axle, it really doesn't, even though it has one, and I just think that because my wine smells like bananas.

This is all making perfect sense now. :ugh2:

I'm sorry the C&D guys don't agree with you. It seems to have upset you a bit. I guess you can't win them all.

Turns out, my car still handles fantastically regardless what some dude on the internet thinks. And more importantly, since you are apparently out driving your Z, I refuse to continue this discussion in the interest of safety.