Nissan 370Z Forum - I just had my first test drive in a 370Z

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- - I just had my first test drive in a 370Z (http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-general-discussions/60203-i-just-had-my-first-test-drive-370z.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2theextreme (Post 1911107)

What is this "mod bug" you speak of?

OP check out his photo album. He has a fairly mild case of this mod bug. Oh and I have one , too! :icon14:

I don't even have one yet and I'm already looking at what you can modify and improve he he.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellmen (Post 1903942)

I've wanted one ever since I saw a 350Z next to me in Miami. The looks are fantastic, the 370z really stands out. I booked a test drive at home (in sweden) and drove a black 2012 version for about 20 mins. It was hard to do it justice because of all the traffic.

Manual gearbox - seemed clunky. I didn't like it much. I've read reviews claiming the automatic does the engine more justice, does it?

Noise. My god. Ok, I've never owned a performance car before so what do I know, but jesus it's loud. Swedish roads are not in great shape, but the road noise was very much an issue. I'm not sure I could cope with this car alone, I'd need an A-to-B carrier for transportation and shopping or lose my hearing after 500 miles.

I also connected my iPhone via bluetooth and called a friend to check that function. I heard him fine but he said I came through horribly. Sounded like talking out of a tin can. Unfortunate since I was hoping for a good hands-free integration. Maybe it was just that one time.

But, driving-wise, hair on fire bad-*** fun which is what I came hoping for. I'm in the market for a fun and impractical sports car to thrill me for 1-2 years. No kids, no wife, not even a dog. It's readily available at good prices in Germany thanks to the cheap euro, much less than similar cars from porsche and BMW.

If you had the choice between a used Porsche Cayman S, BMW Z4 35is, 335i convertible or M3 convertible or a spanking new 370z which would you go for?

I've emailed the sales guy to get an idea of what the cost of ownership is, service intervals and so on. Any major snags to expect? As a brand, Nissan is pretty reliable isn't it? Much like Honda.

Anyway, I appreciate any input. I wouldn't want to pass up a great car based on it being loud.

Also, I'm not sure what it's like in the US, but in sweden cars like this tend to lose value quite quickly. The market for them is not great to begin with and people tend to stick with the well-known models and brands. In the segment, I think the 370z is a bit of an outsider. I've yet to see one on the roads here at least, but I've seen three GT-Rs so far.

Except for the guy who has never heard of an AT guy wanting a MT later, all the input was good.

MT not as nice as a BMW's buttery smooth clutch.

Noise gets tiring on a long trip. I disliked it so much I bought a better exhaust and tires that made the entire car more enjoyable.

The Blue tooth works so well people do not know I'm mobile, until I start bringing up the revs. By 6,00rpms it is hard to hear and everybody now knows I'm mobile.

If you live in Sweeden get the heated seats. The convertible can too.

Good luck.

Z Plane, Z Plane...Z Noise, Z Noise...

Howdy! Lizbet Salander might like the Z, but she'd probably add a supercharger and other go-fast stuff.

Seriously:

1) I have 2012 Sport/Touring 7AT and find it perfect for my driving, commuting to work in city traffic, and yet can switch to manual mode if I feel like it on occasion.
2) Performance on the OE tires on dry and wet roads is fine--haven't yet run into snow, and won't see much here in Virginia. If I lived in Sweden, I'd go for a set of snow tires.
3) Tires are relatively expensive compared to passenger car tires.
4) My prior auto was an Infiniti, relatively quiet, and the road noise was briefly annoying, but I've grown used to it and it hasn't made my ears ring any worse than they always do. Too many howitzers in Vietnam.
5) Bluetooth works well 90% of the time, but wife says occasional problem. I don't know why. No streaming audio feature, but I doubt I would ever use it anyway.
6) Essentially same engine in my Infiniti, though earlier version and less horsepower, but it ran perfectly with no maintenance for 8 years--and then I had to replace a throttle motor. $400 American.
7) Infinitis (basically same manufacturer, engine, etc.) have a good rep for low maintenance and good trade-in value. The 370Z seems less so, but whether due to the car or the drivers or the use is not clear to me.
8) I had a friend with the roadster, and it actually seemed LESS noisy to me, perhaps because the coupe directs the noise from the rear tires right into the driver's seat.
9) I suppose if I had plenty of money lying around, I might have gotten the GT-R, but then I would expect the maintenance to be a lot more expensive, not to mention the sadness of having no roads upon which to get anywhere near full potential. The Z acceleration, top speed, and handling are very good and to a greater degree usable compared to the GT-R. Wish I lived where there's an Autobahn or Autostrada. Though I think they set limits in Italy a while back, since I drove there. On good tires and a good surface, the Z will come very close to a 1G lateral acceleration, not significantly worse than the GT-R. Now if they just made an AWD Z!
10) Irrelevant to this, but have a friend who owns a GT-R--as well as a Lamborghini Gallardo and several other megabuck cars--and he prefers the GT-R to all the other much more expensive vehicles. Nissan and the auto/computer wizards have created an amazing vehicle for the price.

Would you say the car is good to go straight from the dealers or is there stuff that needs adding or fixing to make it "right"? I ask because there seems to be many people with overheating issues and oil cooling. Maybe that's just for people who drive on racing circuits? Seems like the 370z was built for that on the other hand. Can I pick up a 2012 and just drive it normally without any mods or tuning and expect a good experience or is there a list of points to fix that Nissan overlooked in you opinion(s)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellmen (Post 1917113)

2012 should come with a factory oil cooler. That should suffice for street driving.

You may want to upgrade brake fluid and pads, but it's not needed for just regular driving.

If you are planning to track the auto or drive it very aggressively, search our forum for "Fuel Starve", but again, this should not be a problem with calm driving.