my second choice was a 1994 White FD in the best condition ever. The engine was rebuilt and streetported by jrx rotary, and the stock paint isn't discolored because it was a garaged car. sighhh D:

but im still excited for the Z! :D

Took a few looks at an 09 STI. But I was currently driving a WRX and wanted something a bit different. What I wanted was a sports car, not a rally car. Two seats, RWD, solid power...thats it, couldnt be happier.

What is surprising here is how many people were considering domestic autos. Not that its a bad thing, just wierd cause normally people stick to one side or the other when it comes down to cars.

Second choice? I guess one without the touring?

new cayman s OR used 911 carrera

in the end, it was a matter of logic: i decided it was better to have a brand new z with a full warranty than a used 911 or a pay $20k more for essentially the same performance i'd get from the z with a cayman s

Used Boxster S or Cayman S. Amount of car for the money sold me on the Z.

Me too!
 

I was patiently waiting for VWAG to announce that the new Scirocco was coming to the US to replace my 9 year old convertible TT (and supplement my 87 16v Scirocco).

I was also looking at a used Cayman S but it was too expensive and not as interesting as the Z.

The practical side of me wanted an A3 or S4 but I wasnt' ready to give up sports cars.

-daniel

There is no second choice. What "pushed" me over the line is that Nissan just plain makes the Z a good all around sport car at an exceptionally affordable price. They have a good understanding about engine design and tuning and they really don't spare the tuning of the engine for their cars as opposed to the American Big-3 that tend to severely under-tune their engines.

The fact that Nissan can easily get 330 BHP out of a 6-pack 3.7L engine compared to Ford's struggle to make 315 BHP out of an 8-pack 4.6L engine kinda says it all in terms of the more knowledgeable car manufacturer.

'nuff said :tup:

:iagree: That is surprising to me too. But I think that the Z is more of an "everyman" sort of car, in a Bruce Springsteen or Sugar Ray kind of way. Punching out of its weight class, but making power in a good old fashioned brutish way. Not one of those elitist twiddly little foreign jobs. Just IMHO

Yes the price differential for nearly equivalent performance is hard to ignore.

I also like the fact that you can actually SEE the engine in the Z to work on it. When I had a Porsche, it seemed like the dealer mechanics sneered at anyone non-factory trained who touched it with a wrench: "Who are you with your sorry Craftsman tools, and your pittance of knowledge? You should not defile such a wonderous vehicle designed after years of effort by Germany's finest engineers" :ughdance:

C63 AMG
or
E55 AMG

I was looking for about 8-10 months at different 2002-03 Acura NSX's. i wanted the model with the updated exterior changes. I found some at a reasonable price, not much higher than what i paid, but i didnt want to have a slightly higher payment that i have now and zero warranty. i have a 6 year warranty and will be covered past the payoff date with free oil changes and my tires are covered, i think i did alright.

For me it has been between the Evo X, 370z, and Camaro SS. I have alot of months to go before I get a new car but the Z is definitely the top contender.

I was completely sold on a new Maxima Premium, until the dealer took delivery of a 370Z and it caught my eye... Then I got the "Z Fever". I also seriously considered the new Mustang GT, until I saw it in person and it did nothing for me, I am really disappointed in the new Mustang body style, they could have done SO much better...

We got both a Z and an 09 Acura TL.

They changed that model a LOT since the 3G (3rd generation). Now, it's a highway cruiser. You could do the 7 hours up to Montreal, no problem, whereas the Z might make you a little stiff after the first 2-3 hours.

The TL with tech came in at $34,000 even, and the VPP price on the 7AT (touring) with some rugs, etc. came in at $34,014. They were desperate to reduce inventory at this particular Acura dealer.

You might ask -- for the same price, which is a better buy? I couldn't answer that. The TL is for a different purpose. The Z's limitations are strictly caused by its carrying capacity, and you KNEW that before you bought it, so there.

(Not having a back seat or a big trunk can also be an advantage.)

2nd choice? there are cars out there besides Nissan Z's?

In reading this thread I guess I am a little different in that I was not looking to buy a new car, i was just minding my own business watching college football bowl games when Nissan decided to buy a 30 second slot in every commercial break. they played that commercial 50 times it seemed.

football -- 370Z commercial --- football --- 370z commercial ---football -- 370Z commercial ---etc, etc, etc

it worked, I went out and traded the 05 350Z in for a 370Z the next week and haven't regretted it a bit since. This is one time I can say that advertising worked!

Cayman S
Elise SC
M3

135/335
Audi TTS
Corvette
Genesis Coupe

I was either going to go the 135i or Evo X route. Was kinda leaning towards the Evo due to the AWD and extra room, but after I saw the 370 in person thats all I needed. I used to own an RX8 as well, and it was a great car...but as the other folks mentioned, no power and horrible gas mileage. Never had any issues except for a few flooding incidents. Still adjusting to lack of space though. My girl gets mad sometimes because if she is with me, she has to carry any big stuff i buy in her lap.

135i
TTS
CTSv

Mine was a g37 or 135i

I've been considering the car really since it came out and before even we knew the release date, so my list varies greatly.

At one time I was considering a used e46 M3, but then thought that it would be too costly to maintain in the long run, seeing as I wanted that SMG II transmission and was told it was prone to a lot of problems. Then came along the 135i. Test drove it a couple of times, loved it, and came very close to buying one. Before the Z came out I struck a deal on a 2009 Lexus IS-F, fully loaded. I bought that, and decided to keep my Mazda 3. Just recently I bought the 370Z on a whim and gave the Mazda 3 in exchange… let's just hope the IS-F is winter-worthy.

In short:
- 135i
- E46 M3
- IS-F
- 370Z

I went just the other way. Had a deal done on the Z and my wife told me to go test drive the Elise.

Ended up cancelling the Z and getting the Elise... Drive it everyday and no regrets...

I always wanted a Viper, but now they just look kind of like a corvette with a fender kit. If I were to buy a viper it would have to be something cira late 90's.

In this order:
Lotus Elise
Cayman S
M3
SLK350
G37
After I did all the math I decided that I wouldn't be able to live with myself getting any of the other ones. Although when I ocasionally see one of the top 4 on the list I start thinking I should have bought one of the other 4. That goes away as soon as they are out of the picture. I never lust for #5 for some reason.

Lexus IS F
BMW M3 / 135i
Cayman S
Audi TTS

Although all great cars I narrowed it down to the IS F and Z. Two very different cars but it was a tough decision.

For the past half year I was looking into used Piper 28 aircraft to get myself my own little bird.
But, planning to get married and have children, it would have been too much of a stretch financially with operating costs and for less than 30 flights per year.
I had already put the aircraft idea aside and was going to save the money when I stumbled over the 370Z. I fell in love and decided to get some everyday driving fun instead of some few happy flights per year. (I get those anyway, just not in my own plane...)
So there was no plan or second car choice here, just an unneccessary, spontaneous fun purchase...

Or, if you like to look at it that way, the Z won over an airplane...

it was the
G37 coupe
Genesis coupe 3.8 track
And a vague look toward a 135I
I only considered those because I needed a lil storage area for sure.
When I saw the new 370 trunk it had just enough storage (6.9 cu. Ft)
just barely big enough for my wife n wheelchair... lol
Can't wait to pick mine up when the 2010 coupes drop.

my first choice was the 2010 evo x


then i saw this 370z, and im in love with it.

Bought the car for the wife and she chose the 370Z over a new Corvette because she said you see corvettes all over.She has a point.We are both glad she chose the Z.

I test drove an Genesis 3.8 with a slushbox and liked it but wasn't going to buy a car without test driving the exact model I wanted(manual). My previous car was a tiburon and I liked it and was gonna stick with the brand but they advertised the crap out of the car on the Superbowl and still almost 2 months later did not have the cars on the lot. IRRITATING!!!! So I went and tried to look at a G35 or G37 but seeing as I wasn't in a $1,000+ suit and only in slacks with a button up shirt I didn't measure up to being helped by any of the Infiniti salesmen at the local dealer so I left. Nissan was on the same auto group lot and went to go look at a 350 as I didn't even know there was a 370. Let me start here as saying the 350 is a nice car but I don't like the front and rear bumpers and would not buy one ever. And sitting right across the door from the 350 was a yellow 370 and it really caught my eye. It looked great(would not buy yellow myself but it looked good) and you could see some of the differences between the 2 models. At the back of the showroom they had a 350 and a 370 parked next to each other so you really could get a good look at the changes that were made. I really liked what I saw and my dad was there and thought it looked good but he was still set on buying himself a Genesis. So I set up an appointment to test drive it. Test drove it and almost immediately forgot about the Genesis. Gave Hyundai like 30 days to get the manual and they never could so I ended up with a 370z base with sport in Pearl White for a great deal(first color choice was PG but none within 100 miles and didn't want to pay for them to truck it) I also was interested in a Camaro RS/SS but from the pictures the outside looked amazing but the interior was less desirable. I don't regret not getting back seats or a summer car even though I now have to get a beater for a few months of the year. I love this car.

G37s, evo, 1 series, caymen

The Z was my second choice. I was waiting to trade in our 06 Pontiac Solstice on a 09 Solstice GXP Coupe, but GM temporally closed the plant, delaying its introduction. That gave me time to think: With all of the short comings of the 06 Solstice, I could always tell myself "It's only a $20K car". Bottom line, though, was that all of those short comings hadn't been addressed in the coupe, and it was going to come in over $30K, which I was not willing to live with at that price. Once I started looking at the Z though, I never looked back. Plus, I have a 2001 Pathfinder with a VQ35, and it has 250K miles on it with a minimal amount of repairs, so it's kind of made me partial to VQ Nissan's and Infiniti's.

Some of the usual suspects have seriously tempted me at one point or another, but I went an 08 350Z and I really like these cars in most ways. Now I'm fighting back 370Z'itis since my 350 is just a base model. I want a white/persimon with all the goodies:nutswinger:

Bmw 335 Coupe (Alpine White with Saddle Brown interiors). Still have my 350z.

370z is winning by far. My wife still pushing for a 4 seater.
Might get her an lease on that 335, but I WILL HAVE MY 370Z!!!!!

the only other car i test drove was the solstice gxp coup, but the 370 blew it away in pretty much every category, except removable top.

it was a no brainer.

Second choices by order of consideration (most considered listed first):

135i Coupe 6M
Cayman S PDK
C6 Z06 (I will likely still buy one of these soon)
Cherokee SRT-8
EVO X

Owning a plane is overrated. For 100 flying hours a year you're just better renting one at 100 per hour or even less. You made the right decision, your Z will go faster too then the Piper :)

Elise, 135i, cayman... but umm i have always loved z's so it wasn't a hard choice for me

My wife and I were looking closely at a 2008 Yellow Corvette convertible until the salesman mentioned that the son of the dealerships owner had been driving it for the past three weeks! Later that day we saw my beautiful Magnetic Black 370Z Sport Touring. We drove it home 2 hours later...