Hey! :rolleyes: I resemble that remark (... feigns humility)... let's not write off the Z as a real race car just yet

After reading everyone posts.... I would have to say a Z, then mod. it.

No no no, your Z is a race car. My Z is not! I meant just general daily driven Z's/

Well.. I think I will sit on it for a month or two then make my decision. THX GUYS!!

There are very few people that can drive them to their limit. An instructor in my S2000 (with me in the passenger seat) passed a number of them that were on slicks and we were on street tires. However, the Elise/Exige is MILES faster than an S2000 around a track, given equal drivers.

It's all about who is driving them. With a truly competent driver, they are as quick (stock for stock) as cars with up to double the power (ie, Z06, Porsche 911, Ferrari 360) on tight tracks. They lose out on the straights because their aerodynamics are horrible and they aren't high powered (weight effects are negligible at speeds above 60 or 70 mph and so drag dominates, meaning power is the major requirement for speed).

A properly driven Exige will murder a 350Z/370Z around almost any track. They are beasts. There just aren't many beast masters. ;)

They are not daily drivers for most people. Zero cargo room, loud, harsh, and rough riding. They have virtually no sound deadening and you can hear every pebble and piece of grit you drive over.

Could I DD one? Probably, since I drive under 20 miles a day on good roads. However, it probably wouldn't be that fun since most of it is on 60 mph highways (ie, boring). The Z probably does make a lot more sense to 99% of the population.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.............

Well after 5 pages do we have decision?

LOL!!! Give me some more time to think about it!!

After consider all the good info and pointers, and combing through a Lotus board, I am now leaning back towards a modded 370 Z. I am going to sit on it for about a month or so, then make a final decision...

make sure you are near a lotus dealer for when **** goes wrong... a track car will have issues even when on the worlds most simple tracks (roads)...

that is becoming more of a factor in my decision actually....

I just got back from testing out the 7AT. The tranny is WAY above par for an AT tranny.

However...

For me, it simply is not engaging enough. For some reason, I have more fun driving my wife's CX7 in 'sport' mode than I did driving the Z in 7AT manual mode. Trust me, driving the Z overall is much better than a CX7 or my current RX8, but I just did not feel connected enough.

Wow.. The Z is just a great car however..... I am going for another drive in an Exige when I get back from my business trip, but I think I am going with a White 6MT 370Z.

Join the PW 6MT group...or else! lol.

But for reals, I really like the Z as my daily driver. It is sporty enough to make me smile after a long day at work and comfortable enough that I dont get annoyed of the really rough roads I go over. I think the only thing that bugs me about the Z is this one particular rattle, but from what they say is there are way more rattles in the lotus because it is so stiff and there is hardly if not any sound/vibration proofing.

I haven't driven an elise/exige so I can't say for sure. I am awaiting your decision and if you get the lotus, I want to know of your review after you have logged a few thousand miles in it.

If you can afford the Exige S then go for the Nissan GT-R for a little more and get the best of both worlds.

GT-R is just too big for me.... I need something smaller.

What about the new corvette? If I could afford a $65,000 Lotus I dont think I would be looking at the Z. The Z is a great car for its price range, which is about where most can only go but I think I would be looking for a higher end car to decide between with the Lotus.