Touring worth the $4.5K premium over Base?

sbkim

Without a doubt I am going with touring option. Don't forget resale consideration as well.

Shane D

I would second this opinion! People talk about how cheap '06 Boxster S's are getting but if you look closely, that is just the strippers. If you are looking for Sports Chrono, PASM (must haves, IMO) , power seats, etc, they are harder to find and you will pay a premium.
Will you get all your money back? Of course not, but you will (A) sell faster and (B) get a decent chunk of it back.
Plus the touring is very nice and the ONLY choice available in Canada.

Shane D

NorCalZman

Maybe Im getting youngsheimers but I thought I saw in another thread that Nissan was expecting or reporting that more people were buying the upper trim level then the lower.

__________________
1988 Nissan 300ZX Turbo SS : My Shiro Special site. Limited edition Z31 model.
Dyno 5-14-05: 175.17 HP @ 5200rpm & 200.36 Torque @ 3800rpm

theDreamer

I would think the same, but at the dealership last night I was told that their location has more base models on order (both orders and direct shipments) than tourings. He also said that by mid year last year it was over 50% base.
Of course this is a sales guy, but he is the manager so he does have some knowledge on the numbers.

Gas Hed

I guess part of it depends on your vision of the car. Do you see yourself driving hard and / or auto-x a good percentage of the time? Or do you see yourself as a daily driver type who would like the extra features?

I don't think you can go wrong either way. The heart of the car is there in both models.

FairmanZ

This goes to the center of my debate. I view the car both ways, the base w/ sport is a pure sports car. The touring with sport makes it more of GT. I'm on the fence about which one I want.

I have a luxury sports sedan that serves as my daily driver. It's not going anywhere. I'm buying the Z purely as a fun car, but one that can also serve as dd when I desire.

As a dd, I want the touring package. But as a weekend toy, I don't. If I could custom order a Z, it would look like this:

Base
Sport Package (big brakes & synchro rev are musts, plus I love the look of the Rays wheels)
Leather/Suede interior - manual seats (no power, no heating)
Aluminum Pedals
Home Link
Nismo exhaust

I suppose I could just get a base w/ sport and add the pedals and homelink mirror. I could even get custom leather/suede done aftermarket. But I really love the look and feel of the factory touring interior.

Regarding resale value, over a long period of time (say 4-5 years or longer) the value of the touring will be lost IMHO. In my own experience, older cars with stripper interiors don't sell for that much less vs. fully loaded ones. But the loaded cars are easier to sell quicker that's all.

Finally the weight, 46 extra pounds is a big deal to me. If the car was 3000 lbs it wouldn't be. Although Nissan is marketing this car as lighter than the 350Z, the car mag tests have said otherwise.

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone, keep 'em coming. I'm still on the fence but leaning a little more to the touring.