Nissan is totally due for a new Z. 6 years with the same basic car is an eternity in the automotive world. They went and invested big with the GTR since 09, and it seems as if alot of people forgot about the Z when the GTR came around. The 350/370 had, and still has a big grassroots and tuner following, but we are hungry for a new and improved platform that we can afford to run and race with. It will be interesting to see which direction they go with the car. Until then I'll be enjoying my 370 :)

I'm smelling Jungle Z in this post!!!!!

:horse:

I'm gonna bite - I think $42k loaded for this thing is right where it needs to be for where the market is with these types of cars. Hear me out.

A loaded Evo X MR is in the $40k range (at least the last of them, anyway). A loaded STI Limited without Subaru performance accessories touches $40k. A loaded Golf R with Navigation is $39,910 before destination. None of those cars in stock form come within 45-50hp of this Focus, a car aimed squarely at those three vehicles. None of those cars come with Recaro seats either (the Evo's last year with Recaros was 2014). None of those other cars are coming with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires at that price, either, and you can't even get close to the Golf R and Focus RS interiors with the Evo or the STI.

You can't compare a hot hatch to a Mustang in terms of price. So few people are going to cross shop a RWD grand tourer with an AWD hatch that it doesn't make sense to even consider it in the grand scheme of the product. Being the Z fanboy that I am, I couldn't even bring up the fact that the only other car I could think of in that price range with Recaro seats is the current Nismo Z or a Mustang GT with the track pack or whatever it is that gets you Recaros in that car.

You guys bringing the Merc into the argument have to realize that a stripped out CLA45 AMG (or an A45 AMG if it were brought here) is closer to $50k than $40k, and if you start optioning one of those things out, you're pretty much at $60k.

For what that car does in today's hot hatch segment, they nailed it. Pure and simple. Gotta pay to play.

I agree with Ricer on this one. I think they priced it pretty fairly. It's got easy tuning potential into the 400 hp range with bolt ons. To add to it it was developed from advice given by Ken Block to deliver fun performance. I believe once we start seeing some hands on driving reviews and test drives people will stop saying it's overpriced.

Anyways the base price is only $37k and most of the options are tech. I know that leather seats are in there as well but if the base seats are still Recaros then I'll keep my money on the leather; just give me the performance wheels tires and it's at $38-39k.

I've been really intrigued by this car since Ford announced they were bringing it to the States, but $42K is just seems like way too much to spend on a Focus. At best I'd probably buy a used one with a few miles on it in a couple years.

The same people said $40k was too much for a Lancer, or too much for an Impreza, or too much for a Golf. For every one of those people, there were at least three more that didn't share the same sentiment.

But let's pretend the A45 was here and all we got was the sport seats exhaust and nav. OK we'd be at 50K but, we'd be in a Benz vs $42K in the ford... I'd pay the extra hundred a month for the dct, Benz build quality and 34 extra horses....

The evo has been cancelled. That's how this car is even priced this high. You can get the vw for 39K but that interior SCREAMS QUALITY... I get what you're saying but just like the ecoboost Mustang, it's overpriced... I feel this Ford should top out at 37K. Remember, the competition still has DCT vs this being a manual. That in itself lowers need to have the higher price tag.

Why is this thread continuing?? Ewww for this hocus pocus focus? I would wait for the 3rd gen Mazdaspeed 3.

phew
 

looks like something a hummer farted out.:roflpuke2:

The only thing I have to add as a rebuttal is the following:

1) If you have someone in this market for this car (or the STI or Golf-R) it's so incredibly unlikely that they'll cross-shop the luxury segment at all. These are purpose-built niche vehicles and the Mercs are (gorgeous and well made) entry-level luxury.

2) The Evo being cancelled has much more to do with Mitsubishi being run by morons and less to do with the market. What does Mitsubishi even make that's any good now? A mirage? All aboard the LOLLERCOASTER!

3) The target market for these cars cares very little about anything without three pedals. Pure and simple. Would they sell an automatic/DCT STI? Maybe a few, but the overwhelming majority of prospective buyers is here for these cars because they are the last of the Mohicans when it comes to sports/sporty with a manual transmission. These are the best it gets for under $45k.

I understand what you're saying, but I think the sales numbers with these things are going to speak for themselves.

That being said, I'm a guy who could have made room for his coming baby with an STI and somehow ended up in a Q50S instead. :tup: There are always those strange kinds of buyers that broaden their horizons, but this market is also typically the type that is stubborn and doesn't stray from what they enjoy driving.

That also being said, if I had an extra $42k lying around, overpriced or not, I'd park a 2015/16 Nismo 370 right next to my Q50S. Because fanboy.

Love the honesty of your last sentence :tup: And that 15/16 Nismo is gorgeous :yum:

I love Ricer X's opinions, this is the first time my opinion doesn't really match but still... It always makes sense in its own right and I highly respect your opinions. Always very well thought out. You're right Mitsubishi are morons. They had the perfect eclipses for 89-99 and they effed it all up for the millennium on. Now they don't exist.

The evo. One of the most exciting cars of our generation. And they flushed it down the toilet

It's ok - we won't match on everything, but most things :) Always enjoy the candor.

Now I'd really like to throw a bone into this argument -

In 2003, we saw the debut of the Evo stateside. The WRX STI was finally nearly in the states for a MY2004 debut. The S2000 was here as well as the 350Z and the RX8. As far as "performance oriented" vehicles, that was really it. I'm not including the Neon SRT-4 though because wrong-wheel-drive. All those above are RWD or AWD.

Adjust $42,000 USD for inflation from the year 2003, and you get... $32,356.94. That money in 2003 buys any one of those cars I listed above at some point in their model range. So are these cars really getting more expensive? Are entry level luxury cars getting cheaper? If you look at inflation, cost and availability of materials, etc... it's kind of crazy to see where we are now versus even 10 years ago.

Another thing to look at is - how nice is our range of tuner/performance cars these days? There's SO MUCH to pick from! Only Nissan is playing on the more expensive end of the spectrum.

/threadjack

But can the car market adjust for inflation like food or other commodities when insurance & gas prices have tripled, people pay 3X more rent? Yet the minimum wage has increased by less than $2, pensions and 401K is nearly non existent and the cost for education has doubled. Something in our society has to not adjust to inflation in the same rate as other commodities in our day to day lives. There's a serious imbalance in our economic system. I say, if cars are going up that high, then insurance shouldn't pass $100 a month and gas should still be $1.49 a gallon. Or no more sales tax on car purchases. We are highly overtaxed anyway with little to show for it except war reparations. SMH.

As a former STI owner, I can appreciate the turbo hot hatch with AWD aspect. If this car brings the performance expected, I totally think it's worth $37K.

It would never replace my Z, unless I decided to cut back to 1 vehicle, but that's a whole different story.

I'm a huge fan of the Z (I've owned a half-dozen over the years) but not every car can be a 2-door 2-seat sports coupe. No need to **** on everything because it's "not as cool as a Z".

Seriously with a few notable exceptions, this forum seems more like fanboys than car guys lately. :facepalm: