Any reason not to buy a 370Z?

[exar333]

I owned a 09 370Z (Blue) and it was a great car. HOWEVER, it was a MT...the AT didn't impress me, and I coulnd't imagine driving the car with an automatic. No oil consumption issues at all, and it was rock-solid reliable for me.

The only thing I didn't like about the car were the terrible blind-spots and rear-view at night. You had a very small 'portal' to see through on the driver's blind-spot and it was not ideal. At night, it was pretty crappy to try and parallel park the car because you literally cannot see behind you. Not huge issues, but things to keep in mind, especially if you and your wife will be driving it.

Loved the interior and the drive was fantastic. Felt a lot more solid than the 350Z, and power on the 3.7L was very smooth.

 

[Wild Thing]

I had a 1974 240Z for 6 years.During the ownership I had about $3k spent on the engine,balanced and blueprinted with a custom cylinder head port and polish,larger radiator with electric fan in place of the big heavy thing it came with and Bilstein suspension all round.
It was a fabulous car and I miss it a lot.
I also had a 1974 RX4 coupe with extractors,pollution gear removed,mags etc which was a fantastic car.
I did a fair bit of street dragging in the RX4(15.2sec 1/4 mile) and also did quite a bit of club circuit racing in the 240Z.
Both were very reliable and I did more than 60K miles in them with no issues other than stuff like brake pads,tyres and a clutch in the RX4 after a lot of dragging.
Hence my recommendation earlier in the thread of the RX8.:thumbsup:

 

[exar333]

I had a 1974 240Z for 6 years.During the ownership I had about $3k spent on the engine,balanced and blueprinted with a custom cylinder head port and polish,larger radiator with electric fan in place of the big heavy thing it came with and Bilstein suspension all round.
It was a fabulous car and I miss it a lot.
I also had a 1974 RX4 coupe with extractors,pollution gear removed,mags etc which was a fantastic car.
I did a fair bit of street dragging in the RX4(15.2sec 1/4 mile) and also did quite a bit of club circuit racing in the 240Z.
Both were very reliable and I did more than 60K miles in them with no issues other than stuff like brake pads,tyres and a clutch in the RX4 after a lot of dragging.
Hence my recommendation earlier in the thread of the RX8.:thumbsup:

RX8 was very underwhelming to me. If I went the Mazda route, a MX-5 or a FD RX-7 would be much better choice. The RX8 is fugly too.

 

[Wild Thing]

Yes,I agree.However as the OP was on about a 370Z I would rather the RX8 as a driver's car.

 

[sze5003]

I had a 2009 rx8 grand touring in manual. Very fun car but I had to trade it in because of the snow we got and I was stranded one night. I should have tried snow tires but I just bought the car and didn't think about spending extra for snow tires.

If you get a 370z get manual and I hear the maintenance is quite expensive on it but if you keep up to date you should not run into too many issues.

 

[jlee]

Watch this and bow deeply
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRiPSlx8PxA

Miata, BRZ/FRS, RX8, n/a MR2...just because cars are good to drive doesn't mean they're fast. The RX8 is one of those cars.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Miata, BRZ/FRS, RX8, n/a MR2...just because cars are good to drive doesn't mean they're fast. The RX8 is one of those cars.

Nuh uh their super fast..... compared to a fiesta, yaris, or mazda2.

Don't make me bring my Schwinn into this.

 

[Wild Thing]

Miata, BRZ/FRS, RX8, n/a MR2...just because cars are good to drive doesn't mean they're fast. The RX8 is one of those cars.

Tell me about MR2s....
Here's my current ride....MR2 GT-S Turbo

 

[Wingznut]

i can drive stick, wife can't :biggrin:

Certainly an RX8 is way more of a drivers car and much more exciting to go fast in. 370Z = heavy and dull.

As an RX-8 owner, I coudn't agree more, Wild Thing. When I chose an 8 a couple of years ago, the 370Z and G37 were my other considerations.

But there's no way I could recommend an automatic RX-8 with a clear conscious.

 

[Wild Thing]

Agreed...I've never owned an automatic and lament the introduction of paddle shift transmissions.
Engine braking while heel and toeing adds that extra dimension to the feel of what the chassis and tires are doing that you just don't get with an auto box.
Nice that you own an RX8....its a fine car.:thumbsup:

 

[Wingznut]

Agreed...I've never owned an automatic and lament the introduction of paddle shift transmissions.

Oh, I have nothing against ATs. There are plenty of cars, even some sports cars, that are just fine with ATs. The rotary engine just isn't one of them, imho.

Nice that you own an RX8....its a fine car.:thumbsup:

I freakin' love the thing.

 

[ballmode]

I'll change my initial response:

Need a backseat and prefer a tad of luxury = G37 Coupe
Want a sporty car but don't want to mod under $25,000 = 370Z
Want a sporty car but want to mod = Mustang 5.0 w/track pack
Want an actual sports car that will blow the doors off of everything previously mentioned = C6 Vette

 

[GoatMonkey]

Nobody wants to admit it, but the 370Z with a 7 speed automatic is faster than the 6 speed manual.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2009-nissan-370z-automatic-short-take-road-test

The other interesting thing I remember hearing about the 370z is that it has the highest rate of deaths per million miles driven than any other car.

If you have to get an automatic another option is a used BMW 335is. The IS version had the 7 speed DCT from the M3.

 

[jlee]

Tell me about MR2s....
Here's my current ride....MR2 GT-S Turbo

Nice!

Here's my build thread.

 

[Fritzo]

Was the body redesign with the 2008 model? Before that the suspension on those cars was god awful, but they fixed it after the revamp and made it a fantastic car.

Something in a similar price range and performance range with a better interior to consider would be an Infinity G37.

 

[k3n]

Its a comparatively heavy car. Just 500+ lbs lighter than the Camaro.

 

[phucheneh]

A 370Z or a G37S (coupe) is infinitely easier to live with as a daily driver than a C6 Corvette. They still ride hard, but it's nothing compare to the 'Vette.

Really, everything is much more mild. That could be a positive or a negative, depending on what you want...personally, I think the Nissans are just sporty enough without being likely to make you regret purchasing one as a DD. It's a low-slung car with heavily bolstered seats, but you don't have to drag yourself in and out of it. Tires will cost less and wear longer, and IMO the car just holds up a lot better to daily abuses in general. The Z is a great car for someone who wants an economical 'sports car.'

Economical in comparison to the German alternatives, at least. And superior to everything American except the Corvette or a CTS-V. I still see way too many of them owned by people who should not, though. Like chicks who thought a Z roadster was 'cute,' but, in reality, would not properly maintain a Toyota Corolla. I put brakes on one today...she wore the rears until the backing plate of the pad ate half the rotor...and the remants of the pads fell out of the bracket...and the caliper shot the piston out...and it was on two bad tires, one wrong tire, and a donut, 'cause she didn't have the cash to do tires...spent it all fixing the brakes she trashed...ugh, lady, why did you buy that car...

 

[Wild Thing]

Just read most of your build thread jlee...very nice indeed!:thumbsup:
Mine's a 1994 R3 with some improvements by Apexi and twin front and rear laser *cough* "parking aids".:whiste:

 

[Wild Thing]

Oh, I have nothing against ATs. There are plenty of cars, even some sports cars, that are just fine with ATs. The rotary engine just isn't one of them, imho.

I freakin' love the thing.

Very nice ride Wingsy...congrats!

 

[sze5003]

Yea I miss my rx8 I dunno if I liked the heated seats more or the automatic wipers and lights. They would just come on as soon as needed. The key was nice too, like a credit card.

I should have kept it, was only 40 bucks more a month than my lancer gts which I traded it for since I got a new job and I needed better gas mileage driving about 30 miles each way.

 

[JCH13]

A reason to not get a 370Z?

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/10-most-and-least-expensive-cars-to-insure-1.aspx

I imagine, but I couldn't say for sure, that the 370Z isn't too far behind the 350Z on insurance costs...

I think it's fairly hilarious that WRX, tC, Tiburon, SI, Charger, and 350Z are all on the 'most expensive' list. That's what most of the local ricer club is... the rest a DSMs, which never move anyway, so they can't crash at all. :awe:

On the least expensive list there is the Solstice, Miata, and Corvette convertible. All of which I think are better sports cars than anything on the 'expensive' side of things, and all of which I think I would buy before a Z.

 

[Fritzo]

Yea I miss my rx8 I dunno if I liked the heated seats more or the automatic wipers and lights. They would just come on as soon as needed. The key was nice too, like a credit card.

I should have kept it, was only 40 bucks more a month than my lancer gts which I traded it for since I got a new job and I needed better gas mileage driving about 30 miles each way.

My only complaint with the RX-8 is the rear end of the car did not mesh will with the front end. If they would have added some flares to the rear fenders it would have looked a lot more balanced.

 

[sze5003]

My only complaint with the RX-8 is the rear end of the car did not mesh will with the front end. If they would have added some flares to the rear fenders it would have looked a lot more balanced.

Yea thats one thing I didn't really like about the car. And the fact that I drove so much I needed to add a quart of oil every other fill up. Not a big pain in the butt anyway. If I could have two cars I would probably want to have one for spring and summer.

 

[Scarpozzi]

How are the RX8s for higher mileage? I always remember the old RX7 rotary engines needed to be replaced if driven in moderate-colder climates because they'd lose compression after 100k miles....and it wasn't cheap to swap them out considering how much the RX7 used to cost.

For the 370z, I saw one yesterday. I can understand after seeing the back window how visibility could be an issue. If they have a backup camera available, it may be a wise investment.

 

[sze5003]

How are the RX8s for higher mileage? I always remember the old RX7 rotary engines needed to be replaced if driven in moderate-colder climates because they'd lose compression after 100k miles....and it wasn't cheap to swap them out considering how much the RX7 used to cost.

For the 370z, I saw one yesterday. I can understand after seeing the back window how visibility could be an issue. If they have a backup camera available, it may be a wise investment.

I bought mine with 7k miles and traded it when it had about 18 or 19k. The engines will require more routine maintenance as the mileage goes up and as long as you keep an eye on the oil and service it properly at intervals it should last. Not sure how long though if you expect way over 100k.