the "I don't hate 350z club"
08-15-2007, 01:08 PM
#176
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08-15-2007, 03:55 PM
#178
i pwn therefore i am
And your comment about passing is odd. Even if you need to downshift you're going to get more passing power from the Z than from the 8.
08-16-2007, 10:57 AM
#180
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Rx8 has better front that reminds me of european exotics but 350z looks much more like a proper sports car overall. I mean Rx8 has the new MB flares, vs 350z has porsche flares... if you know what i mean.
08-16-2007, 11:07 AM
#181
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it could go both ways. rx8 is pretty annoying to live with on daily basis. Get caught at say 2500rpm, and a teenager in his mom's minivan will have his way with you. on the other hand, rx8 has nice balance for turns so that's fun.
350z is a fun car as much as it's cool. it has nice power for you to easily skid out of corners. to me that's pretty much fun factor.
350z is a fun car as much as it's cool. it has nice power for you to easily skid out of corners. to me that's pretty much fun factor.
08-16-2007, 11:11 AM
#182
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Seriously, how do you drive on a daily basis that you are going to notice a significant power advange as between the Z and the 8? Do Z drivers sprint like madmen (or women) from light to light? Does a Z driver make it a point to zoom from zero to 40 when leaving the super market parking lot faster than an 8 could do it? I doubt it. Daily sprints to redline on the interstate on-ramp are limited by traffic and prudence rather than the car's power. The same is true once you get on the interstate. Most folks driving an RX8 aren't pushing it to its maximum limits during their daily drives. We'd all be in jail. Or making posts elsewhere on this website about how pissed we are that our dsc saved us from killing ourselves.
I suppose one instance where the Z's power advantage would be evident is where you can just plant your right foot to make a pass rather than having to make a downshift in certain situations, but if someone finds making a downshift to pass tedious that driver probably doesn't belong in a sports car. At the end of the day, it probably comes down to an individual's driving style as to whether they find the power or handling disparities more evident. I have no scientific basis, but I'd wager more folks who buy RX8's consider and test drive Z's before making their purchace than the other way around. If the power disparity outweighed the 8's handling edge and several other advantages, many of us would drive Z's instead.
I suppose one instance where the Z's power advantage would be evident is where you can just plant your right foot to make a pass rather than having to make a downshift in certain situations, but if someone finds making a downshift to pass tedious that driver probably doesn't belong in a sports car. At the end of the day, it probably comes down to an individual's driving style as to whether they find the power or handling disparities more evident. I have no scientific basis, but I'd wager more folks who buy RX8's consider and test drive Z's before making their purchace than the other way around. If the power disparity outweighed the 8's handling edge and several other advantages, many of us would drive Z's instead.
08-16-2007, 03:46 PM
#184
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08-17-2007, 11:11 AM
#185
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Ah . . . silly me. Didn't realize the published hp/torque figures tell the whole story! Guess I better pop the RX8 in the garage and start driving the Durango on a daily basis. Given its hp/torque curve, its clearly evident that I would enjoy this more as a daily driver. Amazing how actually driving a car can so totally throw off your perceptions.
if you will, those curves just show you how the engine produces power. very simple diagram but pretty useful to determine when the power comes.
08-19-2007, 08:21 AM
#187
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here's my Z
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2648399
pretty happy with it.
Even though I've taken a bunch of weight out of mine, I still think the stock car is too heavy, especially these new ones. They might be comparable to cheap porsches, but considering that some V8 and V10 cars come in at close to the same weight, just seems like something could have been done in the chassis design to not make it so heavy
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2648399
pretty happy with it.
Even though I've taken a bunch of weight out of mine, I still think the stock car is too heavy, especially these new ones. They might be comparable to cheap porsches, but considering that some V8 and V10 cars come in at close to the same weight, just seems like something could have been done in the chassis design to not make it so heavy
08-20-2007, 11:50 AM
#190
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350's were the only cars getting close to their magazine times at the last strip I visted. Meanwhile I saw atleast 3 different MS3's getting high 15's.
Still wouldn't buy one even if I could get away with 2 seats, having driven both the coupe and 'vert. Just can't get over the window sills at the ears, or the general feel...opps, wrong thread.
Still wouldn't buy one even if I could get away with 2 seats, having driven both the coupe and 'vert. Just can't get over the window sills at the ears, or the general feel...opps, wrong thread.
08-20-2007, 01:24 PM
#191
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Except the vette, they are a joke.
08-20-2007, 04:50 PM
#192
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so then what if you could afford another car or didn't need 4 seats?
Just cause 2 seaters are useless to some people doesn't mean they're useless to everyone. And there's a whole bunch of Z owners who own more than one car or don't need 4 seats
Last edited by sentry65; 08-20-2007 at 05:08 PM.
08-20-2007, 10:45 PM
#194
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So a Ferrari is not better than an RX-8 if its your only car. However if you have more than one car then the Ferrari is better...okay, if you say so. Now go start your own thread, this one is not for haters.
08-21-2007, 02:09 AM
#196
Word. Ever try to have sex in a 350Z?
I like being able to put the front seats all the way down too or inviting 3 friends to hang out with me too.
Still if they did a redesign of the 350Z's bubble butt, changed the mini-tank appearance a bit more, and it was a 2+2 then I might be tempted. I totally respect Nissan for improving HP and performance from year to year on that car. The supercharged 350Z I read about in one of those car magazines made me salivate.
I like being able to put the front seats all the way down too or inviting 3 friends to hang out with me too.
Still if they did a redesign of the 350Z's bubble butt, changed the mini-tank appearance a bit more, and it was a 2+2 then I might be tempted. I totally respect Nissan for improving HP and performance from year to year on that car. The supercharged 350Z I read about in one of those car magazines made me salivate.
Last edited by sosonic; 08-21-2007 at 02:14 AM.
08-21-2007, 10:54 AM
#198
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I'm reading a lot of people complaining about the two seats of a Z. It's weird. When the RX7 had two seats, it was "cool." But since the biggest observable "difference" between the 8 and the Z, at park, are two seats and two "doors," all of the sudden rear seats and doors become a HUGE deal...
What some of you gotta remember is, cars appeal to different people for different reasons. "Useless" to one person, could be "Priceless" to another. Anyone even looking into a Z has got to have made peace with the idea of a 2-seater. Same with the Miata crowd. Just as some would say the rear seats and suicide doors on the 8 would be "useless," others would say they are an invaluable part of the car.
Me, I have a family so SOMEtimes rear seats and 4-doors come in handy. However, when I do drive, I am usually (about 19 out of 20 times) by myself or at most, with one other person. Maybe about once every six months I feel the pinch of a two-seater. In which case, I either drive my wife's 8 or I tell the other person to go buy their own damn car.
But from reading most people's complaints about the Z, it seems that you guys are making mountains out of molehills as to justify not buying the Z. And you know what? That's okay. What ever helps you to sleep better at night with your current purchase. Whether it be power, room, styling, novelty, build quality, quarter mile times, 0-60 times, traction, factory options, current sales, tricky sales persons, etc. Either way, any and every complaint I've read thus far about the Z or the 8 is only regurgitated stereotypical moto-journalist babble any 7 year old can pick out of an issue of C&D or the manufacturer's brochure. Fact is, not many people alive can duplicate the performance listed in magazines or brochures anyhow. Maybe, at most, a handful of members on this site can use the full potential of a car, either due to experience, financial considerations (track time and driver's training courses), or just plain having ***** the size of church bells and a brain the size of a peanut.
It's like arguing blue is better than green.
Fact is...we bought what we bought. Do some of us OBVIOUSLY regret our purchase? I think we all know the answers to this...deep down, we all know if we are satisfied with our cars. So for those guys, next time do a little more homework before jumping on the sales contract. For those who are really content with their cars, you don't have to justify your purchases to the community. Hell, it's not like we co-signed for you or you need our approval to validate your existence.
I've written about this before. The best way of making peace with your car is to simply see the car for WHAT IT IS. NO MORE, no less. There is no one better car. I bet Ferrari guys envy Hybrid drivers at times and Mini drivers envy SUV owners. Just as some 8 owners will always envy drivers with any other car that puts out more power out of the box. The 8 is not a race-car. I'm sorry, but it's not. At least not out of the factory, its not. And even then, N/A mods are few, comparably expensive, and don't put out major gains. Its a FUN sports car. Plain and simple. The Z is no race car either.
What some of you gotta remember is, cars appeal to different people for different reasons. "Useless" to one person, could be "Priceless" to another. Anyone even looking into a Z has got to have made peace with the idea of a 2-seater. Same with the Miata crowd. Just as some would say the rear seats and suicide doors on the 8 would be "useless," others would say they are an invaluable part of the car.
Me, I have a family so SOMEtimes rear seats and 4-doors come in handy. However, when I do drive, I am usually (about 19 out of 20 times) by myself or at most, with one other person. Maybe about once every six months I feel the pinch of a two-seater. In which case, I either drive my wife's 8 or I tell the other person to go buy their own damn car.
But from reading most people's complaints about the Z, it seems that you guys are making mountains out of molehills as to justify not buying the Z. And you know what? That's okay. What ever helps you to sleep better at night with your current purchase. Whether it be power, room, styling, novelty, build quality, quarter mile times, 0-60 times, traction, factory options, current sales, tricky sales persons, etc. Either way, any and every complaint I've read thus far about the Z or the 8 is only regurgitated stereotypical moto-journalist babble any 7 year old can pick out of an issue of C&D or the manufacturer's brochure. Fact is, not many people alive can duplicate the performance listed in magazines or brochures anyhow. Maybe, at most, a handful of members on this site can use the full potential of a car, either due to experience, financial considerations (track time and driver's training courses), or just plain having ***** the size of church bells and a brain the size of a peanut.
It's like arguing blue is better than green.
Fact is...we bought what we bought. Do some of us OBVIOUSLY regret our purchase? I think we all know the answers to this...deep down, we all know if we are satisfied with our cars. So for those guys, next time do a little more homework before jumping on the sales contract. For those who are really content with their cars, you don't have to justify your purchases to the community. Hell, it's not like we co-signed for you or you need our approval to validate your existence.
I've written about this before. The best way of making peace with your car is to simply see the car for WHAT IT IS. NO MORE, no less. There is no one better car. I bet Ferrari guys envy Hybrid drivers at times and Mini drivers envy SUV owners. Just as some 8 owners will always envy drivers with any other car that puts out more power out of the box. The 8 is not a race-car. I'm sorry, but it's not. At least not out of the factory, its not. And even then, N/A mods are few, comparably expensive, and don't put out major gains. Its a FUN sports car. Plain and simple. The Z is no race car either.
Last edited by Phantom Menace; 08-21-2007 at 11:11 AM.
08-21-2007, 11:11 AM
#199
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I tend to take criticism at face value particularly when the cars are in the same ballpark in price. Obviously, people bought their favourite car within a similar price range right?
Otherwise, it's natural that 350's, S2000, etc. will be criticised here as 8's are criticised on other forms.
Otherwise, it's natural that 350's, S2000, etc. will be criticised here as 8's are criticised on other forms.
08-21-2007, 11:51 AM
#200
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****, I talk crap about the 350z and stand up for the 8 at their forum. The only reason why I got it it was because it was offered to me for $16k OTD with extended warranty for a 04 with 36k miles and pretty good conditions.