I didn't know any previous Zs were truly great. The last generation was a very good car, but other than that all I remember were POSs or nothing special.

 

^ wow.... those old Z's were probably the best nissan cars ever.

 

Gee, I guess that I have to cross all the sports cars I have ever owned off my list of sports cars I have owned.
MGB, Triumph Spitfire, Austin Sprite, Austin MK3000, Jaguar XKE, Jensen, Gen 1 RX7, 240Z, Corvette...

 

i guess front engine ferraris are just ordinary cars isntead of sports cars.

 

Love both the Z and the 8, was thisclose to buying one but I got the 8.

 

...well they are technically GT cars,

 

The 240Z was a great car, the 260Z and the 280ZX weren't bad either. After that, I think the move to the 300ZX is when the car started to really gain some weight and become constrained by a lot of luxury items.

 

Yes it is - the holy grail of oversteer.

 

The 240 and 260 Z's were great cars in their time. Since then it seems almost that the Z line has been "dumbed down" to suit US consumer tastes.

 

so its technically a pure sports car... BUT! accoridng to kartweb's post, its not a pure sports car! lol.... that "if its not mid engine its not a pure sports car" thing i just plan bullshit.

 

"Just because the Z somewhat resembles a 911 from the side view doesn't make it anything more than a wannabe. What's the 911 anyway, the holy grail? Seriously."

im not sure if it was on top gear or a show i was watching about the 350z. But on this matter the team that designed this car are from cali, and that they liked the porsche look alot. That they wanted to make the 350z around the look of a porche so they can compete. Any ways maybe somone remember seeing that on top gear if not it was on some documentary that i seen about the 350z and the designers of the car.

 

Touring or Grand Touring cars are built for high speed road trips.

Sports Cars are built for sport. Thats my definition.

A purist has more discriminating definition. If it's purpose built for sport the motor is in the middle.

For that matter some people consider a Camaro or even a 68 Pontiac GTO to be a sports car. An insurance agent considers anything with two doors to be a sports car. So in truth the term sports car really has no relevence. What has relevence is what car best suites your desire? I like my RX8 just fine.

 

The 350Z is a fantastic car in my opinion.

Muscular stance, muscular exhaust note, lots of torque, and now they improved the interior fit and finish, too.

The shifter is a little rubbery, but I find 3rd gear imprecise as hell on the 8, so...

 

That's funny, I find 3rd to be the most satisfying gear to go into for me. 2nd is the pain for me because I just can't get it in smooth and it feels a little rough.

 

I've now seen you praise 3 cars besides the RX-8 in the last couple days, including the STI. Are you feeling alright?

 

Congrats on your trading the Z for the RX8. I may join you in that endeavor at some point in 2007. I could use those extra seats for my little ones.

Plenty of hate for the Z here. I think that lone speaks for itself.

The old 90's Z32 is not superior to the Z33. It's over 200 pounds heavier than my 2003 Z, and considerably less nimble. It might get the newer Z by one or two tenths on the quarter mile, but that's it. I believe people confuse the straight line performance of a stock Z32 to that of all of the modified ones that make a zillion horsepower.

What makes a sports car is purely subjective. The opinion of Enzo Ferrari and his ilk obviously holds more weight than anyone here, but in my estimation a sports car has a manual transmission, RWD, 2 seats and isn't very comfortable on a bumpy road. EDIT: Having said that, I still believe the RX8 to be a sports car, so that proves yet again that any definition of sports car can be compromised by automotive development. So I guess what makes a sports car is in the eye of the beholder

 

Ignore the retards.

 

Enough already... kartweb simply pointed out that different people have different definitions for a sports car. He's correct in that there are people that think a sports car must be of singular purpose. To some purists going by old traditional definitions, that can mean mid-engine, 1 seat, open wheel, no amenities, etc.

Both the Z and RX8 are compromises, just like every mass-produced car out there. They're both sports cars under any meaningful contemporary definition, and each have advantages and disadvantages compared to each other. What matters is that we have so many awesome cars to choose from today!

 

But then who will be left? And how am I supposed to ignore myself...

 

Congrats on the 8. We require a stock picture like every other person who buys one posts.

 

Insecurity does that to people. The Z is a nice car, but with it's (reportedly) harsh ride, skittish cornering and only two seats, I prefer the 8. I also agree that there's too many of them on the roads around here. I prefer a car that's different.

 

I gave you about an hour to enjoy that post.

The one that was in French.

But it was an 05 Evo I was in, and not an STI. I had mispoken.

Truly great car.

I take back everything bad I ever said about it.

 

Exotic car maybe?

 

One thing to take note... look at the engine placement in a 350z and compare it to the engine in a rx8. The rx8 engine doesn't start until after the front wheels, hence the term mid-ship layout. The 350z engine is more than 1/2 half past the front wheels. This alone makes a big difference in handling.

 

As cited, you really don't see many RX-8's on the road, which is a nice uniqueness thing ('what kind of car is that?'). Plus being able to answer the quintessential 'how many pistons?' with 'None.'