I like the Z as a weekend toy, sporadic use, car. I prefer the 8 as a daily use vehicle. Everyone is different, but I've never flooded it, never ran out of gas, never ran out of oil, etc. The only issue I've ever had with the 8 is a faulty ABS sensor and I burned out a headlight bulb.

Practicality aside, as you know, the 2 vs 4 door issue, trunk vs hatchback issue, 2 vs 4 seats, etc... Throw in the fact that the Z is more expensive than the 8 to begin with, insurance rates are higher. I think the 8 is a better value.

I think that the Z has more presence. It has showcar looks that like it or hate it, you notice it. So, if it is important to you to be noticed, the Z is the one. But as a driver, I'm inside the car, not on the outside, so the interior comfort is important to me - nod goes to the 8.

From an engineering standpoint, I think the 8 is more unique. The Z chassis is based on a platform that is shared with the Murano, Altima, Maxima - as such, will have compromises. I think that with other models to defer the cost of development and manufacture, the Z should have been priced a bit lower. The V6 is a great engine. The 8 chassis may eventually make its way to future models, but I can't help but feel good about paying less for a car was developed as a unique model. Engine is not shared, I think the suspension components may have been lifted from another model, and the brakes are definiely parts bin (although they do an ok job in stopping the car).

To sum up, the Z is for the extrovert who needs make a statement. The 8 is more for me (wallflower) without giving up much in real world performance. Comfort, ease of driving, better value basically clinches the deal.

 

i completely agree. anybody lookin for a 1/4 mile queen should just get a beat up mustang to start with.

 

outrageous! the Z styling is much more conservative imo

plus i see about 10x more Z's on the road as 8's.

 

strightline racing is pointless? well i guess making lots of money doing what you love to do is pointless

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Garlits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Prudhomme
http://www.motorsportshalloffame.com...idden_main.htm
http://www.dragracingonline.com/special/grumpy_1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Bernstein
http://www.motorsportunderground.com...ges/Jungle.htm
http://www.draglist.com/stories/SOD%...SOD-030400.htm
etc etc etc

 

I was just having this argument with myself before buying the RX8. one of the guys on the 350z forum made some good points. He had a 350z and he said the handling of the RX8 is better but the Z has more speed. He also went on to say that if you are looking for more speed only, then you shouldn't even get a Z there are plenty more cars out there in the same category and price that have more powerful engines and are more practical.

All this beign said, straightline is great. Street racing and winning is great. But at the end of the day what does it prove? you spent 30,000 to beat some teenagers who race all day long and aren't doing anything with their life? For a car that I see almost every day? A car that looks like an egglike TT? Or do you spend 30,000 to get some fun driving, a car that is much more rare on the roads, is amazingly practical for a sportscar, and is overall a different machine than 90% of cars out on the road.

Id rather spend the 30,000 to be different, outside of the box, than 30,000 to get "respect" from some high schoolers.

 

street racing is never great.

 

Consumer Reports puts the cars in different classes. But in the Z write up it compares it to the 8? Then in the back of the magazine it classes them together again and the 8 edges it out overall.

 

I still like my fat ugly kid in the Evo Story.. haha..
I was talking to a friend and he said that hand across the face thing means "You can't see me!", some kind of hip-hop/wrestling thing. When I finished telling the story to the friend he laughed and couldnt believe it. I like rivalries and all but yeah that was again classic. I'm just gonna wait till one wishes to race and rev my engine.. let the light turn green and not move as the XXXcar race's on to be pulled over by the cop 10 yards down the road. Radar detector I love it! hehe...

So anyone else see some funny plates??

 

IN THE REAL WORLD , do you go racing around corners at 40 mph with your r compounds?

mod edit- removed insult-zoom44

 

I really like both the z and the 8. If I could have gotten a two seater I would have seriously considered the z. My only problem with the Z is what were they thinking when they put on those god awful door handles?

 

IMHO, I think the 350z is also a great looking ride! (every time that I see one at about 30 min intervals) I still think one of the unique aspects of the '8 is that you don't see one coming at you every time you blink. I probably average seeing an '8 three times a week. That's one of the things that intrigued me about the '8. Great looks and uniqueness.

Straight line power is great! That's why I also have my '71 Mach I 351 Cleveland Hurst 4sp.

If a 350Z owner starts giving you crap, point to this comparison (even though they are crazy Brits!) - http://www.car2max.com/video/Top%20G...azda%20RX8.wmv

Zoom, Zoom!

 

whoah! no personal attacks. thats warning 1.

and i go around corners at 40 on my original stock tires

 

Sweepers maybe... We all know you drive like a gandpa

 

No way that it was a random plate. Texas plates have three letters followed by three numbers.

For all those people saying that 350Zs are ugly, I don't know if I would go that far. They aren't ugly, just reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally bland. Every time I see one (which is about every 20 seconds because everyone and their dog is driving them in Dallas) I can't help but think that they all look like giant vibrators. No style or distinguishing features, just a super smooth, roundish toy for its owner to use for self-absorbed masturbation.

 

only when the boy is in the car and awake. or if his mother is in there with us

 

Drive it like you stole it!

 

Take note of how many of those guys drive an unmodified car. That's my point... not that there's no merit to the sport of drag racing, but that comparing consumer cars' performance in it is quite pointless.

 

Damn it ZOOM!

You forgot to include me and Charles (AKA Big Daddy Rat Fink) on that list

 

common we're thinking too simply here, try this. 350z vs RX8 vs S2K vs M3 vs 1972 Ford Fiesta...no but seriously, the 350Z gots *****, but im not trading the 8 anytime soon.

 

Until there is a turn involved. The 350z is a boat. I had one rev at me at a LEFT TURN light yesterday and i let him get a head of me at the start then i just layed into it through the turn and demolished him.

The Z has better straight line power, but anyone can go fast in a line where's the challenge in that?

 

That must've been me on my350z.com. I owned an 8, but now own a 350Z Roadster. There are so many people on that site who think the Z is the end-all be-all of cars, and it simply isn't. A car is such a personal choice, and what's important to some may not be important to others. For instance, if a back seat is important, the Z is out of the question. If handling is more important than straight-line speed, then again, there are plenty of cars which handle better than the Z. The Z is a good combination of handling and speed, but excels at neither.

OTOH, the 8 isn't exactly the greatest car on the planet, either. It's got incredibly low torque, crappy AC, HORRIBLE gas mileage, and why anybody would get the AT version at under 200 HP is beyond me (but again, that's a personal decision). RX-8's are not rare, especially in my neck of the woods. I see far more 8's than Z's (especially Roadsters).

If you look at car choices objectively, there is no such thing as "better." You may as well argue over what tastes better, Coke or Pepsi. In the end, that choice boils down to an "eye of the beholder" thing. Discussions such as this thread are completely and utterly pointless. People will always end up trying to qualify the term "better" so that their PERSONAL choice can be justified - 8 owners say 1320 times don't matter, Z owners say they do; 8 owners say handling is the best quality in a car, Z owners say it isn't; 8 owners say their car works better in the real world, Z owners say their car does; 8 owners say they rule in the twisties and therefore the 8 is better, Z owners say they rule straight-line and therefore the Z is better. IMHO, nobody needs to feel a need to justify their personal decision. I certainly don't feel that need. I chose what I think is the better car FOR ME - I'm not going to knock another car simply because that's the choice I made. It seems there are so many 350Z/RX8 threads, like there's some kind of competition between the two. This ain't Republican/Democrat or tastes great/less filling, people.

-djb

 

Oh please, big deal. Lemme get this straight - a car revved at you at a left turn, you let him get ahead, and then you burned him. Big deal - you did a ricer fly-by at 20 mph. I guess that's a challenge for some....

Trust me, if you race from a dig, turn or no turn, the Z wins. The 8 does well in the twisties because it can keep higher entry speeds, therefore allowing it to have a good exit speed without having to do as much work as a worse handling car. A zero mph entry speed (that means from a stop) forces the 8 to do more work than it possibly can in order to reach the same exit speed as a faster accelerating car. In other words, that Z wasn't racing you, and you proved nothing other than you think a ricer fly-by at 20 mph means something.

The Z is not a boat - it's curb weight is roughly 200 lbs more than the 8.

-djb

 

I spent the last two years mulling over what to buy. Thought long & hard about a C4 vette and a 350Z. Rear seats were a nice feature in the 8 not something I'd often need, but nice to have. After driving one I was hooked. Closest thing to a 928 I owned 10 years earlier in terms of handling. Ride is a little stiffer but perfectly balanced. Having enough trunk room for 2 golf bags made it a better choice for me over the Z.

Sure in a straight line a Z is faster. The vette is even faster then a Z and it's not hard to find a pristeen one with under 30,000 miles for half the price of a new Z.

To each his own.

 

The 350Z looks good and goes fast in a straight line. (But then again, so does a Mustang.) But it's suspension is too harsh and it's not very forgiving when you reach its limit in cornering. I prefer the 8.

 

I know when someone is racing me and when they are not. I'll conceed that maybe the Z driver didn't know how to hold a fast turn, but that still doesn't change my opinion after driving the Z that it is a boat, and 200 lbs is a LOT of weight when comparing cars designed to handle well, and go fast.

And the 8 does well in turns because it has a lower center of gravity, a better suspension, and LESS WEIGHT than the Z. THOSE are the reasons it can maintain higher corner entry and exit speeds.