Saw A Nissan 350Z Today (1 Viewer)

[Mark Romero]

Saw one here also a month or so ago at a dealership. A white one. Looks nice. Didn't get a chance to check out the inside. This is on my short list of cars for my wife once we get back to the US.

Posted this and it went on top of the original thread/post. Funny.

 

[Chuck C]

While walking through the campus today, I passed busy Campus Ave. In the distance I saw this copper car; it stood out from the rest of the cars. At first, I thought it was the Lexus SC430, but upon closer inspection, it was the new Nissan 350Z. What an awesome looking car! Who's the lucky college punk that drives that!? Does anybody have one? I hope cars continue to evolve into nothing buy sweetness.

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

I have seen two Z's so far here in Washington state...a silver one and a red one. I'm thinking about getting one...but I also want to buy a house here soon...so I better just stop looking at the Z
Pretty kewl car IMHO anyway! A Convertible version is supposed to come out next fall also.

 

[Justin Doring]

A guy at my school has a silver one. It's definitely a striking car, and it offers a lot of performance for $30,000. Of course the Track Model is less of a bargain, as it pushes $40,000.

 

[John Thomas]

If I were in the market for a new car, this one would be at the top of my list. Great looks and performance. I'd like to test drive it and get a feel for the "intangibles".
"With a base price of $26,809, the resurrected Z-car costs barely 10 percent more than a Mister Two, yet it has more than double that little Toyota's power. In fact, the 350Z's total of 287 horsepower is only a few ponies shy of what is offered in a Porsche 911 that costs two and half times as much as the Nissan."
A few extra pics to drool over:

..oh, here's another excerpt from Car & Driver:
"...0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 14.1 seconds at 101 mph...How about 0.88 g of cornering stick, a stopping distance from 70 mph to standstill in 164 feet, and a top speed of 156 mph? That's essentially the same performance as a Porsche Boxster S, which has a base price of more than 50 grand."
I'll save some bandwidth and just give you guys a LINK TO PICTURES.
Just one more:

 

[DaveBB]

The 350Z seems to be kick butt. However have you seen the Infinity G35 coupe? I think it looks even better, built on the same frame, basicly them same engine (minus a few hp) and has a trunk.

Who's the lucky college punk that drives that!?

1. Somebody's rich father bought it for them.
2. The college student who's dealing drugs out of his dorm room.
3. The athlete who had a booster buy him one.
4. The college chick that's banging the rich middle-aged man.[/list=1]
   I don't know why anyone would drive anything other than a POS on a campus. Driving a beauty like a 350Z at a college is even more baffling. (Then again I remember when was in college and the entire basketball team was driving brand new Yukons and Suburbans. I don't know why the NCAA wasn't on them right away. Plus the campus police never had them towed. At my school there were numerous streets where there was no parking from 2am to 4am. Every car would be towed except the basketball team's trucks.

 

[Jared_B]

1. Somebody's rich father bought it for them.
2. The college student who's dealing drugs out of his dorm room.
3. The athlete who had a booster buy him one.
4. The college chick that's banging the rich middle-aged man.

The most intelligent comment of the week.
:rolleyes

 

[David Lawson]

It would appear that Chuck attends Miami University, so my money (not my daddy's) is on #1.

- David (member of the final graduating Redskins class)

 

[DaveBB]

The most intelligent comment of the week.

Just trying to have some fun.
Although I still say if you're going to take a car to college: take a POS. I had two friends who took nice new rides (a Supra and a Mercedes) to school and the things got trashed even though they took care of their cars as best they could.

• Is the 350Z built in the US or Japan? I thought Nissan was trying to shift more production here. Last time I drove past their plant in Jackson Mississippi it looked like they were adding lots of new production capability.
• Is the engine in the 350Z all new or is it based upon the one used in the Maxima/Altima line?
• Is a sunroof standard?

 

[Jay H]

Yeah, I had a reliable POS in college. I drove a 1981 Datsun 510 which was a great reliable car, but it had no power and was rusting away. However, the engine was solid and was perfect for college. I enjoyed it very much.

I'm glad Nissan has gotten back into the sports car market ever since the 300ZX went away, me, dunno, not sure if I really like the front, styling wise, but I haven't seen one in person so I'll reserve judgement on it. However, comparing the MR2 and the 350Z is a bit different, the MR2 is as close to a go-kart on the road (at least in the US, sans the lotus elise) which goes for a lightweight mid-engined roadster that is fun, fun, and fun. Not exactly the power, sports car kind of thing the 350Z is. I would not trade mine for it, though next year when the convertible comes out...

Jay

 

[Jared_B]

Just trying to have some fun.

Me too!

I know you were probably joking, but you shouldn't assume that college students can't pay for nice cars themselves. Whether you believe one should have a nice car at college is another thing.

The 350Z's engine is the same VQ series engine found in most Nissan/Infiniti products, just tuned to provide more HP/torque.

I though the new Z was made in Japan, but I could be wrong.

 

[Shane Martin]

Of course the Track Model is less of a bargain, as it pushes $40,000.

The most expensive 350z is 36k. It is essentially the same car as the base model with larger wheels, brembo brakes and a few other performance goodies. The least expensive model is $26k.
Overall I'm not sure I'd buy one because of the lack of a backseat. The more I want a sports car the more I'm finding it not what I actually need

 

[Jeffrey Noel]

Then again I remember when was in college and the entire basketball team was driving brand new Yukons and Suburbans.

Hmm, still happening here at K-State. All of the good football players have "pimped out" Suburbans and Yukons. It's sickening! Guess I'm just jealous that I don't get a new vehicle for free and don't get $500 a month for extra money! :frowning:

 

[Chuck C]

Dear David,
You are correct sir! In addition to the 350z, I've seen students buzzing around in Audi TTs (there are two of em) and 2002 BMW 3-series (lots of those). The two most common cars are Jeeps and Audis...Grand Cherokees and A4s everywhere you turn! Hell, 2 out of my 7 roommates drive G. Cherokees! Still, no one has a White Eldorado ETC .

 

[NickSo]

You guys just chekc out the parking lot of my HIGH school. a few Lexus IS300s, BMW 3-series, etc etc. :rolleyes
Ohyeah, forgot to add: the Nissan 350Z is

 

[Dave Smith]

The 350z is made in Japan. I've got a pic sitting around on my HD somewhere showing hundreds of them sitting on the tarmac at the VPC (Vehicle Processing Center, where they go when they get off the boat).

It's definitely a great car. I just wish it had some more power, 0-60 in 5.8s (which is what most of the magazines are getting) isn't that fast these days. Hopefully it will be easy to mod for power.

I think they're going to be pretty rare, at least while dealers are trying to charge $5k and $10k markups for them. I've just got back from a 1600 mile roadtrip in Florida, and I saw ONE 350Z. I saw two Ferrari 360s!

 

[NickSo]

Are you sure the 350Z is made in japan? I thought i read somehwere it was made in Tennessee along wiht the Xterra and a few other models...

I saw 2 ferarri 360Modeanas recently in downtown vancouver. One blue, one red.. yummy

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

I'm pretty sure the Z is made in Japan also. I can't find anything to confirm this though...but as I recall it is.

Link Removed

The Nissan plant in Mississippi, from what I remember reading anyway, is producing only the Nissan Quest (next years model - 2003) and a future (TBA) new full-size SUV to "up-size" the Pathfinder.
I own a 2001 Pathy and LOVE it. Love the Z too

 

[NickSo]

Ah, mississippi... meh, tennessee, close enough.. both have alot of letters
Yeah, i hear the new SUV's gonna have a big honkin V8 as well. I got a 98 pathfinder, short on the power side, but its comfy

 

[Chuck C]

i especially like the door handle