Considering a 370z ;-)

[Jonnymonno]

Plenty of people on here always slating the Zeds, saying there are many cars better than the Lardy heavy poor interior 350/370 which always makes me chuckle.

This is the forum for these cars and most of us on here (me included) bought a Zed for its looks, individuality and potential to easily modify, oh and reliability

It's not all about screaming around the roads on the limit deciding if other cars could do it better

I would say to the OP don't dismiss a Zed until you try one

Small boot, heavy on tyres and fuel but I love it, and now modified bl...dy awesome

Just saying

 

[Adrian@TORQEN]

I would say to the OP don't dismiss a Zed until you try one

Small boot, heavy on tyres and fuel but I love it, and now modified bl...dy awesome

Just saying

 

370z might be awesome John, but don't forget Ekona is always right and has a very informed opinion on anything, including the 370z vs Cayman vs TTRS vs GTR.

 

Having owned 370z, Cayman S and GTR in the same time for a while, my very humble opinion is go for the 370z.

 

The older gen 1 Cayman S has serious engine problems, looks dated inside and outside, expensive, but good handling.

 

The 370z with a few mods like exhaust, intakes or better filters, ARBs, coilovers, better brake pads and lines and some ECUTEK/UpRev tune can be an awesome car.

 

TTRS, won't t comment on that, never drove one, but judging by its cover, I don't like that book

 

GTR.... well, different league of a car, a supercar that happens to be a Nissan...

 

 

[Ekona]

Your view of the Cayman is tainted by the fact you bought a lemon without doing any checks though, you have to admit. The engine issues are well documented and easy to keep an eye out for, and don't affect anywhere near as many cars as the internet suggests. That said, clearly the M96/M97 isn't perfect as Niki says

 

 

OP, if you considered the Pug, any thoughts on a decent hot hatch? Golf, Megane, Leon? Not sure on your budget, but if we're assuming around £20K (including some mods) and you like Jap stuff then a GT86 with forced induction would be an incredible choice of car. Ultimately not as rewarding as the Cayman nor as quick as the TTRS, but certainly a dramatic enough car and plenty of things to do to it for a smaller budget than the Germans.

[sipar69]

I read / watched every review I could find before buying my first 370. When it came out, the praise it received was almost universal. Seven years on, it's getting a bit long in the tooth and the reviews aren't always as flattering they used to be. But I still think it represents fantastic bang for buck, especially if you're looking at say a three year old car in the standard GT pack with a view to adding some mods.

 

Looks wise, I've always thought it looks like a car that costs a lot more than actually it does. They never fails to turn heads and still look quite modern. I saw a last gen Cayman on the A3 yesterday - looks quite dated to me now.

 

It feels a bit a special being in a Z. I doubt I'd get that feeling in an older Cayman, even if it is a bit better through a corner at the limit (where I never drive because I know I'm not a good enough driver to chance it).

Edited May 2, 2016 by sipar69

[Adrian@TORQEN]

Your view of the Cayman is tainted by the fact you bought a lemon without doing any checks though

 

Do you have any idea what's involved to have the IMS and bores scoring checked, Dan? Who on Earth would do that when you buy a car privately and viewing 4-5 cars before deciding, you'll end up spending over £1000 just to check the cars you're viewing, let alone the time wasted etc. I took the risk because the car came with warranty and had full service history, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with the car, which was only a temporary toy anyway while I was shopping for the GTR.

 

The garage that done my engine has at least 1 other Boxster, Cayman or 911 every week for the same problem. We're not talking about Corsas or Metro here, but. a Porsche... big let down...

 

Best thing about the Cayman is the handling. Same for the Boxster, handling is really good.

[Jonnymonno]

Opinions won't matter on here anymore as everyone will have gone off to by Porsches,TT's and Faceless front wheel drive motors

[Richf]

GT86 with forced induction is going to be around the same price as a 370z with forced induction, of course buying already done is much cheaper but dropping £8-£10k on a new purchase smacks of buying the wrong car in the first place to me and even then its hardly on par with a stock 370 , the stock 86 is slow you need a lot of money to correct that

[Ebized]

Had the 370 for near on 5 years - loved it and would have another if the need for 4 seats was not a priority.

 

And as you will see, we have a Porsche lover in our midst who you can see is not short on posts on this forum and we think he is secretly harbouring a love for the 370's, not having ever owned one.....I will say no more.

[Damo's370z666]

The question is do you intend to modify the body at some point, as the Nissan is a very modifiable beast and the body modifications available outweigh the competition. Lots of power available too.

 

Cheers Guys some stunning factual replies here. I would plan to mod the Z in the longterm for sure, a great handling and communicative machine is so important to me. Very true on the Caymen S engine problems. And for my budget i will get much more for my money with a Z then the Caymen. I much prefer the look of the Z to the Caymen mk1 mind. But i also want a really fun machine to drive for some time to come.

Those of you who have upgraded your ARB's does this make a real difference to the dynamics of the car? Here is a video i found very interesting....

 

 

Damien.

[Richf]

The question is do you intend to modify the body at some point, as the Nissan is a very modifiable beast and the body modifications available outweigh the competition. Lots of power available too.

 

Cheers Guys some stunning factual replies here. I would plan to mod the Z in the longterm for sure, a great handling and communicative machine is so important to me. Very true on the Caymen S engine problems. And for my budget i will get much more for my money with a Z then the Caymen. I much prefer the look of the Z to the Caymen mk1 mind. But i also want a really fun machine to drive for some time to come.

Those of you who have upgraded your ARB's does this make a real difference to the dynamics of the car? Here is a video i found very interesting....

 

 

Damien.

 

Yeah Chris Harris loves the GT86 , just drive one and see what you think. Think MX5 with a roof and you are about right , why people put them as an option with the 370z i dont know , they are totally different cars

[nissanman312]

Yeah I don't really see how it comparable and he's in a basic 370

 

Coming from a ep3 type r my zed felt like a right lump in the corners and I was so much happier with the way it took the corners after roll bars and coilovers were put on it felt a lot more nimble. also he said the noise isn't great we all know they need an exhaust

 

As for the 8/10 comment I think if your going for any more than that on the road in the z you are asking for trouble from the law

Which brings me to the nice low down usable grunt in the real world I think it's lovely

Not to mention it's long distance ability

I did Europe last year people were jumping in and out of the z after being in cars like evos and s2000 and although they loved the experience of the others they commented on the all round niceness of the 370 fast but comfortable at the same time

 

Op you need to drive all 3 and let us know your thoughts

[Damo's370z666]

Really not my cup of tea the GT86, i totally respect the concept, and how fun they can be, but too slow for me. I don't want people to get the wrong impression i am not careless or hooligan, but i like to drive my machines hard and on track, and certainly like to have confidence in their chassis, and be able to feel what the car is doing. Hence my question on the 370 with uprated bars and her potential.

[GMballistic]

I know you're still trying to make up your mind on what car you want, ...believe me I know how hard that can be as I've been doing it all week myself whilst searching for my next car, ...but just wondered if you'd seen this Zed for sale: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/104599-370z-gt-edition-for-sale-price-drop/

 

Definitely worth a look imo. Andy has really looked after his Zed & with his new car getting closer he has dropped the price if you're interested.

[Ebized]

Really not my cup of tea the GT86, i totally respect the concept, and how fun they can be, but too slow for me. I don't want people to get the wrong impression i am not careless or hooligan, but i like to drive my machines hard and on track, and certainly like to have confidence in their chassis, and be able to feel what the car is doing. Hence my question on the 370 with uprated bars and her potential.

 

The 370 (like the 350) is a relatively heavyweight car for track use so expect to get through brakes and tyres quickly. Don't forget they are best at quick cruising in unmodified form and having done several road trips I have found them effortless for the purpose for which they were designed, but bring out a real grin on the twisties when you want. That's not to say the 370 is not a decent track toy with the right mods and as long as your pockets can take the hit then go for it

 

There are a few 370 build threads on here if you dd a search to get a better idea: http://www.350z-uk.c...build-projects/

Edited May 2, 2016 by Ebized

[nissanman312]

If you see my sig you will see I went with a supercharger and the car was a weapon although it caught me out on a dirty wet night and sadly it was a write off

 

I'm back in a z now and will be doing handling upgrades first before any big power mods as I've learned from the last one that they made the most difference to the way the car drove over outright power (which isn't off the cards just building back to it )

 

For a couple of grand you can have a that 370 feeling fairly nimble

But before you do anything mentioned above make sure you have good tyres on

 

That changes things massively as well

 

[Damo's370z666]

If you see my sig you will see I went with a supercharger and the car was a weapon although it caught me out on a dirty wet night and sadly it was a write off

 

I'm back in a z now and will be doing handling upgrades first before any big power mods as I've learned from the last one that they made the most difference to the way the car drove over outright power (which isn't off the cards just building back to it )

 

For a couple of grand you can have a that 370 feeling fairly nimble

But before you do anything mentioned above make sure you have good tyres on

 

That changes things massively as well

 

Sorry to hear that mate.. Huge credit to you coming back from that dark time with another Z. Yes quality tyres are paramount to good feel and balance. Amazes me the amount of people who invest heavily in chassis and engine mods , then slap on some cheap nasty rubber?

 

By the sounds of it a set of uprated stiffer bars and the right wheel alignment settings would really improve this coupe. Especially with the fact she is pretty heavy. Looking forward to the test drive will keep an open mind.

 

Damien.

[The G Man]

I've had two 370s, one a GT and one a Mk1 Nismo. What a lot of people don't realise on here with regards to the Mk1, is the suspension set up. Superior in every way to the GT, a different class over a 350.

 

I did some basic suspension mods to my GT, a set of Eibach Pro's, had an Akropovic Evo true dual exhaust, was UpRevved, but the Nismo would smash it all day long on twisties, fact. (Ask Gstraw on here, he couldn't believe it when I gave him a cabbie, he has a 370 GT)

 

You will get a lot of negative opinion about a Nismo on here, from some that have never even driven one, never mind owned one. The servicing on a 370 is inexpensive. As a track car, I've no idea, but if it's mostly for track, get a stripped out MX 5 like Ekona has, you'll have more fun. As Ebized has said, as for a fast, fun and well equipped GT, it's in a good price bracket.

 

One or two things about a 370, the road noise is pretty bad, not enough steering wheel adjustment (only up or down, no in or out) and my Mrs always complained that, as a passenger, it wasn't the most comfortable of, erm, rides

 

It is a looker, gets loads of compliments and attention and the equipment level is very good.

 

I've no real idea on a Porsche or TT RS, no doubt very capable cars, for me, now a 'redneck', they both have an image problem in my eyes. The Audi, because the company that produces them are cheating bast3rds, and the Porsche, if not the right one, is a wannabe statement.

 

You won't wring a lot of extra oomph from a 370 without spending serious cash and going FI, but as was mentioned, unless you're getting one really cheap, it might be the wrong car if you require that level of power.

 

Anyway, good luck in your search, buy one off a club member, it'll be looked after and not at a dealer premium.

Edited May 2, 2016 by The G Man

[Tidgney]

You literally wrote down what everyone I speak to says I should look at (Also the C63) as I'm looking right now for a 370! But I'm rather biased towards 370's.... Mainly for the fact I've raced a Nismo on track a few times, and done a gymkhana in one (Now a 370z with a paintball gun on the front is a mean look ;P!).

 

But in the end I look at the 370 as a quite a unique car, it's pretty rare on the roads something I personally really like! TT RS although has a slight different look, it's still got the look of a TT at the end of the day! Porsche Cayman was something I looked into but Porsche bills instantly moved me away! The RCZ R, although alot of people hate them on here, I also quite like (More because it becomes a bit of a 'hot' car you could embarrass German cars on the road with )! However it's in the same situation as the TT in that it's not really got a unique look!

 

I'd be interested to hear what you do go for in the end though !

[chrislich]

My 2 pennies worth.

 

I looked at all the cars you are mentioning except for the rcz, its a Peugeot and will always be.

 

My missus has a TT tfsi, nice car, well built, solid but boring and loads about. Yes its quick and I'm sure the rs is a monster, but you can now spec a diesel tt to look like an rs so nothing special in my opinion.

 

The cayman is a really nice car, i was so tempted but struggled to find exactly what i wanted plus price and spec varied so much and still a little boring for my taste.

 

Then we come to the Z. Having previously owned a 350 i was yearning for a jap v6 again. I had a v6 in an A4 bit was quite tame. I wanted it basic again and the 370z met everything. Its a great drivers car, enough aids to help but still lets you make little mistakes to make you be in control.

 

Getting a Z also means your part of a select group of people getting the nod past other Z cars. I love it, i love Jap.

[Damo's370z666]

My 2 pennies worth.

 

I looked at all the cars you are mentioning except for the rcz, its a Peugeot and will always be.

 

My missus has a TT tfsi, nice car, well built, solid but boring and loads about. Yes its quick and I'm sure the rs is a monster, but you can now spec a diesel tt to look like an rs so nothing special in my opinion.

 

The cayman is a really nice car, i was so tempted but struggled to find exactly what i wanted plus price and spec varied so much and still a little boring for my taste.

 

Then we come to the Z. Having previously owned a 350 i was yearning for a jap v6 again. I had a v6 in an A4 bit was quite tame. I wanted it basic again and the 370z met everything. Its a great drivers car, enough aids to help but still lets you make little mistakes to make you be in control.

 

Getting a Z also means your part of a select group of people getting the nod past other Z cars. I love it, i love Jap.

 

You are not wrong about TT ownership. I feel they are a decent well put together machine with quality interiors, and engines especially the RS , yet lack a certain magic when driving them. The Peugeot RCZ is a very good machine with great chassis and communication to the driver, much better than the mk2 TT chassis which was a dull under steering machine to be honest. I am no snob, the French make some great talented machines, just look at the Megane 270 rs trophy. I drive my cars properly and need a machine that transmits back feelings to the driver. Not just a soulless blob of plastic or parts jumbled together without any depth of character. The best cars have passion engineered into them from the factory and their design teams, and you feel this when driving them. I really want to feel this connection when i drive the 370z. I have never owned or driven any performance jap cars before so have no real idea what to expect with the 370. I am prepared to spend money on quality chassis mods if the car has talent. All my mates say go for the Caymen S and stop messing about..lol. Yet i have a real passion for the 370z, its looks and quirky Japanese character. Truth will be when i drive it. Really appreciate all the comments guys. Gives me a clearer picture of what to expect.

 

Damien.

[Dynamic Turtle]

What you've described isn't a 370Z sadly. It's a slightly blunt, chubby GT not a sports car. Its standout feature is reliability and low-ish running costs for a 3.7l V6. I love my Nismo but it's no exige on track and no bentley on the motorway.

[Damo's370z666]

What you've described isn't a 370Z sadly. It's a slightly blunt, chubby GT not a sports car. Its standout feature is reliability and low-ish running costs for a 3.7l V6. I love my Nismo but it's no exige on track and no bentley on the motorway.

 

Thanks Dynamic turtle. That's partly what i am afraid of, the bluntness. I am realistic, i am certainly not after a harsh exige or out and out track weapon forgoing degrees of comfort, I have done that...Just something i can enjoy driving on track with the right chassis mods when the whim takes me. But she has to have potential and some degree of magic to win me over.

 

Damien.

[Dynamic Turtle]

Well you have to weigh up the pros and cons carefully, but it does sound like you'd prefer something leaner than a 1,520kg car. Cayman S if you can stretch, GT86 or Renaultsport or an imported Integra Type R if you can't!

[nissanman312]

I think dynamic has a real point but after tracking mine with the suspension mods I can confirm it was bloody good fun around cadwell park

[chrislich]

The best comparison i can make is of you were doing open heart surgery the cayman is a nice sgarp scalpel and the 370z being a baseball bat. Still gets the job done but a little rough around edges.

 

But i love that and wouldn't change it.