Disappointed

[Ophitoxaemia]

the E36 M3 is a really wonderful car, both for track and street. its the best feeling 240 hp you could ever buy, not the slightest bit inadequate. the main problem is that it is such a desirable car used ones can still be the price of a new 350Z. the new E42 M3 hasnt proven itself to be as versatile; despite having more power it is also heavier.

with the IRS, the new cobras are a decent alternative to the 350Z, although they are even heavier than the new M3. insurance costs should be a bit higher than the non-boosted V6 in the new Z though. depreciation? i think both the 350 and the cobra should hold value reasonably well and remain easy to sell. but isnt the cobra significantly more than 28K?

-james
65 cobra and 240Z owner

[tomlong]

QUOTE]For instance, if book on my car is $31,000, then is it so outlandish to expect that someone who's interested in a beautifully cared for model with near 25 grand in recent upgrades producing a car that puts out 150 more horsepower than the stock piece, would be willing to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $35,000 for it?[/quote]

If my memory serves me correctly I saw a supercharged M3 with a Brembo package on it for sale in Dupont Registry or the Robb Report a couple years back I believe the car was about 4 years old at the time and they were asking 34,000 for it. I think that you would probably get what you want for it if you marketed it to the correct group of people. I would probably guess Males age 25-35 with an income over $70,000 a year.

I was thinking of maybe owning both, but that just seems too extravagent to me, given the current stock market, and other items in my life.

You are not kidding I am embarrased to tell how much I lost in companies like Worldcom and Nextel. I am lucky my company has a really good 401K plan because my individual brokerage account has pretty much gone down the toilet with the exception of some of my overseas investments and government bonds.

Good luck selling the car if you decide to and I hope you do not regret buying a Cobra a couple years down the road. It sounds like you tend to live by the same motto I do

(you only live once spend it while you got it and have as much fun as you can doing it)

[Josh Blessing]

to those guys out there that think the chevy 350 is not reliable ive got a chevy 350 that has over 250,000 miles on so maybe its just the Z06.

[Lay-Z]

Umm sorry Cobra Loves, but they just stopped production on the car. OH WELL. Guess that good ole Ford Reliablitay isn't what it used to be (or maybe never was!)

[antidote11]

Cool forum, I just signed up.

I currently own a 2001 Honda prelude and a 2001 Pontiac Firebird (Base-TTop). I really dig both cars, and until recently, I was a domestic basher as well. But they are fast cars, but no, they are not built as good as Hondas and Acuras and Nissans. I am wanting to get out of my Prelude and get a new car. I was wanting the 350Z but I have heard so many complaints......one being the most important to me. And that is that I have heard that it's not as fast as it should be for the engine it has.

So from the Z owners....is it as fast as it should be, or is the damn thing quick ? Like I said I drive a prelude, so it is without a doubt faster than my car. But is it worth 27K ??

[d8abusa]

I've been driving my 300ZX for about 8 years and recently purchased the 350Z.
Here are some observation.
1. Within 24 hours women were leaving business cards on my windshield. (its a chick magnet...why I don't know)

2. The Bose on my 93' 300ZX sounds better than the new 350Z Bose.
3. The ride in my 300ZX is more smooth and comfortable than the 350Z.
4. Every TangGT wants to race me. (inferiority complex I guess)
5. There is less room in the 350Z than the 300ZX.
6. If you are over 6'2" you will be miserable driving this car.
7. The 350Z gets noticed.
8. I purchased the Touring with every option available...including 100K mile extended warranty. My previous experience with Zs tells me I'll be using it within 4years.
9. The 350Z grips better than any car I have driven. The Vehicle Dynamic Control makes a big difference.
10. It is easier to enter and exit the 350 over a Corvette.
11. The 350Z isn't a drag strip racer and I knew that when I purchased it.
12. At a total OTD price of $41K I still enjoy the car. I measure its value by quality of engine design, agility, nimbleness, asthetics, Safety features, and grunt. All of which the 350Z has.

This car was designed for drivers that enjoy driving over 1/4 mile bursts.

[boostm3]

The 350Z isn't a drag strip racer ... This car was designed for drivers that enjoy driving over 1/4 mile bursts

Thats two references to its less than stellar staightline speed ability. With its sub 300 hp rating, that should come as no surprise. Yet, with a 0-60 rating of somewhere around 5.5 sec, there are plenty of cars it should shut down. Is there any other reason, besides the HP rating, that leads you to say youre not thrilled with its dragstrip abilities?

Anyway, Ive been in a similar boat. With a '99 M3, it too was a great road car, without great dragstrip abilities, with similar stock acceleration to yours. Yet, I always found that if the car handles great, and is super in every other area, you can live wtih it, or improve it. Now, with a vortch blower, its both a great Road car, AND a great dragster too.

You can do the same if it bothers you enough.

[d8abusa]

IF I feel the need for speed I take out the Hayabusa. There just is no substitute for the thrill a speed bike can give you.

[antidote11]

Well dude, of course the Hayabusa is gonna be fast.

So is the Z fast or so-so for having 287hp ?

[LEVOC///MPower]

Originally posted by d8abusa
[b]I've been driving my 300ZX for about 8 years and recently purchased the 350Z.
Here are some observation.
1. Within 24 hours women were leaving business cards on my windshield. (its a chick magnet...why I don't know)

man! women in your area are cheap! :silly2:

[antidote11]

I was thinking that too.

[Moridin]

Originally Posted by ZV3

Don't get me wrong, the new Cobra is OK, but they had to use a gas guzzling, power-robbing, heat-making, un-reliable BLOWER to make that horsepower? Before I knew this I thought the 390 horsepower was impressive, but now that I know they used a blower, well that blows it!
Uh, to me that is kinda like *cheating* on a test, which Ford and the Mustangs are know for to me. Remember when Ford got into trouble for
*embellishing* HP ratings for the prior Cobra and had to take some back and fix them to give them the *real* advertised HP? German and especially Jap cars are known for *downgrading* the actual HP numbers,
like the Supra and Skylines per se when they make more HP than advertised, so I am more inclined to believe those guys than Americans.
The current Cobra still looks like crap to me, especially that thin Ford paint!!! And a blower, puleeese!! BMW M5 and the Z06 ENGINEER their engines to make more than that WITHOUT A CHEATING BLOWER!
Anybody can tack on a blower, try making that HP NORMALLY. A blower, just like some turbos are just something else to go wrong, hence the very LOW amounts of blown factory engines produced. The only thing that impresses me about the car is the torque, but what do you expect from a BLOWER. The interior is typical Mustang CHEAP. The new seats still get bad marks. I would buy a Cobra as a toy for those rare 0-60 races, but would drive any other car for the rest of the time. Unless you know cars, the Cobra barely looks any different than the six cylinder cheapy Mustang. Heck even the M5 and other engines look beautifully symetrical compared to the Ford engine. American cars simply look and feel *rough* and *unfinished* without any attention paid to detail. Simply torque engines, and barely that. I see short engine and blower life from the Cobra. I will take the 100 or so lesser HP Z, which is a real
LOOKER compared to that Cobra.

I apologize for being the forum troll, but I came across this thread when looking on google.com for some Ford Focus RS specs.

First, power robbing, gas-guzzling blower? And your point is? Any forced induction vehicle under boost is going to use more gas. HP is pretty much related to fuel consumption (depends on how efficient the motor is). My family's 2003 Cobra actually gets 26MPG on the highway. I'm not sure what the new 350Z gets, but I'm sure it's not much more and may even be less.
As for the look, I prefer a sleeper any day. That's why my little stock looking Civic is getting a high HP, turbo motor (300HP to 400HP depending on boost level).
Simply torque engines? Have you ever looked at a dyno graph of a new Cobra? They make power untill redline. The quad cam V8 flows extremely well. Well enough to support huge power gains with a little more boost.
Rough...yes. The feel is not anything compared to the new Z I bet, but it does handle pretty well. When you pay $35,000 for 390HP (its actually closer to 420 - 430), its going to be a little rough around the edges. Nothing you can't fix with the money you have left over from not buying a Z06.
Looks are in the eye of the beholder. I definitely prefer the Cobra over the new Z any day (I'm not a big fan of the Audi TT rear end on the new ones), but you know what car will always be better looking? The original 240Z.

[Moridin]

Originally Posted by ZV3

I know Turbo engines designed for that are pretty reliable. Supercharged engines to me are slightly less so, that's why I don't see many around. I think Nissan makes a Supercharged truck but don't know of anybody else. My buddy has a 400 horse, bullet-proof Supra
and those things are rock-solid!! Read about the stock-block taking up to
almost 1000 horse!

Fortunately what you say about supercharged motors being less reliable is not true. The Cobras will put out more than 1000HP on a stock block thanks to a whole forged bottom end.

[MSOsr]

I had a '97 M3 and I now have a 350Z......no comparison. The 350Z is much faster and stronger...however, not as strong as my '92 300ZX TT felt. [My memory of that car may be exaggerated, however.]

I am 6'3 and weigh 220 lbs. The 350Z has PLENTY of room for me....more headroom/shoulder room than the M3.

If you are disappointed with the acceleration, turn off the VDC. It cuts power to keep the wheels from spinning. I went to a driver school a few weeks ago and turned off the VDC.....huge difference in acceleration!