Thank goodness you two have uncovered the deciding factor between the two cars: my AGE
But you are correct, 1985 is not the year in which I was born.
I'm not complaining about the car's weight, but you're fooling yourself if you think the 370Z is a lightweight by any measure. It's a small, compact 2-seat sports car, yes, but it's heavy for its class. It's heavier than almost all of its true sports car peers, and weighs as much as the bloated, 5 seat Camry or Accord sedans (4-cyl versions). Now, the Z is slick in that it carries its weight very well, better than any other car I can think of and in fact it's rather impressive how well it handles, especially at this price. Nissan's engineers should be commended.
The price is the key here, no sports car can match its performance at anything close to the Z's price. But price is a double edged sword here, and the modular FM platform that allows Nissan to build/sell Z's at such a low cost is the very cause for it's relatively high curb weight for the class. Modular design opens many, many design/production doors, shaves considerable $$ off production costs, but it also forces you to design products "within a box" which does not come without trade offs. The trade off here is more weight than should be necessary, but it keeps the cost down. Weight is the reason the car can only approach, but never equal the dynamics of its benchmark, the Porsche Cayman.
I understand folks like their cars here; the 370Z is a compelling product, and I'm trying to work a deal for one like I stated. But if you start taking an observation (not even a criticism) about the car (ie. its weight) personally, you might have issues....
