Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - NOVA/DC/MD - Z's & Coffee Saturday's at 10AM in Fairfax, VA & Columbia, MD

carbonguy · 02-14-2012, 11:14 AM

A few of you might remember me. I attended several Fairfax meetings in 2010, first in a 010 40th Anniversary 370Z and then with a red 011 Shelby GT500. I posted very little on the forum; however, there are pics of both these cars in some of the Fairfax group shots posted in 2010.

So greetings to all in NOVA…..I’m sorry, but I don’t remember most of your names. I do remember Steve, who purchased his 5.0 Mustang that replaced his red Z. If memory serves me right, we both happened to purchase our Mustangs on Labor Day weekend 2010.

Some of you may remember that I was moving to Fredericksburg, I did that in Oct. 2010, several months after I retired.

So why am I posting now? Well….a bit of a long story.

I had purchased my 40th Anniversary edition after coming from a 2009 Z06, and before that, a 2007 Z06. I knew I was going to retire and wanted to save some money. Plus, I didn’t drive the car very much as I bicycled and played a lot of tennis.

So I purchased the Z; it was a beautiful car. Loved the car and red interior but it didn’t have raw edge the Z06 had. Of course, it didn’t have anywhere near the power, which I really missed.

So after owning it less than a year, I traded for the Shelby. 550 HP…wow. But 3800lb weight…not so wow. About 500 lbs more than the NISMO. While I loved the car I came to realize that I missed the precise handling of the Z06 and Z. Those cars had a certain “feel”. While the GT500 handled well, I could always sense the cars weight and sometimes the live axle.

Also realized I simply wasn’t a Mustang guy (and there are a lot of Mustangs here in Fredericksburg). I always thought it strange that the GT500 seemed to inspire a certain sense of awe in many people, more so than my Z06s, which I consider a vastly superior car.

There were a number of things that bothered me about the GT500, but they aren’t too important. Bottom line is the GT500 is a heavy, large muscle car and I realized what I really wanted was a lighter, smaller sports car.

I also cycle a lot more with a cycling club in Fredericksburg. In 11 months of riding with the club in 2010, I rode 4200 miles. In about 16 months of ownership of the Shelby, I drove 4100 miles.

So I’m driving my 010 Prius (yes, Prius) past my Fredericksburg Nissan dealer about 2 weeks ago and I spot this Pearl White NISMO 370Z. Stunning. I stop in to look it over. It’s a 2011 so I know I can get a good price. Has all 4 NISMO options; floor mats, trunk mat, lighted sill plate, and back-up camera. But what really cheesed me off is that the dealer drilled thru the front bumper to attach the license plate bracket. Who does that on a NISMO?!?!

Salesperson says take it for a test drive…..Not sure I want to because, hey, didn’t I trade my 40th because it didn’t put a smile on my face? But I agree and out I go.

Hmmmm….this NISMO feels so different….. so planted to the road….it has a raw edge that reminds me of the Z06. Feels a bit quicker than my 40th.…hmmmmmm. Sounds a bit better too. I realize I’m smiling. Handling is better than the GT500. (Both cars use 245s up front and 285’s out back if I recall correctly. GT500 is seriously under-tired IMO, given it’s power and weight.)

Hand the keys back. Say I’ll think about it. Over the next week, go back several more times. Take another test drive…this one a bit more spirited. I REALLY like this car, so much fun to drive. And every 59 year old man needs that wing!

I do some research…I can get prepainted bumper plugs to cover the holes in the front bumper and a screw-in bracket similar to the Stillen bracket I had on my 40th.

Get a sweet deal and reasonable trade. Will save over $300/month on payments. This is getting to be a no-brainer. So I do the deal and I drive it home.

OK….so I’m still on the honeymoon with the car. How long will it last? Have put about 300 miles on the NISMO I do miss the leather, nav, electric seats, and Bose sound system. But not that much, given how much fun this car is to drive.

Ordered my Bumper Plugs…need to order the bracket but will wait to see what the plugs look like. Only other issue is that my Pearl White rocker panels don’t closely match the rest of the car, which I understand is an issue with this color. Dealer is contacting Nissan to authorize repainting under warranty. They say they can do a closer match.

Maybe one day I’ll drive to Fairfax but most Sat. mornings I’m out cycling with the club.

Stay safe everyone.

02-14-2012, 11:14 AM	#593 (permalink)
carbonguy Base Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Northern VA Posts: 23 Drives: 2011 GT 500 SVT Rep Power: 15	A voice from the past A few of you might remember me. I attended several Fairfax meetings in 2010, first in a 010 40th Anniversary 370Z and then with a red 011 Shelby GT500. I posted very little on the forum; however, there are pics of both these cars in some of the Fairfax group shots posted in 2010. So greetings to all in NOVA…..I’m sorry, but I don’t remember most of your names. I do remember Steve, who purchased his 5.0 Mustang that replaced his red Z. If memory serves me right, we both happened to purchase our Mustangs on Labor Day weekend 2010. Some of you may remember that I was moving to Fredericksburg, I did that in Oct. 2010, several months after I retired. So why am I posting now? Well….a bit of a long story. I had purchased my 40th Anniversary edition after coming from a 2009 Z06, and before that, a 2007 Z06. I knew I was going to retire and wanted to save some money. Plus, I didn’t drive the car very much as I bicycled and played a lot of tennis. So I purchased the Z; it was a beautiful car. Loved the car and red interior but it didn’t have raw edge the Z06 had. Of course, it didn’t have anywhere near the power, which I really missed. So after owning it less than a year, I traded for the Shelby. 550 HP…wow. But 3800lb weight…not so wow. About 500 lbs more than the NISMO. While I loved the car I came to realize that I missed the precise handling of the Z06 and Z. Those cars had a certain “feel”. While the GT500 handled well, I could always sense the cars weight and sometimes the live axle. Also realized I simply wasn’t a Mustang guy (and there are a lot of Mustangs here in Fredericksburg). I always thought it strange that the GT500 seemed to inspire a certain sense of awe in many people, more so than my Z06s, which I consider a vastly superior car. There were a number of things that bothered me about the GT500, but they aren’t too important. Bottom line is the GT500 is a heavy, large muscle car and I realized what I really wanted was a lighter, smaller sports car. I also cycle a lot more with a cycling club in Fredericksburg. In 11 months of riding with the club in 2010, I rode 4200 miles. In about 16 months of ownership of the Shelby, I drove 4100 miles. So I’m driving my 010 Prius (yes, Prius) past my Fredericksburg Nissan dealer about 2 weeks ago and I spot this Pearl White NISMO 370Z. Stunning. I stop in to look it over. It’s a 2011 so I know I can get a good price. Has all 4 NISMO options; floor mats, trunk mat, lighted sill plate, and back-up camera. But what really cheesed me off is that the dealer drilled thru the front bumper to attach the license plate bracket. Who does that on a NISMO?!?! Salesperson says take it for a test drive…..Not sure I want to because, hey, didn’t I trade my 40th because it didn’t put a smile on my face? But I agree and out I go. Hmmmm….this NISMO feels so different….. so planted to the road….it has a raw edge that reminds me of the Z06. Feels a bit quicker than my 40th.…hmmmmmm. Sounds a bit better too. I realize I’m smiling. Handling is better than the GT500. (Both cars use 245s up front and 285’s out back if I recall correctly. GT500 is seriously under-tired IMO, given it’s power and weight.) Hand the keys back. Say I’ll think about it. Over the next week, go back several more times. Take another test drive…this one a bit more spirited. I REALLY like this car, so much fun to drive. And every 59 year old man needs that wing! I do some research…I can get prepainted bumper plugs to cover the holes in the front bumper and a screw-in bracket similar to the Stillen bracket I had on my 40th. Get a sweet deal and reasonable trade. Will save over $300/month on payments. This is getting to be a no-brainer. So I do the deal and I drive it home. OK….so I’m still on the honeymoon with the car. How long will it last? Have put about 300 miles on the NISMO I do miss the leather, nav, electric seats, and Bose sound system. But not that much, given how much fun this car is to drive. Ordered my Bumper Plugs…need to order the bracket but will wait to see what the plugs look like. Only other issue is that my Pearl White rocker panels don’t closely match the rest of the car, which I understand is an issue with this color. Dealer is contacting Nissan to authorize repainting under warranty. They say they can do a closer match. Maybe one day I’ll drive to Fairfax but most Sat. mornings I’m out cycling with the club. Stay safe everyone.