NZNoob

Hey all,

If this is in wrong section feel free to move it mods!

I am in the market for a new car with a cap around 45K. I want a more analog old school sports car than alot of brands are offering. I have been a long time BMW fan and owned many of the older models and Ms my family loves them. They will always probably be my favorite car but I am not alone in thinking BMW lost their way. They are now luxury cars with some sportiness.

In about 2007 I had enough of the maintenance nightmare that is used BMWs. I got very tired of spending entire paychecks just keeping the cars going and could never stay ahead they just got worse and worse. 2K cat converters $1500 headlights $750 door seals $2000 clutches it all adds up quick. I took good care of the cars and they were still just somthing broke and didn't work 24/7. On the 80s ones forget about A/C. Actually the E30 I drove hardest never gave me a bit of trouble ever but that was the only exception.

I then bought an SS Camaro that was second hand and had around 40K in mods and 520RWHP it was awesome! But the interior was so bad and it was not a drivers car. It was an automatic and no road feel at all. It was crazy in a straight line and it actually cornered very hard with everything that was done to it 305 PS2s coilovers sways strut bars etc. But there was no road feel or feedback it was very dull after you got past the power. It also drove me nuts cause you couldn't have fun with it at all on the street with that kind of power and grip. Throwing a tail out or even getting into the power meant double the speed limits and friendly visit with local law enforcement. It did however cost me nothing other then regular oil fluid changes etc. I love that part of owning it.

I also ride sport bikes and have several liter bikes including an S1K so cars short of 800+ hp are not nearly the raw rush I get on a motorcycle. They even made the SS feel SLOWWWW.

I just want to get something that is new and has a warranty that is fun to drive. I live where I dont know of many good indy shops to take an import car too. I am not trying to buy the fastest thing out there. Just want something reliable and fun. I have some health issues so I don't need to fight a broken down car with no AC anymore in 105F summers.

I went and drove a BRZ and loved the handling but NO POWER. I did however respect the way it drove and it had great road feel was fun. If it had another 75HP I wouldnt be typing this. I am still considering getting that and throwing a supercharger on but good buy warranty and probably engine life.

I then went and drove a BASE 370Z and thought it was nice but it was an AUTO and the sales guy was in his late 60s and I took one corner getting on the highway a little fast and he looked like he was going to beat me with his cane so I took it easy for the rest of the test drive. I didnt get to explore limits or power of car at all but it did seem very torquey for V6 and capable.

I then went and drove the M235i BMW as they are in my price range and they have nice interiors but once you option them with an LSD and any thing decent they are 50K+. Just NAV and LSD add 5K to price. I was almost sold but the electric steering is so dead! It weights up nice but there is no road feel. In an older BMW you can put your finger tips on the wheel and read the road. This was like driving an Escalade or Navigator with full power assist you could have hit a deer and not felt it in wheel. I actually went over some train tracks on test drive and literally couldn't feel it. The sales guy went on about how it had better feel than any of the old BMWs blah blah. So I wasn't that impressed. The turbo was fun and tons of TQ for that displacement though down low. Honestly the BRZ felt like a more raw fun tossable drivers car.

I almost bought the 2 but I am just not crazy about the looks of the 2. For 50K it doesn't look special at all. I was considering waiting for the M2 but now they are saying dealer markups and it weighs even more than the Z. So here we go again. The M3/M4 I like but they are just more than I am willing to spend on a car at this point in my life.

I have considered the EVO/STI pair but until Sub gets rid of the EJ forget it and the EVO lost its Recaros this year and is over. I also would prefer a RWD car they are just more fun for me regardless of the grip an AWD car can produce. I don't want a FWD car. I looked at Golf R but again its basically FWD that goes backwards if front slips and you can't get a 2 door and I think it looks terrible as a 4 door. Interior for prices is super nice though.

I was in traffic the other day and saw a 14 370 Pearl white and thought WHAT IS THAT! I followed it and saw it was a Nismo and must be factory. Looked it up and saw the 15 and fell in love. I showed it to my GF and she was also a huge fan of it. I love the Alacantra and the Recaros. First thing I do to a new car is put Recaros in haha. The Nismo is one of the best looking cars on the market right now everything else is trying to our crease each other or something.

I went to read some reviews and watch videos about it and it was like PURE HATRED for the car? Its overpriced its old it heavy interior sucks its blah blah blah.

I really like the car the interior on the Nismo looks great with the Recaros I know its a few years old but its a sports car and its a far cry from the American cars (been there done that). It pulls around a G on the skid pad and weighs the same or less than the EVO STI and way less than the GT SS cars. What am I missing?I keep seeing people say buy the C7 Vette but its another 10K so not really in same class to me. It looks pretty slick with the Nav package etc.

Honestly I would have just went and ordered one but all the hate on the net has made me think twice.

I just want a nice looking fun to drive sports car I have other cars to drive as my daily and since I have my bikes I don't need it to out accelerate the McLaren P1 to feel like its fast lol. I have spent tons of money making cars fast then ride one of my bikes on the track and go oh thats what speed is and feel dumb.

There isn't a Nismo close to me it would be several hours away to test drive but should I just try and get that? Theres a local Nismo with a 10K markup not even going to entertain them. I just don't see any other decent RWD sports car on the market in that price range. I am not going to do the used BMW nonstop problems again I don't have the room or time to do it. And I just got done doing the American car thing. The Cayman/Boxster IMS issues scare me away from those cars and the 2009+ are still well over 45 and anything breaks and it would be not covered and that can add up quick.

Should I take a hard look at the Nismo as my next car or should I just give up LOL and drive my SUV? I will probably order in spring as I don't want to get a new car and store it for the next 4 months in the garage over winter.

Do you guys consider the 370 a good drivers/sports car? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Thanks for any help!