Originally Posted by UNKNOWN_370

I seriously doubt it's that other cars are "better".

What you need to understand is the Z is competing against NON-COMPETITIVE cars. When compared to the muscle 3. 4 seats and a trunk give those cars a higher comfort & convenience factor. Seats that are reclineable & not fixed up a firewall. Higher speaker count for a more robust sound system. Sunroof in some cases and in some cars... Even the high performance tires have all seasons.

Muscle cars this generation are getting closer to the sports car feel but last generation. The Z focused on things the muscle 3 just couldn't give the true enthusiast.
But sales of the Z and related cars prove how small the true enthusiast market is...

The Z focuses on perfectly weight balanced steering, engaging seating position, proper body position, proper armrest to shifter placement, proper knee support, proper center of gravity, getting a balanced highly driver centric & ergonomic package for the senses.

The Z just pays attention to driver engagement qualities way higher than muscle. I can't fathom how so many members can drive 15,000+ miles in a Z and go to a Mustang as a performance alternative and accept the huge deficit in how your body sits in a car and give up that low COG connectivity that can only be had from the Z, toyobaru, miata, and then cars double it's price. And the Z doesn't make you lose power to achieve it. Is it as fast as a v8 mustang? Not in the least. But does a mustang come close to driver connectivity of the Z? Not even a little bit.

At the end... It's the trade off all "true enthusiasts" make as a sacrifice for driver connectivity. Not many people will sacrifice $30,000+ for a totally one purpose driver enjoyment vehicle. Most wait for us enthusiasts to buy the car and enjoy it while the average Joe who wants to look like us waits for us to trade in our cars to buy it cheap and play the part.

You can make the practical argument to your wife in a Mustang. That won't hold in the Z. So mustangs sell more. It's that simple.

The Z... To a "true performance driver" will be the better car, unless he has money for a new Cayman. That said... The Z market is tiny.... As is other true sports cars