This is a good discussion...well, IMO, anyway.
And I'm sure my age dictates a different take on thing with the younger sprouts around here but...
I have the same dilemma.
Now, mind you, I don't mind a stiff ride. Or feeling the road. My RSX is stiff as hell after some mods. I like the Nismo style. And stuff fitting right, and mostly colored to match. It's not too ricey but it's there letting you know it's got its style on. Semi-sublte yet I can see it right away. HOWEVER, my age makes me think a sports car has just GOT to have leather seats. It just doesn't seem natural otherwise. Even seen a post about a guy who ordered leather covers for his cloth, so he knows what I'm talking about (
). I like it that the Nismo is a bit lower. I like it that it's intended to be more of a "race/sporty car". BUT, I think they went a bit too far. Already talked about the seats. So, is it all about weight or did someone just decide NO ONE wants a beefed up Nismo with any kind of sound system or, hold your breath, any kind of navi? Why didn't they just take the Touring model and make a "Touring Nismo" fercrissakes !? It's not like it screws up their whole exhaust system/suspension system/wheel mods.
So, having ranted a bit, I'll comment on buying the Nismo and then adding some mods.
Yes, one can swap out the seats easy enough AND get leather in the exhange. SO, if you have a "happy-gol-lucky" attitude about your money to fit some leather into a vehicle that should have had leather to begin with, then you're not going to mind making that change.
And, unless I'm wrong, you can always add some navi and sound to the interior. BUT, why is this a somewhat poor solution? Well, again, unless I'm wrong, most every navi solution that looks anywhere near good is mounted much lower than the Nissan navi unit. Haven't seen one yet that mounts in THAT cubby space. So, there you are, staring down near the shifter to see stuff when, for safety's sake, your eyes should be closer to the windshield. And too bad the console faces straight back instead of angles toward the driver...the one who is most likely needing to see the info on the screen.
Bah...I've ranted long enough and sure to get rep points taken but I think it's a legitimate point. And what's odd about it is that I just read above that the Nismo version is different in Japan than here. That sucks !