-EAD-

Decided a holiday would be the perfect chance to finally go for some test drives (82 degree weather with clear skies didn't hurt either).

So I've been looking at the 370z since it was announced and been following around in the forum for quite a while now... needless to say there is a little anticipation building up, but I'm still about a month away from pulling the trigger due to getting some things in order (refi on the house).

Also of note, I currently drive a '98 Saturn SL, single cam, front wheel drive, manual transmission, no power anything (not even steering)... my only other car I've owned was an '80 mercedes 300D (not turbo)... So every car I test drove today is far beyond anything I've had.

I went over to the dealer close to my house and had a great sales rep who I explained where I was in the process of buying. We test drive both a 370Z Touring w/sports manual and 370Z Touring w/sports automatic. All I can say is I was extremely pleased and well more impressed than I ever expected to be (more on that later).

During, my 370Z drives the rep and I discussed the other cars I was going to test drive later in the day, and he even suggested a couple I hadn't thought of... When I was departing to go check out some other cars he told me to come back when I was done, so I could drive the Z again so to compare with what else I drove.

Long day short, in addition to the Z's I test drove (in the order I drove them):

Infiniti G37 Sport
Infiniti G37 Journey w/sport package
Was quieter than the Z and well different in a more Lexus type of way but better (go figure)... I really enjoyed both of these cars and they are probably what I would consider the front runner if I don't get a Z.

BMW 135i
BMW 328i
In summation... I learned that I'm not a BMW person

Audi A5
A nice car... sportier than I had expected (not sure why), and I liked it better than the pair of BMWs but I had already driven the G37 and liked it more.

Mazda RX-8 r3
Its like a refined go-kart... not really... but really, it was fun, but just not enough to it for me and felt off to me.

Dodge Challenger SRT8
Definitely a different kind of sports car compared to the others I drove. I liked it for what it was, but its not me I think I prefer something with a little more finesse... and the interior cabin doesn't really have a refined feeling to it.

Chevy Camaro - Well I tried but "they don't let you drive one until after you've negotiated a price with them and set up to purchase"... to which I asked "how am I supposed to know if I want the Camaro over the competition if I can't drive it"... and he responded "the Camaro doesn't have any competition, and people just know it's what they want."

Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track
This car surprised me the most... It was enjoyable to drive, honestly a little quieter than the Z, and had a good feel to it. Way more than expected actually. A fully decked out one isn't budget bending at all... imho, a really good value, if value is what you are looking for in a sports style car.

Did I miss anything I should have been even considering?

After a full day of driving cars I went back and visited the Nissan dealer and drove the manual touring sport again... For me, it has a refinement that really appeals to me... It doesn't have the luxury some of the others do, but it doesn't miss a thing when it comes to feeling that you are driving a sports car and enjoying every bit of it.