Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

flatrick · 06-26-2009, 12:36 AM

Hello,

I live in France with my girlfriend who is also a passionate driver. We both just recently graduated from law school and are saving up for our first very own and first sport's car.

As we do not want to take a loan to finance the purchase, we still have some time ahead of us before proceeding with the actual purchase. Time which I mostly seem to spend on pondering what car I want to buy

I have read tons of articles, reviews and specs about a lot of sport's cars these recent months and I have ended up with 2 picks: the 370z and the Ariel Atom. I am really torn between these two choices and I keep changing my preference from one week to another.

I have pinpointed the pros and cons of both cars in regard to each other.

370z

This is pretty much what I would like my 370z to look like, except that I would paint the brakes in red, add a slim red outline on each rim and maybe get some matte graffiti on one side of the car.

Pros:
- Price
- Comfort
- Security
- Trunk
- Audio

Cons:
- Pretty much nothing to put here

Ariel Atom

This is pretty much what I would like my Ariel Atom to look like, except that I would paint the rims black with slim red outlines and add maybe some matte graffiti on one side of the car.

Pros:
- My first automotive crush
- Speed and maneuvaribility
- Sensations (low-flyer + extreme roadster)
- Uniqueness

Cons:
- On the pricey side (about 50% more costy than the 370z)
- No comfort
- Less security
- No trunk
- No audio, but very noisy!

On first hand, you would say it is an easy pick, as the 370z has no cons. However, on closer inspection, you realize that all the atom's cons are in fact the 370z's pros...so, if you invert the situation, you could in fact add all atom's pros into the 370z's cons (i.e. it has less speed, less sensations and is less exclusive).

The thing is my girlfriend and I are really looking for the best driving experience within our budget's reach. So the atom seems like the ultimate solution, even though the 370z would not be a bad pick either. Nevertheless, I am still struggling with the atom's cons: paying so much for a car, having to withstand any weather condition at any given time, having no trunk, having no audio...this is why I keep changing my opinion all the time. I tell myself: "That atom is going to be more trouble than fun, just go for something more traditional." Then the week after, I will be telling myself: "Yeah, but what if I get the 370z and I regret that I never gave the atom a chance and what if I feel like I am not getting quite enough of sensations?"

I am not quite sure why I am writing all of this in the forum. I am guessing it is a way for me to explicitly see what I am thinking. Any comments are also of course welcome.
In any case, as I said in the beginning, I still have at least two years to make my mind up. In the meantime, I am looking forward to see for any improvements on the 370z and a probable new version of the Ariel Atom. Also, I think the best way to make up my mind will be to test drive both of the cars, although I reckon it is going to be hard to find an Ariel Atom to test...

06-26-2009, 12:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
flatrick Base Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: France Posts: 11 Drives: Citroën C3 Rep Power: 16	First sport's car: 370z or Ariel Atom? Hello, I live in France with my girlfriend who is also a passionate driver. We both just recently graduated from law school and are saving up for our first very own and first sport's car. As we do not want to take a loan to finance the purchase, we still have some time ahead of us before proceeding with the actual purchase. Time which I mostly seem to spend on pondering what car I want to buy I have read tons of articles, reviews and specs about a lot of sport's cars these recent months and I have ended up with 2 picks: the 370z and the Ariel Atom. I am really torn between these two choices and I keep changing my preference from one week to another. I have pinpointed the pros and cons of both cars in regard to each other. 370z This is pretty much what I would like my 370z to look like, except that I would paint the brakes in red, add a slim red outline on each rim and maybe get some matte graffiti on one side of the car. Pros: - Price - Comfort - Security - Trunk - Audio Cons: - Pretty much nothing to put here Ariel Atom This is pretty much what I would like my Ariel Atom to look like, except that I would paint the rims black with slim red outlines and add maybe some matte graffiti on one side of the car. Pros: - My first automotive crush - Speed and maneuvaribility - Sensations (low-flyer + extreme roadster) - Uniqueness Cons: - On the pricey side (about 50% more costy than the 370z) - No comfort - Less security - No trunk - No audio, but very noisy! On first hand, you would say it is an easy pick, as the 370z has no cons. However, on closer inspection, you realize that all the atom's cons are in fact the 370z's pros...so, if you invert the situation, you could in fact add all atom's pros into the 370z's cons (i.e. it has less speed, less sensations and is less exclusive). The thing is my girlfriend and I are really looking for the best driving experience within our budget's reach. So the atom seems like the ultimate solution, even though the 370z would not be a bad pick either. Nevertheless, I am still struggling with the atom's cons: paying so much for a car, having to withstand any weather condition at any given time, having no trunk, having no audio...this is why I keep changing my opinion all the time. I tell myself: "That atom is going to be more trouble than fun, just go for something more traditional." Then the week after, I will be telling myself: "Yeah, but what if I get the 370z and I regret that I never gave the atom a chance and what if I feel like I am not getting quite enough of sensations?" I am not quite sure why I am writing all of this in the forum. I am guessing it is a way for me to explicitly see what I am thinking. Any comments are also of course welcome. In any case, as I said in the beginning, I still have at least two years to make my mind up. In the meantime, I am looking forward to see for any improvements on the 370z and a probable new version of the Ariel Atom. Also, I think the best way to make up my mind will be to test drive both of the cars, although I reckon it is going to be hard to find an Ariel Atom to test... Last edited by flatrick; 06-26-2009 at 12:40 AM.