Sold My 2016 M3, Bought 2016 370Z Sport
 

Hey All-

I come from the land of BMW (still have two Z4 Coupes). I bought a new M3 comp pack with the intent to have it be the perfect daily driver, but the excitement factor just wasn't there. Great, practice, capable car, but felt like driving a computer.

Anyway, I've never owned a Z but have always had an interest. Picked up a Sport 6MT and have been very pleased so far. The chassis is actually quite good for being 7 years old (I instruct with my M Couoe dedicated track car so have a bit of time on the track).

I am however disappointed that Nissan added the stupid active sound enhancement and noise cancellation for 2016. If anyone has any tips on disabling or removing them, I would appreciate it. I'll likely start a different thread on that topic.

Welcome to the 370Z forum

:worship:

-Clifford :welcome: :tup:

Not hating on the move (well duh this is a Z forum, owner myself), but it's an interesting one. How do you feel about the interior vs. the BMW's?

Hello and welcome!

I am also interested in comparison, overall

Welcome to the Z life! Enjoy!

I'll say that I was pleasantly surprised with the interior of the Z. It is simple and straight forward. Materials aren't quite as good as BMW, but you have to realize the interior of their $35k 320i is almost exactly the same as their $80k M3.

I had an e92 M3 before the F80, and the driving dynamics of the 370 are actually pretty similar to the e92. The S65 V8 in the BMW is in a world of its own in terms of sound, power, and throttle response, but it is extremely high maintenance and rod bearings are basically a consumable item in it.

I got the 370 to be a fun, manual, rwd commuter for my 50 mile round trip to work every day. I have a GX470 for when I need space or the weather is bad, but so far the 370 seems to fit the bill for all other times.

Congrats and welcome!

Welcome!

Pictures of the said cars or it didn't happen :pics:

:tiphat:

M3 (sold)

Z4

Z4M Track

Miata

And finally, the Z.

Welcome :hello:, you have some nice cars there!

Dam ,that would've been a hard trade to make, but congrats.

Hmmmmmm... That's a hell of a change... Especially since you're well versed in Ze German cars

But welcome

Congrats on the Z and welcome. I love Z cars as much as the next guy, but if I had to choose between a '16 M3 and a '16 Z, I'm pretty sure I'd go with the M car. Nice fleet of BMWs you have there :tup:.

I have zero regrets about my decision. The M3 is a VERY big car. If I had two children that needed car seats, and wanted a fast, quiet, comfortable sedan, M3 hands down. But for anyone that has had BMWs over the years can attest, they have lost their way in terms of driving experience. Sure they sell a lot of cars now, but that's because they have pandered to the masses.

It's also about value. At less than half the cost, the 370z can come close to matching, and evening exceeding, the M3 in a lot of aspects.

The grass is usually greener on the other side. Fortunately, I've been successful enough so far to taste the other side, but in this case it wasn't worth it.

Welcome! I'm also a new owner. Just picked up a 2016 Nismo. I see that you have experience with Z4 coupes. I drove a few Z4M's both coupes and convertibles and find my Nismo quite comparable in handling and engine performance, actually slightly better overall. What's your take on it?


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We both have similar tastes in cars. I have owned an 07 Z4 3.0SI convertible and still have a retractable hard top 2012 Miata along with my 2014 Z370. They are all different cars and fun in their own ways. Congrats. with the purchase

Wow nice collection of cars, enjoy the Z :D

I had a pretty boosted 335i... I just never fell in love with it. I know where you're coming from. Just surprised you didnt look for something in the same price point. But I guess you'll have more money for mods :D

Welcome to the dark side my friend ;P

Awesome! I was in the market between a Z4 M coupe and 370z. Ended up going with an '11 sport touring (obviously) mostly because I could actually test drive one locally without having to fly out somewhere to try a Z4. My budget was around 25k and a huge selling point for the Z was the fact that I could get a newish model with very few miles. Z4 M's at that price range were usually in the 75,000-95,000 mile range. The mileage didn't scare me and in terms of resale value, the Z4 will definitely keep its value.


One thing I don't like about the Z is the feel of the transmission. I am still driving my '95 M3 and I just love the feel of BMW transmissions. How do you think the Z compares to your M coupe? I figured aside from the transmissions, they would be pretty similar at least in feel/performance. Have you tried your Z at the track? I took mine out and I must say, it is an extremely capable car out of the box. Curious to see how it compares to your M coupe.

this is interesting. im looking for a new fun "commuter" car as well. the wife wants me to get a new M3, but im not digging the payments, or the idea of putting 120 miles a day on it. i had an E90 335 back in the day and loved it, so im looking at a 13 M3. but a 15 nismo in pearl white just popped up on CL, so im going to go test drive it this week. so tempting, so confused on what i want. the Z not having a back seat is the only draw back for me.

Maybe if your'e a fan of your old 335i. I personally did everything to my 335i I could to enjoy it... and just couldnt. I liked the power... but something was missing. Still I don't know what it was but I was never in love with it.

Also the m3 sounds like a terrible commuter car. Gas will kill you. I work 5miles away from my house and drive a v8. The thing drinks gas like no other car I have ever had, I'm lucky to make it on a tank just driving to and from work.

Grats on the purchase. :tup:

Cool and welcom to the z community. I personally don't feel German interior holds up as well as Japanese. First day they look very pretty and give the wow factor but after some years when the lcds stop working and the textures on the plastic wear off it won't looks as good as the z's (that's just a personal opinion of having worked in the field on tons of German and then Japanese cars although not specifically BMW and Nissan).

Now as for your question on disabling the active noise canceling, is this a tech package car with navy screen? If so there is a hidden menu (I forget the key sequence but google and it will come up), if it is like the maxima then there is an option in the hidden menu to disable the active noise canceling.

Congrats on your new ride and welcome home