Base 2013 Nissan 370z or Base 2013 328I
 

This may be a dumb question because its a Z forum but which is better out of Z and 328i? BWM is more practical and drives better but I love the power of the Z. Anyone have experience with both cars and can over solid advice? Thanks!

What drives better is more opinion than fact. To each their own, but you have your answer already. Which is the most important to YOU? Practicality or sportiness?

True. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you love your Z?

Fuel starve issue (hopefully soon to be fixed) -1, CSC issue ($1500+ fix) -1, steering lock issue (warranty fix) -.5

So I guess 7.5/10 for reliability.

9/10 for sound, mustangs and camaros hate that I sound better than most of them lol.

10/10 for surprising the above mentioned drivers with their girlfriends keeping pace with them.

Don't have the CSC issue or the steering lock problem. My reliability has been 9/10. And mustangs and camaros do hate the Z because most of them rev next to me trying to intimidate me.

In what word is the VQ37 a pleasant sounding engine? And the Z is not keeping up with either car in recent gens.

I have a 2012 370z and the car before that was a bmw 330xi. for the most part I like the z more. what I liked more on the bimmer was all wheel drive for the winter months which might not be important to you. and of course it's more practical. the bimmer was expensive to fix and that was why I sold it. fun-wise the z has it all over the bmw. what I do recommend is considering a sport instead of base z. I had the choice of either and spent a little more for sport, touring, nav and i'm very glad I did. it sounds small but having the touch screen nav instead of a vertical glove box was a great decision for me. good luck.

I couldn't agree more, i bought the car for rev matching cause its cool, but after a couple of years i think rev matching is the cause of throttle lag, i seem to enjoy driving more with sport mode off.

I wouldn't get the base Z unless you plan on doing a lot of mods. The Rev matching is nice, and the VLSD will always be better then an open diff. The wheels and brakes are also well worth it.

As for the BM I just don't know how reliable they will be. With the Z we know what the issues are and how to mitigate and avoid them. Honestly the only real $ issue is with the Z is the CSC failing. Which if you are going to fix you might as well upgrade the clutch and flywheel so it will be over 1k in parts to do.

Remember to compare warranty and maintenance costs too.

I've owned both and have to say the Bimmer's reliability was atrocious. I've had the Z now for 5 years and other than normal maintenance have had no problems. Knock wood. Since the Z is a proper sports car and the Bimmer a sports sedan you can't really compare. I love the handling of the Z much better. I wanted a real 2 seat sports car and have no use for practicality. I hardly ever used the back seat in the Bimmer. God know how often it would have fallen apart if I hauled around 4 people instead of just one. German engineering my ***.

if its going to be your only car, i recommend u get the 328i... have u checked out the audi S3? i like those better than the 3-series if going euro.

apples to oranges ?

been in a 328 (last gen 6 banger) and it was okay. the new ones with the turbo 4's uhh can't talk about how it goes.

a more reasonable comparison although still a bit different would be the 2 series as it's a coupe. heck even the z4.

there are some good points above that you should take into consideration as well.


active maintenance will help reliability. if you're going to thrash the track every weekend don't expect there to not be problems.

fuel starve really only happens if you are taking hard rights on 1/4 tank or less. and usually that requires a speed that is not 'street legal'.

steering lock on the older models solution = pull the fuse. bang it out. blow up the car np.

csc failure... buy the auto since you know... the 3 series is also auto.

http://i.imgur.com/kYKI5Xl.gif

Wait until the warranty is up on the Bimmer. :eek:

I have a 2013 6 mt sport (picked up in 08/2012) with 0 issues so far, knock on wood. No need to worry about steering lock on a 2013, also RJM clutch pedal installed shortly after receiving the car, no CSC issues so far. Manufacture claims that it helps in eliminating this issue and no one on this forum has claimed a CSC issue with this pedal, yet.

328 is a fine car, with a smooth/quiet ride that includes a lot of practicality. But if you want sporty, the Z wins in that department. As others said, get the sport if you can.

:iagree:

My question would be... What's your intention with the car first?

Agreed. Better reliability.

Noise is one complaint I have about the Z. They really don't sound like anything until you put an aftermarket exhaust on. They're also nowhere close in performance to the newest pony cars unless you're on an autoX course or something. They do look and drive a lot nicer than Stangmaros though (IMO).

The BMW 328 is a totally different type of car; a more fair comparison would be a Z4 or something.

Coming from a base with sport '13Z...thing is bare bones. You get a radio and shitty cloth seats. Nothing else. It's tough for a DD if you actually use it in traffic. Still a great sports car, opened up, milking it...yea. Which I NEVER did on the street. Too much traffic. Too much bs, too many crooked caps eying you. Nope, even then it'd have to be auto, touring with NAV to even contemplate not getting rid if it for something...more DD friendly. But I'm old. I'll be 40 in a few years.

can you please reexplain? are you saying you would trade in your Z for nothing? i cant really tell what you are trying to convey through the language you used.

Punk Kid.:tiphat:

i think he was just taking a crap and was his painus talking..

lol im new to this forum stop with the fuckery lol

What are you looking for out of your car?

Do u have a second car?

my buddy traded his 2009 6mt 370 sport for a 2011 328i hardtop vert. Interior is awesome.. its much slower tho..I think it will be even after cobb tuning. Really a superior cruiser to the 370, but 370 is a sports car.. 328i is either a midsize sedan or cute comfy coupe.

Fricking puppy. You're still in diapers. :rofl2:

328i vs 370z wierd choice
 

OP. Driven both. Two different cars targeting diff drivers. You can find the Z' s faults in this forum.

Z sits me much more comfortably than the bmw. Clearly sportier inside and out. Way noisier and louder. More engaging to drive. This has the fun factor and wins by a mile. Faster than the bmw. Transmission is rough compared to the bmw. Night and day. Turns more heads than the bmw. Who looks at a 328i anyway?

BMW interior is not that great. Some cheap plastics in there. Great 8spd auto transmission. Stereo sounds better. Cannot stand the car seemingly shutting itself off in a full stop. Absolutely hate that feature. That shutoff causes so much lag when launching from a stop. Did not care for the seats. It did not feel as comfortable and secure as the Z's. Smoother ride. Boring.

Again two different cars and curious why between the 2.

If I'm buying a bmw it'll be an M4 and nothing less.

just debating whether i want conform of BMW or Z. Im going on 27 and I feel that I have outgrown the z. I drove the automatic and to be honest I was bored with it after like 5 minutes. Plus I live in an area with not a lot of open (LA, lots of traffic and stop lights) roads so I do not think I can really drive it. This will be my only car as well...not a 2nd one.

All in saying is a base '13 is raw. No tech. No lux. Not much comfort. Not even sports package on base. You get a solid, quick, good handling coupe. I never saw third gear in my traffic. Like others have said, what do you want expect from a car?

huh? so it isnt worth it? what car do you like?

might as well ask

2012 honda civic or 2012 nismo juke

let me know guys

Screw the 328I.
Get a Lexus.

if you were bored with the z the 328 and most others will be worse. I think part of your boredom was it being an automatic. like another said, the z is engaging. I noticed after test driving a 350z I wanted a car that's easy to drive hard and hard to drive easy if that makes sense. but if you are stuck in bumper to bumper California traffic you'll never be engaged, just bored no matter what you drive. test drive a few other cars and good luck.

I think you need to decide what you are looking to get out of the car you are purchasing. These 2 cars are really worlds apart and I'm a little surprised at the comparison. I considered a BMW before buying the Z but it was a 335i - which in that case at least you can say they are both performance cars so it makes some sense to cross-shop them.

10 months in it wasnt worth it to ME. I traded my '13 6SP base/sport for an 8 speed auto, 2014 3.8 Gen Coupe GT. Not as sharp as the 370 as a sports car but MUCH more friendly as a DD (for me), for quite a bit less money. Leather, NAV, sunroof, hands free evrything, hell I can start my car with my phone, etc. Plus its got 350hp, so its still got plenty of giddyup.

328i drives better than a Z? :rofl2: my brother has a 335i and I pick the Z over it every time.

Yep. My BMW loved to go to the shop. I think it got homesick. In the four years I had my 540 I had the following problems:

Radiator
Driveshaft (twice)
Brakes (four sets of rotors)
Transmission (twice)

As soon as the warranty ran out I got rid of it.

Guys at work with their Bimmers. Just before the warranty is up. They're gone.

If you get the Z, you won't find yourself committing spontaneous and involuntary acts of douchebaggery that seems endemic with BMW owners.