Ask yourself, what are your needs.

If one of the wu waz readin' this they'd hunt u down n car jack whateva u drivin.
I can't believe how u people really feed into this status stuff.
That's y I'm in luv with the import tuning culture. Kids buy 15k econo cars
N entry sports cars n mod them to blow the doorz off snob azz punks like
60% of the people in here.
I said it b4 n I say it again. U could hav the flyest car in the world
But if u don't got da skill? It ain't worth Sh%t.
And most u status talkers are u 90% of the sh#ttiest drivers out there.
I put 100 bucks that sum kid in a genesis coupe n intake will destroy u in a highway battle.
JUST STOP THE STATUS BULLSH#T

I looked at both cars too. I was really looking more at the BMW because of the turbo. I wasn't looking to take a step backwards after the evo in a N/A car. The cheapest I found was in the low 40's so i figured for that price I could bolt on a turbo and still have a sexy 2 seater.. plus everyone I showed the BMW too said it was ugly.. and after having the evo i didnt want another guy magnat.

135i versus 370Z
 

What a coincidence, I drove down to both a BMW and Nissan dealership this afternoon to check out both the 135i and the 370z. I'm probably a few months away before I buy, so I'm not ready to commit yet, but I wanted to check them out in person.

Price:
The 370Z is cheaper, even if its fully decked out. However, if you want to save about $5k or $6k on a Bimmer, you may want to consider European Delivery. I've done the math on an almost fully loaded 135i (with Nav, leather, comfort access, you name it) and it comes out to around $40k with ED. You throw in a $1,000 to $1,500 profit to the dealer and your within spitting range of a fully loaded 370Z.

I've attached a BMW Wholesale Pricing list for the MY 2010. You may want do check out the math for yourself.

Interior:
Neither are gonna be mistaken for Bentleys, but the Bimmer does have a slight edge. As a "luxury car" they do have a few options that the 370Z doesn't offer, but nothing really major. The problem with Bimmers is that they make you pay for stuff that is standard on Japanese luxury cars. For instance, the base 135i doesn't even come with a freakin car alarm or leather.

Looks:
I have to say that the 370Z really says "sports car", while the 135i is more of a sporty coupe. I kinda get the feeling that if you purchased the 135i, after a few months you might get the feeling that you had a normal coupe, without the "whoa" looks of a 370Z. With a 370Z, every time you see it you're gonna be reminded that you have a sports car, no doubt. But looks are subjective.

Driving/Handling:
I'll leave that to the pros on this board, as I'm still trying to learn to drive a stick. Having said that, how many people (not including the hardcore racers on this board) are really good enough drivers to be able to tell the difference in terms of handling and performance. I think for most drivers, both of these cars are more than enough to meet their driving expectations.

Reliability:
The Bimmers have suffered from some HPFP issues, but it doesn't seem to be that bad and BMW has extended the warranty for 10 years on the HPFP. Overall, I think BMW's have a pretty good history of overall reliability. As good as Honda, probably not, but better than Audi or MB or any domestics.

Practicality:
Hands down, the BMW wins this round. Although if you have a second car, this may not be an issue.

If you have any questions on European Delivery, you can wiki it or try some of the Bimmer boards. All I can say is that anyone who doesn't buy a car via ED must have some money to burn, because ED is the easiest way to save some major cash, unless you're purchasing a car that has a ton of incentives.

Hope this helps.

Personally, I'm leaning towards the 370Z for 2 reasons, one is price and the other is the styling.

Martin

Learn to write properley.:mad:

I think the BMW will spend more time in the shop and the Z will spend more time on the road...

What this guy said.

thats way to much car for a 16 year old. How about a 2002 nissan sentra?

16 year olds are bad drivers.

:tup: Looks like you got that covered! UR Mom's Altima will never be confused for a status car...;)

:iagree: His statement is just ludacris.

Someone had to say it LOL

In response to a person stating earlier that the 135i has an advantage for being a BMW, I would argue that the BMW has no 'prestige' appeal in this situation. You're talking about a 135i...the bottom of the BMW totem pole. No one will say "wow, that's one of the smallest, cheapest BMWs in the whole lineup." Being a BMW doesn't get the 135i ahead in my book. As for the 370Z, it sits at the other end of the food chain in the Nissan lineup right with the GT-R. People will oogle it.

Pretty good point. You wouldnt believe how many people thought the Z would cost me close to 50 when i started talking about getting one. To me and many others it looks close to a super car.

well i test drove the 135i but i dont like how it looks so i went with the nismo....

Ok living in Germany and seeing BMW's alll the time a BMW isn't really anything its like seeing any normal dodge or ford. You only get noticed from M3 up thats it. Now in the states I know its different but the first time I saw the 135i I thought oh thats it. At first glance it looks nice then when I got side profile i wasn't as hot about it. But its an alright looking car.

I've seen the AC schnitzer kit on it that you can order with it and it still didnt help much. Practicality I think the 135i has a backseat for the sake of saying I have a backseat who is getting in there? Kids only or midgets. My backseat in my eclipse is bigger and when i have people behind me im up on the steering wheel. Just my 2 cents though.