What else did you cross shop?
 

I haven't test driven anything else but the Z yet, and not sure I'm going to. It just seems like for the price I'm not going to get anything even remotely close.

I was going to take a look at the Cayman and maybe a vette, but not sure it's worth the effort.

So I'm just curious as to what everyone else looked at before deciding on a Z.

The Z is a tough bargain to beat. I also drove a Lancer Evo, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and a Ford Mustang.

Sold an '08 Corvette, Considered a slightly used Cayman S, but the modability and general rightness of the Z won me over. This car is very good, expecially for the $$..

135i is a very good competitor IMO. I just LOVE the low end tq in that bmw. It's true that your pay close to 6K more for the 135i (vs. base with sports Pack) but a similarly equipped 370Z Touring should cost the same.

I think the only other competitor I saw when buying the 370Z was a 350Z and I was already driving that ;).

Porsche Carrera, Porsche Cayman S

I wouldnt buy any car without driving a couple first. You never want to have any regret.
I crossed shopped the solstice, sky, I had already owned an 06 corvette, so I guess you could say I crossed shopped that. There are faster cars out there, there just wasn't the mix of speed, handling, and most importantly QUALITY that the Z had.

EDIT:
Also shopped camaro, which lost out due to poor interior quality and Mini Cooper (works) which lost out due to FWD.

acura tl, bmw 335i, audi tt

135i
Genesis Coupe :wtf2:

Couple of threads like this already but i'll bite once again ;)

Like AK said.. the 135i was my other tough decision.. Almost fully loaded 135i (minus Nav) the car was 5k to 6k more in price. The car drove much smoother, and definately had a lot more torque down low but didn't feel sporty to me and definately didn't handle like the Z. The savings in money and the Z being a much more polished vehicle and much more track worthy is why I chose it in the end. Plus I get horrible boost fever and would blow up the 135i in atleast 1 years time trying to get that extra HP.

In about a year i'll see what the boost market is like for the Z and I can take the 5 to 6 thousand dollars I saved from not buying the BMW and put a supercharger/TT kit on my Z.

Can't believe no one has said slightly used Lotus Elise. I cross shopped that, the 135i, and used Corvettes.

Just go sit in some of the cars and they will be ruled out immediately due to obvious lack of quality. Drive the ones that still feel good to you and figure out what you like best.

BUT, also consider things such as brand reliability and resale value. Those count too.

I tested the new audi tt, the old audi tt, rx8, mustang gt, and the 350

one thing that kills me is I found out alfa romeo is coming to the US, and i would have loved an alfa

I purchased a 350 in 2006 and I knew that I would upgrade to the next model. I am slightly intrigued with this
http://img.skitch.com/20090510-pugn8...rdej3gx64i.jpg
but my next auto will probably be a 5 series BMW.

If you guys are shopping a used Cayman S, a used M coupe should also be in the discussion.

I'm still cross-shopping. Started with an open book. Only poor rear visibility, oil temp issues, and my horrible customer service experience with NISSAN 19 years ago are holding me back from firming up my decision for a Z.

My finalists:

Chevrolet Camaro -- 6 cyl has 300 horsepower and better fuel economy than a Z, plus better rear visibility, more luggage space, no reported oil temp issues, etc. and costs several thousand less. SS model, we're talking 400+ hp at a price competitive with a Z. No, a Camaro won't eke out that last .04G of grip, but on how many public roads can I use a Z to get that last .04G? (None. And I won't be driving on the track.)

G37 -- Dealer is too far away for even a test drive. If you can see out of the back of a G37, it might be the better fit for me. The performance difference between a G37 and a Z is negligible. A good driver in a G37 will smoke an average driver in a Z.

VW GTI -- Better visibility, better refinement, slides under the radar better, but . . . 200 hp and no better mileage than a Z?????? Nah.

MINI John Cooper Works -- Plastic on controls is cheap looking. No way a MINI should cost as much as a Z but, with the right equipment, it does.

BMW 135 -- Very nice. On most public roads in the hands of most drivers, will probably outperform a Z and do it with less fuss. But it's an ugly car. And I really don't like the poseur image that goes with the roundel.

Others eliminated earlier in the process: Cayman, Z4, Solstice Coupe (may it rest in peace), S2000 (may it rest in peace), Mustang, Challenger, Mazdaspeed 3, Subaru WRX STi.

You do understand that a 6 cyl Camaro that "has 300 horsepower . . . and costs several thousand less" is also 1.4 seconds slower to 60 and doesn't handle nearly as well, right? The SS is the closer competitor and costs about the same.