Advice on whether 370Z is the right car for me...

axmea?

It does not cost much to get the Z track ready, check the Track, Autocross section and look at the basic necessities to get You started. Guys over there know mods that will get you ready at a reasonable cost. Also depends on how much the Z is. If you're just starting, there is no sense going all out nor it is to start with a track mule when you never even wanted or considered it to begin with. As your skills develop, the Z is a perfect platform to build on. Once you really get into it, you'll see that it is not a cheap hobby - regardless of the kind if car you start with.

__________________

cheshirecat

OP, please consider a used S2000 or Miata for your HPDE's. Getting it track ready will be much, much cheaper and easier on you as you consider how hard you're pushing the car during the event.

Couple this with a daily driver and I think you're set.

KERMIT

Adam,

its not that we are trying to be less than helpful, its just that there have been a number of trolls lately. Your post indicates a few contradictory statements that make it seem less than legitimate. A month ago someone claimed to sell their Ferrari and purchase a Z..

1. You are looking for $60k sports cars
2. You have the money to go to skip Barber (1 day course starts at $1500)
3. You are looking for a car to learn on ($25k beater of sorts)
4. You are looking to race the car and support tires, maintenance costs, etc..

5. You are concerned with losing 2-4k - ??


The money you will lose on the transaction price of the $25k vehicle will be far outweighed by the Tax (8% = $2000), Tires ($400-800 per set), Insurance of owning additional car, gas, etc...

UNKNOWN_370

I actually think this is exactl what these cars are good for. Practice for learning how to drive a "real sports car". I just wouldn't buy one new. too pricey for what it is. I say get an older mustang. Just dont drive it in the rain till you get good at it. and buy it some really good tires with extreme amounts of wet grip.

Adam_W

Understood.

I am not a troll. I'm just a dumba*s when it comes to cars and costs relating to cars and racing. I'm a physician who has driven the same car - a 2001 Honda Accord - since med school and now that the old honda is giving up the ghost, I've decided that it's time to live a little bit and upgrade into something fun. I'm willing to spend the money on a nice sports car, but I don't want to be a poser who buys an M3 doesn't know how to drive it. The money spent learning how to drive well - the driver mod - will be a worthwhile investment I think, but I'm still frugal and don't want to waste money unnecessarily. Hence my search for the most efficient path to my desired endpoint. Hope that puts things into perspective.

Thanks for the advice.

dP3NGU1N

Any money you "waste" can be chalked up to a learning experience. This is not a cheap hobby, nor is it a logical one. If you keep thinking about it you will eventually talk yourself out of it altogether.

This hobby is one of those things where you get a loose plan together and jump in feet first. Many people will probably agree with me that getting a sports car is the best mistake that they ever made but it's a necessary mistake just because they're so passionate about their cars. It's not going to make any fiscal sense and often times it's going to be extremely frustrating but for those few moments where something goes right and everything comes together the mistake is worth it.

So you've got most of the answers you need. It's time to stop thinking and just do. Pick a path and stick to it.

Adam_W

dP3NGU1N,

Got it. I'm going to look for the inexpensive miata and start from there.

Thanks everyone for your advice.

gsxr750

I was in the same position last year, on the day I was supposed to picked up my 2012 inferno orange vette , the detailers scratched the entire clear coat of the vette. So pissed I cancelled the deal.

On the way home I passed a Nissan dealer and decided to test drive a 370z , which I decided was not fast enough for me, as it didn't have a V8 and over 400 hp.

When I got out of the car I spotted a 2012 white pearl , sport package with a manual transmission, and I loved it , even with the V6 and only 330 hp it was more than enough for me and I saved over $17,000 by getting the 370Z.

After owning the Z for a year now and passing other vettes, specially the same color as the one I was going to get, I sometimes regret not getting the vette.

The one area I feel the vette was a lot better is in low end torque it had and you could have a lot of fun driving it with out drawing a lot of unwanted attention.

The 370Z really needs to be driven fast to really appreciate its design and power band, otherwise the 370Z just feels like a normal nissan sedan when its babied and the only thing that reminds you its a sports car is the road noise and looking out the windshield at the hood. The vette will never leave you with this feeling.

The other issue with either a vette , 370z or any other sports car is that they really aren't that practical for daily use or trips and you really need to worry where and how you park them to avoid , theft or damage. The main worry isn't the actual damage or theft , its the hassle of dealing with the aftermath. Driveways and speed bumps really tear up the front lips on most sports car to, depending height.

Then you also only have room for 2 ppl and to small travel bags.

If I had to buy a sports car again I would tend to just go for either a 2 door sports sedan or coupe from BMW or Infinity etc , that seats at least 4 ppl. Most will handle just as good as the 370z and are a lot easier to live with on a daily basis.

One car you should look into and test drive is a Mazda RX8 , while its not as fast as the 370z or a vette , they are a lot of fun to drive, due to the characteristics of the rotary engine, it feels like your driving a grand prix car on a daily basis and it has 4 doors and seats 4 ppl. if needed , a good used ones are available really cheap.

So unless you intend to use the car as a track car, the real fun factor is how the car performs from 0-70 mph or with in the normal speed limit.

kenchan

hi, if your purpose is just to learn MT, get a beater civic or something and learn on that. no need to be rwd or have over 300hp for newbs.

GL

Adam_W

thanks gsxr750, very insightful post. These are issues are all relevant to my future car buying decision. From your post and others, I can see the benefits of having a dedicated track car (whether miata or 370Z), and a separate car that is more fun for driving around town 0-70 MPH and might sacrifice some performance for practical considerations.

KERMIT

If I were in your position

1. Subaru Brz
2. Honda s2000

They will allow you to learn vehicle dynamics without 400hp power oversteer

Adam_W

What about these two Miatas?

1995 Mazda Mx-5 Miata Hardtop For Sale In Costa Mesa CA 92627 - Premium Finance

1995 Mazda Mx-5 Miata Convertible For Sale In Costa Mesa CA 92627 - Premium Finance

luigi90210

if you havent learn how to drive stick than learn on a FWD car, its easier to adjust to a rwd car then it is to learn stick on a car you know you cant control

heck you would probably never be able to control my old 4 gen maxima, 200whp N/A and thats a fwd car(torque steer was a bitch to control lol), plus its easier to drive fwd and most older cars dont have ABS or traction control so you run the risk of spinning on public roads and crashing in a rwd car then you would on a fwd car(i dont even think this is possible)

forza370z

I'd say just get the car you want(vette). That's the most economy way. My Nismo is the first manual transmission car I've ever owned. I did stall it at the lights. I did get honked a couple of times. But there is no shame. Everybody got to start from some point even a professional race car driver. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to master a manual transmission on the road or even on the track. If you dump the fear that people is going to laugh at you when you stalling your nice car in the middle of the intersection, you will pick it up really fast. Plus even if you mastered how to drive a Miata, you still need to learn how to drive a Vette. Coz every car has its own limit and knowing your car's limit is one of the most important key to win a race on the track. To me, there is no point to get a 370 or even a beater.

Adam_W

I know what your saying and have definitely considered that. In fact, that was my original plan and I was *this* close to signing the papers on a new Corvette after spending a couple hours at the dealership haggling.

The reason for my seeking an "intermediate" car before a higher level sports car is that
1) I'm not 100% sure I want a Corvette Z06, over a 911 or other car (even though I'm heavily leaning towards Z06) and I figure once I learn more about what I like in a car I can make a more educated decision (who knows, maybe I'll prefer a Lotus), and
2) I want to learn more than just how to drive stickshift without stalling or lurching, I can already do that. I'm interested in learning how to drive stickshift *well*, i.e. heel toe downshifting, finding the racing line around a track, and gaining some experience turning corners at the limit. Granted, there is a learning curve with every vehicle, but the guys at corvette forum recommended against me getting the Z06 as my first foray into manual transmission sports cars. If I crash an old Miata at HPDE, I won't feel so bad (if I crash a 370Z I will feel very bad) but if I crashed a shiny 2013 3LZ Black on Black Z06, I just might shoot myself if I'm not already dead, and
3) I figure I can learn car control and driving better in a car that takes 8 seconds to get to 60 MPH than a car that takes 3.5 seconds in first gear.

As I learn more about the expenses involved in tracking cars, I'm wondering if I would ever want to track a Z06 or 911.