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

Nillaz

Like a couple others have said for a first manual I would recommend something like a Miata, at least for a little while. These are cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, and are still a blast to drive.

Knowing how to drive stick and knowing how to drive stick well are two different animals. The clutch in the Z is not exactly what I would call user friendly for beginners and without much daily experience you WILL make mistakes and put quite a bit of undue wear on the car. On a Z this can be a pretty expensive proposition for a car you don't even plan on keeping long term, not to mention a dangerous one....I taught my wife how to drive stick years ago and while she is competent, without regular practice there is no way in hell I would let her get behind the wheel of my car...I don't want to receive that phone call from the hospital (or worse). A stock Z may not be a track monster but any 300hp RWD sports car can get out of hand pretty quickly and put you in a world of hurt if you don't know exactly what you're doing.

After driving stick daily for a couple months/year then go get the sports car of your dreams. In the long run you'll appreciate it more and save yourself a ton of headache and expenses.

Just my two cents.