The TIME has come! (OWNERS please comment)

bigdog1250

Hey guys,

I'm posting here to get some feedback on my major decision that lies ahead.

When I was 17, I bought myself a 350z. I owned the car for about a year and a half and absolutely loved it, but when it came time to move to San Francisco to start school, I couldn't see myself letting my car get dinged up and destroyed by the city's terrible drivers, so I made the sad decision to sell it.

Three years have now gone by, I'm finally back working, and am ready to get a car again.

My Question For You ALL:
I'm looking to spend about $30K on my car and have been trying to decide the proper path to take.

I'm a hardcore Z-enthusiast, but love all quality sports cars.

In this range I have found the following cars:

- 2009 370z w/sports package (3K miles)
- 2006 C6 vette (20K miles)
- 2005 Lotus Elise (10K miles)
- 2009 Hyundai Genesis coupe (either 2.0T or 3.8)
- 2008 Evo X GSR

These are all fantastic cars for the price, and while I still think the Z suits me best, I'd simply like to ask all you current OWNERS if you think the car is worth choosing over these other options.

Thanks in advance for your commentary.

Trips

I maybe bias but I choose the Z and if were to post this question on the other candidate boards you'd get the same reply go for a test drove of all prospects and then decide. Your the one driving and paying for it.

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MightyBobo

A Z51 C6 Corvette will outperform the Z in just about ANY manner. Acceleration, handling, mod-ability.

So, why did I go with a 370Z instead? Something different, and I liked the styling a lot. Thats about it, really. If you are going all performance, the C6 wins hands down - its one of the best performance cars for the buck. But I think you can find others with less miles for the same cash - I know I did!

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I don't own a car anymore.

Hi-TecDesigns

Unless you have another daily driver (that you don't mind actually driving a lot), the Lotus is not a very practical car.

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Island_370

My 2 cents...

370Z=very nice daily driver, still has pep and decent track use
C6= power, sound, mod-ability, good track use, fair daily use
Lotus = awesome track car, unique, poor daily driver
Hyundai = great warranty, fair looks, likely the most practical
Evo= racer boy car. Huge mod ability.

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spearfish25

Evo X would be great in snow...that would have made it a fun car for me all year-round. My Z will have to drive 'nice' in the winter here in Chicago.

gnarf

Im in the same boat as the OP when it comes to deciding for a car
The corvette would be an awesome choice only if it were with the Z51 package..comfortable, great gas mileage, fast...but if it were me...id cough up a lil more and try to find a LS3..also the 2008+ models seem to be greatly improved in terms of reliability...I believe there were 2 recalls for 2006 models..
The Lotus would be the most expensive to maintain but it will give you the most raw factor...you would probably like the Lotus very much due to the experience..but it will have the worst practicality and has the worst ergonomics...the elise and 370z should be close in performance...
Ive seen the Genesis in person but have not ridden or driven one...IMO Id opt for a G37s..Im biased, but that is due to the fact that the Genesis is a new car (all new first year model)..The 3.8 is also not very quick 0-60 in high 5s to low 6s and Im sure the handling will not be as sharp as a Z...It is the slowpoke of the bunch, and is a butterface, but the warranty and value are very good...the 2.0T is pretty much has the same motor has the EvoX...
The EvoX...I love this car..the handling, the looks, pretty much everything..The couple of things that turn me off is the drab interior and the 14 gallon tank with a 16/22mpg rating...Easily can be made into an 11second car, but since I commute I need a car to drive to work/school everyday instead of drive to the gas station...There are paint issues as well
The Z, I believe, is a combination of so many good points of every car..ive been in other forums and the Z has gotten praise everywhere..It has straightline acceleration like a stock 135i, handling like a stock Evo, heritage that is almost as well known as a corvette...it performs well, has great road presence, and is actually fuel efficient and practical (compared to a Lotus)..the problems that I see are poor rearward visibility and high oil temp..other than that the Z is top on my list everyday...

molamann

Can someone explain in detail why the Lotus is not a practical car? Is it lack of storage, stiffness, road noise, etc? I'm really considering it as my next car.

MightyBobo

Yes, yes and yes, I believe. My coworker has one - prefers driving his Nismo 350 over it on normal commutes.

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I don't own a car anymore.

StLRedrider

Z

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cave vulture

The Lotus is really small. The Z seems like an Escalade compared to the Lotus. A major problem is the minute number of Lotus dealerships. They are fun to look at and drive teriffic, but $60 k for a Lotus Exige compared to $40 k for a loaded Z ........... I'll take the Z

Mergnthwirker

My neighbor's son had a Lotus for 2 years. Loved the car, but it really sucked as a daily driver. Other drivers don't see you, so he was constantly getting cut-off in traffic. His gas mileage was poor in stop & go driving. It was a nightmare in the rain. The body made all kinds of noises. He had some persistent electrical problems (windows, and radio). It was noisy all the time. He bought his new and after 2 years got hit in the rear. The repairs were so expensive that he had to sell the car and took a HUGE hit financially. Lovely to drive, and a fantastic weekend car, but for a weekday, every-day car? Not so much.

The C6 is pretty nice as an all around car. It does get good mileage on the highway, but around town you suck up gas pretty fast. Ours had lots of body quality issues, but the basic car was damn reliable, and never failed to start in the winter here in the Northeast. Great heater & air conditioning! Handling-wise, it feels like a blunt instrument, and lacks finesse on winding narrow roads. Big turning circle can be a pain.

The Z is a real sports car. Goes fast, handles, has sharp reflexes. It's not a grand touring car, rides fairly firmly but not bad on the highway. Sport brakes are terrific for road use (there's a racoon family around here that can attest to that). All around gas mileage for ours has been over 20mpg which I consider pretty good for all the performance. It is still not nearly as practical a car, storage is limited (MUCH better than the Lotus though). Much easier to live with every day, and still gets your juices flowing when you let it loose on an appropriate road.

My only Evo experience was with the IX which I absolutely loved! Fantastic telepathic steering, nearly transparent AWD system, the best ever seats. It is really practical to live with, but it is not so nice on trips, kinda beats you up with a jiggly ride and bump-thumps over expansion joints. It is a very different experience than the Z, not necessarily better/worse. The Evo could go to the racetrack every weekend and be driven home (while carrying the race tires!). Try that with the Z. In fact, without an oil cooler, the Z won't perform on the track after it gets hot, and all the sport goodies can be bettered with race parts. I'm hoping to start tracking my Z after it is fully broken in, but the Evo was really fantastic there, so if you like weekend racing the Evo might be a good choice for you.

No experience with the Hyundai. Good luck with that.

As others have said, drive 'em. Buy what you like. There are not clear-cut better/worse cars here. Buy what fits your needs, not what some faceless dweebs on the net tell you what to buy. After all, free advice is worth what you pay for it.

HJM

NeedforZ

I was sooo close to buying an 07 or 08 C6 Z51 until I took a test drive in the 370z. The overall package was a better fit for me as a daily driver. If power is your thing then get the vette.

frost

Can't comment on the other vehicles, but I had an 06 vette, and although Ive probably posted it 100 times on this board, the interior quality is junk. If you're going to do nothing but track, that may be fine. But if you want a nice car to drive to work and sometimes have a little fun, vette = sucks.

GingaBreadMan

Get the C6 it's the best performance car out of the bunch.