370z Vs. 335i

sprix!

You should try to toss some punctuation in that post. It would make it immensely more readable. I agree that the cars are different and really play to different crowds. (if that is what you are saying...) Pricing is not really competitive between the two, but performance certainly is. However, since the 135i was supposedly a loser in its comparison with the Z, we can expect the comparison between a Z and a 335i to look even more favorably on the Z. That is because the 335i weighs more than the 135i and will have slightly decreased relative performance.
Even though the 335i may not have the most stellar interior to date, it still outclasses the interior from the 370z. Nissan made vast improvements to the interior of the Z, but it still has a way to go. I personally find that the top of the inside door panels as well as most of the dash is covered in a coarse, cheap feeling plastic. All of the 335s I have encountered don't have any surfaces or panels that feel cheap in any way.
To Alexus, I think you have forgotten that ALL maintenance is included with the purchase of any new BMW. With that in mind, the car looks very attractive to some buyers. Particularly those who only lease vehicles and tend to escape out of one lease and into another before such warranty periods expire. Perhaps the car will be expensive to maintain outside of warranty, but I know of a few BMWs that were regularly serviced and that are holding up quite well outside of the warranty period.
Performance- Z slightly edges out the 335i
Styling is subjective of course
Price- Z wins
Reliability- too early to tell; I would guess both will be comparable
Interior quality- 335i hands down
Resale/value retention- too early to compare; I would guess they will be comparable

It all comes down to money, IMO. If one has to stay below a $40k budget, the Z is a hard car to pass up. If one has a price ceiling that hovers around $50k, the 335i is equally tempting. To be fair, however, there are numerous viable performance options that become available as one sails past the $45k mark. Chances are, the buyers for these two vehicles are not the same, and won't be cross shopping.

sbkim

Anyone with real life experience (ie owned BOTH) with 335 and 370z? I had an 07 335 coupe and loved the car. I haven't been able to drive the 370z yet but I presume both will feel about the same in terms of straight line accerleration given the numbers published in the mags. Love to hear any real life comparison between the two.

Two things I can comment:

1. Resale of my 07 335 was absolutely amazing. I sold mine in late 2008 with 10k miles and lost at most $3k after a little over a year. Not bad. But I am now seeing tons of 335s out there so it may be different.

2. Interior in 335 is boring as heck. I had the old iDrive which was bearable but I'd prefer the more "complicated" look of the Z.

3. In terms of reliability - I have mixed feelings. I bought the car just when it was released and had to replace fuel injector rails 2 times! Other than that, no issues.

OMGWTFBBQ

Isn't the 135 better than the 335 regarding performance? They use the same engine, if I'm not mistaken, but the 335 weighs more than the 135. Now if the Z romped on the 135, I'd only assume, from what I've read at least, then the Z would do the same with the 335.

shumby

^^^ correct.

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Nismo 370z

Did the 370 really "romp" on the 135i? In this video both cars ran to 60 in 5.1 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.4 at 105 trap for the Z and the Beemer in the same 13.4@104. The Z brakes from 60-0 in 101 feet and the 135 does it in 108 feet with a more linear feel. Slalom speed the BMW is quiker by a tenth than the Z's 69.8mph. The only part where the Z owns the BMW is in the skidpad with its amazing .99g of lateral grip compared to the 135's .90 since it has skinneier tires. So all in all both cars are equally close and in the real world it would be a drivers race. Now the 335i??? It is heavier than the 135i and so its pretty obvious that the 370z would "romp" that...unless it has the Vishnu reflash where it would take the 370z in a straight line only.


Video...

ksfrogman

I agree that price doesn't compare, but with that having been said, the N54 in the 135i and 335i is so easily modified with JB3 or Vishnu piggyback that it easily would take the 370Z in the straights. As for cornering, the E92 and E90 M3 share the same chassis, but with slightly different control arms, dampers and spring rates. Just search for E90 or E92 M3 vs whatever in Youtube, and see how this car handles. I think where the Z excels is in its wide track, especially in the rear, and its sticky tires. Cost for the boost increase in the BMW is a few hundred bucks. I hope the 370Z sees some factory installed turbochargers in the future reminiscent of the 300ZX and the Supra. In its present normally aspirated configuration, mods on the Nissan would show less bang for the buck.

One last comment: I've own a few Supras and Z-cars. The Supras were 2+2, but the +2 part was just an excuse to say it had 4 seats. The BMW E90, E92, E93 truly seat 4 people. In my eyes, the Z is more of a true sports car with only two seats. So we are comparing apples and oranges here. I would think the Z car would be more fun as a sports car; the 3-series would be super fun commuter with more passenger practicality, luxury and road compliance, but without the "razor sharp control" of a sports car

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Crash

I look forward to turboing my 370z almost immediately after I buy it. I think turboing is the ONLY way to go if you don't have the displacement and room to grow in the motor like an American V8.

The 335i isn't all that special to me. The new M3 is an amazing looking car and performs like it looks. But to get that you have to shell out so much more. The Z is a bang for the buck car, but like frogman said, the N/A mods are going to be way less bang for the buck with the Z.

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Great thread

Namir

You talk about bang for the buck but you say you are going to turbo your Z immediately?

New Z is going to be 33-43k depending on what options you get, + at least 10k for a turbo set up with proper tuning, and then all the supporting chassis/engine modification to make it a balanced car it'll likely be around 15k before you are said and done. That brings your total to 48-58k dollars with no warranty.
Those 'expensive' 335s and M3's don't sound like such a bad deal after all. Especially since they can be had for invoice and under.


Just playing devil's advocate, I still love the Z

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Lug

I'd assume he'd want to bump the performance of the 335i as well since it's performance won't quite equal a stock 370Z.

Crash

The M3 isn't putting 500HP down to the ground. And yes, I'm planning on spending that much on my car, but I'm not everyone else. Most people will not be turboing their cars. The block may not have a warranty, but everything else will. If I crack the block, that's on me (just like if you made a 500HP M3) and I'd replace it with a sleeved forged block.

Exactly. I'm going for full performance. Anyone who races knows you've got to modify your car to do what you want it to do on the track. They're going to void their warranty anyway. If you bought an M3 for daily driving and you don't plan to modify it, good for you! But if you're going to race it, it's better to start with a cheaper platform that already performs well.

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BerkTech

Coming from someone who's seen both....

They're two cars at almost opposite ends of the spectrum. Both are "sporty" cars, but one is SOOOO German and one is SOOOO Japanese.

Anyone who loves the styling of the Z, isn't going to really go for the BMW styling which hasn't changed much over the years.

As far as the interiors go, the BMW's do have a plain interior, but they are designed for the driver. Not the prettiest looking dashboard layouts but they are almost a study in pure function.

Throwing a few dollars into the 135 or 335 will beat a 370 in a straight line. Boosted engines are just easier to turn a knob and get 40 more HP out of it.

However, in the twisties the 370Z has a superior suspension layout and can be taken further than the bimmer. If you had a budget of $20K for either car, you'll be able take the Z further than the BMW's.

We know Z's!




and we know BMW's!



But our next car will be a................





370Z!




.

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bossman

at the end of the day.. both cars will satisfy your performance needs.. however, the bimmer will also provide you with some ladies

TerribleONE

and your saying the Z wont?

bossman

no it will, but if you know chicks you know they'd kill for anything out of europe (MB, bmw, audi..)