Touring worth the $4.5K premium over Base?
 

The Sport Package is a must option for me. But I'm torn between the Touring and Base models.

Touring:
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Pros: I love the Leather/Suede interior of the Touring. That's the main thing I want. The aluminum pedals and homelink are wants as well.

N/A: Bose, Bluetooth, power & heated seats - I don't care if it's there or not.

Cons: The price premium and worst, the added 46 lbs of weight.

So my question for those of you who went for the Touring option - do you think it was worth it and why?

Base:
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Pros: Cheaper. And lighter, which should mean slightly better performance.
Cons: Black material looks like it will show lint like crazy. No aluminum pedals! (that sucks)

For those who went for the Base, if you had to buy one again, would you stick with the Base?

I think the 46lbs isn't that bad. There is other ways of reducing the weight if you really wanted to.
I have a similar problem. For me I would rather have the sprt package but without the 19inch rims. I want to get my own after market rims and I don't car for the bose system. I think bose is over rated. I

I don't think I can ever buy an another car without the bluetooth option, it's just so damn convinient.

As for the seat warmer, she absolutely loves it considering she turns it on almost immediately upon entering the car.

Lastly, there are better speaker system than the Bose but I just like how everything's integrated onto my steering wheel/Nav screen.

Without a doubt I am going with touring option. Don't forget resale consideration as well.

I would second this opinion! People talk about how cheap '06 Boxster S's are getting but if you look closely, that is just the strippers. If you are looking for Sports Chrono, PASM (must haves, IMO) , power seats, etc, they are harder to find and you will pay a premium.
Will you get all your money back? Of course not, but you will (A) sell faster and (B) get a decent chunk of it back.
Plus the touring is very nice and the ONLY choice available in Canada.

Shane D

I guess part of it depends on your vision of the car. Do you see yourself driving hard and / or auto-x a good percentage of the time? Or do you see yourself as a daily driver type who would like the extra features?

I don't think you can go wrong either way. The heart of the car is there in both models.

Maybe Im getting youngsheimers but I thought I saw in another thread that Nissan was expecting or reporting that more people were buying the upper trim level then the lower.

I would think the same, but at the dealership last night I was told that their location has more base models on order (both orders and direct shipments) than tourings. He also said that by mid year last year it was over 50% base.
Of course this is a sales guy, but he is the manager so he does have some knowledge on the numbers.

I have been debating this as well. I think I'm leaning towards base for several reasons:
I don't talk on the phone much while driving. I am a safety guy after all. Aluminum pedals are fine, but not a big deal.
Bose would be nice if I were big into music, but I listen to talk radio most of the time, don't exactly need a bose for that. Heated seats are almost useless in phoenix. I have heated seats now, and I probably only turn them on, 10-15 days out of the year. The only thing that would make me get the touring is that I really want the nav system. I use my cell phone now, which does a fine job, but it's not easy to look at the little screen at the map and whatnot while driving.

in two words: hell yeah

yes because i want everything integrated in the nav/screen.
plus i don't really mod the interior.

I think it is a very individual thing. For me, I would not want to be without any of those features so it is with out a doubt worth it. For you, I would say no since you do not want many of the items or it would be worth it if you value the ones you want high enough.

This goes to the center of my debate. I view the car both ways, the base w/ sport is a pure sports car. The touring with sport makes it more of GT. I'm on the fence about which one I want.

I have a luxury sports sedan that serves as my daily driver. It's not going anywhere. I'm buying the Z purely as a fun car, but one that can also serve as dd when I desire.

As a dd, I want the touring package. But as a weekend toy, I don't. If I could custom order a Z, it would look like this:

Base
Sport Package (big brakes & synchro rev are musts, plus I love the look of the Rays wheels)
Leather/Suede interior - manual seats (no power, no heating)
Aluminum Pedals
Home Link
Nismo exhaust

I suppose I could just get a base w/ sport and add the pedals and homelink mirror. I could even get custom leather/suede done aftermarket. But I really love the look and feel of the factory touring interior.

Regarding resale value, over a long period of time (say 4-5 years or longer) the value of the touring will be lost IMHO. In my own experience, older cars with stripper interiors don't sell for that much less vs. fully loaded ones. But the loaded cars are easier to sell quicker that's all.

Finally the weight, 46 extra pounds is a big deal to me. If the car was 3000 lbs it wouldn't be. Although Nissan is marketing this car as lighter than the 350Z, the car mag tests have said otherwise.

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone, keep 'em coming. I'm still on the fence but leaning a little more to the touring.

For me, not worth it.

$4.5K is some nice wheels (volks) or exhaust and intake and test pipes..!