Help an Ex-Z owner out :)
 

Hello,

I don't post much on the forums but I originally came from a 645li convertible to a 370z, since then I switched to a cayman S.

My Cayman S lease just expired and I won't be buying it out since I put too many track miles on it to be worth it.

I am back in the market for a quick car again, this time I am avoiding german cars.

Price limit ~35,000, has to have a stick. I do a fair bit of auto crossing/tracking

Narrowed it down to:
2011-12 Evo X gsr or STi
2009-2012 370z (this time manual)
New mustang?
Other suggestions.

So far I am leaning heavily towards the 370z. The first time I owned my 7at I loved the car, I think I will enjoy it even more with a manual.

Pros for the Z:
lightest out of the three cars considered (3300lbs)
has nice performance out of the box so I don't have to mod it (aside from an oil cooler if it doesn't have one)
plus from what I've gathered the bolt on's and a tune will land me very close to 340-350whp, which is cayman s power to weight ratio.
Cons:
-Can't really think of any aside from the engine being a little rough at high rpm (which doesn't bother me, it's a sports car)


Pros for the Evo
-4 seats (don't care)
-mod friendly
-awd (winter road trip up north?)
Cons
-second heaviest out of the three
-awd (live in Florida year round)
-doesn't look as stunning as the Z
-interior from an econobox

Pros for the Mustang
-a lot of reserve power
-fastest out of the box
-mod friendly
Cons
-everyone has one
-car is a little big for my liking
-heaviest out of three
-interior is subpar compared to the Z
-at the end of the model cycle (possible high value loss upon next gen mustang release)

Open to any other car suggestions within my price range and criteria, I am also anxious to hear everyone's opinion since I know we have a good mix of evo/mustang/370z owners on the forums.

Just curious why you're avoiding German cars? High maintenance costs? How did you like the Cayman S -- worth the money?

What mods do you have planned for the 370Z? CBE and cats?

your pros/cons list looks accurate to me. i traded my Evo X for the Z and haven't looked back. i think you already have your answer, get the Z :tup:

Go test drive them. You're going to feel a big difference going from a Caymen S to a Z

Cayman S was an outstanding car, maintenance was more then I'd like to pay but the primary reason was the huge markup on everything.

For the Z I would go with Cbe/cats/intakes/tune

:driving:

Drove the evo a few days ago, still have to try a 6mt Z and a mustang.

i think your 350Whp is a little ambitious for a Z with boltons and a tune. But out of what you have it narrowed down to, Z all the way.

I'd do the mustang unless you are planing on S/C or turboing the Z. If its going to be on the track a lot the X is great too.

If you have a GTR you don't need any of these cars. :tup:

and if he waits a couple of years there will probably be some $35k GTRs floating around.

the GTR seems a little heavy for autocross, but i dont know much about autocross.

gtr is perfect for autocross, I just don't like to autocross it, too expensive for track related damage.

Just stick with the Nissan family and you previuosly had one so Z seems to fit your needs. RWD and 6MT rev matching is fun. Plus looks better than any of it's competition.

Subie WRX STI, drop new turbo with E85 get you 400-500whp.