Should I still get my Z?
 

This is kind of a weird post. I became active on this forum whenever I ordered my car back in October (car should get here next month) and I have truly enjoyed the community you guys have created. I haven't been crazy active because I just don't have much free time, but this is by far one of the top two forums I have had the privilege of being a part of. So thanks for being a great community and making me still want to get a Z just to be involved here.

At the time I ordered the car it was perfect for my price range, not expensive, but definitely not cheap either. All in all it seemed like the perfect car for my first car purchase. However, my price range has elevated slightly and it is highly likely that it will drastically rise over the coming months and I am starting to have second thoughts because I am worried I will immediately want something like a GTR or something once I get to that point, despite having just purchased the Z. I know many of you have experience with cars like GTRs, R8s, 911s, etc. and I was wondering what your opinions on those cars are in comparison to the Z. I know obviously those are better cars than the Z, but would it be smarter to stick to my original plan and just wait a few years, or do you guys think it may be wiser to cancel my ordered car and lose the deposit, at least for a couple months so I have a better idea what I want.

I know that this is a decision only I can make, but input is helpful. I've talked to my parents, family members, and friends about this and I get all kinds of conflicting answers. However, none of them are really car people, so you guys may have a better idea about what I would be getting into if I did have something like a GTR or a 911 for my true first car.

ok i know it may sound biased having been a former and hopefully future Z owner myself, but the one thing you always have to take into consideration is cost of ownership. Would a 911 or R8 or any other high end sports car be a good choice...of course! but the fact is over the lifetime of those cars they are going to cost considerably more to maintain than the Z is going to cost you, so just ask yourself this....am i going to be daily driving this car or is it going to be a garage queen. Also you have to take into consideration any unseen circumstances such as a loss of a job or some other financial burden and think about if you can still afford to make payments or keep up on the maintenance if that were to ever happen. In the end it's your choice what you decide to go with, the Z is a great car that's for sure, but if you think you can afford it, any of the other options are all really great choices as well.

I'm assuming it will be a DD and you are fairly new to your job. I would go ahead and get the Z. If, in a few years, you want something else and still have the means to move up, go for it.

One thing that a lot of people forget to take into account is insurance. Call your agent and ask about the difference in insuring a Z and a GTR or 911. Since this is your first car, you are probably young and the cost of insurance for a sports car may surprise you.

Yeah, I am under 25 so insurance will be ridiculous. I do appreciate the advice, a lot of people forget about that. Originally this was going to be my daily driver, but currently I am looking at getting a Raptor, 4Runner, or Sequoia to be the DD and whatever car I get will be my fun car, so maintenance costs, etc. will not be as high. And I work for myself with numerous income streams, so I'm not worried about losing my income source unless the internet somehow disappears lol. Also if anyone has any recommendations on similar cars I am open to it. I haven't had much experience with cars like this beyond a buddy's R8 and my dads old 911. I may be overlooking a fantastic choice and not even realizing it.

well if you are looking at it as a secondary fun car to mess around with on the weekends then you may want to hold off for a bit longer as there are lots of new choices set to come out on the market within the next couple of years. heck the next generation Z by all accounts is set to be coming out in 2015 as a 2016 model and who knows what that has in store for us.

Ahhhh, if you can comfortably afford a GTR or 911, plus maintenance, youre in the wrong forum. I love my Z34, but c'mon a 911 or GTR? Forget about it....

nah this forum/community is cool even if you don't own a Z. other forums not so much...

I personally would get the z still. If you want more power then get a turbo kit installed. The z car's don't need very much to compete with GTR, 911, Ect.

If your not the type of person that likes to modify car's then maybe look into the GTR ect.. Just remember how much more simple maintain will cost.

Unless you have some serious confidence that the recent income raise you mentioned will last long enough to eventually pay off the car, cover insurance, upkeep, etc., I'd get the Z and put the rest in the bank for now.

In short, get what you can honestly afford while thinking ahead a bit and being able to still make ends comfortably meet.

Get the Z or a 2009 Cayman
 

A new Z will still cost less than a pre owned Porsche.

Yeah, that is true that is another option I was considering, just going nuts with the engine mods to the Z. Actually this is the most likely option for now.

Well I can comfortably afford them now, I'm just trying to set a rule for myself that I won't spend more than two months of income on any one car, and I'm close but just won't be at the point for another month or so. The obvious smarter choice is to just get the Z like you said, and the rational part of me says to go that way, but it is also telling me that I may end up selling it two months down the road and getting a GTR then and I then I'll be frustrated that I hadn't just waited and lost $3-4k on the Z for no real reason

That's true, but I'm buying a new car whatever I get.

Another option I am considering is possibly trying to buy a 6MT instead of the auto. I ordered the 7AT because at the time I thought it would be my only car for a year or so, however I have always wanted to make a Z track car in the future. If i can negotiate it with the dealer I may try and get a 6MT instead and drive that for a couple months, then get whatever I want and focus on building the Z into a dedicated track car over the next year or so. Any of you guys have experience using a Z for that purpose?

Get the z so u can chill with us dallas people at car and coffe meets , etc. lol . The z is a great sports car and think u will love it but if u think u will want something faster then u might as well cancel and look into something like cayman s. Double cost of z but better performance , materials, and seem to be in same kinda niche.

On a sidenote, wanna be my mentor so I can start having to make these decisions.

I'd say test drive the cars you mentioned. It's not going to be a fair comparison but at least you'll know what you'd be getting yourself into. PM me if you have any questions about the GT-R. I'm also on the GTR LIFE forums. Fantastic forum and full of knowledge. GT-R...hands down more bang for your buck!

FML another dude that has to much money and wants someone to tell him how to spend it...:stirthepot:

Owned a Z and I test drove a GTR, R8 and 911 turbo. Ending up buying the 911

911 wins hands down in terms of driving pleasure and balance between comfort and sportiness

Lol, I wish a 458 was in the picture now, maybe in a couple years, but not yet. Been talking this over more with my dad and I think I'm not going to go through with getting a Z right now. I just feel like I will get it and I will regret it. Nothing against the car at all, it is a fantastic car, but I just don't think I will enjoy it like I should. I'll just keep seeing the money I spent on it and how I could have invested it elsewhere and made a GTR or something better possible even quicker. Also I am probably getting a 4Runner next month, and I'm still in my schools apartments for the next 4 months, so one of them would have to stay at my parents. Just may make more sense to have one car for the next few months.

In addition the 370z I ordered ended up coming in a few weeks early, which actually makes things much worse for me. For one I can't just pull out the money for it just like that, and it will take me a few weeks to wrangle it all into one account and wait for the cashout checks and payout dates to arrive (Normally Jan. 31 for the companies I work with.) Basically, if I have to make the deal tomorrow, I will have to finance some of it which I hadn't planned to do.

I am still going in to talk to them tomorrow and I may bite at a long-term, low monthly payment loan. My only problem is that I don't know if they will have any penalties for paying it off early. It would probably be a 6 or 7 year loan that I take to have some low payments in the first few months then I'll just pay off the car in June or something. This all happened so quickly and unexpectedly that I'm not really sure what I'm going to do even now. More than likely it will turn out to be an impulse decision when I see the car tomorrow.

In the event I do not get it (I'm still flip-flopping every minute, probably a sign I shouldn't) can any of you guys think of a fun car that I could turn into a track car in a few months in case the truck just doesn't cut it for me? I'm considering maybe an E36 M3 or an older STI. I've been looking forward to having a fun car for the last 6 months, so I may find a cheap, but fun option that I can just keep at home and take out on the weekends.

Also I plan on sticking around here. I want to build a dedicated track car out of a 370Z in the future, so hopefully I will have that worked out by next summer and I can join the Dallas guys at meets.

One day go spend some time with folks that can't make ends meet and explain to them the struggles you are having in making your decisions about buying vehicles. First thing you should learn when you have money is not to brag, not to rub it in peoples faces, learn some humility. Realize that your issues are pretty darn stupid compared to what most people deal with daily. Stop posting on the web, grow up and make your own decisions.

I'm sorry if I came off in this way it was not my intention. I made this with the intention of getting information about a large expenditure I would be undertaking, from people I thought would be able to provide me the best information to help me make that decision. I made a similar post on some GT-R forums to get their opinion and found useful information in both places that will ultimately help me decide. I wanted to be transparent about my situation to receive the most relevant information, but if I rubbed you or anyone else the wrong way, I apologize.

If you're able to pay the car off in a few months, then is 3-4k really that big of a deal?

Get the car. Enjoy your time with it. Move on up when you can.

If funds were available,I'd get the GTR.
Have you actually driven a GTR?
Its a much different car than the 370.
I almost bought one(black edition)last year.
I still cannot warm up to the the styling.
Most people that give opinions on the GTR
(or the 911)have never actually driven one.
Its a monster!The price for a new one at 100k
is a bargain for what the car offers.However,
last year,only 1,200 were sold in the U.S.
Its in a very cometitive category.Many people
cannot see the logic of a 100k Nissan.

I have not driven one, I've sat in one and I loved how the car felt just sitting in it, but I bet it is much different than the Z. I was going to ask about a test drive tomorrow and see if I can't set one up sometime next week. In my opinion it is one of the most polarizing cars in terms of looks. You either love it or hate it, but either way you respect it for the automotive marvel that it is. And you're right about the price being attractive from a value standpoint; 100k gets you a car that can go toe-to-toe with cars two and three times the price. The exclusivity of it is nice, although it would be pretty cool to see more on the road other than the odd one here and there.

I need a new job.....

I'll ask what's on everyone's' mind..what do you do for a living? You mentioned you're still living in your school's apartments and aren't even 25. I'm a 24 year old auditor, and think I'm doing well for my age, but I cannot fathom considering buying a GT-R with cash.

Lol you are going to drop 100k on a gtr and are stressing over 3-4k you might lose if you get out of the Z. Smh

I can push my Z without getting instantly arrested. A GTR... well not so much.
I track my Z and its fun and pretty fast. the GTR will terrify you if you drive it right and will be expensive too. (I've done some laps in the pass seat of thr GTR.)
The GTR is IMHO not as pretty, way more costly, and unless you are James Bond or something cannot really be driven like it should without a track.

The Z is a low cost, but super modifiable beast.

one more thing. Most Z guys are usually young, fun, low maintenance people. Porsche guys are often TOOLS! (not always, just often.) Just visit their forums for evidence of this. You go to a Z meet and you will feel welcome. You go to a Porsche meet and you might feel ... well poor.

Buy a Z and a house. Bank the difference for a few years until you're not paying insane insurance.

I know you're fairly sure that your income will continue as planned, but there's a whole lot of life that doesn't go as planned. Buy investments before toys and you'll be able to afford far better toys later down the line.

Words of wisdom. Now go, spread thy seed and reproduce. That is all.

I do labor arbitrage and internet marketing, primarily focusing on buzz and niche markets and social media.

Update: Told the dealership to try and sell the car, if they don't find a buyer in a few weeks I'll probably take it, but the midnight blues seem to sell out in a couple days around here so I doubt that will be the case. Thanks for the help guys, I do appreciate it.

ahhh, you outsource american jobs.... awesome :icon14:


(hope not though)

Well it depends on what the service is. I find people who need something done, such as web design, content creation, article syndication services, translation, graphic design, etc. and then I find someone else to do it for me. I just make sure the person I have doing the work is doing it for cheaper than what the person is paying, otherwise I would make no money. If the person who provides the best value to get the job done is American, then great. But if they're not, I'm not going to rob someone else of the chance to make a living just because they're not from the same country as me. As long as the customer gets their money's worth and is happy with the final product I am fine using whoever can provide that for them.

Anything involving writing I generally go with American, Canadian, or British freelancers, graphic design is normally similar. Not to knock foreign graphic designers, I've just found that it is easiest to communicate what exactly you want to native English speakers. Web design I generally go with the best value. They may be American, they may not be. Someone from India or Poland has a family to support too and can create the same quality of work as an American.

The global economy trumps the national economy nowadays, and that is only going to become more apparent as the world becomes more connected. If it were up to me I'd do anything in my power to keep jobs in the hands of fellow American's, but unfortunately that is not always an option today. You can blame who you want for this (sounds like you want to blame people like me). But no one is to blame, it is just a natural byproduct of the economic climate we now face.

If you have any other questions about me, my business, or just want to debate me on things, feel free to send me a pm. Regardless this thread is getting off-topic, a mod can close it if they want. My initial questions were answered and this thread is no longer relevant. Thanks for everyone who helped out, I do appreciate it.

z06 with the z07 pkg....Just do it and post here so we can live vicariously through you lol