Yesterday stuck in traffic on the main expressway in my area... I notice that a 350Z is right behind me. Now, I'm getting pretty excited bc I have been dying to see what the can do. However, there was traffic and I think its pretty stupid to endanger anyone else so I continued to enjoy my drive home with the top down. Suddenly he comes up next to me and slams on his gas pedal and takes off....not far but i did notice the amount of torque the cars has and it was impressive. Ten minutes later I end up nex to him again and comment:
ME: " nice car, I almost bought one but this was the better fit for me".
He said: " I love that car, I wanted to buy it but I did not have enough money, plus they gave me a great deal on the Z".
He then asked me to tail him when the traffic opened up, bc this stretch of highway is notorious for mysteriously clearing up afer a certain point. I said sure why not. Guess what it did... He took off and i was readyf ro him. I stayed on his tail and he did not leave me. I actually felt that I woold be able to over take him. (I have an intake exhaust). We hit 90 and I slowed down. That 350 z is no slouch. Im happy I bought the S bc I feel the lines on the car are more appealing, plus thae way it drives is second to none.
The guy slowed down and gave me a thumb up and I exited and honked as I drove away.
Definately a nice rivalry between the 2.

 

I absolutly love meeting up with other drivers that are nice ! It gets on my nerves when they 'other' guy acts like a hard ass ! It's so much more fun when you can just 'play' and have fun
Shrubba

 

Nice story.

I've beat this horse to death but...

I wouldn't buy a Z (my sports cars are all convertibles, I don't really like the look and they're a bit heavy) but I have a ton or respect for them and my hat is off to Nissan for bringng that car to the market. If the look appeals to you then more power to you but we can all agree that the drivetrain is great, the handling aint bad (esp. since the car could stand to lose a few hundred pounds) and its a hell of a performance bargain.

I thank God the Z is back. Competition improves the breed and choice is always good.

 

Very well said Da Hapa.

 

I like the 350Z and am happy that they brought it back. (It looks & sounds awsome!!) The two cars are very equal if you just look at numbers. But the two cars are really different. I think the S2000 is better (biased oppinion). If you take into account that the S2000 is either beating or keeping up with its Hard Top counter parts who usually have 2 to 4 more cyl or forced induction is amazing. I love the 120 hp per liter of the S2000 and the 9,000 rpm redline (who else has that! oh yah the RX8) The engineering blows me away on the S. The S2000 is just as stiff or stiffer than its hard top counter parts and it does this while being topless. How much better can you get than that? If people and magazines want to compare cars try comparing convertables to convertables and the S2000 shines. I can't wait to see how the Convertable Z compares to the 4 year old S2000 when it comes out. Hopefully the S2000 will be better or I will be sad.

 

I'm sure that the S2000 will outshine the Z convertible for the simple fact that the Z convertible will be heavier than the hard top and the Z is neck and neck with S already.

 

Both are great cars... The Z raises the bar... others will follow and the purists (me) will stay if Honda does its part...

 

I sat in a Z a couple of weeks ago and I was not impressed with the layout. I love the looks of the exterior, but (IMO) the interior seemed kind of cheap. I don't know if it was the instrument gauges, or the flip up plate that did it, but I was turned off. I know our S2K's aren't extravagant, but I like my interior much better.

 

i've seen pictures of the 350z's interior and i loved it. but when i actually sat in the car in person, it was huge disapointment. the interior is very cheap and plastic. however the engine sounds awesome!

 

I loved the pics of the interior as well. But as you said, I was disappointed when I got in.