Well said... one of my previous cars was a modified 350z like many others in this thread... and in terms of reliable, care-free daily driving, with great performance (albeit "heavier" handling) you simply cannot beat it.

While I have not driven the 370z and not particularly fond of the new styling, I have no doubt that it has inherited every quality of the 350z that made it great, with improvements to boot.

So given your budget, I have to say that the 370z is going to be your best choice.

 

As I previous stated, I'm aware of the differences. What my point was with the post you quoted is how many of you had high mileage Z's. Z's get progressively more expensive the older they get. I'm not debating that the Porsche is more expensive, just that the Z's can be as well depending on what model you are driving.

 

Future reference I own a 2006 350Z.

I don't understand what's going on here. The majority of the people in this thread are previous owners of 350Z's making biased decisions based upon the looks of the 370Z and Cayman, or magazine testing. Honestly MotorTrend believe it or not, are BMW nuthuggers, and are as biased when it comes to German cars. I wouldn't trust anything they have to say. The last motor trend mag I bought was the America vs the world. In that comparison they ranked the GTR higher than the GT2 because it had more rear seat room and was slightly faster, whereas the Viper ACR had dominated in every way possible on their test but showed up in 3rd.

Now I've never driven a Cayman. But I can tell you this that the Cayman is a gorgeous car. No matter what wheels, options, or package you buy the car is simply stunning.

But the problem with the Cayman is that, my 350Z will easily walk all day long over the Cayman. So the base model lacks the power of the Z's. 350 and 370. But you're not buying the Cayman for power. You buy the Cayman S for that. But you have to pay to play.

Now, maint. cost. I don't know if anyone realizes this but most new cars don't require much maint. If they do it's usually covered under warranty. Take this into account. My 06 has 30k miles on it. My 30k service was $300. Well the Cayman has different intervals. A $600 oil change interval at 20k miles. A Z requires oil change every 3k miles so. $60 is what an oil change costs. So 6 times 60 is $360 for every 20k miles.

Now I've driven a 370Z. IMHO the 370Z is the biggest step up since the 930 to the 997 911. It really is that much of a difference. The power difference, the lighter internals, the bigger internals. That car is a monster. Plus with bolt ons there's a guy on my350Z.com with 3 bolt ons and making 321 whp. That's power. More power than the Cayman and S.

You also have refinement in the interior. The interior renovations in the 370Z are amazing. The leather upholstery the suede door, the feel of every aspect of that car is confident and perfect. Everything is sealed just right and open and closes without that cheap american feeling. I'm not going to lie. My 350Z interior sucks. Already needs refurbishing not from abuse from me but from the cheap quality. Similar to the early 996's.

To me you have to drive both cars to be able to say which one suits your needs more. The Cayman is a Porsche and the Z a Nissan. Most people on here are too ashamed because they paid so much for the Cayman knowing the 370Z out performs it in standing line test but in braking and handling is on par for a much cheaper price. IMHO this a buyers market. The Cayman's are cheap the Z's are brand new and only going to get more expensive. Figure in a few years there will be DI models rolling in so your resale value will take a hit. The same way the 350Z's did.

I love both cars. But it's your choice. My next car is going to be... I don't know something nice but a drivers car. So I am not biased towards either car. I hate Nissan and Love Porsche. I hate 996's but love 350Zs. Find the right balance where you fit in.

 

I agree i myself am actively looking for a nice 240z. I'm sorry for being mis-understood my intent was not to bash the datsun/nissan car line,Just to point out that imo the lastest offering of the 370z is not in the same market demographics as the cayman.If one wants a new z car have at it if one wants a new Porsche have at it.to me they are apples and oranges.....

 

I had a Cayman S and still have a Solstice GXP.
The Cayman has a more refined feel, a more style/prestige points.
The Solstice has a far more adjustable suspension and can out handle the Cayman when properly setup, and will do so without eating tires.

The Solstice is cheaper to own, operate, and mod.
The Porsche is a Porsche, nuff said.

 

And the Pontiac now no longer has part avaliablity or warranty, nuff said.

Now, all that aside, you can tell me your blue in the face about how your Pontiac out performs a Cayman S on the track, but until I see numbers, ...

Just my .02 cents.

 

Ok, where to start. I'm with you about MotorTrend. Morons. I did however read that test and the ACR Viper while faster, was not the best car of the bunch imho. It is a race car for the street which is awesome, but MotorTrend doesnt test race cars for the street, they test street cars for the street. Now I understand that the ACR Viper is infact street legal, but so is an Aerial Atom. I would not drive that every day to work. You get the point? Also, though the GT2 (I'll preference this with the 997 GT2 is my favorite car money can buy) did out perform the GTR in their tests, other tests have shown the GTR to out perform the GT2. Depends on a lot of variables as to which will win.

Second thing here is maintenance costs. If you look, I've been quoted mulitiple times that Z's get expensive. I personally have a Z32, not a 350Z. I can however throw into the mix that I am a Service Writer at an automotive facility so I KNOW how costly this stuff gets. I can also tell you that a TRUE 30k service on a 350Z is more then $300.00. Now dependant on the state you live in and what the dealer is doing, but most 30k services we do on vehicles of this type run closer to $600.00-$800.00 depending on certain fluids and such. I have also been quoted in this thread about asking how many people have owned a Z for over say 90k miles. Timing belt jobs are not cheap. In the long run, the Porsche will be more expensive to maintain, but the Z is costly, your right on there.

Third and final thing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on things. First part I disagree with your opinion on is that you say your 350Z will walk all over a Cayman. Maybe you are accurate, but I have driven many 350Z's and the stock Z32 walks all over the 350Z. Also, the OP is talking about a Cayman S. Big difference performance wise. I have track raced my Z for approx 4 years now and I personally have been pwned in the face by a Cayman S owner on Infinion Raceway. Do I know how to drive my car? Enough to win some races. Does he have more power then me? Not unless he is making over 480hp to the wheels. You can never underestimate power numbers on any car. Being in the tuner/import world, you should know about this when it comes to the RX-7. A 400hp 1.3L Rotary engine will walk all over a 1000hp Supra almost anyday of the week. Not only are the numbers deceiving, but you also have to calculate in weight. The Z's are pigs. Porsches are not. The biggest part of your post that I personally disagree with is the fit and finish of the cars you are comparing. I have been in both. The Porsche is much nicer. The new interior on the 370Z is almost a throw back to the Z32 with the suede and leather. Believe me, I have it in my car. With that said, the interior of the Porsche is so much more refinded. Once again, you have your opinion, I have mine.

To the OP:

Get which ever car you like the most. We all can debate this til we are blue in the face. Go drive all of them, see which you prefer and go with it. Don't second guess it, don't regret it. Get it and love it. Oh ya, and post Pics.

 

Good post Psypher. Your numbers makes sense, but I've never heard of anyone paying 6-800 for a 30k mile service. It's beyond me. But eh whatever. But you may track your car on a track with turns but me I do mine on the 1/4. On the 1/4 mile track is where I was saying my car would beat a Cayman. Possibly even a Cayman S. And I still don't see how people believe that the Z32's are faster than the 350Z's. I'd love to run one from a dig and roll. Stock of course. What did you run stock? I've run a best so far of 13.9 @ 101 with a 2.1 60'. My clutch sticking to the floor didn't allow me to slip it so I could only dump it hence the ****ty 60' time. Probably good for a 1.9 60' making a good 13.5 or so run @ 101 mph with a better clutch setup.

But I've been inside one Z32 and that interior was full cloth and plastic. No suede wrapped doors or nothing. Possibly since it was a base? But to me with my crappy interior the 370Z touring with all options was a step up in fit and finish. Maybe we see two different cars but eh we both drive Z's on an infested Pcar site. . We have to stick together.

 

I am pretty sure the 300zx TT is a little faster than a 350z in the quarter mile but handling wise from MY experiences, the 350z out handles the 300zx any day. I have attended track days quite a bit and even host my own private ones from time to time but maybe it was just the 300zx's I have driven? Anyway to the OP like everyone says, test drive the cars and get what YOU like.

 

In response, the non-turbo Z32's have plastic and cloth/carpet interiors. The TT models (mine) have leather and suede minus the 1990 model which is leather and carpet.

In terms of power/performance, a stock TT Z32 has 300hp and 294ft. torque. The stated quarter time is approx 13.7. (STATED) I have dragged my car twice, once with just intake and exhaust, and once when the build for track setup was complete. My original time was a 13.67. My time with the current setup I have on it was 12.24. I am in no way a drag racer. I am sure that someone that knows even slightly what they are doing will beat me and my times with my car on a drag strip. Stock vs Stock, I ran a buddy with a 2004 350Z when he bought it on the freeway. He had the Nismo exhaust and I was running at the time a JWT Pop-charger and a GReddy downpipe back exhaust (was dynod at 307hp). I beat him 40-120 by 5 cars. The thing to keep in mind with that though is that the 350Z is a 6speed and the Z32 is a 5speed. Why do I bring that up, obviously the gearing is different. At 40, he is in 3rd, I am in 2nd. In fact, I am in 2nd til 68 and 3rd til 108. From a roll, most Z32's have the advantage. From a dig, our turbos are symetrically boosting so if you can launch at about 2600 rpms when they "0" boost (also know as brake boosting) its anyones guess. Depends on traction at that point. Go find a Z32 "toy" and see what he can do. One thing to keep in mind though, the Z32 is one of the easiest cars to hide mods on. Can't see anything in the engine compartment or under the car because of how low they are.

DJH, stock for stock, yes, the 350Z will out handle the Z32 on most tracks. Long bank turns its close to even because of our 4wheel steering. I've put about 8k into suspension however so I personally have not lost to a 350Z on the track. (knock on wood)

Anyway, hope the info helps!

Psypher

 

I say drive the Z and the Cayman and pick whichever one makes you want to drive it again!

 

Quick and simple here man.

Porsche : Decent power, not the fastest car, but in the end a porsche is a porsche.

Nissan : Great new car, famous for tuning and racing

Saturn : ummm good looking car....although shouldn't be put as a choice between the other two cars.

So if you want to be a daily driver that occasionally thrashes through the back roads on the way to work, and want to be hit on by money hungry women.....Porsche.

Want to be a daily driver and a full time street racer at night...370Z lol

Saturn......hhhmmmm no

 

Hands down Cayman S.

 

Cayman S for sure. I have owned many older z cars and all sorts of other sorts cars and in the end, they are just cars. Porsches are somehow special. I can't really put my finger on it, but they are, and I think/hope they will always be.

 

Cayman S is better then GT3 I would get Cayman S