350z or keep the evo
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Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Minnesota
Originally Posted by fusionchicken
what the...where'd the OP go. he needs to give us way more info before anybody can give him/her any suggestions....
funny how 3 pages just jumped out without really knowing what the OP's real problems/concerns are.
i for one think that the Evo is unbeatable for anything under $45,000. and i personally love the way the Evo looks, esp. the IX. but the OP might have a difference in opinion, so before we hear him out, i think it's kinda pointless to keep jumping on his face and telling him that the Evo's the better car.
imho.
funny how 3 pages just jumped out without really knowing what the OP's real problems/concerns are.
i for one think that the Evo is unbeatable for anything under $45,000. and i personally love the way the Evo looks, esp. the IX. but the OP might have a difference in opinion, so before we hear him out, i think it's kinda pointless to keep jumping on his face and telling him that the Evo's the better car.
imho.
what really pissed me off was that mitsu clutch burnt out in about 1000 miles, warranty expired after 2 months about my exhaust!?!, horrible customer service, unprofessional, n etc. there are so many flaws ...... ( too many to list)
i am a college student that wants some speed in a car n luxury thats it. i hate car pooling my friends around, i want a car w/ warranty; i am not planning on doing any modications to the car if purchased... i want to jus drive a luxury/ fast vehicle.
( a g35 doesn't sound like a bad idea
I traded my 2003 350z Track Edition for my Evo and dont have a single regret
More power, a turbo, 4 doors, a usable trunk, etc
All the advantages are with the evo.
Not to mention, the 350 felt like a NA supra, HEAVY. Dont get me wrong, it had SOME *****, but the acceleration was horrible. The powerplant is nice, but quite hard to push extra power out of without going forced induction.
The 350z has the looks, the amazing body line and the image of a 100k sports car; but deep down it is what it is, a two door, two seater, NA V6 powered coupe; similar to a NA supra as i mentioend above. The RWD waws fun, especially with TC off; but as expected it was horrible in rainy and snowy conditions.
Nice car, it was fun while it lasted, but it had way too many gaps, which the EVO filled.
More fun, more thrills, better acceleration, AWD, a turbo, 4doors, big trunk, the list goes on.
Dont go to the darkside
More power, a turbo, 4 doors, a usable trunk, etc
All the advantages are with the evo.
Not to mention, the 350 felt like a NA supra, HEAVY. Dont get me wrong, it had SOME *****, but the acceleration was horrible. The powerplant is nice, but quite hard to push extra power out of without going forced induction.
The 350z has the looks, the amazing body line and the image of a 100k sports car; but deep down it is what it is, a two door, two seater, NA V6 powered coupe; similar to a NA supra as i mentioend above. The RWD waws fun, especially with TC off; but as expected it was horrible in rainy and snowy conditions.
Nice car, it was fun while it lasted, but it had way too many gaps, which the EVO filled.
More fun, more thrills, better acceleration, AWD, a turbo, 4doors, big trunk, the list goes on.
Dont go to the darkside
I am in a different boat than you for the evo, im at 38000 miles, stock clutch and not a single problem to date.
I will admit, the Mitsu paint sucks on the RR (no clearcoat) but they fixed that for 05. (I am getting my whole car repainted anyways due to it being keyed)
The evo is too "gruff" and "blunt" for some people i believe. its a hardcore rally car down to the bone (or frame), which has been turned into a street hotrod. The 350 is a luxurious coupe with some power when you want/need it, but the power is uptop (believe me far higher than turbolag).
I will admit, the Mitsu paint sucks on the RR (no clearcoat) but they fixed that for 05. (I am getting my whole car repainted anyways due to it being keyed)
The evo is too "gruff" and "blunt" for some people i believe. its a hardcore rally car down to the bone (or frame), which has been turned into a street hotrod. The 350 is a luxurious coupe with some power when you want/need it, but the power is uptop (believe me far higher than turbolag).
Originally Posted by Blade_99SE
Wow this is harsh. Comming from Nissan I have to disagree with this. About the VQ35DE engine that has been listed on the Wards 10 ten list for the last 5 years. It's predcessor the VQ30DE was listed on Wards top 10 for 7 years. Nissans VQ30DE & VQ35DE are an incredible engines. From what I've heard the bottom end is not as strong as the VQ30DE the engine that was in the 1995-01 Max and/I30. As long as you change the oil every 3k-5k with Pure Syn oil and no more than Basic Power Upgrades you shouldn't have any problems. I didn't and i drove my car like i stole it for most of it's life. Not sure if the same can be said for the EVO's engine.
http://wardsautoworld.com/ar/auto_best_engines_10/
The stock interior pieces may look and probably are cheap but they are nicer than an EVOs interior. As for the paint as long as you don't get black you should be fine.
Things the z has going for it are a world class engine and a nice design. The Z is nice car but Nissan could have made it so much better. If they would have lighten the car to under 3000lbs. Bumped the horse power to 330 or 350 and added a mechanical limited slip to the track model. This car would have been the best performance bang for the buck since the 2004 Corvette Z-06, but nissan didn't. So you end up with and over weight under performing sports car.
http://wardsautoworld.com/ar/auto_best_engines_10/
The stock interior pieces may look and probably are cheap but they are nicer than an EVOs interior. As for the paint as long as you don't get black you should be fine.
Things the z has going for it are a world class engine and a nice design. The Z is nice car but Nissan could have made it so much better. If they would have lighten the car to under 3000lbs. Bumped the horse power to 330 or 350 and added a mechanical limited slip to the track model. This car would have been the best performance bang for the buck since the 2004 Corvette Z-06, but nissan didn't. So you end up with and over weight under performing sports car.
I prefer performance potential above all else, and the VQ35DE is a boat anchor in that regard. With those things in mind, take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Evolving Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 386
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From: Connecticut
The Z is a sexy car but nissan has extracted every last drop outta that engine.....unless you go FI (S/C TT) you cant really get much more outta it. Of course if modding isnt your thing and you dont mind RWD over AWD then it's a nice car. Evo all the way tho.
I just traded my 03 Z for a GG SSL Evo last week. 
Woohoo!
It's kinda wierd...
The 4 door sedan Evo feels like a pure sports car.
The 2 door 350Z feels closer to a sedan.
A somewhat common topic on the Z forums is "My car feels slow". The car has a very flat torque curve, the rear suspension doesn't squat on hard accel., and the power tapers out well before redline. So it is difficult to feel/enjoy the acceleration. So you take off hard at a light, take it to 60 and think "that's it?", but then you notice the traffic you left blocks back. It's quick, but not satisfying like the turbo surge you get in every gear of the Evo. Even IF the Evo was slower, it would still be more fun to drive. The Evo seems to have more character, and more soul (If that means anything).
It sounds like the original poster is getting over the high hp thing, and is looking for some bling. Go for it. Just be sure that you can live with a car that barely out accelerates most of the newer family sedans.
Woohoo! It's kinda wierd...
The 4 door sedan Evo feels like a pure sports car.
The 2 door 350Z feels closer to a sedan.
A somewhat common topic on the Z forums is "My car feels slow". The car has a very flat torque curve, the rear suspension doesn't squat on hard accel., and the power tapers out well before redline. So it is difficult to feel/enjoy the acceleration. So you take off hard at a light, take it to 60 and think "that's it?", but then you notice the traffic you left blocks back. It's quick, but not satisfying like the turbo surge you get in every gear of the Evo. Even IF the Evo was slower, it would still be more fun to drive. The Evo seems to have more character, and more soul (If that means anything).
It sounds like the original poster is getting over the high hp thing, and is looking for some bling. Go for it. Just be sure that you can live with a car that barely out accelerates most of the newer family sedans.
Last edited by Sschmuve1; Apr 6, 2006 at 08:59 PM.
Originally Posted by Sschmuve1
The 4 door sedan Evo feels like a pure sports car.
The evo, you feel like you're sitting a lot higher, kinda in a glass bubble.
In the evo, you go 130 and you feel like you're doing 80. In the Z, you do 80 and you feel like you're doing 130.
The Z is way easier to launch than the evo. WAY easier.
Finally, b/c of the body lines of the Z, I think the Z looks like its going way faster while its parked than the evo.
People that think the evo is faster looking think so b/c they know about cars and make that association in their brain.
But try this, go find a friend, probably female, who doesn't know ANYTHING about cars.
Then have her look at a Z followed by an Evo.
Ask her which ones faster and I'll bet you she says the Z.
evo by far is better mod wise, fun , and more useable. other then that only way i would trade for one would be for a white convertible 6 speed they look damn good. other then that no desire to get a hard top one.
Originally Posted by Noize
I've said this before, but it bears repeating here.
350Zs suck wind.
The engine (VQ35DE) is practically platform shared across the entire Nissan/Infiniti line. Its soulless, gutless, responds horribly to mods, and generally sucks.
The fit and finish of the 350Z is worse than even the Evo. The interior pieces are cheap, the paint has a ton of orange peel, and the overall feel is poor.
The only thing the 350Z has going for it is that it is RWD. Other than that, its a total shapile in my book. I wouldn't walk across the street to take a dump on one. Worse engine evAr.
350Zs suck wind.
The engine (VQ35DE) is practically platform shared across the entire Nissan/Infiniti line. Its soulless, gutless, responds horribly to mods, and generally sucks.
The fit and finish of the 350Z is worse than even the Evo. The interior pieces are cheap, the paint has a ton of orange peel, and the overall feel is poor.
The only thing the 350Z has going for it is that it is RWD. Other than that, its a total shapile in my book. I wouldn't walk across the street to take a dump on one. Worse engine evAr.
To even say the evo has a better interior than the 350z, you must be the eyes of ray charles...
Last edited by Arithmetic; Apr 6, 2006 at 09:56 PM.
Evolving Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 463
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From: Simi Valley, CA
Originally Posted by seox0011
i agree haha... i have the evo in storage right now n i currently drive my civic (daily driven). My brother has a 350z n there are multiple reasons y i am having second thoughts... don't get me wrong the evo is a tight car, but it jus doesnt seem to fit me. my evo is currently over 400 hp n i am getting bored of it. when i first purchased my evo i got pulled over 9 times in 1 week.. i think thats pretty ridculious!? after owning the evo for 2 years now... the police tend to follow n know me by my car. currently they pull me over at least 2-3 times a week, so there is no point of me speeding at all..
what really pissed me off was that mitsu clutch burnt out in about 1000 miles, warranty expired after 2 months about my exhaust!?!, horrible customer service, unprofessional, n etc. there are so many flaws ...... ( too many to list)
i am a college student that wants some speed in a car n luxury thats it. i hate car pooling my friends around, i want a car w/ warranty; i am not planning on doing any modications to the car if purchased... i want to jus drive a luxury/ fast vehicle.
( a g35 doesn't sound like a bad idea
what really pissed me off was that mitsu clutch burnt out in about 1000 miles, warranty expired after 2 months about my exhaust!?!, horrible customer service, unprofessional, n etc. there are so many flaws ...... ( too many to list)
i am a college student that wants some speed in a car n luxury thats it. i hate car pooling my friends around, i want a car w/ warranty; i am not planning on doing any modications to the car if purchased... i want to jus drive a luxury/ fast vehicle.
( a g35 doesn't sound like a bad idea
If you must get rid of your evo, I would recommend staying with AWD. If you want luxury.. just try an Audi a4 2.0t? Heard a flash really wakes it up and they drive really nice. Doubt you'll be getting pulled over based on looks with one.
Evolving Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 463
Likes: 0
From: Simi Valley, CA
Originally Posted by Noize
Wards is WRONG. Touting the VQ as a world class engine is laughable. World class at commuting soccer moms in Altimas and Infiniti SUVs, maybe.
I prefer performance potential above all else, and the VQ35DE is a boat anchor in that regard. With those things in mind, take my opinion with a grain of salt.
I prefer performance potential above all else, and the VQ35DE is a boat anchor in that regard. With those things in mind, take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Yeah the 350z stock tires blow in the snow. But then again, so do our tires. I did like the bottom end torque on the vq. Was pretty nice. The tranny was also nice. Butter compared to the tranny on my ix.
of course on the '03 Z there were issues. Like the window grease seal, ****ty radio on the "premium bose" system, tire feathering. Some people had tranny issues but the Z's tranny is real easy to swap out.
of course on the '03 Z there were issues. Like the window grease seal, ****ty radio on the "premium bose" system, tire feathering. Some people had tranny issues but the Z's tranny is real easy to swap out.