Yesterday i test drove the 350z and on Saterday im going to test the Evo VIII. can someone tell me the pros and cons on both cars plz and im planning on buying a car this month and want to know which car is better on 1/4 mile. I would also like to know if theres alot of aftermarket parts for the 350z and how does it compare in price with the evo VIII parts. thanks alot in advance

 

The Evo in my opimion is a far superior car. It is about second faster in the1/4 and will respond better to upgrades. There are parts available for both, but still go with the EVO. I love Nissan and have had several, but it is hard to compare anything to an EVO overall. It does everything well.

 

Going to drive the car in snow?

 

well, it's funny you ask because I just had to make this decision myself. Ultimately I chose the Z because it came down to price. I was able to get a Z enthusiast model with all the extras for just around $27k and a new EVO was going to be nearly $32k. I could have bought an EVO RS for just shy of $30k but then you get no power windows/doors, radio, ABS, etc. so that would have been pretty hard to live with every day. I love both cars immensely so it just came down to price for me. Here's some of the pros and cons that I saw that helped in my decision:

350Z

Pros:

- great looks
- smooth, torquey engine (no turbo lag)
- 6 speed tranny
- refined cockpit
- cruise control
- solid handling RWD with LSD and traction control that can be turned off (where the EVO handles amazingly and light similar to a go-kart the Z is more similar to BMW handling....very solid and planted to the ground but every bit as responsive.)
- much cheaper than the EVO
- lots of Nismo and aftermarket goodies

Cons:

- a bit slower than the EVO in the 1/4 mile (most mags have EVO's doing around 13.4 in the 1/4 and 350Z's doing about 13.9)
- less headroom
- only 2 seats
- stock stereo blows




EVO

Pros:

- fast as living hell
- amazing handling
- tons of headroom/legroom
- seats 4+
- bulletproof powerplant has been around forever and can be modded with no worries
- huge aftermarket
- AWD

Cons:

- turbo lag
- econobox interior
- no cruise control
- ride can be rough and loud on anything but smooth roads
- more expensive than the Z
- notorious Mitsu warranty issues


All in all you really can't make a bad decision here. Both cars are performers and have their own niche so it just comes down to what you prefer and how much you care about the price difference. If you're strictly a performance nut then the EVO is probably your bag because as an all around performer it is the king and even rivals the 911 Turbo supercars on the track but at the expense of some everyday comfort and refinement. The Z is a better daily driver with more creature comforts but still has capable performance that can be modified to be a track killer pretty easy. With all this in mind, I would probably have bought the EVO if the prices were the same but the price difference steered me to the Z. After having the Z for nearly 2 weeks now I don't regret my purchase at all. It's such a fantastic car and so fun to drive I just look forward to getting in it every day. And it looks so damn sweet too.

 

What kind of a stupid question is that. How can you even use the name 350z in the same sentence as Evo. First of all 350z turned out to be a big failure.....If you want to go with a RWD car wait for the new Supra, but if you want almost unlimited modds and crazy sick out of this world power, handling and braking....Get the Evo....There is nothing out there like the Evo....Nothing......

 

I own an evo and I love it even though it does lack some of the little things like cruise and folding back seat...it's just an amazing car. I do like the 350z alot too though and my wife and I have been contemplating selling her 00 eclipse and getting one as well.

 

i traded in my 03 enthusiast on a 03 evo with 400 miles (from driving it from a southern IL dealer to a northern one). I am BYFAR happier with the evo. no time to elaborate now, but PM me if you have any questions about either. i have street driven, autoXed, dragged, and even gone on a road trip with both, so dont hesitate to ask if you are wondering anything

 

I have an 03 evo and my my wife just resently bought the 05 350z. I have to admit the 350 looks nice and is quick but feeling a little cramped in the the Z. I know with a little $ invested in the evo you are talking about exotic car performace as with the Z lots of $ just to equal a stock evo. Also depending on if you have a family or planning on having one in the future, evo grows with you and the Z baby sits in the pasenger side and wife lays in the trunk.

 

and what kind of misinformation are you basing this on???? Have you checked any sales figures before you wrote this??? Have you seen that this was voted sports car of the year by Top Gear for 2004 and made countless 10 best lists by automotive experts???? Please do some more reading before you go posting tripe like this.....

 

just to add this is another case of trying to compare apples and oranges (like all the SRT/EVO threads).......the EVO and Z are totally different cars for totally different purposes. The EVO sacrafices all of the creature comforts and a bit of daily drivability for all out performance......the Z sacrafices some of the all out performance to add more creature comforts and daily drivability. Different animals altogether....it boils down to personal preference......comparing them straight up is impossible.

 

I have owned both. I had a 2003 Nissan 350Z Track model I got in March 2003. I modded it heavily (just about evertything you can think of EXCEPT forced induction), and drove it on racetracks on about a dozen track days. It is a great looking car, that's the one thing it has over the EVO, and if you are trying to impress girls, I guess that's something.

That being said, I like almost everything else about my '04 EVO RS better. I have only had it for 2 months and the only mod so far is the JIC/Muellerized suspension. I have done 7 racetrack days already.

The EVO is way quicker off the line (once you get past 3000 rpm it flies). It handles better, in RS trim is lighter, and the awd is great on the track. It is easier to drive on the track and more fun on the street than the Z.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked my 350Z and was sorry to see it meet with a sad ending. But I'm much happier with the EVO, which is also much cheaper to mod.

I don't know anything about driving in the snow, since I live in SoCal.

 

after seeing that topgear episode where the stig totally bashes the 350z, the evo is a way better car to get. ok maybe gauges might not look as good, but everything else evo > 350z. as the stig was saying, the z has almost no practicality, (2 seater, hardly any trunk space, etc etc) and its just a muscle car. he was saying the car was designed in cali by an Indian guy and the engine is French. he also said the z is the most exhausting car hes ever driven. but then again, thats his opinion. but hes also driven almost all the cars to this day. so i wouldnt take his opinion to lightly.

 

go to big bear or somethin cali is the only state where you can snowboard and surf in the same day.

 

350z can impress the people don't know much about car better than EVO, But if u really know car :> EVO is a EVO

 

i'm really not impressed by the 350z. its engine is so highly tuned there are minimal gains to be had from mods unless you go FI, which will cost an arm and a leg since the internals aren't very strong and will need to be replaced. also the engine is used in so many applications; it's a generic kind of car and i think it kind of feels like one. it's almost like you're driving a rear wheel drive 2 door maxima. there's no practicality in owning it (though admittedly the evo's practicality is probably more there for bragging rights than actual use ). as far as looks go, the 350z is a nice looking car; it attracts less negative attention than the evo, but it also doesn't really stand out imo amongst the new cars. it looks very conservative, fat, and altogether forgetable. the interior is not very impressive; sure it looks nicer than the evo's interior, but everyones does. most cars in the price range will have a better interior--meaning better materials, layout, everything. in the end i think it's a decently nice car if you're not going to mod.