Is anyone else tempted by a 350Z ? I know it is heresy on a Fiat forum, but I've always liked them..

280 to 310 bhp... 0-60 of 5.8 seconds. V6 sound. Great handling... and best of all, they are getting cheap !

Was just drooling over a few today on Autotrader. I like them, though I prefer the 370...

There was a lovely 370z my partner took for a test drive - they're good,definitely a "man's" car as they're pretty heavy. She loved it but decided against it on the basis she'd end up with arms like popeye! i liked it but it's not as quick as i'd have thought - having said that i drive a mapped M3 which succeeded my 355bhp Coupé. Try it, might be the right one for you!

A bronze one with an orange interior for me.

Incidentally, there are at least two 350Z's with tidy lady drivers in Hfd. Does my head in. Never know which to perv over first - car or driver.....

I'm not a fan of how they look, but I do enjoy driving them. Got two friends with them. I don't know how common a fault it is, but one's on its third gearbox. Other than that they're very reliable daily drivers.

I have been tempted a few times. The wieght of them put's me of a bit.

I was on track alongside one a few weeks ago,with little effort he stuck in the gravel under heavy braking.

Yes thery are on my watch list! Drove one at Bedford autodrome for a good few laps and lovely RWD car with plenty of torque a little tail heavy at times.

I thought they would make a great track car.... good balance of power and handling and RWD of course.. drift tastic !

Trying to get the Mrs interested.

[in the 350z]

I've owned a 2007 313HR GT spec since the beginning of October last year and I love it, I can't recommend it highly enough. Mine has an aftermarket (Invo auto) exhaust which sounds subtle but gorgeous, especially when cruising, and I've got twin JWT popchargers which changes the note of the engine quite significantly. Sounds almost supercharger-esque. There's a debate as to whether these actually add any power - some in fact say they might reduce it slightly - but it's more about the sound. Mine has been Nismo tuned and has one or two Nismo goodies under the bonnet, but is only running around 20bhp more than standard.. so, about 325 ish (give or take) in total at the fly.

You don't get the turbo shove like you do from the Coupe, but the 350z pulls a great trick of actually being more rapid than it feels. My car has the almost completely re-built HR (high rev) engine which almost encourages you to be lazy as hell on the gearchanges.. you literally get power in pretty much any gear at any revs, though obviously it only really comes alive properly in the higher bands.. at which point the engine goes from a subtle, smooth, almost muted V6 drone to an absolute roar. Sounds wonderful under full beans.

But as others have mentioned, it's the way it handles and the way it delivers the power that makes this car great. I think the steering wheel is a bit small and a bit thin, but the feedback you get through it is second to none. The steering is precise, though you have to be sooo careful in anything other than complete dry weather.. it really does love to slide about. I've felt the back-end (of the car lol) twitching slightly even when exiting a mildly damp roundabout at only a moderate speed. That said, I'm not convinced I have the correct tyres on the car. The car is meant to come with Bridgestone Potenza (I think) but the previous owner had recently fitted Falken FK452s. I know the Falkens are meant to be good tyres, but I'm just not sure they're best suited to the Z. When the time comes to replace I think I'm going to get the Potenzas back on all 4 corners, as I'm sure the car shouldn't be quite as twitchy as it is.

The main thing which attracted me to the Z specifically was the promise of Nissan reliability, in addition to the fact I actually love the way they look and, having already owned a 550bhp monster V8 Monaro, I really didn't feel the need to go for something with ridiculous pace. I actually had about £25k to spend if I'd wanted to, but I found my perfect Z for £11k and managed to negotiate down to £9.5k. I got the top spec, including sat nav and low mileage, so I couldn't really ask for more. I actually prefer the looks of the 350 to the 370, so I went with the car I wanted rather than the one which is considered "best".

Obviously practicality isn't ideal, two seater only and restricted luggage space, though the compartment at the back is deceptively bigger than it looks. My missus and I have taken a good amount of gear on holiday, and as long as you take a range of smaller and medium sized bags (to arrange them around the boot brace) as opposed to a huge hold-all, then it's really not as bad as it looks. The only glove compartment is actually behind the passenger seat, and is very limited in space. The equivalent compartment behind the drivers side contains the DVD player for the sat nav, though I'm guessing this would be another compartment if you didn't have the nav option. You don't even get much storage space in the doors!

That said, I wasn't really bothered about practicality as I have another car anyway. I just wanted something fun and reliable that sounded good and looked good, offered enough practicality for the Mrs and I to take weekends away etc, and with enough performance to keep me happy when the mood takes me. On that basis the Z is perfect, and for anyone else looking for a similar shopping list for their next purchase I cannot recommend highly enough.

Hope this helps folks!

I made the mistake of buying Falken FK452's for my VXR after reading glowing reviews online. They're an awful tyre and totally ruined the handling of my car. So much so I removed them. I totally lost confidence in the car when they were fitted.

I've also had Bridgestone Potenza's (Albeit the run flat version) on my BMW 335i. They were OK in the dry and not very good in the wet. They're a much better tyre than the dangerous Falkens but I wouldn't recommend them either.

Get yourself some proper tyres next. I'd recommend:

Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Brilliant in the dry and better than average in the wet. They last well too. The only disadvantage is they can be noisy. I can't see me changing to any other tyre and I've tried many different brands.

Goodyear Asymmetric 2's. Very good in the dry and fantastic in the wet. Quieter than the super sports too. My mate has them on his car and I was impressed.

I used to swear by Falken FK451's on my coupé. Then, after they were discontinued, I tried the 452's on our 530D and was quite impressed. But there is really no comparison between your rocket and a big diesel barge.

I would definitely be looking at more specialist tyres, as you obviously have!

Blow the 350Z; I want my 240Z back... RKH509M RIP.

I nearly bought a 350z 5 years ago.It was dark grey with the orange leather with a set of 20" alloys looked stunning in the pictures.I had withdrawn funds from the bank and I was setting of to collect car before I left I hpi car and it turned out to be a cat d write of I was not happy.The hpi cost me £5 and I can tell you it was the best £5 I have ever spent

Me too, I have been very tempted, I like them a lot, a lot of car for the money.

Just started looking again..... I have too much time one my hands and not enough space on the drive.

I even thought of getting a write off to use as a track car....

I looked at the 350Z before buying the boxster. The only reason I didn't buy one was because I think I preferred the look of the 370 at the time but couldn't afford one.

A 370 and a Z4 (possibly M) are on the to do list :-)