2008 Nissan 350Z Coupe Touring

Pros

Beautiful lines, amazing acceleration, awesome throaty exhaust note, easy to work on/modify

Cons

Sub-par interior plastics, so-so BF Goodrich tires, horrible city MPG, Awful BOSE stereo

Purchased As New

I went from a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS to the 2008 350Z Touring, and performance-wise, the difference is night and day. Comfort-wise, the Eclipse was better, no question. However, once you get past the comfort issue and look at the merits of the Z, you'll be hard-pressed to ever find a sports car that gives you so much bang for your buck.

The acceleration of the HR engine will take your breath away. Owners are reporting 0-60 times of 5.1 seconds and low-13 second quarter miles. This car will literally THROW you back into your seat when you launch it hard.

I bought my '08 Touring in February 2009 for a hair over $26,000 and can't believe that I'm getting Porsche-like performance out of a car that's priced more like a pick-up truck.

The handling is great, though I'm not too impressed with the stock tires. They don't grip well and are a bit squirrelly through chicanes. The amazingly precise steering and firm brakes make up for the deficiencies of the rubber.

In my opinion, short of an Italian supercar that you're going to pay six figures for, there are no other cars that come close to the 350Z as far as exhaust note is concerned. This sound this thing makes will turns heads. When you really open the car up, it sounds downright musical. I almost expect to see a lederhosen-clad German blowing on an alpine horn in my rearview mirror every time I mash the throttle. One of the benefits of having the 6-speed manual is having total control of this beautiful sound.

Now for the bad things: In the city (I live one where there are LOTS of hills) I'm averaging between 12 and 14 MPG when I drive the car conservatively. In comparison, my wife's 2009 Nissan Rogue is getting closer to 21 under the same driving conditions. On the highway, I'm getting closer to 28 MPG. Problem is, almost all of my driving is in the city. Bummer. Hope gas prices don't go back up to $4.50 anytime soon. The additional disadvantage of having to buy premium fuel makes this a fairly expensive car to get around in.

The BOSE stereo is in a word, HORRIBLE. It sounds muddy, the bass is laughable, there is barely any high end and precious few options are available to control the equalization. After a month of living with this musical misery, I spent a bunch of money and purchased a JL Audio sound system that is tapped into the factory headunit using a Cleansweep and three amplifiers. Overkill? Maybe. But what useful purpose does this car have except to be something you can drive around in while listening to Weezer? You sure as heck can't haul anything with it. In my opinion, BOSE really blew it with this car. The speakers are laughably cheap but rediculusly overpriced. The only car I ever owned with a worse stereo than this was a 1979 Chevy Malibu station wagon with an AM radio and one speaker.

The fit and finish of the interior garnish is great on the dashboard (soft, rubbery texture), but everything in the center armrest console and behind the seats is low-end cheap plastic that is VERY easily scratched. I guess for the price that Nissan is offering the car at, some corners had to be cut, so I'm willing to give them this concession. I compared the interior of the 2008 350Z to the interior of the 2009 370Z and found they were almost identical in terms of materials used, so if you believe the media hype about the vastly improved interior of the 370Z, you'll be sorely disappointed. The main difference is the new Z looks more ergonomic. That's about it.

Overall, I'd have to say that this is a great, fun car. Sure the ride's a little harsh and the cabin noise is a bit loud, but good lord, this is a sports car in every sense of the term. It's pure, fun, adrenaline-inducing automotive Nirvana and I have no regrets about owning one.