Hey folks. New to this board and posing this question. I am torn as to which way to go since they both are priced similarly. Need some advice on which of these vehicles give the best bang for the buck.
I would haft to say that depends on what style your into man. Me Im into the the American car's. Imports are not my style at all!! lol I haft to admit if I were to get a rice burner it would eather be the 350Z or that Subaru Impreza STI since you can afford the price range. the 350z is what 287 at the crank so take always about 30 35 HP from that and that leaves you with about 250-257 at the wheel!!!! Thats dam good for a six. The impreza STI's are 300HP so figure about 270 at the wheel's!!! for a 4 banger!!!! Turbo'd
I would die for a V8 (stupid DUI's) lol. Eather way I'll haft to wait till I have a career so I could get approved for something in that range. Hell I did'nt even get approved for the V6!!! they would only give me a $15,000 loan ( my first loan what so ever) so I took that and $5000 out of my pocket and found one from a private seller who was getting rid of it for $18,000. My loan was for a licensed dealer so I snatched up my Uncle who is a licensed dealer and had him buy the car so I could buy off him for nothing. My uncle gave the car to me for $19600 after tags & taxes. It had 2,800 miles on it. WHAT A SCORE for me huh!!!
I luv it though cause obviously Im not ment to be in this car!!! LOL But I pulled it off barley! Just had to have one if it was possible
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Procharger 298whp 299wtq @7 psi wintertune 301whp 300 wtq @9-10 psi summertune JBA Exhaust (X pipe) JBA Headers ADC Custom Tune Steeda Shifter CHE LCA's, UCA CHE K-member Brace(to be installed) 3:73's & tlok PH Driveshaft
Being that this is a Mustang forum you're going to get biased opinions towards Mustangs. An I mean biased in more ways than one - a lot of these Mustang threads are laced with racism - referring to Japanese imports as "ricer's" and worse? Give me a fricken break. But moving on, I have a 2001 Mustang GT that is slightly modified. I love the car mainly due to the V8. To me there's nothing like the sound of an American V8 or the power. I think the 350Z is is nice car and I would say it's probably more refined than the Mustang but I seriously doubt it can match the 2006 Mustang GT's power. Also, you will probably get more bang for your buck with the Stang ($25,000-$28,000 vs. $30,000-$40,000?). And if you love tooling with your cars there is a huge aftermarket for Mustang parts. Another plus, Mustangs are easy to work on, the bolt on parts are a fairly straight forward affair. If reliability is a concern of yours, read up on the reliablity issues of both cars. Back in my day FORD stood for "Found On the Road Dead." I've had a 240Z, 280ZX. BMW M3, a full size Chevy Blazer, a Toyota 4Runner - an array of different types of vehicle makes. The American vehicles have been the least reliable by far. However, due to the bang for the buck factor they're worth the risk to me. But if you really want bang for your buck, wait for the 2007 Dodge Hemi Challenger.
I looked at the 350z before I bought my 05 GT. I never test drove the Z, drove the Mustang and fell in love with it. I guess it comes down to if you like the buzz of a ricer or the rumble of a V8.
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"America was built on speed. Badass, nasty speed." -Elenore Roosevelt, 1936
Actually Nissan extremely over-rated their 350z engine. A quick search of google showed the 350z dyno at 229.5hp@6320 and 213.3tq@4870 while the 05 Mustang GT at 262.4hp@5580 and 278.6tq@4350.
The 350z will be quicker in the twisties, while the Mustang will be quicker in the straight-line.
And Nissan basically perfected 3.5L engine to the point where only some type of forced-induction will net you any reasonable horsepower, while with the Mustang a simple CAI and tune can push you close to the 300rwhp plateau.
Which one is an investment of 25 plus years... Look at the prices of the 60's mustang some well over $100,000 now you choose... Just think $ and sence tells you Mustang Baby!!!
Both of your choices would be very nice but in the end it comes down to do you want the Mustang's V-8's power and new style or do you want the 3.5 V-6 350Z's handling and 2 person capacity. I looked at the 350Z but ended up getting a new 2004 Maxima SE with 6spd manual transmission due to needing a back seat. I sold both my '97 GT and my '89 SHO at the time to get the Maxima. The 3.5 engine is very nice but after having the Maxima for a year it is now for sale, it just doesn't have the pizzazz and muscle of the Mustang. I now have a '06 Black GT 5spd on order. Just can't wait to get back into the V-8 GT once again. Best of luck and go with the one that leaves you with the biggest grin on your face....
I choose the mustang over the z. I have a friend with a z and as a daily driver and its impossible to drive in the snow during the winter but with the stock tires the mustang is manageable if that is a factor at all. Alot of it comes down to personal preference. Unless you change the exhaust the mustang seems to be quieter and less cramped all though it is small as well. If you're looking to personalize your ride the mustang has the largest aftermarket available. It seems to cost alot more to get the z parts.
I have moved into the Mustang GT after 3 BMW 3-series in a row. The imports are sweet, no doubt, but I always thought that when the right American car materialized, I'd go for it. Used CTS-V? Close, but still to pricey. Charger R/T, 300C? Close, but no manual tranny. Corvette? Close, but I've got an 8-year kid. Mustang, baby.
It's funny, the BMW faithful love their cars (and rightly so), but they are growing more and more wary of the excessive amounts of electronics getting in the way of the more "pure" experience that the older BMW models provided. They keep asking BMW for a simpler, lighter, more direct, more honest car.
Well, BMW dudes, I've found it, and I couldn't be more impressed with it.
It's truly an excellent car, right out of the box, at around $28k. Want to upgrade a bit? Study these forums for many many ways to spend some quick cash.
The Z was on my list too but when i saw the new stang i fell in love with it. My friend has a Infinity G35 coupe (american skyline) and it's cool too. American muscle for me.
Buy the Z cause theres not enough mustangs to go around (still waiting) haa. The Z is a good car but when i sat in there, i had no leg room so went and drove the mustang and the rest is history.
I mean for cool factor and best bang for the buck, Go mustang! The stang may not be as refined as the Z but its by no means not going to reliable, The 4.6 is a proven engine that will last for many miles.
Only a couple idiots on here bringing up rice, and those are the only posts I can remember... Just because a car comes out of Asia doesn't make it rice. You don't have to like imports, but respect your enemies if you wish to defeat them. American carmakers brushed imports off as not being a challenge, and look where that got us...
The Z and the GT are two very different cars. Each has very different followings, and as such, more aftermarket support in a certain direction. However, both do have great aftermarket support for any type of motorsport you'd like to get into. Both are great cars and sexy beasts. Styling is a little more radical on the Z, so that's hit-or-miss.