Any alternatives to 350z? £6-9k

[chrispwill]

Hi all,

Hopefully soon to be selling my Focus ST mk2, it's been great fun but time for a change. I've always had my eye on the 350z for nearly a year now, so it was the obvious and only option I considered. I went to test drive both a convertible and a coupe in the same day, with high expectations (maybe that was my problem). I came away from the first test drive feeling sorely disappointed, I'm convinced I must've been driving it wrong but it felt really slow in comparison to my own car, which only has a stage 1 map.

The test drive was on a really nice road, and I was also alone but when I put the throttle down it just felt nowhere near as special or entertaining to me as my focus, which I was massively surprised about.

So first question is should I give a few more a go, possibly look for an HR Uprev version? I've always loved the idea of owning this car and I'm genuinely upset I didn't love it, so I'm secretly hoping you'll all tell me I'm wrong and I should be driving it differently.

In terms of alternatives, what do I have? I would like something that's not front wheel drive as I feel like I've done that.

Budget is £6-9k, I could creep higher if I had to. My options I think are:

- 350z Uprev - as above
- S2000 - Bit more of a drivers car possibly, I do like the idea of power, not sure if I would get to use the high revving engine as much as I live in the city
- TT 3.2 V6 - seems like a hairdressers car to me, but they're in my price range and the convenience of a couple of extra seats which could be useful, but not sure if they're really horrible to drive or not
- E46 m3 - At my budget it would be in a pretty ropey condition, but this is one of my 'bucket list' cars, I'm just a bit worried aboutwhat would go wrong at the lower end of the market
- Porsche Cayman? - I've heard they're great cars, but again I'd have to increase my budget a bit, and a bit worried about maintenance/things going wrong

Any advice for me on my options, or if I've missed any other candidates in the price range?

Thanks all

[designforlife]

Mitsubishi Evo?

[Jakdaw]

RX-8?

With your budget you'll have plenty of money left over to buy fuel for it :-) Like the S2000 you'll have to adjust your driving style considerably though, no revs no power.

[chrispwill]

Evo wasn't even on the radar, I'll take a look at those as it sounds interesting.

RX8 I kind of disregarded before, I feel like won't like it as much over my focus, and that the s2000 would be significantly better, although RX8 would be significantly cheaper.

Any ideas on the options listed in my original post?

[designforlife]

i'm a honda guy so the s2k would be my choice off your original list.

I nearly bought one instead of my DC5, but i had 2 seater convertible fatigue after owning an mx5 for 6 years.

[Strudul]

350 is NA, so never really feels that fast, until you look down and realise you're doing twice the speed you thought you were.

I'd look for a RevUp DE or HR (UpRev is the name of the remap, but might be worth finding one that has it), but they aren't particularly faster than the original DE and you can't feasibly tune any 350Z to get lots more power without going FI.

How were you driving when you put the throttle down? The Zed is pleasant to drive at low rpm, but if you want to push on, you need to be shifting at 5k+ as a minimum.

[350Z on the Wolds]

Strudul said:

350 is NA, so never really feels that fast, until you look down and realise you're doing twice the speed you thought you were.

I'd look for a RevUp DE or HR (UpRev is the name of the remap, but might be worth finding one that has it), but they aren't particularly faster than the original DE and you can't feasibly tune any 350Z to get lots more power without going FI.

How were you driving when you put the throttle down? The Zed is pleasant to drive at low rpm, but if you want to push on, you need to be shifting at 5k+ as a minimum.

This!! They don't really accel at the feeling of speed, yet the theater of throttle is amazing due to the sound. Strange thing to say but blipping the throttle creates a great noise and that's the bit you notice before looking down and the speed surprising you. Shift high in the revs and the speed is definately there though. Forced induction helps the sensation of speed but the low down torque and noise are the things that make me smile (and the looks).

[Jonny_gti]

With the option above I would be keeping my eyes open for a E46 M3 maybe try push your limit to 10k that might still get a decent one.

[nunpuncher]

Would have thought you'd get a newer and better condition 987 Boxster over a cayman for your money.

What about a Z4 coupe? Although I suspect it will feel sluggish compared to your ST. For the sort of turbo power delivery you're used to from your ST maybe worth looking at a 335i or 135i. Much lower bork factor than something like a thrashed Porsche, good gains from simple remap and quicker out of the box than a lot of the stuff on your list. In that price range there's also plenty of v8 S4s and S5s along with 645s etc if making loud growly noises is your thing.

With regard to the TT is it possible to get a TTS in budget? The 3.2 makes a nice noise but really that engine is a bit old, heavy and not that quick.

[greggy50]

Z4 3.0 SI Roadster could be had within budget or a leggy Z4M if you stretched it a bit

You won't get a decent Cayman for anywhere near this budget or a 987 Boxter to be honest. My choice would be a 350Z, Z4 or an S2000 personally maybe give them all a test drive and see what you think.

[chrispwill]

Thanks all, really useful stuff here.

As some have said here, I think I may not have been revving the 350 high enough. I think I'm also used to the power delivery of a turbo, so it's the perception of being faster when really it's maybe slower, but delivered differently.

I think from the sounds of it I'll rule out the Cayman then, I've never really been a fan of the Boxster of that era so I won't be looking at them either.

I'll take a look at the Z4/Z4M, not something I'd considered, but sounds like I have some test drives to line up!

And in reply to the TT question, yes I could get the TTS just about. I thought the v6 would be better overall, but again that wasn't really based on any foundation necessarily.

Thanks again all

[designforlife]

if you aren't dead against FWD you're welcome to come out for a spin in my DC5, i'm up near watford.

[Prohibiting]

90s turbo Japs, mainly Evo or Imprezas.

[cerb4.5lee]

If you're used to forced induction the 350z will feel disappointing and the 350z is a bit on the heavy side too. I test drove a 350z Convertible a few years ago and whilst it felt lardy I still managed to hit some silly speeds in it!

The 350z is a car I'd really like to have one day because I've always liked them and I really enjoy the noise they make.

I've had both an Audi TTS and Z4M Roadster and both of those have a few flaws, the TTS doesn't offer much in terms of an engaging driving experience and a harsh ride, and the Z4M has a horrible gearbox and a harsh ride/unresolved chassis.

I also test drove an Evo 8 a few years ago and it was one of the best cars I've ever driven, it made me feel like a driving god!(I'm not).

[ZX10R NIN]

Go for the 350Z it's a lazy V6 people talk about the weight but it's not much heavier than the Z4 for example.

Your budget gets you a very nice last of the line 350Z or if you stretch a little you can get a 370Z.

350Z

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

370Z

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

An alternative is the SLK350:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Ahbefive]

You really need to rev a 350z to get it going, they are good cars but feel different to a turbocharged car.

A 3.2 TT will feel positively glacial compared to both.

The Z4 will also feel slow unless it's the M.

[drgoatboy]

I had a 350z for a bit and away from the lights it always felt a bit slow. It wasnt but it felt it. The base map does limit torque (if i remember right) in 1st and 2nd so although a remap doesnt really get you more power apparently improves driveability.
For me the z was more a big gt car and about full hairy chest grunt once its up and rolling rather than traffic light grand prix. It always felt big and heavy

How about a vx220 if you want something completely different. Totally different driving experience to a hatch or a big gt.

[Alias218]

As people have said, 350Zs need to be revved, as does any N/A car. All the power is made at the top end.

I came from a 210 Cupra R, so not too dissimilar to you coming from a Mk2 Focus ST. At first I found the lack of low end shove disspointing too, but that's just the nature of N/A engines. I absolutely love mine now, had it over 4 years and do not plan on selling. The throttle response is instant, and downchanges are a doddle. They'll go toe-to-toe with an E46 M3, which I think you'll find will feel similar if you test drove one of those too. They do have a very heavy and mechanical gearchange, which isn't for all.

£9,000 will grab you a 60-70k mile HR (they have the bonnet hump) which are better than the earlier DE and UpRev DE cars. They also hold their money better.

Take one out again and don't be afraid to take it up to the red line (owner's permission permitting!).

[st3ven1]

If you want something that feels faster than your stage 1 Focus, then you need to look at something with forced induction and more bhp.

I'd suggest test driving a widetrack Impreza STI. I've had mine three years now and that's a record for me. I've had both 350Z & S2000, wouldn't bother with the S2000, it never felt fast and I wasn't a fan of having to drop several gears to get moving. I much preferred my 350Z, looked better, sounded better and had more desirable features to me (Rays, Bose, LSD, Brembos).

As for trying a HR engined 350Z, again I wouldn't bother, they aren't that different and the DE engined ones had the more torque.

How about something like this:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

BBS wheels, Brembo brakes, Andy Forrest remap, JDM car so has the advantages listed in the advert.

Many people are seduced when they drive an Impreza for the first time, give it a try.

[chrispwill]

designforlife said:

if you aren't dead against FWD you're welcome to come out for a spin in my DC5, i'm up near watford.

That's very nice of you, may have to take you up on that as DC5 is about the only FWD option I'd end up going for!