RE: PH Blog: joy of specs

[jamespink]

Has everyone gone mad? £20k you can buy a really great car: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4121310.htm

[Pistonwot]

DanDC5 said:

Dan Trent said:

Well done that man! Any offers?

And in answer to the original point a quick scan of the basic specs indicates:

What is there on the options list that anyone actually needs then? Everything I'd need personally is there as standard, and a few bits I don't.

+1

Nothing on that list does anything to enhance the car at all.
I would suggest those who consider these pointless trinkets as a neccessary item on a purported sports car do NOT actually want a sports car, you have missed the point.

[TinyCappo]

jamespink said:

Has everyone gone mad? £20k you can buy a really great car: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4121310.htm

Not New though is it were comparing New with New here not New with 7 years old.....

[Pistonwot]

Captain Muppet said:

PH said:

an additional 128hp of force to be precise

That's you being precise is it?

Every time you publish something like that God kills a baby engineer.

Oh how I lol'ed,,,,,, well done Captain.

[snorkel sucker]

jamespink said:

Has everyone gone mad? £20k you can buy a really great car: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4121310.htm

Yes but it isn't new is it? Which is kind of the whole point of the discussion.

Back to the 370Z; a quick look at what you do (or don't get) shows as the car being pretty much like the spec of the 350Z (you can keep the satnav and phone prep it came with - they were useless!).

So on that basis, and the fact the 350Z without rev match or any fancy gizmos was a bloody good car, a sub £30k 370Z seems a relative bargain.

[SSBB]

RevOne said:

I wouldnt think someone that was in the market for a 1200kg handling orientated Toyburu would be in the market for a 1500kg power horse 370Z and vice versa. One is a no frills entry sports car whereas the other is a more mature GT car.

This is my opinion obviously but anyone out there actually considering buying one of these care to give their opinion?

I have bought the Toyota (well, ordered). I did consider the 370z, but not seriously.

One disadvantage is the Nissan doesn't have cruise control. You need to specify a £3k options package to get it. I know it sounds ridiculous, but for those of us who use it and do mostly motorway miles, we appreciate it. The Toyota should also have lower running costs. Tyres are cheap on the 215 17" standard spec. Tax isn't horrendous, and fuel consumption should be reasonable if you keep the revs down on a commute. Toyota servicing comes in at £150pa, which aint too bad.

Ultimately the steering, driving position and brake feel sold it to me. It really is nice to drive. Watch Harris's video review and tell me you are not even slightly interested. Could it use more power? Yes, absolutely, I wouldn't deny that. But no car is perfect, and power is a relatively simple thing to modify. Weight and feedback, maybe not so much without affecting the NVH.

I'm just glad people like Nissan are still able to make a car like this for the UK in this day and age. I wouldn't criticise anyone for buying it over a GT86/BRZ. I do hope that they sell well. Big power, not bad(ish) looks, screamer of an engine (for a V6). I very nearly did.

ETA: the extra seats convince you that it will somehow be practical...

Edited by SSBB on Thursday 9th August 16:35

[crispyshark]

snorkel sucker said:

jamespink said:

Has everyone gone mad? £20k you can buy a really great car: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4121310.htm

Yes but it isn't new is it? Which is kind of the whole point of the discussion.

Back to the 370Z; a quick look at what you do (or don't get) shows as the car being pretty much like the spec of the 350Z (you can keep the satnav and phone prep it came with - they were useless!).

So on that basis, and the fact the 350Z without rev match or any fancy gizmos was a bloody good car, a sub £30k 370Z seems a relative bargain.

Bit sharp with your comment methinks. One thing you need to consider with any new car is the depreciation

ahem

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3998391.htm

not sure the toyoburu will sink like that after 11k miles.

[gofasterrosssco]

crispyshark said:

snorkel sucker said:

jamespink said:

Has everyone gone mad? £20k you can buy a really great car: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4121310.htm

Yes but it isn't new is it? Which is kind of the whole point of the discussion.

Back to the 370Z; a quick look at what you do (or don't get) shows as the car being pretty much like the spec of the 350Z (you can keep the satnav and phone prep it came with - they were useless!).

So on that basis, and the fact the 350Z without rev match or any fancy gizmos was a bloody good car, a sub £30k 370Z seems a relative bargain.

Bit sharp with your comment methinks. One thing you need to consider with any new car is the depreciation

ahem

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3998391.htm

not sure the toyoburu will sink like that after 11k miles.

Wow! I can see the headlines now - "New car looses 40% value in 3 years"...

Again, point missed re: comparing new cars..

[dapearson]

I'd rather have an M135i for the same £30k

[RevOne]

SSBB said:

RevOne said:

I wouldnt think someone that was in the market for a 1200kg handling orientated Toyburu would be in the market for a 1500kg power horse 370Z and vice versa. One is a no frills entry sports car whereas the other is a more mature GT car.

This is my opinion obviously but anyone out there actually considering buying one of these care to give their opinion?

I have bought the Toyota (well, ordered). I did consider the 370z, but not seriously.

One disadvantage is the Nissan doesn't have cruise control. You need to specify a £3k options package to get it. I know it sounds ridiculous, but for those of us who use it and do mostly motorway miles, we appreciate it. The Toyota should also have lower running costs. Tyres are cheap on the 215 17" standard spec. Tax isn't horrendous, and fuel consumption should be reasonable if you keep the revs down on a commute. Toyota servicing comes in at £150pa, which aint too bad.

Ultimately the steering, driving position and brake feel sold it to me. It really is nice to drive. Watch Harris's video review and tell me you are not even slightly interested. Could it use more power? Yes, absolutely, I wouldn't deny that. But no car is perfect, and power is a relatively simple thing to modify. Weight and feedback, maybe not so much without affecting the NVH.

I'm just glad people like Nissan are still able to make a car like this for the UK in this day and age. I wouldn't criticise anyone for buying it over a GT86/BRZ. I do hope that they sell well. Big power, not bad(ish) looks, screamer of an engine (for a V6). I very nearly did.

ETA: the extra seats convince you that it will somehow be practical...

Edited by SSBB on Thursday 9th August 16:35

Fair points SSBB and fits in with my assumptions. Enjoy your new toy (jealous)! Oh and the four seat topic... hope your passengers can live without their legs

[dvs_dave]

Why is everyone fixating about the 370Z rev-match option? This is PH....any driver worth his salt shouldn't need such a thoroughly useless gadget. You should be doing it out of habit yourselves!

Learn to drive properly, the art of "heel-toeing", and you'll have a far more rewarding time driving it.

370Z for me. Those Toyobarus are just too wimpy for my tastes.

[RudeDog]

dvs_dave said:

370Z for me. Those Toyobarus are just too wimpy for my tastes.

+1

I totally agree. The Toyobarus are great cars if you are in the market for a Focus ST or something similar, basically if you are a kid who can afford a quickish car. The 370Z is in a different league and comparisons are not really that fair IMO.

[otolith]

I was under the impression that these were already being sold heavily discounted at well under 30k anyway?

[Captain Muppet]

RevOne said:

Fair points SSBB and fits in with my assumptions. Enjoy your new toy (jealous)! Oh and the four seat topic... hope your passengers can live without their legs

Two six foot tall passengers can fit in on the passenger side without extreme discomfort, it's just the seat behind the driver where the rear foot space is unusable, unless the driver is a girl. I can fit behind Mrs Muppet when she's driving, making it big enough for four average-ish sized adult humans.

There is way more room in the back of a GT86 than there is in the back of a mkIV Supra, which seems a fair benchmark for a Toyota 2+2.

[em177]

crispyshark said:

snorkel sucker said:

jamespink said:

Has everyone gone mad? £20k you can buy a really great car: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4121310.htm

Yes but it isn't new is it? Which is kind of the whole point of the discussion.

Back to the 370Z; a quick look at what you do (or don't get) shows as the car being pretty much like the spec of the 350Z (you can keep the satnav and phone prep it came with - they were useless!).

So on that basis, and the fact the 350Z without rev match or any fancy gizmos was a bloody good car, a sub £30k 370Z seems a relative bargain.

Bit sharp with your comment methinks. One thing you need to consider with any new car is the depreciation

ahem

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3998391.htm

not sure the toyoburu will sink like that after 11k miles.

That one isn't a good example as its three years old. That plays a stronger part on the depreciation that the mileage of that example imo

[otolith]

Captain Muppet said:

it's just the seat behind the driver where the rear foot space is unusable

And it is foot-space rather than leg room - I didn't get a good enough look at the detail, but I would have thought Toyota could have designed a front seat that gave just a little more clearance at the bottom.

[snorkel sucker]

gofasterrosssco said:

crispyshark said:

snorkel sucker said:

jamespink said:

Has everyone gone mad? £20k you can buy a really great car: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4121310.htm

Yes but it isn't new is it? Which is kind of the whole point of the discussion.

Back to the 370Z; a quick look at what you do (or don't get) shows as the car being pretty much like the spec of the 350Z (you can keep the satnav and phone prep it came with - they were useless!).

So on that basis, and the fact the 350Z without rev match or any fancy gizmos was a bloody good car, a sub £30k 370Z seems a relative bargain.

Bit sharp with your comment methinks. One thing you need to consider with any new car is the depreciation

ahem

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3998391.htm

not sure the toyoburu will sink like that after 11k miles.

Wow! I can see the headlines now - "New car looses 40% value in 3 years"...

Again, point missed re: comparing new cars..

Quite. The discussion is purely about new cars and their relative specifications. You could argue that the "poverty" spec 370Z will depreciate to pretty much the same value as a GT spec car over the same time period, thus making it more of a bargain.

I'm not arguing that depreciation isn't a factor. In fact, thanks to depreciation, I got myself a 350Z back in 2007 which was high miles but relatively cheap compared to others. I ran it for 12 months and didn't lose very much at all as it had already sunk low enough when I bought it to offset any further loss

The problem with your argument though is that although a GT86 will likely sink less than a 370Z over a given period (3 years lets say); which car then represents better value?

A 370Z with 15k miles at £16k or a GT86 with 15k miles at 18k? (for argment sake with £ & miles)

I know where my money would go!

[otolith]

370Z residuals likely to be more sensitive to big tax or fuel price increases and economic doom and gloom.

[anonymous-user]

Gaz. said:

Captain Muppet said:

Two six foot tall passengers can fit in on the passenger side without extreme discomfort, it's just the seat behind the driver where the rear foot space is unusable, unless the driver is a girl. I can fit behind Mrs Muppet when she's driving, making it big enough for four average-ish sized adult humans.

There is way more room in the back of a GT86 than there is in the back of a mkIV Supra, which seems a fair benchmark for a Toyota 2+2.

I had a look through the window of a GT86 on a dealer's forecourt yesterday, the back really doesn't look that big from the outside, perhaps it's a different story when you are actually in it but from my vantage point it looked mid way between my mkiv Supra and mkvii Celica.

I'm 6ft. I fit in the back of a GT86 on the passenger side. The head room is no worse than say an Alfa GT.

[Mr2Mike]

Captain Muppet said:

That's you being precise is it?

Every time you publish something like that God kills a baby engineer.

Amusing, but out of context as the "force" referred to is not a physical one, but rather a conceptual "marketing" one.