Are there other cars you are considering as well as the 400Z? Which ones, and why?
For me, there are 2 serious contenders and one outside possibility:
For me, there are 2 serious contenders and one outside possibility:
- The upcoming re-do of the GT86/BRZ. I love the slightly smaller and considerably lighter form factor of this car relative to the 370Z, but the nasty engine characteristics (torque dip, agricultural machinery sounds), sluggish highway acceleration, and cheap interior kept me from buying one. If they add rev-matching to the manual and address these issues with a new engine and improved interior I will be very interested.
- The Miata ND2. Lovely high-revving engine, nimble and tossable, just enough performance to have fun on the street, but its small size and consequent lack of practicality makes it a challenging choice as a sole vehicle. Another negative for me is that the folding hardtop model does not provide anywhere near the noise isolation of a genuine coupe on the highway.
- The Civic Type R. I haven't been able to test drive one, but by all accounts an amazing FWD performance bargain. It's that FWD part that dampens my enthusiasm. My current car is FWD, and I'd like to get back to the RWD experience I learned to drive with (my father had in that period a Porsche 911, a 1969 GTO, and a Fiat 124.)