Peak 370

I can't speak for him, I am giving an opinion as to whether he would regret not buying a 235i.

350Z was cheap as chips when it came out and a big plus was a 3.5 V6 engine. Muscle car looks and rwd. Yes, it and the 370 don't have silky motors that rev way high but then they are well priced. FWD cars have come a long way, my Integra 2.0 was fantastic handling. As was my Focus RS.

Handling was great, as was the 7 speed box. Ride is harsh side of firm. Too much so I think. I am not sure I would buy a 235i. I would likely go M135i for practicality and same performance or await the 380 bhp M2.

No 2.3 litre inline 4 is EVER going to be a 'stang in my book.

But £18k for a 08 plate M3 with that 414 bhp V8 lump is a steal.

Dynamic Turtle. You like the M3 CSL then I would guess? I had a 53 plate with air con but no other options. Call me mad but I hated the massive intake drone from the huge carbon air box after a while. Fun when going for it, pretty quick if peaky. But every small overtake meant a loud noise that everyone looked round at. Overpriced too.

Porsches unreliable? Well I had a 2003 996 turbo that had seen 6 previous owners and had 103,000 miles on the clock when I bought it. The owner two back from me had remapped it mildly to around 550 bhp. An independent dealer serviced it for me and other than a litre of oil every 1500 miles I had no issues in 12,000 miles hard use. I put 16,000 miles on my Cayman S with no bother.

Kev, I'd have the GTS and money; over the boggo 911. Engine in a better place, lighter, sounds better. Drive the new M3 (M4) and you realise how weak the V8 M3 is until you really rev it. Even then it is down on bhp from idle to red line.

Could we get a spell checker put on here to help?

Modified 370Z and GTR too thirsty, he does a lot of miles. Anyways up, he bought a December '13 Merc A45AMG and we went out in it last night. A tad of expected turbo lag but huge shove that shocks for a car with under 2 litres. Closest thing would be my 390 bhp Lancer Evo. Similar power delivery. Ride is incredibly firm but otherwise a great all rounder. 5 doors, Good boot. Economical. M3 V8 performance. £35K but as an AMG will hold value well.

Does anyone else have problems with this forum only? 1 in 4 letters or spaces does not work first time for me. Yet e mails and other forms are fine. Weird!

If it was mapped, 340 bhp will see off 276 bhp!

PDK is superb and the latest Cayman GTS makes the 911 base model redundant, it is that good.

If anyone here thinks a 370Z is dear to run, try a Lancer Evolution, like my remapped 2009 MR FQ 360 1X. Ferrari-style costs for servicing, tax, insurance, fuel. 4,500 mile intervals at £350 a time. Top road tax. 18 mpg generally and once I got NINE mpg in Germany, having some fun. Tyres every other month. The 370Z is a pussycat, a cheap to run one by comparison!!

M3 V8 is a good buy around 4-5 years old. Great engine, the type not to be seen again. Poor on fuel though and weak below 6,000 rpm.

My Cayman S was fully loaded and was £50K in 2007. I bought it in 2012. Yes, a post-2009 on is better than a 370 but at almost twice the price it should be. Running costs high? Just had a service at Nissan Mansfield, £184. (My wife's Audi S3 cost her £420 last month). Insurance under £200 a year. Tyres? No worse than any rwd muscle car. The fact it is £10,000 to £20,000 cheaper than most of the competition negates the tax, etc.

Some turbo diesels are under-quoted by the factory, some turbo petrols are the same. This is mainly for insurance purposes, as they don't want their cars to be only insurable by those who have already chosen what flowers and songs they want at their funeral next year. My Megane 175 (bhp) DCi had 186 bhp and was 20 lbs-ft up on claimed figures. Some n/a cars seem to be less powerful than claimed. My S2000 had way under the 240 bhp Honda said. As did my R32 Golf.

Does this have to be updated every so often? Also mine has a habit of telling me there is a speed camera where there is none, even on my 90 metre cul de sac!

Just found a review of 4 cars, inc the 370Z. Others were 135i, RX8 and a Pontiac. The 370Z ran out top! They only really disliked the poor view out of the sides and rear, for parking etc., but loved the engine, handling and looks. Slightly harsh engine, which we know about at high revs also. Looks and performance of a Cayman S for little more than half the money, they said.

Something I learned from my time in America was that gearing is one thing they are very keen on changing, on their muscle cars and sports cars. But last night my friend out there heard about a 2012 370Z (7 speed auto) now running lower gearing. Annoyingly he doesn't know who supplied the parts for the guy. That could be a straightforward way to liven up the car I'd say.

Uprev with no other mod on a 370 worth doing then?

My medical insurance is going up soon I think, so getting old isn't all good news!

Some cars with big miles can be amazing buys, agreed. My best buy was a 140,000 mile Bentley Flying Spur twin turbo W12 6 litre saloon. New it was £130,000 and I paid £29K for it. No tax or MOT but what a buy.

For a brand new 370 to be the same price as a specd 227 bhp Golf is incredible value. To get a mint one owner car 5 years old for £14K is fantastic. We aren't talking about a company rep mobile, like many cars mentioned, we are talking proper big engine GT/muscle car. Give it an Audi badge and it'd be £50K new. PS SOME Ferarris lose money, not all, same for Lambos. I know 2 people with an Enzo and a Diablo. Both have made loads on them.

Agree with you. If Nissan had never made this car and this exact shape and style had ''Ferrari'' on the back and perhaps a higher-revving 400bhp version of the engine, it would be £90,000 and adored by all.