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Back in a slower, older car and very happy


sipar69

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As a fair few forum members seem to be contemplating moving on from the 370 to more modern cars I thought I'd add my tuppence to the mix.

 

Last year I part exchanged my Mk1 Nismo for a Facelift A45 AMG which had pretty much every option going. I subsequently had the car remapped which took it from around 380 to 420bhp.  It was on paper an undeniably "better" car than a Z - blisteringly quick, lovely interior and lots of great tech etc.  It was even cheaper to run.

 

But I never really felt the same connection to the Merc that I'd felt to the Zs I've owned. I missed the manual box, the sound of the V6 (with a decent exhaust) and feeling part of a group of owners who share a passion for their cars.  (There's a perfectly friendly A45 forum but it doesn't have the community feel that you get here.) 

 

I also found that I could never use the car's performance to anything like the extent that it was capable of.  And it was almost too easy to drive.

 

While there was a financial element to my decision to return to a Z - I don't get to drive as often as I would like and it began to feel wrong to have that much tied up in a car that I only drive every two or three weeks - having now made the change, it was the right thing for me regardless of the money aspect. 

 

When I drove a 370 for the first time again last week it felt comparatively slow, heavy and noisy, but I felt so happy.  I think it's more fun to drive at lower speeds than the A45 and despite costing less than half what I got back on that car, it feels more special to me and has already turned more heads than the A45 did in all the time I owned it. 

 

This is all subjective of course - some people might think I'm daft to go back in time to a car that hasn't really changed in nearly a decade, but I'm glad I did.  I guess the Z line just has it's hooks in me!

 

My new Z is a 2011 GT in Le Mans Blue.  So far I've had the wheels repainted and added some MPS4 tyres. I might also put some spacers on it and, of course, the all important GTR starter button :) I probably won't do much more than that, for the time being at least.   It's in remarkably good condition for its age and already has an aftermarket exhaust (can't quite work out the make but it sounds great). 

 

A45.jpg

New Z.jpg

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I wanna say welkom back, but you never really left. That's the gig with cars like the 350z, 370z GT86.... For the £££ not the last word in performance or tech, but bags of character and just not something evidently money can provide :thumbs:

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Congrats on your 370 purchase!.... you didn't fancy another Nismo then?

 

As I work from home I don't drive mine much at all and often think I really should sell it and put the money in the bank but then when I do drive it, it does bring a big smile to my face and change my mind....constantly!! :wacko:

 

 

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1 hour ago, Justthejedi said:

Congrats on your 370 purchase!.... you didn't fancy another Nismo then?

 

As I work from home I don't drive mine much at all and often think I really should sell it and put the money in the bank but then when I do drive it, it does bring a big smile to my face and change my mind....constantly!! :wacko:

 

 

I have the same continual battle in my head as mine only comes out at weekends and shows etc. Get a V8 etc but think I will just have the same thinking if I go down that route. The zed community is what keeps me in a zed for sure, cannot beat it. 

 

Sipar welcome back to Z world and great looking colour for sure. 

Edited by Humpy
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4 hours ago, Kev said:

Good time to get out of the A45. 

 

The new A class looks special and no doubt the older model will take a hit even if there is no AMG at launch. 

True. I think there will be a new A45 in the next year.

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12 hours ago, Justthejedi said:

Congrats on your 370 purchase!.... you didn't fancy another Nismo then?

 

As I work from home I don't drive mine much at all and often think I really should sell it and put the money in the bank but then when I do drive it, it does bring a big smile to my face and change my mind....constantly!! :wacko:

 

 

I do like the Nismo - both variants - but I didn't want to put quite that much money back into a weekend car.  I'm happy with the GT. :)

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I have this battle with myself all the time with the z. 

But somthing makes me keep it 

Obviolsly a big thing is money 

But even so I think I would have to morgatge free to consider buying somthing much more expensive that sits in the garage most the time

Nice to see you back :thumbs:

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I only sold my 350 because it wasn’t worth taxing and insuring for the 1000 miles a year it did on sunny days. I miss it though. 

 

They are different to anything else imo. 

 

With regard to nismos. Some have been sat around for ages on AT, and they are not a car most people want. Wouldn’t surprise me if they sell a fair bit less than sticker price. 

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a gt is so much car for your money and when zeditis kicks in, it never stops!!! :lol:, I just fitted hfc,s to my custom exhaust  and boy it sounds good going through the gears and it pulls like a train, makes me smile like a kid in a sweet shop, it's my Japanese Aston Martin  :yahoo:

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