Long Term Project Selection: 350z or 370z

I’ve been racking my mind about this. Thinking about picking up either a 350z or a 370z for a long term project car

I’m right on the fence.

350z because I’ve always wanted on since high school and they are really cheap. I’m gonna end up changing everything anyway so just need to find a clean chassis. This might be harder said than done because of all the kids building drifto missiles. 

370z because it’s newer and maybe a bit more safer. But 9ore expensive and I’m not a fan of the roof and bodylines.

Any thoughts on this? Really appreciate the input :(

Safety can't justify the 370Z's looks. 350Z for tastefulness.

There are stock 370Z front fascia's that get rid of the shark teeth.

370Z is lighter, has more room in the rear hatch because there isn't the goofy strut tower brace, engine has a chunk more power, and I don't think it had the same oil burning issues that some of the 350Z motors had. 

I'd personally go after the 370Z that isn't beat to crap and fits your budget.

I prefer the looks of the 370 over the 350.  Plus lighter,  more power,  etc,  so it gets my vote.

The 370Z is the newer, older car.

Following.  I'm thinking about a G35 or G37 coupe myself, prefer the looks to the 350Z myself.  Also looking for just a little more luxury for my old back :)  

370z has more power and a shorter wheelbase.  There are literally no downsides.

I prefer the 370 over the 350 by a mile and would pay thousands extra to get it. 

Dang seems like most people are rooting for the 370. My heart says z33 but my brain says z34. 

This is just going to be a weekend / canyon / autox car to give a bit more context. Something that I can work on for the next 15 years until my Japanese phase is over :(

Nis14 said:

I’ve been racking my mind about this. Thinking about picking up either a 350z or a 370z for a long term project car

I’m right on the fence.

350z because I’ve always wanted on since high school and they are really cheap. I’m gonna end up changing everything anyway so just need to find a clean chassis. This might be harder said than done because of all the kids building drifto missiles. 

370z because it’s newer and maybe a bit more safer. But 9ore expensive and I’m not a fan of the roof and bodylines.

Any thoughts on this? Really appreciate the input :(

You already stated the answer. You can have something that you've always wanted, or you can pay more for something that you don't like the looks of.

This is going to be a fun car, not a class specific racer where nothing matters but performance at 10/10ths. Get the cheap thing that you've always wanted and use the money you save to make it into what you envision. If you don't occasoinally look back at your fun car in the parking lot as you walk away then you're doing something wrong. It doesn't sound like the 370 would do that for you.

Buying what you want and will keep is always cheaper in the long run. Otherwise you buy something you sort of like, don't really gel with it, and sell it after a few years. 

Just don't do what I did. Which is buy your literal high school dream car, then learn you like abusing beater Mustangs more.

mazdeuce - Seth said:

Buying what you want and will keep is always cheaper in the long run. Otherwise you buy something you sort of like, don't really gel with it, and sell it after a few years. 

I feel personally attacked.

Anytime someone brings up a 370Z I start thinking about them again. 

But I'm not sure, even with a good deal on a used one, I can get over how the poor the interior quality and BOSE was of 2006 350Z I had was. A quick glance around seems to show good gains with bolt-on mods. Like intake, headers, exhaust, E85 seems to be somewhere in the mid 350s whp, if I was looking at the right thing. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

Buying what you want and will keep is always cheaper in the long run. Otherwise you buy something you sort of like, don't really gel with it, and sell it after a few years. 

+1000 on this.  You stated you want to keep the car for around 15 years, so get what makes you excited to stick with it for this amount of time.  There are still really nice 350Z's out there to be found, they just don't come up for sale as often as the junky ones, and sell for a bit of a premium.  Be patient, then ready to act immediately when the right one pops up for sale.  Including a fly-n-drive or have the car transported.

It sounds like a 350Z with the HR motor would be the best of both worlds for you.

It’d be 350 for me too. High school nostalgia and all. The 370 is a better car, but is also pretty old at this point and still kinda pricey. 

350Z all day. 

Get what you want to OWN, not what you think would be fun to build, or is better on paper. Fact of the matter is, if you don't love what you own, it winds up owning you, or becoming an albatross, or getting sold on amd leaving a bad taste in your mouth. 

Having been through 60+ cars (cant remember how many, or what), this is my old guy advice. If you walk out to the driveway and can instantly think of a dozen cars you'd rather have parked there, it ain't the right move. 

So go buy the cleanest 350z you can find, with the brembos, 6 speed, straight pipes, and holy berkeleying oramge paint you can find and afford. Make memories. Enjow OWNING it, even on the days it kicks you so hard in the balls they pop out your nose. At the end of the ride, when its time to part ways, YOU will know you have gotten all the joy you can out of owning your dream.

I like the 370Z a lot more, but I will admit that I haven't driven them back to back. Honestly, from a driving dynamics perspective I think the 370Z holds up well. Around here the 1-3 year old ones depreciated quickly and go for not dissimilar money to the twins, while the older ones seem to be a bit over priced. Might make your decision a bit trickier.

I had a 350. I felt like they ruined the design with the 370. 

 Something that I can work on for the next 15 years until society's human-operated-vehicle phase is over

Hahhhh

You can do what you want, and the 370 isnt enough better in sheer objective stats to justify the price differential, but the 350z has always been soured in my mind by not being what they said it was going to be in the concept phase. If you took 400 lbs out and 3" of height out of the bottom of the body  it'd be near perfect as a successor to the best Zs of yore, but you can't really do that and still have it be a nice street car so the 350 has always been a 'coulda-been' car to me. The G35 suffers no such preconception and i like the G35 sedans a lot! 

Coming from my POV, I'd update a clean 350Z with 370Z goodies, for the best of both worlds.

I've always been intrigued by the possibility of an AWD Z using G35/G37 components and a 4.0+L six using the truck crank and bigger bores in the 3.7L topped with a GTR intake.

I'm an enabler, what can I say?

Gingerbeardman said:

Coming from my POV, I'd update a clean 350Z with 370Z goodies, for the best of both worlds.

But the joy of the 370Z is that it doesn't have the 350's bus-like wheelbase.

Wheelbase makes the car.  For years the only difference between the Impreza and the Legacy was the wheelbase, and the Impreza was the sporting car because it was shorter.

Knurled. said:

Gingerbeardman said:

Coming from my POV, I'd update a clean 350Z with 370Z goodies, for the best of both worlds.

 

 

But the joy of the 370Z is that it doesn't have the 350's bus-like wheelbase.

 

Wheelbase makes the car.  For years the only difference between the Impreza and the Legacy was the wheelbase, and the Impreza was the sporting car because it was shorter.

A 350z's wheelbase is 2 inches shorter than an RX8's and nobody is saying that the RX8 is "bus-like".