07 Nissan 350z or 07 Mitsubishi Spyder

[nos_efx]

Looking to buy a new car sometime soon, been looking at the following:

Mazda Rx-8
Nissan 350z
Mitsubishi Spyder
Subaru STI

I've sorta pinned it down to the Nissan and the Mitsubishi, but i'm leaning more towards the Nissan. Can you guys offer any additional advice in terms of choosing one.

Any help in would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks.

[benyl]

FWD = torque steer.

[adam c]

if i had a choice i would go STi or 350z

i hate the new look of the eclipses..

[nos_efx]

looks wise i love the 350z, but the new spyder does look quite stylish in the front, im not a huge fan of the back though.

it is considerably cheaper tho :)

[rc2002]

Originally posted by adam c
if i had a choice i would go STi or 350z

i hate the new look of the eclipses..

+1

[4doorj]

eclipses are quite expensive... if they were cheaper i would say eclipse
but 350z is sooo close in price... just get the 350z!

[T78Supra1]

If you plann to drive it all year round... STI all the Way.

My Sti with winter tires is awesome !!!!

If you plan to modify and drag then 350z....

The Sti and 350Z are like night and day.....you test drive them both....

[syeve]

If your going on looks alone, I think the 350 is the best.

Performance and fun = STi, although the 350 is no slouch.

[nos_efx]

yeah i've heard so many great things about the STI, i've driven a rear wheel drive in winter before and it doesnt seem too too bad with winter tires on..

my main concern was all year round drivability... the guy at the nissan dealership said the 350z was great in winter... i dont see too many of them around tho.

i do like the fact that the engine in the 350 is larger then the STI. Theres room for a supercharger.

[khtm]

Depends on what you prefer:
- looks
- handling
- braking
- hp / torque
- raw performance (track #s)
- "fun to drive" factor
- reliability
- practicality

Having owned (past tense) an RX-8 and driven a 350z and STI (but not an eclipse), here's my opinion.

Looks would go to the Z or 8.

Handling would go to the 8. Plus it has what...like 200 lbs under all the other choices?

Braking I'm not sure, but it'd be close between STI, 8 and Z. The Z has better brakes than the 8 but is a fat pig. I think the Eclipse is pretty damn heavy too isn't it?

HP / Torque close between STI and Z.

Raw performance is not even a contest. STI all the way.

"Fun to drive" I'm gonna have to go with either STI or 8...Z just reminds me of a japanese mustang.

Reliability...hmmmm...I'd have to say Subaru's can't be beat in this category.

Practicality...definitely not the Z. It's an uncomfortable ride. I think it'd be close between the STI and 8. STI would be nice in the winter, but as a daily drive it'd really beat you up.

[Envitro]

Originally posted by nos_efx
yeah i've heard so many great things about the STI, i've driven a rear wheel drive in winter before and it doesnt seem too too bad with winter tires on..

my main concern was all year round drivability... the guy at the nissan dealership said the 350z was great in winter... i dont see too many of them around tho.

i do like the fact that the engine in the 350 is larger then the STI. Theres room for a supercharger.

Well, the STi will definitely be better in winter as is all-wheel drive...

[Lo)2enz0]

go with the sti

they are great in winter, and they look great on the road

but 350z is just sexy. vert drift car :drool:

[95EagleAWD]

STI for sure.

If the Eclipse had an LSD up front, I would think about it, but it doesn't and it's a torque steer monster... it sucks.

[kevie88]

sti OR 350Z..


I'd buy the STI every time.

[nos_efx]

Thanks for the posts guys, didnt know about the torque steer on the eclipse

[adam c]

my integra has some crazy torque steer sometimes.. i could only imagine on the eclipse with way more torque

[riceeater]

i vote rx8.... sti is overpriced for what it is, if its speed you want just get an srt4...

the rx8 is a pretty fast car and has superb handling and decent looks... there's not that many out on the road so even better :thumbsup:

the 350 is too bland, and the mitsu is just a pos compared to the rest.. i'd get a caliber before geting an eclipse

[benyl]

350Z has no trunk.

[XRracing]

if you want a mazda no rx8 jus find your self a nice 3g rx7 :drool:

[benyl]

right... and all the problems that come with it... haha

[euro_racer]

id say STI an year round car and 350z for the non snow seasons

[XRracing]

ya i would say awd the sti for sure

[Pee_Sack]

STI FTW

[95EagleAWD]

Originally posted by riceeater
i vote rx8.... sti is overpriced for what it is, if its speed you want just get an srt4...

the rx8 is a pretty fast car and has superb handling and decent looks... there's not that many out on the road so even better :thumbsup:

the 350 is too bland, and the mitsu is just a pos compared to the rest.. i'd get a caliber before geting an eclipse



Originally posted by riceeater
are you gonna stun us all with another 30k car like the mighty RX8?

You are a man of contradictions... ;)

[xrayvsn]

Test drive them and see what you like better. The STI is fine as a daily driver. I don't feel "beat up" by it at all. You also get an extra pair of doors and a back seat for when you need to haul a few friends around. If you choose to import one from the US, the price is better, but you lose the pass-through rear seat if you are a snowboard/skiing guy.

Boost, AWD and 4 doors FTW, but I'm a wee bit biased.

[heavyD]

RX8 = Civic slow
350Z = 'me too' coupe
STi = too much $$$
Eclipse = FWD

Audi A3 Quattro FTW!

[95EagleAWD]

Originally posted by heavyD
RX8 = Civic slow
350Z = 'me too' coupe
STi = too much $$$
Eclipse = FWD

Audi A3 Quattro FTW!

The A3 has to be GP White with a Black roof though!

Pure sex on wheels.

[benyl]

I would get an calibre SRT-4...

300hp and way cheaper than an STi.

[Lo)2enz0]

come to think of it, look at the mazdaspeed 3

my friend who works for kramer said they keep up to an sti and they start at $32,000 brand new

[iceburns288]

STi will be the fastest... easily... also more useful than any of the others being a 4-door. 350's the most attractive though;)

[khtm]

Yeah but Mazdaspeed 3 is FWD, so blah.

[nadroj23]

STI my next car will be an STI from the states as you can save alot more down there......

[khtm]

BTW, a bit off topic but I can't wait to see the Mazdaspeed 3s numbers.

264 HP and 280 Lb-ft of torque and it weighs almost 3000 lbs?

It'll be really funny to see what the #s *really* are considering Mazda rates it at 6.1 0-60. I think that's what they rated the Mazdaspeed 6 too, and it can do a 5.4.

My $ is on 5.1...anyone else?

[benyl]

my money says that mazda over rated it again.

It won't be faster than the Mazdaspeed 6. It doesn't make marketing sense to have a cheaper car that is faster.

[khtm]

How could it NOT be faster though? It's way, way, way lighter with the same engine (tuned).

EDIT: Ok, from a 5 MPH roll then it should be faster, maybe not a dig.

I still think it'll be faster in every respect though, but maybe I'm just optimistic ;)

And as far as marketing goes, both the Mazdaspeeds are faster than the RX-8, which is (arguably) more expensive.

[habsfan]

^fwd vs awd

they had to limit the power in first and second gears to prevent you from needing new tires every time you need gas.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by habsfan
^fwd vs awd

they had to limit the power in first and second gears to prevent you from needing new tires every time you need gas.

Yep. The little Hitachi turbo is very tiny and spools extremely fast which made the car undriveable in the first few gears so they lowered the boost in 1st & 2nd gear.

[Orbie]

Doesn't matter though, even if it is slower then the MS6 it will still be a hit. Funny thing is it probably won't see nearly the insults as directed to the SRT4 even though it is technically the same concept. Probably because people don't have the same disgust for the Mazda 6 as they seem to for the Neon.

Back to the topic though, the Eclipse really doesn't have the torque steer that everyone is saying. The biggest problem I found driving the Eclipse is lack of an LSD. The thing crys like a new born puppy when taking any turn with gas. Second problem is the suspension is way too soft, you can tell it was meant to be a cruiser and not a sports car. Final thing is the car is a porker and unlike other heavier cars it really does feel like it is heavy when you drive it. Coupled with the other points and FWD the thing understeers a little too much for my liking. The car is great for a daily driver and if you're just into cruising around but If you want sportier driving definitely lean towards the RWD, AWD options.

Oh and back to your comments about the 350Z in winter, you probably don't see alot of them not because it can't get around, it's probably because most owners don't want to expose them to winter elements (salt, rocks etc.) or increased risk of accidents.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by khtm
BTW, a bit off topic but I can't wait to see the Mazdaspeed 3s numbers.

264 HP and 280 Lb-ft of torque and it weighs almost 3000 lbs?

It'll be really funny to see what the #s *really* are considering Mazda rates it at 6.1 0-60. I think that's what they rated the Mazdaspeed 6 too, and it can do a 5.4.

My $ is on 5.1...anyone else?

My guess is 6.0 seconds. FWD with that much power is useless. Why bother having 260+hp when you have to limit it in first 2 or 3 gears. That's just wrong IMO.

Cool little car otherwise though.


Originally posted by Lo)2enz0
come to think of it, look at the mazdaspeed 3

my friend who works for kramer said they keep up to an sti and they start at $32,000 brand new

I am willing to bet my non STi WRX is faster than the MS3

[k98303]

STI for sure man

[nos_efx]

Thanks again for all your replies..... now I have to seriously revisit the STI :D , back to the drawing board

[spyce]

Id probably pick up the Sti out of any of those cars. You could wait another year and go after the G35 coupe?

[xrayvsn]

Don't let the Subaru dealerships tell you that you can't go for a testdrive in an STi. That is utter bullshit. There should be no reason why their $50K car is any more "special" than the M3 at the BMW dealership that they let my colleagues take on an extended test drive without the salesman.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I personally don't think the 350z is that good of a car. It does not perform exceptionally well in any category really, and its heavy. The eclipse is FWD and overpriced IMO, so I would take that off the list immediately. The RX8 has no torque and is not fast. The STi is a great car and your getting quite a bit for your money, I would go for that if I were you. If your willing to buy used, pick up a 2004+ AUDI S4 or E36 BMW M3 as they are alot more car than any of the choices you listed. The STi is quick, but if I remember my test drive correctly you don't get max boost until ~3500 RPM, so the car will be reasonably dead below that RPM.

As for the test drives, my dad and I got in a used one no problem. The lady who was with us didn't want us doing much with it though. BMW and Porsche send people out by themselves in $100,000+ cars that are far more valuable than the STi. They treat every STi like it's the last one in existance when you try to test drive it and that's BS. Chevy dealers do the same thing with their $60,000 vettes. Perhaps they've never been to a high end german car dealership where they know how to treat a potential customer. This is all based on my experience, but I think it's pretty common.

[guessboi]

STi for the win.
the good thing I like about the eclipse is the warranty and the back end look. my friend has one but even he said is heavy. lol. the spyder is overprice but the base model eclipse is fairly priced IMO. V6 waste too much gas. so If I get a eclipse, it will be the price factor and you are driving it for the looks rather than perormance.

[pinoyhero]

Originally posted by richardchan2002


+1

+2