My son wanted the 350Z bad until I found a dealer that would let us do a test drive ( after driving the Z, I was unimpressed). As soon as we got out after the test drive in the Mach he told me the Z was history. I drove it yesterday and was really amazed how quick it is. Two things he did that I would not have done is:
5 speed instead of auto (he's never driven a standard for more that a day at a time.....but he is just 20 years old)

He went with black. I thought the red, DSG, blue or even the yellow looked better......oh well it's his money.

We sold the 94 Firehawk to the first guy that looked at it. Must have been to cheap.

Jerry

 

I was lookin at a mach this weekend!!! Those cars are badass!!!!

 

Jerry,

Hey, Congratulations! The Mach I will be so much more satisfying than the Z.

And, I agree with your son's choice in color and tranny (and I'm 57). I live in Florida, so black makes no sense for practical reasons, but regardless, every vehicle (cars, trucks, motorcycles) I've owned for the past 12 years has been black. It's a sickness. :-)

Also, if I were buying a Mach I'd go the 5-speed route too. Even though I-4 here in Orlando can be a parking lot at times and when you get caught in stop-and-go traffic you wish for an auto, all other times there is nothing better than shifting for yourself. I have owned many manuel shift cars (including an SHO for 10 years), and love to row those gears.

Mike

 

Based on looks only, I would take the 350Z 10 out of 10 times. The Mustang body is LONG in the tooth (the 05's look great though).

I think they are pretty equal in the performance area too. Probably could Xplan the mustang for a good discount over the 350z I bet..

My money, I'd probably have taken the Z.

-Mark

 

I think he made a wise choice on the Mach over the Z. Will have so much more fun with the Mach.... the modding is endless and you can watch the shaker hood do its thing. THe Z just got a bad rating from consumer reports..... what ever that means to anyone...


Doug

 

Sorry St. Louis.....I think the body still looks great! There are so many things about this 03 that remind me of the 69 I had in high school.


And yes we did get it at a good price. He paid $500.00 UNDER invoice for it ($26,900.00)! Started out at $500.00 over invoice but the two dealers I was talking to started bidding against each other. I think the fact that there were still 14 Machs available in Austin and the 04's out soon helped our price out a bunch.

Jerry

 

Tell your son congrats on the new purchase! It is a great feeling when you buy your first new car. He will get used to driving stick. Hell I didn't have all that much experience driving stick and I went out and bought a Cobra(too bad my leg didn't agree with that decision). Your son should do just fine learning stick on that car. I know the GT I test dove a few years ago was simple so I could picture a Mach1 be all that much harder. Goodluck with the new car, he made a great choice. That is one hell of a price too! -Mat-

 

That's a great deal on the Mach. I too would definately take that over the Z any day. It's faster, easier to mod, and cheaper.

For $26,400, you can't hardly beat that. Having just owned a Mustang, I can appreciate how fun they are to drive, and how cheaply you can make them fast.

If it were me, I might have bought a GT (they are a dime a dozen around here and can be gotten very cheap...I've seen as low as $21k),

Add a blower ($4000 installed) and some 18" Cobra R's ($1400) and you're at $26,400, running 12's in the 1/4 mile.

 

Maybe I'm biased, but I think he made a very wise decision!

They are a BLAST to drive, and I don't care what anyone says, even though there may be faster rides out there, NOTHING, and I do mean NOTHING sounds better than a V8 Mustang with a well-chosen aftermarket exhaust..................Trust me, I know!!! It makes you wonder why you even have a stereo system in the car.

Once he gets used to shifting the gears, have him purchase an aftermarket shifter. It'll make a hell of a difference. And of course, the exhaust change is a must...........not just for your listening pleasure, but an x-pipe and a catback will easily net you 12-18 RWHP, if not more.

Getting the launch down on these things is a chore, if you've never driven a high-revving muscle car with a 5-speed before, as was my case. My first outing to the track was an absolute disastrous joke.....but with time and practice, I'm doin' much better, even though there's always room for improvement.

Once again..................congrats.

PLEASE SEND HIM TO REGISTER AT WWW.MACH1REGISTRY.COM

JC

 

Congrats on your decision to go with the Mach. I read your thread last week when you were trying to decide which one to go with. I can assure you that there is NO WAY IN HELL a 350Z will run with a Mach 1, especially once he's learned how to work that 5 speed. The very FIRST mod I would make is a STEEDA TRI-AX short throw shifter (or one similar to it). They make an absolute night and day difference in the driving enjoyment of that car, and can usually be had for around $180, and can be installed in your driveway with simple hand tools in less than an hour. Good Luck and ENJOY!

BTW, my wife and I both have family in Austin and Cedar Park; We're practically neighbors

Have a Good one,
Rob

 

Ths Rob,
I'm only 5 miles from Cedar Park. Let me know when your in town some Sat. night and we will go to the local hot rod car (and Truck) hang out.

Why don't you come down in Oct. and do the Drivers Edge Driving School with my son and I? It's at TWS in Collage Station. Check it out.

www.thedriversedge.net

Jerry

 

I am originally from Bryan, my parents still live there and my wife's an AGGIE GIG'EM....Anyway, Thanks for the invite, but I'm standing in a buddy's wedding up here in the Metroplex that very weekend(Damn the luck!).
When we were down there(Austin) back in February, my wife's uncle took us out to Mr. Gatti's(I-35) for a car gathering on Saturday night, but no one showed up because it was too cold. At any rate, the next time we head down there I'll shoot you a PM and let you know. Have fun at TWS; sounds like a Blast


Rob

P.S. I'd love to see that Mach; I just ordered a Shaker for my L today...those things are just cool!

 

Congrats on the new car, great decision too, in my opinion i think that the Z is way too overrated. It reminds me too much of the Audi TT. Its good that he was able to buy his own car with his own money. Hope you and your son have a good time with it!!