Help me decide! Sports car?

Buying or leasing?

Intended use?

Any lasting effects of brain damage?

C5 zo6

Truth be told though, out of the two cars, take the z. The Benz is not a sports car. It is a hairdressers car with sporting pretenses that let's you get the breeze through your coiffure. It might handle ok, be pretty safe, and stop good, but a sports car it ain't. Plus, Benz repair costs. The z is actually a car you can car with.

Funny, I thought the tittle said "sports car"?

Since light convertible does not seem to the the answer, I go with the Vette.

Yeah, for that kind of money I would go straight to C6 Vette vert with Z51 or GS package and manual trans.

No Mercedes! As noted it's a hairdresser/trophy wife car and the three pointed star will put you into an early financial grave. I'd do the Nissan, its Infiniti stablemate or as noted maybe a C5 Vette first.

A friend has an Infiniti version of the 370, he's done a tune of some sort and a brake upgrade that makes the damn thing terrifying to drive. Which in my book makes it just right. Best part: after hammering it hard it's been rock reliable. The only reason he no longer does track days with it is he bought a dedicated race car.

The answer could be a turbo Miata.

Another con to the SLK 250 is that there is not a manual trans available for it. A con for the 370Z is that most auto journalists have said that it's an average driving sports car.

What are your intended uses for it?

A couple of pros for the 370Z is that it has a proper 6 speed available and it's better than the 350Z.

I say to test drive both cars, then test drive some of our suggestions for a comparison for us.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: The answer could be a turbo Miata.

The answer IS a turbo Miata.

But if I had a choice between those 2, I would definitely go with the 370Z.

mndsm wrote: The miata is not a sports car. It is a hairdressers car with sporting pretenses that let's you get the breeze through your coiffure.

No love here for the 370 for sure, but it is an outright sports car no matter what people think. Sure it's heavier than a Miata, but lighter than a Corvette and other cars such as the M3. As a many times Miata owner, plus countless other sports cars, I can attest to it being damn fast (sub 5 second 0-60)and in many cases just as much fun to drive. Plus it's comfortable for trips and simple daily driving without being tiny inside.

Its also the reigning C-Street champ, well maybe not the convertible, but still. Also, compared to my MINI Cooper S, its simply a better daily driver, faster, and doesn't beat you up as much day in and day out.

I saw an SLK 320 with a manual once, I didn't know it was ever offered like that, but there it was right in front of me. I kinda wanted it.

Yea but... what exactly is a sports car

Oops, I assumed that they didn't even offer the SLK cars with a 6-speed.

Between the two I'd pick the 370. Given other options, I'd probably chose other options.

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

Me too until I saw one. I doubt I will ever see another, so you're pretty much right.

fasted58 wrote: Yea but... what exactly is a sports car

....some just want to watch the world burn...

SLK's were definitely available with a manual, I've driven two. There were both supercharged and turbocharged 4's available. That still doesn't change my advice.

I don't consider the 370ZR or the SLK250 to really be "sports cars", but they both do have sporting intentions. The SLK250 (1.8T 4) has a 6 spd manual standard, the SLK350 (V6) gets the automatic standard.

That said, given a choice between those two (and assuming new), I'd pick the Benz. Having sat in both at auto shows, the SLK is simply a much, much nicer car. Looks better to me as well, and lets face it - that's a big reason for buying a car like this in the $40-50K price range. And believe it or not, the Benz is not that much more expensive when optioned out - although I'll admit you are more likely to get deep discounts from your Nissan dealer if they have one on the lot. Another plus for the Benz is overseas delivery, which allows a few different options (mainly color choices) not normally available to US buyers.

(My ex- had a serious wanting for a SLK250 a couple of years ago and researched them to the gnat's ass)

Would I chose a SLK over a C5 or C6? Hard to say... It would depend a lot on what I was doing with the car. Weekend/occasional toy or DD? But Both those Vettes are used (a new C7 is considerably more expensive) and if used is on the table, there are a ton of other choices as well...

mndsm wrote: Truth be told though, out of the two cars, take the z. The Benz is not a sports car. It is a hairdressers car with sporting pretenses that let's you get the breeze through your coiffure. It might handle ok, be pretty safe, and stop good, but a sports car it ain't. Plus, Benz repair costs. The z is actually a car you can car with.

All these things, yes.

The Nissan, admittedly, doesn't have a seatbelt butler that extends the seatbelt loop forward after you get in the car. That always makes me laugh.

I drove a 370Z convertible once. I really enjoyed the cooled seats, but that was about it. Having also driven a C5 Z06 extensively I wouldn't hesitate to pick that over a 370Z.

And the Z is definitely heavier than the corvette. 3222 vs 3566 or thereabouts. Depends on options. Either way the vette vert weighs the same as the 370Z coupe.

I dont get how anyone doesn't think a 370z is a sports car. Tried driving one?

I honestly liked the 370z a lot more than the c5s i've driven. That does not count a z06 but i wouldn't buy an FRC no matter how fast it was because it butt-uglifies a good looking car and they cost too much to NOT look good.

I think we scared off the OP. Sorry dude. I like the 370z but I am not sure it is enough to buy one. The SLK would be great for my mom, but not my wife. She needs something with harrier balls

singleslammer wrote: I think we scared off the OP. Sorry dude.

We seem to do that a lot.

Both leave me cold. The 370 looks like a lump, and the Merc is a soft tourer.

What about finding a nice Z4M.....

+1 for C6 or C5. Unless you're restricted to new cars, you can get way better performance-per-dollar.