The 2008 Nissan 350Z Roadster has an LA face with the Oakland booty …
A silver-alloy-colored 2008 Nissan 350Z convertible arrived in the office parking lot, and I was very excited … borderline giddy. I wanted to love this car. I have always been a very big fan of the Datsuns and Nissans from the mid 1970s through the late 1980s. I owned a 1985 Nissan 300ZX that I still miss to this day. I would like to own an early 70s Datsun 240Z. I really thought I would fall in love with the most current iteration of a car that I have followed since I was a younger man.
I didn't …
With the top down, the 2008 Nissan 350Z offers an astonishing 47 million miles of headroom.
To make room for the convertible top, Nissan has created the perfect car for small women and average-to-large size male jockeys. At 6'3" and 220 lbs (on a good day), I found myself along with my spine cursing out loud anytime I had to squeeze into this car. No matter what I tried, there was no position that offered me anything resembling comfort. The Nissan 350Z was constantly reminding me of Chris Farley's "fat man in a little coat" routine. I probably could have used my stomach to change the radio.
Plenty of room for you and your closest Leprechaun friend to find that pot of gold, and to do so quickly, thanks to 306 horses under the hood.
Another major issue related to the convertible top arises when you want to change lanes. For example, this is an approximation of what you see when you look over your shoulder:
Obviously, if you have the top down, visibility is greatly improved, but you cannot always drive the car this way. Luckily I was driving this car in Southern California so most people were too preoccupied with their texting messaging to notice I just cut them off.
My final gripe is in the princely sum this car commands. The MSRP for the 2008 Nissan 350Z Roadster Touring is $37,980.00. My vehicle came with carpeted floor mats which add $95.00. Couple those with the destination charge of $625.00 and the total comes to $38,700.00 before you figure in any dealer installed options, local taxes, and license fees. The 2008 Infiniti G37 Sport which I tested a few weeks ago (part 1, 2, & 3) is a far nicer car on the inside, has a sportier engine under the hood, and allows "larger" gentlemen like myself to avoid their chiropractors – all for about $2,000 more. In my not so humble opinion, if you choose the Z over the G, your friends should call in a 5150 on you faster than Britney Spears' PR team.
In Part 1 of my review here, it seems like I completely hate this car. Well stick around for Part 2 (more photos to come) because this is not the case. Once you get out on an empty road, the true heart of the Nissan 350Z comes alive, and though your spine may curse the car's existence, your eyes will widen and your mouth will tattoo a permanent smile on your face …
Jaunt on over to NADAguides to see the new 2009 Nissans and more!