Lol, he is alright really, did a 300 mile round trip to pick up the 350 for me, he isnt really mental, well a little bit.
the 350 Z feels like a Japanese, slightly more agressive S2 Cab with a bit of 928 thrown in. Am loving the modern aspect and, unlike a lot of modern stuff it is quite old school in feel, quite mechanical in operation, the controls are weighty but after a 944 they dont come as a shock.
The handling is more surefooted but more tail happy, it has a rather intrusive ESP/TCS combination that doesnt allow any messing when on, am not confident enough to switch it off just yet.
Very little scuttle shake relative to the 944 Cab, its there but I would say its a fifth of the 944, the wheels doesnt move from side to side. It corners flatter and doesnt rock like my 944 did but that was probably just age, bit unfair comparing the 944 against a low mile, much more modern car.
not as pretty as a 944 but it has its own, slightly odd but quite butch thing going on, miss the popup headlamps, that never got old, plus its a Nissan, not a Porsche.
The engine sounds epic, it does all that crackling and howling, the S2 sounded ok but this is epic, performance wise, its quicker than an S2 but not night and day, its heavier and higher geared, it gets a move on but it wont, I dont think it would be quicker than a Turbo, perhaps on a par with a standard one, I think N/A cars feel totally different and that turbo shove is addictive.
Brakes, brilliant, great feel, very effective, more reassuring than the Porsche but it is a lot lot newer and has bigger tyres.
Interior, has a good smell, I think smell is a much under valued part of the car owning experience, it smells of Jap car and leather, ever since being a kid, any Nissan has had the smell, this is my first jap car and it has that evocatove 120Y/Silvia Turbo aroma, mixed with a bit of leather whiff, not quite on apar with the lovely aged 944 smell. Otherise everything works, even the clock, not the most ergonic but having all these toys is a revelation, it does have a thing to tell me the MPG, I may just cover that up, theough to be fair, on the way back it did 31 MPG.
Will always think fondly of my 944, I was worried this might not fill the gap it left but it does, it has character as well, in a world of well mannered, anodyne modern stuff, its a bit of a yobbo of a car.