Is the 350z good for a first car?

B

babybuddah

New Forum User
Hello everyone,
I am about to get my driving licence and the MR2 and the 350z was always my dream cars. After finding out that the MR2 might be a little bit dangerous so I just wanted to find out if the 350z is suitable for newbie drivers like me.

Thanks for reading!:thumbs:
 
It all depends on you as a person and a driver I guess.

In my opinion an important part of driving is being able to get yourself out of trouble if something happens, which invariably will happen at some point. Knowing what a car a will do when it reaches its limit and loses some control is the only way to learn. At what point a car begins to understeer or oversteer for example and how to correct it.

I found the 350Z to be so fast and stable that it's limit of grip when it begins to lose control is at a speed that if you run out of talent you're going to be in a serious situation, so I'm glad I gained experience with slower cars. When I was younger I used to drive to private car parks in the very early hours when it snowed to have a 'play', but it was a good way learn how the car reacted to bad weather.

By all means have a 350Z as a first car, but I would recommend getting it on a track and learn the car and it's limits.

I hope this reply isn't patronising, but as you stated that someone said the MR2 was 'dangerous' I assumed that was flavour of the reply you wanted.

Honestly, slower cars are more fun. Try an MX5, they're great and fun cars to drive.
 
I can't believe Dale that you're even hinting that this guy get a performance-aimed sportscar as his first...........
 
I agree with Dale and Sean - amazing!

First a first car you really need something less powerful.

Then of course there is the cost of buying and running a 350Z.

My 3 kids had a Pug 306, Astra and a 1.4 Golf and they all have fond memories of them because they were their first car and brought freedom. Secondly my kids are all good drivers and passed their test first time but they all damaged their first cars either through over exuberant driving or not anticipating a situation correctly.
 
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Dale said:
Haha, well, if he can afford the insurance...

What was your first car Sean?
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Austin 1300 - cheap insurance, cheap to run.........cheap to fix !

If someone can afford to buy a performance car and insure and run it - that doesn't make it ok in my view.

We're all assuming here that the poster is a young guy but it might be 30+....although as a first car, I wouldn't advise one designed for speed and thrills !

Probably becomming an old fart but I know how I was and I'd like to see first timers live a little longer - too many flowers by the side of the roads here with photos of young drivers.:(
 
I don't disagree with you at all Sean. Like I said, you have to be going some before the 350z 'let's go', and when that happens you're in deep trouble. I never got close to that in mine and it was always a concern to me that if something like a blow out or another dangerous failure happened I didnt know the car well enough to know how it would react and if I could deal with it, and I consider myself reasonably experienced and have driven many different cars. Its a fast car.
 
Dale said:
I don't disagree with you at all Sean. Like I said, you have to be going some before the 350z 'let's go', and when that happens you're in deep trouble. Its a fast car.
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Not ideal for a first car just after passing ones' licence then.
 
Just my opinion - it's your life and your money.........just don't waste either for 5 minutes fun.
 
I'm a driving instructor. To get a 350Z as your first car (assuming you could find someone to insure you, and afford the cost of that) is bordering on madness.
You need to get some driving experience first - then work your way up to more powerful machines.
It's not all about speed - initially it is about learning how to get from A to B without killing yourself or anyone else.
If it is fun you want, go for a classic car an original Austin/Rover Mini - might not be the fastest thing on four wheels but it is like a go-kart to drive and cool with it!
 
I sold my '04 350Z to a young guy who drove 100 miles each way to collect it. His mate did the negotiating beforehand (on the phone) and his mother drove it home (and was a bit nervous about it). I took him for a test drive and he was a bit shocked by it's performance and I wasn't being stupid. I have often wondered how he went on with it, I just hope he was sensible.

Young drivers are often very capable drivers technically - you only have to look at the young racing drivers these days. It's just managing restraint that's the difficult bit as we know - we've all been there. It's natural to think that you are invincible until you have an accident.

As an aside - when I was young (here we go again!!) lots of us had motorbikes or scooters before cars and they were even more dangerous than 350Zs.

A phenomenon I experience when in my 370 is guys (usually young but not always) who want to show me how quick their car is and how good a driver (not) they are. It's a bit worrying - they must think I'm a boring old fart who doesn't deserve to have a sporty car. When I did trackdays I found that it's usually the show-offs who are the slowest.
 
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Having owned high performance cars in my early twenties, I'd echo some of the comments here. Definitely what Riddler said with knobs on!!

Good shout on MR2. I had one, LOVED it, but it scared me regularly on wet roads and tried to kill me on a damp road with diesel on it at legal / sensible for the conditions speed - where other cars would have just twitched a little, the MR2 swapped ends like a spinning top and took me into the oncoming traffic both of us doing 40-50mph! Bear in mind I used to compete in karts and have/had pretty fast reactions + this was after 12 years of driving experience and owned the car for 3 years.

I started with a 1.1L Fiesta Popular Plus which had the obligatory impressive sound system. Actually, that and the fuel economy were the most impressive features. BUT, lacking the power and grip meant I learned a great deal about anticipation, reading the road and driving a car on it's handling limits which in that car with 165 tyres was just a case of keeping up with the traffic ;). A lot to be said for all that in making you a far better road driver.

As a first car that has cool factor beyond the no. of speakers and amplifier wattage, why not consider something like an MX5, which will give you all the fun of rear drive but on a forgiving progressive chassis without the dangers/challenges the added power a 350 would bring? Or indeed the crippling insurance bill.

If u don't do many miles, how about some affordable retro cool / fun in a Triumph Spitfire or MGB roadster? Tonnes of fun to be had in those and you will be far cooler than any affordable modern metal! When I had the Fiesta, my mate had the 1.8 MG with cheaper insurance, more power and lots of controllable tail out fun.

One other thought - there is a tonne of grinning to be done in a hot/warm hatch. My Saxo VTR was a HUGE lot of fun but the build quality was a shocker. There are lots of other hot-ish hatches you can enjoy with good build quality.

My personal advice is, be patient, get something fun but predictable / moderate powered so as to build road safe experience and insurance years before getting a high performance car. It'll be much kinder to your wallet, your license and your long term safety. This is all advice I despised at your age but with hind sight wish I had taken.
 
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This is an interesting one. I drove an XJS off my dads insurance many years ago. The biggest problem is that with performance cars you're ahead of the game but thinking and braking time becomes an issue.
If you've got the patience try and get some ncb on any old banger. then start getting quotes for them nicer cars (Z's)
Best of luck

:280Z:
 
I would get something old and cheap to run and insure for your first car. If you ding it or scrape it then it's no big deal. If I had had a fast sports car as my first car I would probably have lost my licence or wrapped it round a tree. Road Tax and insurance will be a crippler...
 
I'd recommend a motorbike: you can go super quick if you like for not a lot of money, and best of all, when you get it all wrong, there's good odds that you'll only kill yourself.
 
Respectfully if you've just passed your test you've only just managed to achieve the minimum level necessary to drive a potentially lethal weapon, respect it and learn the craft before you go and get a car that is way to powerful for you.
 
No. Simple as that. The 350 is a very capable car but that capability can flatter anyone - especially an inexperienced driver - into a feeling of immortality that simply doesn't exist. Get a few (thousand!) miles under your belt in something a lot less powerful, a lot slower and a lot cheaper to run/insure. Consider a classic car but remember you probably won't get the reliability and safety that a modern car offers. Remember that your first car is the one you'll probably dent when parking. Work your way up to the 350... it's a great car but you need experience to be safe in one.
 
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