Z33 question....

[Mr Camouflage]

Damn right.

It's a skyline isn't it?

[stickninja]

i like something caroll shelby said when ford was deciding what they should call the then unamed GT350. "The name does not make the car, the car makes the name." caroll shelby then named the car by counting out the number of steps between two buildings (which was 348), and decided to call the car the GT350, and thus history was made.

think about this: is a nissan fairlady z the same as a datsun 240/260/280Z?

or: how related is an S30 Z and a Z32?

and how about this: a G35 coupe is built on the 350Z platform, while a G35 Sedan is the Skyline Sedan, and the upcoming Skyline GTR is a completely different animal (sheetmetal wise). So how confusing can Nissan make it?

Nissan marketed it's cars in the US as Datsuns because they didn't want the good name of Nissan to be soiled if they failed in the US market. Nissan markets Ifiniti to fool people into paying for illusionary prestige. it's all marketing, and has nothing to do with engineering.

[Mr Camouflage]

Ah now its all starting to make sence. The new z wasn't designed to be a 2 seat sports car, it was designed to be base model that could be a 2 seater (the 350z), or a whack on a few different pannels and a back seat to get 4 seater (G35).

Cars designed by nissan bean counters.

[CoastGuardZ]

To my knowledge the g35 is on an Altima platform... on the otherhand the G35 sports Coupe is on the Z platform. Still different enough to not be a Z. The Z says it all. No G35's in a Z club. "Mustang" clubs may take in other 5.0L's or Fox bodys in order to gain more members, and it's been my experience that the clubs are more typically founded around the 5 liter more than the actual mustang.

Playing the devils advocate I've seen smaller Z clubs take in other Datsuns (ie: roadsters and 510's). Ain't a Z but hey, it's all about the love. Still I don't think an Infinity belongs in a Z club, because it ain't a Z.

A bit on insight into Infinity. A marketing ploy yes. All hype..no.

Take a base line Maxima vs. a base line I35. No comparison. Sure they are nearly identical but the features are way nicer and more abundant. A loaded Max vs. a base I35 is closer but the I35 is still better equiped. Same on the Pathfinder and the QX4.

And the prices aren't that far off either. Price a loaded Pathfinder vs. a QX4 with the closest features and they're pretty close in price.

Nate:cross-eye

[thefastestz]

If the car wants to be a Z they should have called it the 350z 2+2, and branded it nissan.

OH..... but how much more prestigous to say(for them) I have a INFINITY G35 than

Nissan 350Z 2+2.

I've always had trouble accepting the 2+2 Z anyway but the only reason I did accept it was because it had the Z name, and It only had minor visual differences. I guess the g35 kinda crossed that little thin line.

I don't want to call the Infiniti a skyline either after all a skyline is a NISSAN and it's much faster.

[Alfadog]

Your base model Skyline (Coupe or 4 door) was always not all that hot...

[Walter Moore]

Yes, the Infinity is the "up market" (read luxury) version of a Nissan. They have a higher base price, and usually more leather on the inside.

A funny story, a friend of mine went looking at Nissans because he wanted to buy a Maxima, but ended up buying the Infinity version because by the time you added the options to get the Nissan version up to the same equipment level as the base Infinity it was more money, and the Infinity has a better warranty... (Free loaner car etc.)

His even came with a limited slip differential... which I didn't know you could do in a FWD...

[Zvoiture]

Interesting comments all. In attempts to address the original question, some of the side-bar opinions really surprise me.

The whole automotive world has changed. With litigation, labor and vehicle code causing R&D to go off the scale, auto manufacturers can't just bang out a pet stand-alone project and remain fiscally viable. They must mix up the beans a bit. You want a car that doesn't share any other chassis? Get out your checkbook and go buy a Viper or a NSX. Those are the kinds of prices you will be expected to pay. The 350Z could NEVER HAVE EVEN BEEN PRODUCED without production-line merging. Nissan was going to lose money on each model sold unless it streamlined its production. Renault/Nissan is not in a position to lose money to keep a few purists happy. So now we have the best of both worlds: A world-class automobile and worthy continuation of the line and successor to the Z and a happy parent company. AND THEY ARE DOING IT STARTING AT 26,000US$!!!!! So it shares a few platforms. I find it interesting how they have managed to keep both the 350Z and other sister vehicles so unique in spite of all the parts sharing Different HP's(280 vs.272 hp?), different drive configurations (Maxima is F/F, G&Z is F/R?). I think they did an esteemable job building some personality into the different cars.

The other thing which seems to come out strongly is a sort of implied vehemence towards luxury car owners even to the point of suggesting the cars they buy are 'rebadged'... 'marketing ploys', useless fluff...etc. etc. First of all, there is absolutely no comparison between a Maxima and an Infiniti or a Camry and an Lexus. It is not a re-badging. To suggest otherwise is an admission of ignorance. And what's wrong with owning a luxury car? And not modifying it? How egocentric is that? Of course I am not going to modify or EVEN WORK ON my LS. That's not what I bought it for. Is that wrong?

Way off topic, I know.. but hey!

steve

[Bambikiller240]

Originally posted by Zvoiture

(major snip by Carl)

The other thing which seems to come out strongly is a sort of implied vehemence towards luxury car owners even to the point of suggesting the cars they buy are 'rebadged'... 'marketing ploys', useless fluff...etc. etc. First of all, there is absolutely no comparison between a Maxima and an Infiniti or a Camry and an Lexus. It is not a re-badging. To suggest otherwise is an admission of ignorance. And what's wrong with owning a luxury car? And not modifying it? How egocentric is that? Of course I am not going to modify or EVEN WORK ON my LS. That's not what I bought it for. Is that wrong?

Way off topic, I know.. but hey!

1. Me thinks you read too much into the responses. "implied vehemence" ????????

2. If it looks like a Duck, quacks like a Duck..........it's a Duck! Pintail, or Mallard, or Brown; they're still DUCKS! But the Mallards don't belong in the Pintail Duck Club!

3. 280 hp v.s. 272 hp. come on, a very minor tweek in the engine management system software likely accounts for that negligible difference. Probably only done to adjust fuel mileage to appeal to a different market segment, or to keep it from being classified in a higher insurance rate class.

4. Nothing wrong with owning a Luxo car, but don't call it something it isn't. IT AIN'T A Z!! Do you really think a "G35 Club" would welcome 240Z,260Z,280Z, Z31, Z32 owners just because the G shares a platform with the 350Z? Somehow I doubt it.

5. First you point out how it is necessary for all of these cars to share common platforms to save dollars for the manufacturer, then you complain because we point out that these are the same platforms, and how the only real differences are in creature comforts tacked on, (Oh, and a whole 6 hp too!), and the badges on them designed to appeal to a different market segment. In this case an upscale market. The badges ARE different, you cannot argue that point, and the platforms are the same, you admit to that. There are differences, to be sure, but those differences tend to SEPARATE the Infinitys from the Nissans. Let's keep it that way!

I wonder how eager you would be to invite owners of a car that was built on the 350Z Platform, but had a 2.0L, 100 hp, 4 cylinder engine, a 3 on the tree transmisson, a spartan cloth interior and no radio into a 'Z club"???

PS In many areas of the country one would have to BLOW the salesman to get a 350Z for $26K.

[stickninja]

so what many of you are saying is this: if it isn't named "Z", then it isn't a "Z", right?

at what point does a name define a vehicle? is a nissan fairlady z the same as a datsun 240/260/280Z? There are mechanical differences(i.e. different engines/transmissions/prescence or lack of limited slip diffs, etc.). or is it that they just share similar sheetmetal? and what about a "ZX"? is a 280/300ZX the same as a "Z"? names are just names. maybe you should all check out nissan's japanese website before you start to believe the marketing about infiniti.

nissan.http://www2.nissan.co.jp/SKYLINE/V35/0301/index.html

the skyline coupe is what we americans call the infiniti G35 Coupe.

americans (i can't speak about the rest of the world) like to make separations amongst ourselves, and we readily believe when someone tells us we'll be different if buy this or that brand. even the major automagazines will tell you that infiniti's quality isn't better than nissan, and isn't up to par with the major luxo brands (bmw/cadillac).

all modern car manufacturers use parts from a corporate parts bin. for reference, the nissan skyline was designed and built in japan. it's multi-link rear suspension and powerplant were then incorporated into the nissan altima in the states. the same rear suspension (and front) and powerplant was then used for the 350Z. and then later for the skyline coupe. the skyline gtr will use the same suspension design, and possibly the same powerplant, but will look completely different from the other skylines. is it a different car? and just remember that even the fairlady z was derived from humble beginings to keep costs down, this is unavoidable in mass production engineering.

the reason domestic clubs (in my limited experience) allow so many different cars (from the same brands), is because most domestic car guys recognize and embrace the similarities in their cars. it's less about being a mustang or camaro guy, than it is about being a ford or chevy guy. i will forever be a nissan (and ford) guy, not just a z guy.

[Mr Camouflage]

Originally posted by BambiKiller240

3. 280 hp v.s. 272 hp. come on, a very minor tweek in the engine management system software likely accounts for that negligible difference.

Changing the Air filter would make that much HP differance.

Or just fudge the rounding when converting from Kilowatts. I believe the maximum allowable power rating in Japan for factory produced road registered cars is 206KW. Which equals about 280HP. They could easily (dont read cheeply) be tweeked to make more power.

Which is why a 91TT supra has the same HP rating as the 97TT supra, which has half a litre more capacity in the engine.

BambiKiller. Have you seen the old animated cartoon (in B&W) called Bambi meets Godzilla?

[Bambikiller240]

Originally posted by Mr Camouflage

BambiKiller. Have you seen the old animated cartoon (in B&W) called Bambi meets Godzilla?

Yes, but not in a long time. I used to attend animation film festivals in my younger days. It is one of the classics.

Carl