Apparently, the front end alighment is EXTREMELY critical in the Z, and as a result, a tremendous amount of tire noise is produced from tires that are not wearing properly. I just read a 12-month test in one of the latest car mag's and they loved everything about the Z, except for the annoying drone of the tire noise.
I've driven both the Z3 and Z4 in stick and automatic...the latter's the former's predecessor, chassis, performance, everything. That's why the comparison is accurate, like the SC 400 to the SC 430. I'm not saying i would buy either car, at all, shit i'll take the protege 5 over either (mazda has some of the best gearboxes out there). But the justification is price. I've driven the Z3 and the Miati on the same day, I did not notice any difference in performance between the two.
Chassis? 100% different. Performanc? 100% differnce. Clearly you are very confused. The ONLY component that the Z3 and the z4 share are the motors in the last model Z3's, and the first model Z4's. And those motors are by any standards great engines. The only thing you say that makes any sense at all is that you do have a good point with the price. After all, you are comparing a Miata with a car that costs double the price. But back to the Z3/z4....these cars have about as much in common with each other as the Miati has in common with the protoge...probably FAR, FAR LESS. Differnet suspension, different steering system (Z4 is electric, z3 hydrolic), hell, the list goes on to include 1000s of differences. The Z3 was thrown together with parts no longer used by other models. Obsolete trailing arm suspensions from discontinued 3 series BMW's, etc. Same with the steering. The Z4 was designed from the ground up as a totally brand new car. With possibly the most torsionally rigid body of any convertible at any price. Whereas the Z3 was very twisty and un-surefooted. These are two completely different cars. Do a little research. Peace, RS
I was a big fan until I saw the ridiculous "plastic" interior AND being 6'1", my head it the roof and I had to compensate for this by adjusting the seat into a "not-so-comfortable" position. Unlike the new Mazda RX-8 that has incredibly well placed seat to pedal placement. Can't wait for the supercharged MazdaSpeed version due out sometime this year!
Okay, i'm sorry, I was confused. Somehow i was looking at two different models of the Z3 and thought one was the Z4 - I spoke to one of the bellmen i work with and he confirmed it wasn't the Z4 we drove last august. At the time the Z3 was starting around 38,000 CND., not worth the price given the Miati's sticker was about 27 k. We just didn't see why anyone would pay that for the Z3. Sorry for the redundancy, but i personally would not buy either car, far too small for me. I'd rather save up for years to buy the M3.
I'm referring to the Coupe. ( G35) By the way, the Mazda RX-8 has a 4 year, 50,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, along with Roadside Assistance. The Nissan 350Z does not have Roadside Assistance, and the warranty is only 3 years and 36,000 miles.