Comparison/Contrast Car essay
A fairly modern sports car with a sleek design and low black silhouette, the Nissan 350Z is a fast, luxurious and very modifiable car. Its short through of the 6 speed manual transmission makes it hard not to keep your foot pinned to the floorboard as it pushes you back in your fighter-jet designed seats. As you speed around sharp, hair pin, tight turns, the Z hugs the road like a cheetah chasing its prey through the wild. From a few decades earlier, the 1986 Chevy C-10 is an amazing American Muscle classic. Its single cab, low profile design makes it stand out from its modern brothers and is a rare vehicle to be seen driving around on the road today. The beauty of this jaw dropping truck is not just in its physique, but in the low rumble that warns you it has a very respectable 350cc power plant and an emission system that was designed long before governmental performance choking regulations. The look and sound of these two vehicles only allude to the differences in their cost, maintenance and performance.
A trip to the gas pump is just one indicator of the cost difference between the 6 cylinder sport car and the 8 cylinder truck. The 350Z?s gas mileage is amazing with 23 mile per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. Although the 350Z?s gas mileage is amazing, the parts for this higher technology car are a bit pricy if they go bad. If the radiator or coil plugs go out, it would be a few hundred dollars to fix. The insurance on the car is reasonable; if the vehicle were to get totaled in an accident, the Z would be completely covered. Contrary to the camel-like Nissan, the Chevy, whose 4 barrel carburetor sucks fuel at an alarming 10 miles per gallon in the city and 12 mpg on the highway, keeps its owner at the pumps. However, the parts for the Chevy are not nearly as costly as they are for the Nissan. If we were to compare the same parts that we did for the Z, the C-10 parts are a lot cheaper, but could be a little harder to find. On the issue of insurance, if the C-10 were to ever get totaled in a car wreck, the insurance company would pay out only book value and not take into account the restored value, nevertheless, charging the same monthly premium as the Z. There are cost pros and cons associated with the ownership of both of these machines.
The 350Z?s low profile design looks great and makes it corner with amazing agility, but when you do have to work on it; you need to be the size of a Chihuahua to get under it. Every square inch of the engine compartment is also filled with parts necessary to its proper operation. To replace or upgrade a part requires a love for reading instruction manuals, an expensive tool collection and lots of time and patience. Although the parts are a lot easier to find for this vehicle, the joy of working on your own vehicle is crushed rather like the person who tries to squeeze under it to change the oil. The newer Nissan is reliable and fortunately doesn?t require frequent work. The Chevy C-10 sits much higher up, so when it comes to maintenance, it is a lot easier to slide under. There is ample room surrounding the engine to remove and replace parts or make modifications. The only downside about maintaining the C-10 is when parts break, it can be like a treasure hunt without a map. Working on the truck is fun and manuals are much simpler, if needed at all and tools required are easily found; however, older vehicles need more frequent care and repair. The car and the truck demand that maintenance be considered, the only question is whether it is done before or after title is taken.
When it comes to performance, the 350Z can compete with automobiles with much larger engines like the Chevy C-10. It is quick, nimble and gives the driver a thrill at the track. After-market parts are available for the 350Z, but the motor in the car is rare and specifically designed parts are costly. If you do choose to do the installation yourself, you usually have to get it tuned by a shop in order for the car to perform right and this also will cost you more money. Likewise, another downside of the 350Z is that this car has a lot of computerized sensors that get correct readings or your car will not work properly and will require servicing. In like manner to the 350, the Chevy C-10 wins kudos from performance junkies. Its more raw type power is equally impressive and effective at the track, although less nimble on the road. Unlike the Nissan, after-market parts are readily available and affordable so gear heads can modify to their hearts content. Quite the opposite of the newer cars, the older and less technical C-10 has no sensors or computers that require trip to the pricey dealership bay. Tuning is usually done with the turn of a screw here and there and is more affordable even if it is done in a shop. The 350Z screams performance and in like manner the C-10 demands equal recognition.
The age and type of vehicle you own will greatly affect the experience of your ownership. Both the 2004 Nissan 350Z and the 1987 Chevy C-10 have head turning design and are fun to drive for different reasons. Their cost, maintenance and performance will make you delighted or distressed depending on the situation. There are days when I am happy to own and drive my 350Z, yet I often find myself wishing I could drive off in my Chevy C-10 just one more time.
