Sheesh, what a mess this has become. Heres what I think:
Motorsports:
BMW wins. BMW has had a longer and more successful history of automotive racing compared to Nissan.
Company:
BMW wins again. This part has more factors.
- Brand image, the average consumer would prefer picking a BMW over a Nissan/Infiniti.
- Manufacturing, I'll let J.D. Power decide this one.
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/brand-ratings/
- Sales, Nissan wins, but thats overall. If you were to compare Infiniti to BMW, BMW pwnz.
- Vehicles, Nissan wins. Nissan has a wider range/selection of vehicles.
- Vehicle performance, BMW again. M3, M5, and Z4 M > 350Z/G35 and Q45. (I just realized Infiniti needs a convertible.)
The comparison was based on how things are now. BMW is in a good position in the market while Nissan isn't.
Nissan has recently recovered from the bankruptcy and are profitable again. But sales are starting to go down again compared to last year. Seems like Ghosn's plan for the Titan/Armada/QX56 to help the company is backfiring in two ways. 1. the market is shifting to smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles. 2. since those vehicles are built at a new manufacturing plant, a lot of the vehicles came out defective. Which then caused Ghosn to send a bunch of engineers from Japan to the new plant to fix the reliability issue. And because of these vehicle problems, it brought down Nissan's ranking in the J.D. Power comparisons. Nissan still needs to improve and has room to do it.
BMW has problems installing speakers onto their dashboards because of an engineering flaw. n00bs. But seriously, the main issue I see with BMW is their vehicle pricing. A lot of people consider their vehicles to be overpriced compared to similar vehicles from other manufacturers. They don't offer a wide selection of vehicles like Nissan, but they can't do so either. If they do then they'll just end up being like all the other big brands and could potentially damage their brand image.
I could go on, but to sum things up, BMW > Nissan. BMW right now is performing better than Nissan.
Now, to the GT-R vs. M3 debate. To begin with, I'd pick the M3. Mainly because I prefer RWD over AWD. But if I consider all the other variables, I'd end up with a GT-R. GT-R being more rare and having a bigger aftermarket made me choose it.
350Z vs. M3 debate. This one I'm a little biased. Yes I know the 350Z performs well, but the car IMO was cheaply made. Maybe not the recent ones, but I know for sure the earlier models were. Almost all the magazine reviewers had something negative to say about the interior and the build quality of the car. I even noticed it too when I sat in one. And its really noticeable when the next car you jump into is a Lexus. Also that issue with the tires being eaten up. So M3 wins. Now, if we were to compare a G35 to a M3, I'd go for the G35. Yes I know the M3 is still better performance-wise, but I just love how the G35 looks.
Almost done.
The whole "For the price difference, I can make X better than Y" debate is just stupid in a topic like this. Topics like this one should avoid bringing in prices because it makes things more complicated. Yes, I can see it being possible for a 350Z to perform better than a M3 if you invest the price difference into the 350Z. But think about this. Lets say a M3 and a modified 350Z battle at a track. In the middle of the battle, the 350Z has to quit because the engine blows. Then you come to find out that the engine blew because of a modified part that was installed. What am I trying to get at? When you modify a car, you have to rely on the R&D done by the company to make the part perform well and function properly and reliably. Then you have to rely on the person/shop that installs this part. If both fail, you car fails. With a M3, if it fucks up, those stealerships will fix it for you since it's under warranty (Although I wouldn't be surprised if some of them don't want to fix it.) If you're a rich bitch, then what I said shouldn't concern you. But for those who are not, and most of us here are, this is a concern.
Bah, forgot what else I was going to say. Anywho, in the end it all comes down to what you want in a car and what company offers it. You should forget about the performance numbers because obviously you can make the car perform the way you want it to. Time for me to pass out. Feel free to debate what I said while I'm hibernating. :boring:
