Cars:

LOL, even with the extra 30 horses from your ~1k in mods, they're still not going to live up to the false "sports car" image that Nissan has created over the 350z. 30 horses will buy you maybe a tenth of a second in the good ol' 1/4 mile. WHOOPDEEDoO. even with that extra tenth knocked off, it'll be quite amusing to see it get walked on by a SUV that's 2,000 lbs heavier almost. And I smile every time I leave a 350z behind me.
I never did say "they dont have power," they're just downright awful at utilizing the 330 horses that 350z's DO have.


So, to the OP.... My optimal suggestion to YOU if you want something practical, good-looking(if you like SUV's), FAST, sounds MEAN, has AWD(nice for icy weather, and allows sub-4 sec 0-60s even in the rain!), can fit your friends, and has a strong aftermarket for mods....I would look into getting maybe an '06 or an '07 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. They can be found with decent miles for a fair price nowadays. And sadly enough, this is also an SUV that can out-corner a 350Z in the twisties too. Oh boy, decision made.

 

There's also difference between the horsepower and how much is actually getting to the wheels. Sad to say, but the Z doesn't do a very good job. And 1k in bolt ons adds 30+ HP? What bolt ons are those? Either way, I have friends with $4,000 in their Honda Civics that can smoke any Z out there lol.

 

depending on how you do it, yes 1k worth of bolt ons can add 30hp,. shit, a good tune is usually worth around 10hp.

your friends that drop 4k in a civic obviously went the forced induction route, which is something i respect completely. just not something i would do.