This is all good stuff...I personally was looking at the NISMO because I really dont want to do a lot of modding. The NISMO to me looks fantastic right out of the factory. And a head turner is what I want!

A lot of your opinions on the SS,BMW,EVO are pretty much the same as what I think. SS has nice engine but its cheapish and common, BMW is luxury but expensive and ugly, EVO is high performance but 4 door lancer underneath it all.

Originally I was weary of having only 2 seats but I really dont need the backseats and the Pros of the Z outway that sacrifice. I've always wanted a Z car since the 300 (had a 89 240sx coupe back in mid 90's so naturally as a teen the 300 was tops!).

Since I've been researching I have really noticed a lot of mustangs camaros and 1-series bmws. Over the past 3 months I've only seen 2 base Z's and notta one NISMO. The likelyhood of seeing a NISMO is very low and thats why I want it, uniqueness.

I really want a true sports car and having a harsh track suspension and all of those aspects don't bother me at all. My prelude now has a super harsh ride with my aftermarket rims/suspension etc so I'm used to it. Because the NISMO is designed for that experience it might not even be as harsh as my aftermarket mods on the lude. To be honest.

Nav and leather etc doesn't matter either because I don't have those things now and would rather have the car focused on performance rather luxury.

I've always wanted a true RWD sports car with unique looks and superior handling. Now that I have the money the NISMO wins hands down in my mind to all comparable in its cost class. Its nice to hear that most owners are happy with their decision. I plan on really taking care of this car and owning for 5+ years so its a big decision for me.

Appreciate the feedback!

I was under the same mentality when I purchased my Pearl White 370' Nismo. It's a hellova car and looks fantastic right off the lot. I've had cars in the past that I've put my blood/sweat in to, however this time around I wanted a I could appreciate right away without thinking "what do I mod first?" Honestly, for me, the wheels / aerokit are more important then leather seating and a navigation system. It would be nice to have a Pearl White 370Z with white leather but I would miss not having those amazing staggered wheels and knowing I own a limited model. The "Nismo" badge might not mean anything to some, however I enjoy owning a unique Z. In a few years after it's paid off I may consider tuning the car a bit more, however for now it will be untouched!

Really it comes down to this:

Can you afford the premium, if so, is the additional aerokit and wheels worth it over Nav/Sound/Leather?

Thats the only hangup I had to come to terms with before purchasing the Nismo. All and all, amazing car, I get tons of looks on the road. :)

PS. I hear you on the BMW, EVO, STI, SS, Mustang GT (in my case) debate. I had previously owned a Mazdaspeed 3 and it was a fun car, however I grew tired of FWD and the turbo. I wanted something a bit more comfortable and non-hatchback. Evo's are quick but they are evo's none the less. I've never been a fan of domestic cars and the BMW I wanted would have been used (around 30K) and would have cost me more to maintain in the long run. Really, that only left the 370Z... :P

I just installed an aftermarket NAV/Sub/Amp to satisfy my sound fetish. As far as leather goes, I have been stationed in places that are either HOT as hell or COLD as the dickens and leather is not friendly in either environment. I love the NISMO in Red, I just wish I could have gotten Yellow.

Rob

I had sports touring pearl white for about 4 months with that short time i installed F.I. exhaust BC racing coilover, black out head light, black out rear valance, 25mm spacers front and back and a nismo s-tune front lip and i totally love the car but every time I see a Nismo i just wish i had one. so i went to the dealer ship and traded my beloved modded PW 370z for 09 Nismo with only 2800 miles on it and god know how happy i am. so if you ask me if the Nismo is worth it? Hell to the effin yea! and on top of that the dealership let me have all the mods that i installed to my PW. :)

I feel you on the hot/cold thing man, I was up at Drum with my SC Saleen, not fun at all in the winter lol

Some ppl may think you're crazy for doing that. But not me. I don't know what it is about the Nismo but I Love this car. I've had 350Zs, vettes, mustangs and the new challenger and none of them make me WANT to drive it as much as the Nismo. Just wish it came with 50 more horses from the factory to really set it aside from the rest of the 370s but right now just havin fun driving the car. :driving:

Of course nodded cars are hard to sell ha

It works out great for me instead of them having a modded PW 370z I have a modded Nismo lol!

I think its definately worth getting. I got mine over the summer and my reasoning is I wanted something that is going to be able to be comparable with other cars out there. From what ive read, it has about as good, if not better numbers than the Mustangs, Camero's, Challenger's and BMW's (except new M3's), and looks better than the Evo's and STi's, and is still about as fast. I think they are more unique and also leaves me with not too much modding to do. When you line them all up together, the Nismo tends to be the one turning the heads...

IMO I like the idea of having the car look the way I want it straight off the dealer floor. If I'm putting out almost 40K I shouldn't need to add anything to make myself happy with it. I don't want to say "it just doesn't look finished to me" everytime I look at it, and to be honest my wife would give me the smelly eye if I went out and bought mods right away on a 30K+ car (they just don't understand those things).

I have contemplated buying a base w/sport and then adding the NISMO aero kit and spoiler (at time of purchase from dealer) which would give it a similar look for a little less money but I would be losing the "limited" aspect and the tuning/performance aspects the NISMO comes with. Overall in the end it would cost roughly 3-4k less going that route. But is the loss of all those NISMO'y gadgets worth 3-4k? I'm not so sure ie exhaust, tuning, badges, limited edition, etc...

The reality of that is...I'm already paying say 35k so why not try to find a deal on an actual NISMO at 38-39K for basically an extra 75 bucks a month on a 5 year loan. Yea that extra cash adds up and affects the interest payed but I'm already in the boat for 500+ a month so the prestige of the NISMO seems worth the extra cost. Also, when someone says "hey man nice car...is that a NISMO" I can say yea..I'm special! haha

That type of stuff (for my sick ego) is important to me. I'm the type that wants the top model of the line...I always seem to want the top of the line and if I get the second best I always regret the decision. This is why the NISMO twinkles in my eye. At this point in my life I have been waiting and saving for extra time to get a nice car and I feel that if I don't go all in my patience and determination is somewhat worthless.

As far as going sport/touring..I've decided that leather power heated seats would be the only perk I really want out of the touring deal and an extra 5K is too steep for that. I don't really "need" the technology aspects (nav etc) and currently don't have anything luxury in my current 01 Prelude....honestly I drive a car with a 90's style interior and absolutely zero luxuries aside from cruise control. I personally like to do my own stereo system so no issue there as well.

So its Base w/ Sport and NISMO Aero package or NISMO
Colors- 1st Black 2nd Pearl White 3rd Gun Metal...Opinions on best color are welcome
All of the other car options I was looking at are now off the table. It will be a Z no matter what!

Planning to purchase New or under 1K Used Summer 2011 (Previous year model preferred)

^^i like 01 preludes!

Why buy a base/sport and get the nismo aero kit? The wing itself sells for around 2000 dollars I think. You mind as well get the nismo.

I vote NISMO...as for colors, I have black and have had black cars in the past...they are more upkeep to keep from swirling the paint, etc. But when waxed and clean they look great. White is safe and wears better, at least in the sun down here in Sunnyland. Gunmetal is nice, light enough it's not a PITA but dark enough at the same time...tough call.

On the whole price thing, find a used one with a few thousand miles. Got my '09 with 3K on the clock, pre-certified and 100K BtB warranty out the door for $34k. I generally don't buy new, but then again, I've had my NISMO for 6 months now and everyone that knows me keep saying it's time to trade in as the oil will need changing soon... :D

yea F1...I had thought about finding a slightly used NIZ and the only reason I hesitate on that is the nightmare of not knowing if someone beat it for 2K then dumped it. I guess with all the certified stuff nowadays that risk isn't to bad. And you would think people take care of these cars but you never know.

WISHIHADNAV...I love my prelude too! I bought it new in 01 and it has been a great car. Its only got 75K on it and its super clean in and out. It will be tough to sell it knowing some young teenager will probably buy it and destroy it...tear,tear. I just turned 30 so I need some sophistication and power!

I've noticed (maybe someone can answer this) that the NISMO front end is different from the base in that the base has fangs and the NISMO doesn't. Is this accurate? And if so, wouldn't I have a hard time adding the front NIZ aero to a base model? Would you have to do a full bumper swap?

YOu will have to swap the whole bumper out. You can look at my avatar to see the front nismo bumper.

The nismo kit is not a lip kit.

thats what I thought...also for the aero vents on the rear bumper. It seems like the cost of swapping and the cost of material (kit pieces) would add up and not make much sense. It would just be easier to buy aftermarket lip kit instead of the NISMO kit.

yeah the 01's are definatly nice:tup:...if your planning on getting the Nismo aero then your way better off just buying a Nismo...if i had to do it all over again i would buy a base (no sport) for about 28k and get the following..full Zele kit, AP BBK, Quaife LSD and some TE37 SL's:p

Aloha I would like to just say after weeks of debating, researching, planning finances etc etc. The Nissan Motorsport is worth it IMHO:tiphat:, best bang for the buck, like they guys were saying above if you decide to get a base model to the same level as the Nismo how much would that cost, wheels, tires, Aero kits, exhaust suspension, brakes, it would cost me more then 10K here in Hawaii, roughly about 25K here on island to get to the same level as Nismo:gtfo2:, (cost of living here is high) so speaking for me and for me only I'd say heck yeah its really worth it. I am not much of a modder either,:icon23: I honestly like to try to keep the value of the car. I just started the process of ordering with the dealership, just have to find out if its a go this sunday and I am def keeping my fingers crossed:excited:, I want to be the first 370Z Nismo on island of Oahu Hawaii....60 to 90 days to get here it from Japan if everything goes well...now that I think about it I have seen only 3 other 370 Zees on island since they first came out in 09:confused:

Bottom line.........It's worth every penny! You can read all the specs and reviews but you just won't know until you own one. Try and find 1 Nismo owner here that says geez I wish I bought a regular w sport and blah blah blah. I see alot of regular Z owners trading in to get the new mustang. You won't see any Nismo owners doing that.

Huh? I don't understand the logic in that statement. The people that are switching to the Mustang are doing so because their needs changed (need a back seat) or they enjoyed the low-end punch that a 5.0L V8 delivers. I don't think it would really mater whether you had a Nismo or not.

People are not switching to a mustang because their needs change. They switch cuz they want to change. The power of the new 5.0. What needs...... back seat, yeah hardly, trunk, that's small too. They are seeing the horsepower numbers the 0-60 times the 1/4 mile times etc. The switch to a mustang as far as needs go is to small of a difference other than power. They liked the Z when they got it but it didn't have as much appeal to keep them holding on to it. The Nismo is more than just a aero kit. The point is you won't find ppl who have nismos trading them in after a few months of ownership. Or less likely too than if they had a regular Z. There is a guy here trading in his GTR for a Nismo. Naturally if you have a regular Z for whatever reason it's not the same as the Nismo. You are not going to get the feel for the Nismo in a 5 min test drive. It's an awesome car.....Yes more power would be nice. I know it's 18 more hp but it could have set it apart by having at least 50 more hp, that would have been better.

The 0-60 and 1/4 mile times are basically the same with the 370z and the Mustang. To trade it in for that reason wouldnt make sense to me...

Yes, they should have set the Nismo apart more, but they didn't. That was the big fail on the part of Nissan and the reason I didn't get one. I wanted a track oriented Z and the Nismo failed to deliver. So now my car is basically what the Nismo should have been (minus the body kit).

They are no where close buddy. The new 5.0 does 0-60 in about 4.5 sec. The 370z in 5.1 5.0 1.4 mile comes up in 12.7 the Z 13.5. Maybe you have a good one and your whip just goes balls out. The 5.0 is almost a full sec faster in the 1/4 mile.

The Nismo is a track oriented car. That's why they made it. To be a track oriented car. The regular Z is sweet out of the box but not the same. Maybe the difference isn't enough for YOU but take a regular Z sport what have you and then take a Nismo around the same track. You will see a difference. Yes you can make any car better but this is off the showroom floor with exclusivity, warranty etc etc which has been discussed countless times. THE NISMO IS TOTALLY WORTH IT. Again you are not going to understand from a 5 min test drive. And the Fact remains no one trades in or sells their Nismo as much as someone with a regular Z for something else. It's the total package that works. The Nismo package works well and to make it work even better it someone has to figure out how to tweak the ECU to really free it up.

Who wants to add on all those mods that the Nismo has, wait around for a good shop that you can trust and does a good job. Yeah some of it you can do yourself. But you will have to take it in some shop. All to be worth nothing. Adding mods to a car when it comes time to trade or sell is worth nothing. Unless you find someone that will pay cuz he's clueless. They will prob use the same reasoning, for the price I'll just look for a regular Z and do some mods instead of paying what this or that guy thinks his whip is worth cuz he added parts. The Nismo will be worth more. Again, its more than just a body kit.

I haven't met anyone yet that has a NISMO and wanted to trade or was dissatisfied. Some people like to make mods, some don't. I plan on making some mods to better my NISMO, but I am satisfied with it as is.

Why would they make a track oriented car that can not be driven on track for more than 5 minutes without overheating? If they had simply added an oil cooler I would have been satisfied, but without it the car is useless. So I figured if I'm going to have to do that one mod myself then I might as well do the rest and get adjustable parts vs fixed. You are correct that the resale of the Nismo will be better than that of a modded car, the only way to recoupe value of a modded car is to go back to stock and sell the mods.

Takes longer than 5 min and yeah everyone has seen that review and based on that one vehicle you are thinking you can't run this car on the track without an oil cooler. You can and just like any other car you have to let it cool once in a while, you can't run it all day long without some cool down time. You would be tired before that anyways. And you can add an oil cooler or simply change the oil. Which helps alot. All race cars use different fluids than what you would get from the factory. And while you're thinking about what to get how to put it on who will do a good job and having down time us Nismo owners are enjoying our cars. The looks alone are worth it. No. Park your car next to a nismo and see how many people look at your regular Z and how many look in awe at a Nismo.

i think it depends on the person. if it was a clearcut choice, everybody would buy the nismo and not the other 370z and we know this to be untrue.
for the person who likes the nismo, it is worth it. it is not worth it if you don't like it.

That's another thing, not everyone can buy a Nismo. You don't see that many around. Maybe the price but mainly the exclusivity. Limited production. Another reason that its worth it. In photos I really wasn't impressed until I saw it in person. It's a total package car. Yes there are multiple ways of this car being better but as its offered pretty damn cool. Again to answer the question is it worth it. YES. Is it for you that's another story.

just saying, no nismo part is better than an aftermarket part you can get for MUCH LESS and performs BETTER. If somebody selects a nismo in the first place, they OBVIOUSLY must enjoy the nismo exhaust, springs and other opinions that are not available on the NON-NISMO OPINIONS. So why invest that much money on Nismo parts when you can spend much less on better quality. The nismo exhaust is not the greatest, the springs are not the greatest and the rims are not the greatest.... NOR the intakes. You can upgrade a sports package or a base Z and still end up spending less that purchasing a nismo. Unless you live in Montana, a decent shop is NOT hard to find. The hassle of spending 15 minutes online and reading 15 companies reviews and checking out local shops through forums from word to mouth is a simple task and if that is a problem then life must be really good to you where effort doesn't exist. I will even cut you a break and disclose my list of goodies.

Spec-S Full Aero
Shine Auto Project
Front Bumper 300
Side Skirts 350
Rear Bumper 200
850

Peachtree Paint Shop
Located in Douglasville
Roof 170
F. Bumper Blk 50
R. Bumper Blk 50
Kit painted Red 350
620

Exhaust,Springs, Intake
ERZ performance - Performance car parts , Auto Accessories - 404 Error
Invidia Race Pipes 200
EiBach Springs 235
435

Z1 motorsports
Z1 370Z/G37 SS Test Pipes
test pipes 250
Stillen Headers 560
Stillen Exhaust 1262
Stillen gen 3 intake 550
lightweight pulley 190
Oil Cooler Kit 398
Short throw shifter 165
3375

TOTAL: 5,280.00
MSRP BASE: 29,000

TOTAL:34,280

Compare the 34k to the 40k nismo. 6k savings, you can buy a Stillen supercharger kit. Compare the parts disclosed above with what you get with NISMO. You get better parts replacing nismo parts and PLUS Additional parts as show above. I don't mean to offend anybody but just making a point because I don't believe you have to be fortunate to purchase a nismo as stated in the previous post. The reason Nissan doesn't make many is because of simple SUPPLY AND DEMAND. I promise you if Nissan had 1 million pre-purchased NISMO's they would indeed product 1 million. I had the opinion of a Nismo but thought it wouldn't be a great idea since I would be modding an already overrated MODDED car. Why mod a car that you purchased modded for THOUSANDS MORE than base??? makes absolutely no since.

NO, not at all, so everyone can stop buying them and anyone that has one should sell it tonight. It's all in what you want, What do you want??? I would have and Audi R8 V10 if money were no object. Not the fastest, Just what I want. Enjoy your ride. Be Safe!!

If you opt for the regular 370z with no sport yea you can get it for 29k (but not 29k OTD). But when you add the sport package in which most buyers do, it will not be 29k. A base with sport here in Chicago goes for 35-36k OTD. A nismo will go for 41-42k OTD.

Aftermarket body parts usually has fitment issues. Even the Amuse rear bumper has fitment issues. The crack between the bumper and trunk is much larger than what you would find from a stock car. Looks is subjective. In my opinion, no aftermarket body kit looks better than the nismo.

The topic has already been beat down. People do not buy the nismo just for the exhaust. It is more than just the exhaust. It is the body kit you get with the great fitment. The rims that comes with it are gorgeous. Quality aftermarket rims + tires already will run you 4-5k. I am sure if you read all the comments from the nismo owners here, they will tell you they did not get it just for the exhaust.

There are two types of 370z owners, those who love the nismo and think it's worth it, and those who don't. :happydance:

Neither side can/or will be swayed by the other, as evidenced in this thread. If you are not sure if you want a nismo or think it's worth it, my guess is it's probably not for you and you should go w/another model.

Me and the wifey love our nismo and it was the only 370z we even considered. (briefly thought about a 40th anni, but when seen next to the nismo in person, no contest).

Aero/bodykit on the nismo is functional, not for show and fitment is oem. Wheels are great and on par w/ any RAYS/volk aftermarket, suspension, for a non adjustable/coilover setup is about as good as your going to get for track use.

Could it use more power? Yes
Could it have better brakes? Yes
Could it use and Oil Cooler? Yes

But any Z you get needs those things and quite frankly, just about any "street car" no matter how "sporty" is going to need at least 2 out of those three things as well.

We have zero regets getting the nismo and if we were to do it all over again, we'd have the same car sitting in the garage. Regardless of what you choose, as long as that's how you feel, you've made the right choice.

At the end of the day we're all Z enthusiasts and that's the most important thing.

alright I'm going to stop now since I'm starting to sound :superghey:

ok now actually get some body parts that are aerodynamically tested and ae actually functional...throw in only 1500+/- made so far...and what wheels did you say are better than 19x9.5 and 10.5 that each weigh in at 21/23...and if you think your right about supply and demand why do they make limited amount of s2000 CR which im sure a lot of ppl would want...or limited amount of porsche spyder/cayman r....im sure porsche ppl could afford it and would love it...ohhhhh its to be in a more limited group and have jealous people hate...but its ok...i love my nismo and i get nothing but ppl staring and telling me how nice it is compared to a base 370...ohhh and i forgot are you running the stock brakes? lol and stock 18's?

Factory kitted by Autech, limited edition, better wheels, and of course more power = worth every penny

:iagree:

K while the nismo is decent its not the godly car with godly parts.

the performance list below out does the nismos
Z1 motorsports
Z1 370Z/G37 SS Test Pipes
test pipes 250
Stillen Headers 560
Stillen Exhaust 1262
Stillen gen 3 intake 550
lightweight pulley 190
Oil Cooler Kit 398
Short throw shifter 165
3375

that 6k i said you save........by a set of HRE's. THose are better than NISMO wheels. 3 piece forge wheels can range from 3k to 10k. You can spend 41k on a nismo OR 41 on a HIGLY modded 370z. Fitment issue is NOT a big issue with all kits and SHOULD THERE be a fitment issue I referred to the SHINE parts, which shouldnt cost much to fix SHOULD THERE be an issue. Nismo test there products, but hey, so does STILLEN. Say nismo outperforms stillens and I know this topic is dead.

I purchased my car for 29k NEW, carpet mats, splash guard PLUS tax......New Nismo is close to 39k plus tax. I didn't calculate tax for either above so the tax balances off.

29000+2030= 31030

39000+2730=41700

that's 7% where I live.. So 10k difference. Name something on the Mod list that I disclosed that NISMO surpasses it? Nismo doesn't even included MOST of the items i listed and many nismo owners mod up there car. So its just my .02 cents but I have to agree with FL 4 motion. This is kinda like Democrats and Republicans..........Both good agreements but both sides valid.

But at least with buying a Nismo vs. putting on aftermarket parts is... you get to keep your warranty... thats a big thing to people.