Originally Posted by RicerX (Post 3161052)

The Z32 had a lot of factors in its demise.

If you notice, Nissan wasn't alone in retiring their sports car in the American market during this time. In fact, they did so within two years of their competition retiring the Supra, 3000GT, and RX-7 in the American market. The 300ZX made it all the way to 2000 in Japan, as the 3000GT made it to 2001 and the Supra and RX-7 made it to 2002 in Japan.

The rise of the SUV contributed to these cars leaving the American market. People simply weren't buying cars like this anymore, with the exception of the mainstays in the pony cars, which were much cheaper to buy, and cheaper to own and maintain than the turbocharged Japanese cars. Hell, even the Chevy Camaro died during the tail end of that period because of slow sales (and lack of attention from GM as the vehicle went virtually unchanged for 10 years).

Nissan did indeed have a lot of problems, but the Z32's demise was a result of those problems, not the cause of it. Once the Renault/Nissan alliance kicked off and Ghosn took control, the first thing to result from his work was the Z33, which was built to be a true Z car yet more relevant to the current market than its predecessor, which was a success as a result.

I still believe that Nissan "played it safe" with the Z34, but no one could have predicted the partial collapse of the automotive industry (or maybe someone did, hence playing it safe). Now the storm has been weathered, and Nissan can make the Z35 a success by playing to the strengths of the market and staying competitive. They can do it, and they did it with the Z33 - it's just a matter of whether they'll choose to do it for the Z35.

Originally Posted by Duc_Z09 (Post 3160746)

Only to people like you and I who want massive power and are willing to pull out their wallets for it. To make sense financially a car like the Z also has to appeal to the buyer who's just looking for a sporty coupe to bop around in:shakes head: So if it's too overpriced to compete with v6 Mustangs, Scibarus, and Miatas, they're going to lose a lot of sales.

If I were on Nissan's board I'd say screw the average consumer and let's only offer a TT 6MT hardtop with adjustable coil-overs, launch control and variable boost... but maybe that's why I'm not in business. They'd sell like 5 of them.:rofl2:

Originally Posted by mishuko (Post 3161071)

the demise of the sports car industry was so brutal for me since i was still crawling out of diapers and didn't know how to add (fek still don't)

so the late 80's early 90's glory days of sports cars i didn't get to fully enjoy.

come now +2000's and we have a bunch of pseudo sport sedans and high end sports cars but the low/entry level market had like... nothing!

atleast now we have a bit more selection... sort of.

Originally Posted by falconfixer (Post 3161599)

Anyone mention yet that a $60K Z is an excellent idea as it'll keep the F&F, Forza, Gran Turismo, Uncle Ben rejects from affording the next gen for awhile?

Oh and a $55K R35 is a time bomb at this point in time. I wouldn't touch it.

Originally Posted by victort (Post 3161528)

good thing the GTR is fast, that thing is so fugly

Originally Posted by falconfixer (Post 3161599)

Oh and a $55K R35 is a time bomb at this point in time. I wouldn't touch it.

Originally Posted by JARblue (Post 3160987)

lol $55K for a GT-R? Not for normal consumers. $70K maybe...

Originally Posted by ZKraken22 (Post 3161822)

If you say so... You literally have to be retarded if you can't find a used 09-10 GTR for 55k to 60k (negotiate price down) with reason miles that's not beat to ****. And hello they do offer extended warranties. Tower a member here purchased a used GTR for 60k with 60,000 miles! and it's been flawless and drives that thing everywhere. So if you don't have experience with a used GT-R your 2 cent isn't valid or hold weight. But everyone has an opinion... Right?

Originally Posted by ZKraken22 (Post 3161822)

If you say so... You literally have to be retarded if you can't find a used 09-10 GTR for 55k to 60k (negotiate price down) with reason miles that's not beat to ****. And hello they do offer extended warranties. Tower a member here purchased a used GTR for 60k with 60,000 miles! and it's been flawless and drives that thing everywhere. So if you don't have experience with a used GT-R your 2 cent isn't valid or hold weight. But everyone has an opinion... Right?

Originally Posted by FPenvy (Post 3161826)

:iagree:

recently I saw a 2009 GT-R with 23k miles going for 50k and there was not a thing wrong with it. exterior nor interior. clean in and out with a few rock chips on the hood/bumper but that is to be expected from driving and Nissan's lovely nail polish they use for paint.

Originally Posted by JARblue (Post 3161942)

Also, this thread was not about comparing a used GT-R to the speculative specs of the new Z :twocents:

Originally Posted by Duc_Z09 (Post 3161964)

:iagree:Some of us don't want a GT-R because, well... it's ugly and only comes with 2 pedals.

But hey, while we're off subject I'll just steal a Porsche 918 for free and not worry about paying $60k for a used GT-R OR a new Z35.:roflpuke2:

Originally Posted by Duc_Z09 (Post 3161964)

:iagree:Some of us don't want a GT-R because, well... it's ugly and only comes with 2 pedals.

But hey, while we're off subject I'll just steal a Porsche 918 for free and not worry about paying $60k for a used GT-R OR a new Z35.:roflpuke2:

Originally Posted by JARblue (Post 3161988)

:icon17:

If you could steal any car, what would it be? :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by JARblue (Post 3161941)

Fair enough. I'm not a used car expert :tiphat: I guess that makes me a retard :icon14:

I drove one at COTA once. It is such a beast, that I would not risk buying a cheap used one based on what the previous owner(s) might have done. I also don't trust Nissan to actually warranty it. They've denied enough completely valid claims for the 370Z (including mine), that I will never pay for a Nissan warranty. These are just my opinions. I'm not saying that you can't find a cheap used GT-R that wasn't abused, and I'm not saying that Nissan won't warranty it. But the risks are there.

Originally Posted by JARblue (Post 3161988)

:icon17:

If you could steal any car, what would it be? :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by Tick64 (Post 3162391)

I never really thought about launch control before, but yeah, that would be a pretty cool option for a torquier Z. Do any other cars under $60K come with launch control? The new vette?

Originally Posted by Magic Bus (Post 3162512)

Carlos Ghosn has a well known reputation for keeping costs under control and making cars profitable. A recipe that has worked for Nissan as well as other car manufacturers is using shared chassis/engines/parts and assembling these cars on the same line. Example Infiniti G/Q, 370Z & GTR on one assembly line.

Logic/business sense would suggest that Infiniti Q 50/60, Z35 & GTR will still be on the same assembly line, as these are the performance cars for Nissan. So yes, the Q's and Z's will most likely have many things in common with some trickle down technology learned from the current GTR.

A 400+ hp, TT V6, Z35 for $60k will not happen, as Carlos Ghosn knows all too well that it will not sell enough units. Thus it can't be profitable. As someone mentioned earlier, maybe in Australian dollars.

The sweet spot price for this 400+ hp Z35 should start right at or just below the Mustang GT starting price of $32.5k retail. A sport version or fairly well equipped Z35 at $37k and top of the line Nismo starting at $43k, well below the base C7 Vette, which now starts at $56k. If Nissan can maintain great steering/road feedback and maintain the current Z's weight at these prices, it will have a winner on it's hand.

Please keep in mind, the US dollar can now buy 120 yen so if the majority of parts can be manufactured and assembled in Japan, the prices I list could be very realistic.

Originally Posted by ZKraken22 (Post 3162145)

No... clearly was referring to a person, would be retarded if he/she can't find a used GTR for the said amount. But that wasn't just directed towards you. Not saying you need to know everything about used cars but don't just bash on a topic that clearly you could use more research on. But hey I understand where you're coming from and that's why we all have options. I can't but a new GT-R or I would.

Originally Posted by Duc_Z09 (Post 3162017)

Tough decision. Possibly a Koenigsegg Agera R.:ugh2:

Originally Posted by Tick64 (Post 3162391)

I never really thought about launch control before, but yeah, that would be a pretty cool option for a torquier Z. Do any other cars under $60K come with launch control? The new vette?

Originally Posted by JARblue (Post 3162870)

EcuTek software features launch control now :twocents:

Not as sophisticated as some launch controls obviously, but a good option for a Z :tup:

Originally Posted by FPenvy (Post 3162879)

ok that's pretty sick lol

I kinda want it now. but I know of a friend who had some major issues dealing with jon in the past. think it took him 2-3 months to hear back from him wen he was doing his tune. and then I think it was 3-4 months he finally received it. I remember he had me on the phone ith AAM talking about an emergency cobb tune so he could run at an event he had.

Originally Posted by JARblue (Post 3162883)

Well, only Jon seems to have these features so far. The two tuners local to me do not have access to them yet. I prefer dyno/drive tune over an e-tune, so I haven't reached out to Jon yet. But this discussion is for a different thread.

Originally Posted by JARblue (Post 3162870)

EcuTek software features launch control now :twocents:

Not as sophisticated as some launch controls obviously, but a good option for a Z :tup:

Originally Posted by Davey (Post 3162958)

Nissan is not going to compete with the BRZ/FR-S with the next Z.

Originally Posted by Davey (Post 3162958)

Nissan is not going to compete with the BRZ/FR-S with the next Z.

Originally Posted by cautupwitdm (Post 3162992)

Well the BRZ/FRS might be competing with the next Z. Looks like a turbo version is in the works for them. I think most of their owners realized $5k saving for 130 less hp wasn't a good deal.