[OFFICIAL] Discussion for the next new Nissan 400Z Z35?

Red-Hat

Is this partly the fault, at least in the USA, of dealers massively marking them up to absurd levels? Charging $20K or more over MSRP in the first year of release was always going to result in those early adopters getting burned on resale. I feel like those buying a little later at MSRP will get burned far less, just receiving more normal levels of depreciation.

One benefit to being here in Australia is, despite usually paying more than the USA for performance vehicles (especially Euro and USA ones), the dealers here don't (can't by law?) add ridiculous 'market adjustment' markups on. So the vehicles are always sold around MSRP. That helps somewhat for buyers confidence come resale time.

I feel like evaluated in isolation, as a 6 cylinder RWD Japanese made sports coupe, the new Z still has a lot going for it. A rich Z heritage, and the promise of decent Japanese build quality and reliability. And great road presence, they look fantastic on the road and turn heads like a far more expensive exotic.

But as you say, there are competitors (like the Supra) that offer more performance for similar money, or for those not chasing the best performance, older cars like the 370Z which offer the same road presence and handling ability, just with less power.

As a 370Z owner, I struggle to make a convincing case to myself to upgrade to the new Z, even though I love the styling, the power figures, the slightly updated interior, and the promise of a new car warranty (which goes some way to addressing any concerns I have over the more complex TT engine). The reality is I already own 95% of the same car, just with a less powerful (but I would argue better sounding) engine.

The main stumbling block is price. If the new Z cost about what I paid for my 370Z (Sport Touring grade) brand new in 2020, i.e. about AU$50K (US$34K), I'd probably have traded in and be driving a new Z right now.

But it doesn't, despite being 95% the same car the new Z (Performance, only grade we get) costs AU$82K (US$55K) in Australia, which is a whopping 64% price increase. Yet the new Z isn't 64% faster or better looking. It's a real shame it costs so much now, and I think that's what is holding it back.

When I think about the cost of moving into a new Z, I realise I could spend a fraction of that on heaps of high quality mods for my 370Z AND still have enough left over for a couple of nice overseas holidays! That's some perspective.