Do we all hate the 370Z?

Nissan made the 370Z for goddamn ever, so there are tons out there. I know they were the butt of jokes for quite a while.

My impression has always been that they didn't really do anything better than the 350Z but looked weird and cost a lot so nobody was really that into them.

These days, they are easily found on the used market with low miles and I'm compelled by the idea of a newer coupe with a big hatchback.

Does the 370Z suck or are they worth a look now that the depreciation curve is setting in?

Well, I just found out that the 370Z uses that big hatch to provide access to a cargo area smaller than what the FR-S/BRZ has with the seats up. I, uh...wow.

I've been a Z fan even if the 370 is not much a leap forward. 
they are slinky cool sporty coupes that make cool noises. 
inknow it's not cutting edge tech but it's still fast enough and fun enough to be a good all around car. 
 

except for storage haha

Who hates the Z? I don't 

I think you're just seeing depreciation at work. 

I say "Yes". Had a 350z and other than looking & sounding pretty good it was a whole lot of meh. Reminded me that I'm a "slow car fast" guy, not a "fast car slow" guy. It was just so competent that on the street everything was boring and no sensation of speed until you were in go directly to jail territory. Crappy interior, long heavy doors, lots of basic maintenance stuff was overly complicated and more difficult than other cars. Big hatch, tiny space kind of epitomizes everything about it. The 370 is a more expensive 350 in my opinion.

They just seem like more expensive, less efficient Pony cars to me. They're dimensionally smaller, but don't weigh much less. They offer entry level pony car performance with V8 pony car fuel costs and pricing.

I'm not sure they're bad, but I understand why they're not more popular.

What does it take to make it into a car "we" like? On paper it sounds great double wishbones front "midship" RWD, good engine, relatively lightweight for a modern car?

 

I'm convinced they will go back up at some point.  Like the 240SX pricing.  You'll wish you grabbed a cheap one someday.  

I always really liked the 350z. You have to remember they came out almost 2 decades ago. I remember reading comparison tests at the time and it was a relevant car that stacked up well against its competition. 

The problem is, its been mostly unchanged in any meaningful way in 2 decades. Its just not relevant anymore. The 370z is just a slight evolution of the 350. What did they add? 30hp and 9 ftlbs and it weighs about the same. I know they say they redesigned almost every component, and Ive read handling got better, but it really feels more like a mid cycle refresh than a new model or generation.

Id still take a beat early track model to rehab and beat around in. I think the earliest 350z are going to age the best, and prices will reflect that. 370s do nothing for me, except donate their wheels to 350s.

I've never been a fan of the looks or the noise but the 6 speed in them is a damn good transmission.

STM317 said:

They just seem like more expensive, less efficient Pony cars to me. They're dimensionally smaller, but don't weigh much less. They offer entry level pony car performance with V8 pony car fuel costs and pricing.

I'm not sure they're bad, but I understand why they're not more popular.

This.

Looking at the numbers, the 370Z is barely quicker than my base model V6 Camaro, weighs within 150lbs of my car (despite my car being dimensionally bigger in every way), and gets worse mileage all around.  Oh yeah, and it makes less power too, even with a tenth of a liter more displacement.

Reading a C&D article on the 2019 370Z, they talk a lot about the vague shifter and numb steering feel.

Datsun310Guy said:

I'm convinced they will go back up at some point.  Like the 240SX pricing.  You'll wish you grabbed a cheap one someday.  

Once the drifters put enough of them into walls, I'm sure they will.  Seems like 350/370s are the current easy button for a cheap drift car.

Nissan is the Dodge of Japan. Just a few updates for a 20 year design.

-RossD, Dodge Owner.

CarKid1989 said:

they are slinky cool sporty coupes that make cool noises.

Well, it IS a Nissan, so there's that....

RossD said:

Nissan is the Dodge of Japan. Just a few updates for a 20 year design.

-RossD, Dodge Owner.

They're planning on using a modified version of the same platform for the upcoming 400Z as well. The same platform will likely be used for 25 years or more when it's all done which puts it into the "Ford Fox chassis" category

CarKid1989 said:

they are slinky cool sporty coupes that make cool noises. 

By counterpoint, I am not a 350Z / 370Z fan and never have been.

I think they are vaguely OK looking from the outside until I contemplate what a dismal hell it must be to sit in and drive around on a day-to-day basis.

I don't particularly think they're cool.

And I think they sound like My Little Pony farts.

At times I wish I had found a good Infinity G35 coupe when I was spending a lot of time on the highway each week.  Seems like the better variant of that same basic platform.  The G37 and 370Z did have kind of off styling tweaks that just made them look more odd, not nicer.

STM317 said:

RossD said:

Nissan is the Dodge of Japan. Just a few updates for a 20 year design.

-RossD, Dodge Owner.

They're planning on using a modified version of the same platform for the upcoming 400Z as well. The same platform will likely be used for 25 years or more when it's all done which puts it into the "Ford Fox chassis" category

Did you just say you're going to drivetrain swap a 370z motor and trans into a Fox chassis car?

Build thread please!

Also, everyone seems to hate the VQ noises but I think it sounds pretty good. I also think the 370z looks way better than the 350z does. I test drove a 370z back when they came out, and I thought it was very nice. Just the rear visibility was AWFUL. 

They are lighter with ~30 more hp than a 350, and they also don't have the gigantic rear strut bar making the rear hatch awkward to use. 

That said, in 2010 I bought a low mileage '06 350, I traded it in after 3-4 months on '10 Mazdaspeed 3. 

I remember when the G35 was new, hearing one for the first time, probably with an aftermarket exhaust.  I thought it sounded great.  I don't really get the complaining about the engine noise from these cars.  They're not, like, Lancia or Alfa V6 nice to listen to but they're not Buick V6 (all of them, doesn't matter) bad to listen to, either.  

Should start a G35 appreciation thread.

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

I remember when the G35 was new, hearing one for the first time, probably with an aftermarket exhaust.  I thought it sounded great.  I don't really get the complaining about the engine noise from these cars.  They're not, like, Lancia or Alfa V6 nice to listen to but they're not Buick V6 (all of them, doesn't matter) bad to listen to, either.  

Should start a G35 appreciation thread.

It's from kids who delete the resonators and put cheap, fart can exhausts on them that ruin the sound.

They're good cars, I think they're very under rated on here. They also reduced the wheelbase 4" when the 350Z evolved into the 370z and made other minor improvements. Prior to the pandemic, they often sold for 86/BRZ money.

Pros: Turns in quick, good handling, good acceleration, decent weight, good value, not too big, looks good, well known package.

Cons: Not a lot of sensation of speed at street speeds, not a lot of headroom, engine doesn't sound great. I don't have a lot of experience to say definitely, but I'm not sure about the past the limit handling behavior.

Cars "we like" include the Crown Victorias and Ford Mavericks (26 page thread so far?). IMO the 370Z should easily be in the top 10 for modern cars.

The 370z looks cooler than the 350z to me at least, but it is still a chunky and expensive car for what it is, best I can tell. If they were actually cheap used, I'd be interested, but it seems they somehow hold value.