Why 370Z

Technology
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TL;DR

I am going to buy a manual Nissan 370Z - the Fairlady.

Why 370Z?

  • Engine: VQ37VHR 3.7L V6 245kW/363Nm (redline @ 7500rpm). The best NA V6 engine, I lost count on how many times it has won Ward’s best engine. Really like naturally aspirated V6, the throttle response and linear power delivery is simply unbeatable (hate turbo lags, especially stock Subaru FA20 DIT). In addition, I have never owned a V6 before, sigh…
  • Transmission: 6 Speed close-ratio Manual with SynchroRev Match (auto-blip) which can be turned off with a button, yes!
  • RWD with Viscous Limited Slip Differential (VLSD)
  • Driveshaft: Carbon-fibre composite (although kerb weight is still 1468kg)
  • Steering: Hydraulic power steering (Vehicle speed sensitive)
  • Exterior design, sexy ;-)
  • Room for modification (doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll go down that path but will definitely change the stock exhaust to make it sound the way it should be ;-)
  • Price (A$25k - 30k for 2011-2015 1 owner pre-owned, real bang for the buck)
  • Relatively good reliability, not expensive to own and keep for 3-5 years as weekend car.

Known issue: my mechanic friend told me the worst thing can happen to 370Z is that if the clutch breaks, the flywheel needs to be replaced as well due to its design. Parts and labour can cost A$3k, not too bad if you’ve owned a warranty expired BMW before ;-) Plus it may NOT happen during the lifetime of the car (depending on if the previous owner knows how to drive a stick correctly).

Thoughts on other cars: BMW M2 and Focus RS has been so hot and definitely drawn too much attention, the direct result is high demand and low allocation for Australia, in turn heavily overpriced. I’ve test driven both MX-5 and 86, they are different cars and have unique characters, both are very good look cheap -_-z

I am a fan of the legendary Godzilla GT-R. Nissan has done the 370Z right, even automatic models have column-mounted paddle shifters - bingo! Who the hell designed the paddles on the bloody steering wheel?

UPDATE: The famous Z car line may end with current 370Z.