Fate of the Z icon? 10yrs has passed.
 

Hello, All;

I joined this great and informative forum back on November 15, 2008. By that time, I was finishing my Master's in Engineering, I was still living with my girlfriend in a small apartment in Orlando Fl, and had Zero Idea of what the hell I wanted to do with my life (had 23 yrs then) other than keep living the college live and burning tires on my 07 350z 6MT.
Then, nearly 10 years passed by and a lot of stuff happened; you know in 9 years there's a lot of progress in peoples life, actually, in general, in the world almost everything progress in 10 yrs; can we assume/generally agree with that?
Now I'm married, two daughters, house, a bunch of new family vacation experiences, live in Dallas, Tx, have a '15 BMW M3 (sedan 6MT) and a freaking fridge type SUV (15' QX80), life happens and etc... Technology has advanced in unprecedented ways, aviation has progressed ridiculously, some Olympic records from 2008 vs 2016 have been shattered, iPhone vs iPhone X, marathonist Eliud Kipchoge did a full marathon in 2:00:25 with new technology in tennis shoes (and a bunch of sports engineering behind), Space X, Virtual Reality, super cars to hyper cars, etc...

You know, a boring comparison list of now and then stuff of all the things, maybe insignificant things, that changed or can change in 10+yrs.

That being said, in nearly 10yrs, the 370Z hasn't change much, perhaps nothing, for a person that is not a car enthusiast when you present them a 2009 vs 2017/18 370z picture. "Oh' something is different but don't know what it is"-Cosmetics overall.
However, I still break my neck everytime I see a Z. Any, ANY Z...

But, BUT What is going on with the 370z? What Nissan is trying to do with the iconic Z? Why virtually nothing has changed or significantly progressed with the Z? What is nissan point of view with a new Z?
I've been reading since the dinosaurs era, speculations and speculations of going back to 4cyl with turbo, adding more hp, turbo v6, but then the GTR, but then this, and more speculations....

I feel that the Z has become the Pick Up Frontier of the sport cars. The Frontier hasn't changed since the Big Bang, same model about 13 Billion years ago; and the current Z is having the same Fate... it is getting boring very quick now.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing the vehicle. It is still an amazing machine and beautiful to drive and have fun with. But what the heck is going on with the Z-brand? 10 yrs and we still have the same car, SAME CAR.... <insert sad emoticon here, lol>


2009 370z
https://www.supercars.net/blog/wp-co...-370Z_9295.jpg

2018 370z
https://www.cstatic-images.com/stock...9658073360.jpg

Sorry?

I have a different view on things.

We all know by now that 2018 is probably the last year of the Z. 9 years is not that long of a run. IMHO, the car is perfect the way it is! I don't think it needed more power or more electronic doodads. It remained true to its roots and soldiered on. This is what made it unique among sports cars. I bought a '16 Nismo because of it. It was a car that fascinated me. I could've got a redesigned Mustang or Camaro with loads more horsepower with loads of bells/ whistles, but they did not interest me. Those cars are a dime a dozen and can be spotted at every street corner nowadays. You either get what the Z is about or you don't. Believe me once they're gone, everyone will want one. Personally I'm happy Nissan kept it the same and is on the verge of announcing its cancellation. We all know what the replacement would've been........hybrid this and crossover that. It would've basically been a completely different car/crossover with a Z badge. Look at what Mitsubishi is planning to do with the Eclipse! Another f**king SUV!

By the way, Lotus hasn't changed the Elise/Exige in a very long time. Anyone complaining?

Good input,
Thanks!

I share your fascination with the Z, I've had 2 350Zs and 2 370Zs and I just bought my '17 for fear that was going to be the last or very near the last. I love the car exactly how it is and can't see it as a hybrid, 4 banger turbo, full of tech, electric, it's perfect now!! LOL. A real tragedy would be for them to kill it outright, that would be a very very sad day.

:facepalm:

The Infiniti Q60 is a nice car. It has a good foundation for a new Z with some good engines and suspension, just shorten it and give it an improved Z body and interior. How hard is that? :driving:

Uhm... the 300ZX was sold for 11 years.

...And if you happen to follow the history of the Z, you might know that the fate of the Z, even Nissan as a whole, was right about to get dissolved in history in the late 90's. Thanks to the 350Z you have the Z "alive" again, and Nissan.


That's the point of this thread. :tiphat:
Not bash/criticize or anything alike. I want more Z, I want to see the Z keep evolving. Not to become the Toyota Celica.

I loved to dead my 07' 350z, got traded for a 12' G37 and now for a 15' M3 AAAND I still drool every time a hear a 350z stock and 370z, but it is not inspiring anymore, IMO.

Why you hatin' on our Zs bro??!! :eekdance: LoL!

I like the Z the way it is

:iagree:

It also had multiple engine options and even different chassis within the model

Well, if you wanna get technical with that, then it actually lasted for 17 years.

I say it depends how you look at it..

you can say the style is old, if you're already tired of it...

on the other hand, you can say it's ageless if you still like it.

I am the latter.

Just like you can see some people will pass by a 240Z without even noticing it or some will take out the camera and click 20 pics of it.

It all depends on how you look at it.

Mechanical wise, it might not have the highest quality components, such as the CSC, oil-cooler, exhaust, even the brakes, or some even complain it doesn't have a dual-clutch auto...

however, you have this "raw" machine, very little electronic aids, normal-aspirate engine, rack-n-pinion steering rack, where can you find a similar choice(s) on the market nowadays?

and this is in-expensive to mod compare to those european competitors, also, you can leave it as is, or you can customize it to your own, tons of choices of aftermarket brands.

Pretty sure not long later many enthusiastic will appreciate the Z because of it has a clutch pedal, exhaust-note coming out from the pipes not the speakers, direct-feel of the rack-n-pinion steering, mechanical suspension.

The most important is, it's a machine that makes you enjoy driving, will this feeling/passion age?

I guess not.

That sums it up for me right there...

I've driven a quite a few vehicles over my 45 years behind the wheel. That's muscle cars, sports cars, suv's, mini vans :eek:, trucks, and motorhome. The Z is one vehicle that I love to climb into, and hate climbing out. I just enjoy my time behind that steering wheel. :driving:

...and then there's the exhaust note of the 350Z...

Oh, yeah. Nothing will beat the 350Z Nismo exhaust note. No-thing.
Not even my M3 exhaust tuned by God himself.

As someone who is own my 6th Z in 40+ years (72 240Z, 90 300ZX 2+2, 95 300ZX 2+2, 95 300ZX-TT, 2010 40AE 370Z, and now 2016 370Z Nismo); I understand completely what I think you are trying to say.

As others have mentioned, I experience that joy virtually EVERYTIME I drive it and mostly hate arriving wherever I go. It is a connected experience to my soul like no other car I have driven. I assumed that when I bought my 2010 40th AE, that my next one would be the 400Z; but it seems pretty clear that one is never arriving.

I'm 66 now and drive my cars for a long time; so I'm facing the sad reality that my 2016 Nismo may well be my last one. It makes me sad for a lot of reasons, not the least of which my daughter has discovered the joy and is now on her 2nd 370. I had my Z32-TT to carry me through the dark period from 1996-2005 when they stopped production; so I never had to experience the pain of missing it. However, I feel that it's coming to an end and that is not right for her and many people here who are just starting to discover this joy. It's even disrespectful!

I think our only choice is to take care of the ones we have as best as we possible can, and mostly ... enjoy the drive. Thank you Mr K.

Well said. :tup:

I believe that the Z is one of those sayings "if it's not broken don't fix it" kinda cars. I'm on my 3rd Z now. I bought my 05 350z which was my first "real" sports car at 18. I learned a lot from that car and turned it from a completely stock car to a full bolt on/150 shot car in a year. That car was totaled and I bought my 09 370z base a year later. The car was tastefully modified but eventually strapped nitrous on it and a BP kit. I only had about 500 miles on the newly installed turbo kit and then wanted to sell the car because it wasn't all that fun to me anymore. I wanted more power but the Z platform is almost nonexistent when it comes to high hp cars and I didn't want to go down that route so I sold the car last year and bought my Supra the next day. My goal was to buy a Supra before I turned 25 and I made it happen, a few weeks before my birthday. The Supra is just so much of a better platform to modify than the Z was. I did miss the Z, but not when it was boosted. I had way more fun with the car when it was NA so I bought a 40th a few months ago to use as a daily so I can work on the Supra. I wanted something fun to drive while the Supra was down for work and I made the right choice. Even completely stock the car is so enjoyable. I strongly believe that the Z is a lot more fun NA. I think that is why Nissan has kept it the way it is for so long. Despite the problems they come with from the factory that we all know they have, its still such an enjoyable car to drive. Bolt ons make it even better. It is a well balanced car overall. I think the 370z will be the last true Z car.

This past mid-September, I completed a 29-day cross country trip of 8,800 miles, covering 20 states. In all that, I saw only 4 other current-model Z's on the road. So, to the o/p's point, yes, the model has gone stale, but it's still very unique. I bought my '13 in January, 2013, and it still thrills.

And it still turns heads, and gets stares.

I get a kick out of watching people look at my car and try to figure out what it is... they're quite interested and equally confused as I've taken the Nissan whoppers of the front and back and replaced with black Z emblems. The 370Z badging has been removed as well. I've owned many cool cars in my time, but none that has attracted the attention that this little PW Z car does.

I was talking to my friend's dad yesterday about the Z (the guy that sold me my 40th) and we were talking about how the car gets so many looks because of how unique it is. There really isn't much out there that has the looks and styling that the Z does for the price.

"is this a Porsche..???

ya... it's a Porsche Zarrera..!!"

:icon18::icon18::icon18:

Like we all said and agree it’s long in the tooth BUT...it’s an awesome niche car and God she’s a looker. Driving home from work in my Volvo went up against a white ‘16 Nismo, black rims and she looked sweet fading away in my rear view when we both WOT off the line.


Kidding. I gave him a thumbs up admiring his ride. He was polite enough to wave back. I don’t know how one waves with a middle finger though. Ok ok Kidding!! He waved. Lol.

I take quite a few longer trips in mine and each time I start the trip by asking my wife to guess how many other Zs we will see. It never is very many...

I think you are giving Nissan too much credit for doing nothing. I, too, like the Z being simple and think it has enough power. However, there are things that Nissan omitted to do to keep the car relevant in the segment. Beside finally upgrading the clutch in 2018, the engine is still harsh at high rpm, transmission is still clunky, interior is still noisy, LSD is still weak... As a former 40th AE owner, I really think the car will be much more enjoyable to drive if those issues were being addressed.
There is no complain about the Elise/Exige being old because it is still the benchmark of uncompromised driving experience. Alfa 4C was a nice try but the lack of manual transmission and Alfa reliability keep potential buyers away.

Amen OP, we are long overdue for a refresh

I like this point...

This really makes me not want to sell the Z, ever! :driving:

Other than the Vette, I can’t think of a pure sports car from any manufacturer excluding exotics. I consider Porsche and BMW off the shelf stuff no matter what the flavor; save the 918 and i8? Subaru? No. Mazda? Mx-5? Maybe? Honda? No. (NSX is exotic). Toyota. No. (As of right now). Oh the 86...yuck. Lexus. No. Ford? No. GT is way way exotic. Gt350. Ehh. Dodge. No. Hyundai. No. Not much out there. Do they really need a fresh platform? Not really. Sadly. But they will...if they want any market share.

:iagree:

:iagree:

...as you should...

:driving:

:iagree:

:rofl2:

:tiphat:

I am actually thinking the opposite. These days, you have muscle cars like the Mustang and Camaro that can handle corners, light weight cars that are very refined and provide tons of driving excitement at low speed and souped up economic cars that carry 300+ hp. They may not have the pure sports car names, but they are fun cars to drive.
For Z lovers like us, the Z strikes a good balance between performance, handling and comfort. For haters, the Z does none of those particularly well.