If you were asked to buy a £35,000 on a car, and it didn’t have a boot, would you be disappointed?
Let’s assume that you are an open-minded sort of chap (or chap-ess), and decide to take it for a test drive. And let’s also assume on the basis that you are considering a £35,000 sports car that you like driving too – because frankly, if you don’t this whole review falls down.
You press the soft-touch START button and there is a raspish gurgle – you blip the throttle and a little smirk appears on your face.
Dipping the clutch, doubts creep in though; it is quite light. Is this really going to be a credible sports car you wonder? But 1st engages with a satisfying thud. So you remain open minded; you’re that kind of chap.
Out of the driveway and onto a B-road, you hit the throttle and a loud metallic growl, with a dash of turbo-like whine from the 3.6 litre engine, drags you forward with anger and urgency. A short change to second comes with another satisfying thud, followed by an even shorter shift to 3rd, because you are already at the 30 mph speed limit, and within those 2.5 seconds you’re sold.
But also a bit embarrassed, after all it’s only a Nissan.
Pulling up in a pretentious North London road, outside an even more pretentious Gastro pub though, you notice that the car turns heads in an approving fashion.
The muscular curves and GT go-faster-stripes give the car credibility, even when parked alongside Porsches. And it lives up to expectations too – it will get off the line only 0.9 seconds slower than the 911, which is the kind of margin you like to think you can make up with skill. But even if you can’t it’s not worth the extra £50,000 it takes to buy it.
Yet, despite the muscles, this car is light on your delicate ankles when sitting in traffic. It’s easy to park thanks to the rear-view camera (without which it would be a complete pig to park). It’s quiet when cruising on the motorway too.
So there’s almost nothing to be disappointed about with this GT car of all GT cars.
Almost, because a reasonable chap can’t completely overlook the lack of boot. A laptop and a bag of Liquish Allsorts fill it – quite literally, as it is only 140 awkwardly shaped litres (compared to say the Fiat Panda’s more conveniently shaped 206 litres). And that is a little disappointing.
What’s the market like?
There are only ever around 100 Nissan 370Zs for sale at any one time, and about 60% of them can be found on Used Car Expert. The specifications are all pretty much the same and the engines are the same.
So it’s a pretty simple car to price and buy. £35,000 when new, a one year old will be £25,000 with 10,000 miles but a two year old is just £20,000 with just 15,000 miles on the clock – bargain hunters can pay as little as £18,500.
So two year old cars are where the smart money is. Depreciation is steady from there and that purchase price delivers such a lot of value for money, that to worry about the de-valuation over the next couple of years seems almost petty.
Summary
An alternative to a Porsche at a fraction of the price.