Remember the Nissan Z? Just a few years ago, it was one of the most-hyped sports cars out there. Ahead of launch, the automotive masses were excited for Nissan to finally replace the ancient 370Z and stunt on the poorly-received Mk V Toyota Supra. And yet, here we stand, two years hence, and it seems like there are barely any out on the roads. Sales are slow, and that means one thing—prices are going down.
On paper, the new Z was supposed to give us everything we wanted. It had a sleek modern design with a bit of retro flair. It had turbos and 400 horsepower. It was rear-wheel-drive. And of course, it came with a manual transmission. It seemed like Nissan was doing everything right, but somehow, the model failed to connect. It hit the market with scarce supply and with many dealers chasing hefty markups amid the hype.
At first, you virtually couldn’t get one. Now, it seems nobody wants one. Dealers are growing tired of sitting on these pricy new sports cars, and they’re slashing prices in turn.
Unloved
Read the numbers from CarEdge, and you’ll quickly see the problem. Right now, there are 2,091 Nissan Zs on sale across the country. That might not sound like a lot, but Nissan has only sold 269 examples in the last 45 days. That means there are currently enough Zs on the market to last for almost a whole year—a total of 350 days of supply.
Right now, there are lovely Japanese sports cars languishing on dealer lots. Cars that don’t move don’t make dealers money, so they want them gone. That means cash on the hood—it’s a buyer’s market here.
If you’re buying at the bottom of the Z market, you’ll be looking at the Sport trim. It gets you a 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 with 350 pound feet of torque, and it’ll sprint to 60 mph in under 5 seconds, whether you get the auto or the manual. As the cheapest model, it doesn’t attract the biggest discounts, but there are still real savings to be had.
Head over to Central Houston Nissan in Texas, and you can find this 2024 Nissan Z Sport with the 9-speed automatic for just $39,290—a discount of over $5,000 versus MSRP. St. Charles Nissan in Missouri has a similar deal, too, currently listed for just $39,900. If you want a manual, head over to Bellingham Nissan in Washington, they’ve slashed $5,000 off MSRP as well.
If you’re a serious enthusiast, though, you might prefer the Performance trim. It’s better kitted out for hard driving, with upgraded brakes and suspension. It’s also got a proper limited-slip differential which makes all the difference if you’re thinking of taking it out on track. It’s also the most popular model in the lineup, so stock is easy to find.
If you head over to Nissan Andalusia in Alabama, you can find a couple of nice automatic examples for over $8,000 off at just $46,000. Kenosha Nissan in Wisconsin has a similar deal, too. A manual will likely cost you a little more. Right now, Clay Cooley Nissan in Texas has one up for $47,483—around $5000 under MSRP. Meanwhile, down in Florida, Lokey Nissan lowkey has a higher-specced three-pedal Z for $7,761 under MSRP. It’s been kicking around for over 115 days and the dealer wants it gone. Either that or they’re just feeling generous, I guess.
As for the Z NISMO, it sits at the top of the tree. It ups the engine output to 420 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque. It also scores wider tires, forged wheels, bigger brakes, Recaro seats, and further suspension upgrades. It’ll do zero to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds. It’s intended to be the track weapon of the Z lineup.
You might think that these are too special to be discounted, but you’d be dead wrong, bucko. The Z NISMO starts at $66,890 including $1,140 of shipping and handling fees, and that’s before options. However, you can find them for under $60,000 if you know where to look.
The cheapest I could find was this 2024 Nissan Z NISMO at Old Orchard Nissan in Illinois, at $8,793 under MSRP. Having been listed all the way back in May, the dealer got serious about discounting this thing in September, and it’s still sitting around two months later. It looks killer in black with the red NISMO trim, and it’s equipped with the 9-speed automatic transmission.
There are even deeper discounts out there if you look around, albeit on more highly-optioned models. Lorenzo Nissan has an automatic for almost $9,000 off, while Premiere Nissan in West Virginia has one for a full $10,000 discount at just $58,645. Little surprise given it’s been on the lot for almost a year. Sadly, there are no NISMO manuals out there—Nissan built this model in automatic only.
Boat? Missed.
It’s been interesting to follow the tale of the Nissan Z. Ahead of launch, it seemed like it was going to be an absolute barnstormer. Nissan had given it plenty of grunt and the all-important manual, and it seemed like it was going to do everything right that Toyota had done so wrong with the launch of the Supra.
When the reviews rolled in, many were positive, if a little down on the Z as an out-and-out sports car. L2S-FBC noted the Supra had the edge in handling and style, while Drive.com.au called it “too quiet.” Car and Driver noted the car was not a “budget world-beater” like previous generations. The review also questioned how much of an update it really was. “There’s too much 370Z in the new Z,” wrote Dan Edmunds. “This was not the seismic shift we were hoping for.”
Nissan Dealer Defends a $60,000 Mark Up on the New Z
byu/ishliss incars
Nissan topped off the mixed reception with production delays and limited availability. Throw in dealers hungry to cash in on the hype with big markups, and you had the perfect storm. It wasn’t long before people were wondering why you weren’t seeing a whole lot of new Z cars out on the road.
Fast forward to today. Production of the Z has outstripped demand, but a good deal of that seems to be because demand has all but dried up. Nissan built a turbo, manual, rear-wheel-drive sports car that was pretty okay, but then completely failed to sell them to people at the peak of the hype.
Some dealers have tried to make the best of a bad situation, connecting die-hard fans with good deals when times were tough. We even spoke to ‘Nismo Nick’, the man who made it his personal mission to get these cars in the right hands. Overall, though, the Z just hasn’t found a way to succeed in the marketplace.
In a decade, we’ll be writing a post about how the Nissan Z is an “unappreciated gem” and one of the last true turbo manual sports cars. We’ll question why it never caught on, much like we did with the return of the Supra. After all, enthusiasts were clamoring for a repeat of the JDM glory days, right? They wanted their heroes back. And yet, when those heroes returned, they realized that glory days aren’t so easy to come by.
Images: Cars.com, Nissan
Aside from goofy dealers and their mark-ups I think these are priced way to high right off the bat. This platform is dinasour old and so is the engine. I think if they priced it starting at 35K for a bare bones one with manual transmission they would sell great. Make it go up against the GR86s and the BRZs. The Nismo one is insane, almost 70K! For that kind of money you are looking at a C8 Corvette, even a fully loaded Supra does not come close to 70K.
At over $50k which is what they are listed for in my area still there are too many better options. Id rather have an E46M3 or C7 vette.
At the rate they are selling you’d think they equipped the new Z with a Jatco CVT.
At the rate they went from overpriced to unwanted you’d think Nissan was selling NFTs
Imagine for a minute if dealers didn’t do markups on cars that should be popular. Take the increase sales revenue and I bet it would add up to more then the margin on a few marked up ones. Alas, greed prevails.
I can’t imagine walking into a Nissan dealer and handing someone $65k for an automatic-only car on a platform that came out when I was in high school (it’s been awhile). Seems like a swing and a miss
It’s incredible how bad dealers were for these cars
It cannot be said any clearer – F*ck the slimebag dealers. We can’t get to direct sales soon enough.
“At first, you virtually couldn’t get one. Now, it seems nobody wants one. Dealers are growing tired of sitting on these pricy new sports cars, and they’re slashing prices in turn”
And I’m gonna guess that the real reason they are still sitting on them is because they tried slapping on $$$$ worth of BS market adjustment fees and got nobody who wanted it badly to the point of getting ripped off.
Now the BS fees are going away, but it’s too little, too late.
Well I bought one, and I love it.
and cannot see myself getting rid of it for this exact line in the article
“one of the last true turbo manual sports cars.”
for me it’s a weekend car so not putting big km on it so should last a long time.
It looks beautiful. I think you got yourself the last of a dying breed. How is it to drive?
honestly it’s over powered for the crap tyres they put on it from factory, and I think that impacted a bunch of reviews.
A set of Yokohama AD09’s turned it into such a fun toy.
and as I am still a 15 year old at heart a nismo exhuast makes it sound like it should.
The Züpr4 was late to the party because it couldn’t get its “JDM” cosplay quite right. Fussy little fella. The Zzzz showed up after everyone has gone home. The facelifts, hair systems, and teeth whitening, all for nought. Neither had any real chance of hooking up with hot single consumers in the area that night.
In my opinion, I feel like both the new Z and supra are examples of nostalgia bait done wrong. Alienating the old guard and insulting the new kids leads to poor sales. Who would have thought.
Nostalgia bait and bad timing for sure. Hyperinflation across the world and dealer greed certainly didn’t help.
Nobody wanted an auto, only uglier than the concept, reskinned Z4 with a BMW engine, regardless of how awesome that motor is.
Nissan hit all the marks except the price point in my opinion. Hard to justify $60k on a sports car in this garbage hyperinflated economy where property tax, home, & health insurance alone are costing a family of 3 well north of $30k/year (FL housing/insurance is a nightmare, US healthcare is a joke).
But for those who are in the market to drop $60k on a sports car, there’s more desirable options that either offer better metrics (i.e. C7GS, 718 Cayman, Carrera S, Shelby GT350, M2 Competition, etc.) or some actual bonafide nostalgia from our youth (FD RX7, E46 M3, S2K, etc.)
I’d like one but around me they ONLY stock them in GUN, Black and the rare Blue or Yellow.
I want a Red one.
Fly to pick up a red one. Enjoy the road trip home. Invite a buddy if it’s longer than a few hours drive and make a weekend out of it.
I presume you are talking about the two tone red. Very little of these, and I haven’t seen a single one of the base purple-red.
It’s kind of hard to not see the writing on the wall for many sports/sporty cars.
I’m a car enthusiast. I get the desire. The hope for a new car X that suddenly reinvigorates the scene.
Automakers have tried. The Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ twins. The re-imagined Supra. A Mustang with independent rear suspension. A whole new Miata. The Alpha-platform Camaro. Now the new Nissan Z.
But….but….but….go the excuses. At best the models hang on to previous sales levels, sometimes they pop then fizzle. At worst? Nothing in terms of sales after the sound and fury from enthusiasts.
The enthusiast checkboxes are checked. Manual transmission. Rear-wheel drive. Decent power and handling. Now the prices are coming down. Yet the crickets are louder than ever.
Buy ’em now, because I don’t see many of these models lasting too long if they’re collecting dust on dealer lots.
The internet is sound and fury, signifying nothing. Money signifies something.
I attribute this at least partially to wildly different economic eras between the generations. The boomers and Xers could enjoy some more frivolous spending opportunities.
I’m mid 30’s and I would genuinely love to buy something to keep the market alive but I’m just not in the financial position to. We’d literally be in the poor house if we’d have to pay for day care.
I’ve been a Z fan a long time, and kinda love this car. Even if it didn’t have t-tops like the automotive gods requested. I was hopeful when they announced the Canadian prices starting at $46k. Then that became $53k. Like many, I have only ever seen one on the road, and the 370z is common up here. Kinda hard to justify when the car is at the bottom of the scale for value. Why would existing owners upgrade? Why would anyone choose this over pretty much anything else?
On one hand, it’s a miracle we got a new Z. On the other, maybe Nissan should have explored the Toyota route and found a partner instead of reducing platform costs by reusing so much of the old car.
I don’t think its even that. I think its that most reviews seem to feel the NISMO should have been the Performance trim and NISMO should have been MORE for its price.
There is no reason the base has no LSD. There is no reason that the engine has been out since like 2015, but NISMO can only get like 20HP out of it when basic tunes get it to 440-450.
There isn’t any reason that brake cooling issues that were on the 350Z should still be on the new Z.
I live in a pretty upper-middle class area, and have seen exactly ONE of these. I had a good friend who owned a 370, and it was a lot of fun to tool around in back when he had it. I imagine this would be even better with the power boost they have over the older N/A models since this is using the same chassis (I think?)
I think these things look great, and despite Nissan’s subpar brand image; seem like they’re a lot of car for the money. I’d love to get behind the wheel of one on a moderately twisty road to try it out.