Originally Posted by AnalogMan
I can only speak for myself as one individual buyer, but I personally would be thrilled with a reskinned 370Z with a 400 hp twin turbo engine, as long as it had a manual transmission. If Nissan survives long enough to actually build and offer such a car priced south of $50k, I'm in.
But then, I really like the 370Z. Came very close to buying one instead of the BRZ. Again, I can only speak for myself, but I like old school. I like the basic, elemental, somewhat raw analog feel of the 370Z (duh, my username). I prefer the visceral, immediate response of the torquey naturally aspirated 3.7 liter V6 over a more anodyne turbo engine. I didn't care that the 'infotainment' system was 'dated' in the car. I care more about how a car feels to drive, how much fun it is for me, and not if it has the latest and glitziest 'graphical user interface'. I didn't like the non-existent visibility of the 370Z or the paltry storage space. But then, no car is perfect, especially in the $30k's price range.
Truth be told, if I could have found a 370Z with the specific equipment and color I was looking for, and more importantly, an ethical dealer to sell it to me, I would have bought one instead of the BRZ. But the paucity of 370Z's, at least with the package and color I wanted, combined with the incredible sleaze of most Nissan dealers I dealt with, drove me into Subaru's loving arms.
If the 400ZX is ever actually built - which is far from certain at this point, given Nissan's dire financial straits and the continuing global pandemic - I'd be happy with the current old-school 370Z chassis combined with an updated body and interior. I'd prefer the current naturally aspirated VQ motor over the turbo, but wouldn't kick 400 hp out of bed either. But a 6 speed stick is an absolute deal-breaker must have. I may be in an infinitesimally small minority, but priced reasonably, that package would probably get me out of my BRZ.
I imagine there might be others who wouldn't mind a 400 hp manual transmission Japanese sports car for under $50k. Such as, people who would have loved a reimagined Supra with a stick, and didn't want an automatic-only reskinned BMW Z4.
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