Nissan 350Z | Spotted
Might the original 21st-century Zed be the next Japanese collectable?
Perhaps nothing makes the mid-'00s seem longer ago than the abundant availability of coupes around at the time. Where now we have to accept that the sporty two-door is effectively a relic of the old days (Ford Mustang and BMW 2 Series notwithstanding), back then there was a plethora of options. Once upon a time, Alfa Romeo was selling both a GT and a Brera, for example. The first BMW Z4 was offered as a very entertaining hot-rod hardtop, the second Audi TT was better than it’s probably given credit for, the Vauxhall Monaro was there for a more muscular option and don’t forget the Mazda RX-8, either, for those with a family (and a very generous fuel allowance).
The Nissan 350Z was yet another contender in a very busy segment and was never far from contention in the group tests it faced. There hasn’t been a Zed car in the UK for a decade by the time of the 350’s arrival, and evoking the heritage of the 240 - large, naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine, manual gearbox, rear-drive - certainly helped with the initial success. Its brawny good looks will have played a part, too. And if not the sharpest sports car in the world to drive, its muscle-car-with-manners approach won it more fans. All for not very much money, either, priced from around £25k.
The 350 enjoyed good popularity in its half a dozen years on sale, and the 370Z that replaced it never quite captured the imagination in the same way despite so much shared. Partly that’ll be timing, of course: a 25mpg sports car made a lot more sense in 2003 than it did in 2009. With quite a few sold in that time and without special models, the 350 became really cheap over time - many were drifted, tracked, or made into Fast & Furious replicas. Trying to find a good coupe more than 20 years from launch isn’t quite as easy as might be hoped for.
An interesting conundrum, then, because arguably the appeal increases by the day. The Zed still looks great, and the simplicity of a big V6 powering an RWD sports car surely sounds preferable to forced induction and four driven wheels when looking at a modern classic. It was always quite old school in approach even in the mid-'00s, so now it’ll be a proper throwback. Hopefully quite a charming one.
This 350Z is an intriguing one as a proper collector-grade example. The current owner purchased the Nissan in 2020, the previous keeper having dry-stored it for nine years; it was lightly recommissioned back then with fresh fluids, belts and an exhaust. Since then it’s covered just 1,500 miles, still in proper storage if not on the road. Now showing just over 60,000 miles, it’s one of the best-looking Zeds we’ve seen in a while. Where you now expect to see less-than-perfect bodywork and sub-par interiors, this is properly smart.
Some might want a Zed without any add-ons for maximum collectability, but it seems hard to grumble with genuine NISMO parts that have been there since new. Especially when they look this good. There’s said to be a wealth of main dealer history, plus a fluid refresh 300 miles ago. Probably not the 350 to go honing your drift skills with, then, but one with many more years of entertainment left in the tank. With the price of certain Japanese classics being what they are, maybe £15k isn’t mad either. And it’ll still look good in another 20 years.
SPECIFICATION | NISSAN 350Z
Engine: 3,498cc, V6
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 280@6,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 268@4,800rpm
MPG: 24.8
CO2: 273g/km
First registered: 2004
Recorded mileage: 61,716
Price new: c. £25k
Yours for: £14,995
A really robust and reliable track car, drive to the track, hammer it all day, drive home and not dread it.
Weight can be removed to a limit, heavy stock seats replaced with buckets etc.
Obviously it’s no E46 M3, but for a less than a third of the cost it’s not only a third as fun. And not ruinous if it ends up in a tyre wall.
Edit: Like others have said, no one is spending £15k for one. 6-7k, 1-2k on mods and away you go.
My eldest bought one a couple of years back for 5 grand, same colour but a convertible. I had an identical one and they are pretty good, at the time I was yearning for an M135i, got one eventually and you know what, though the Z is a lot slower its just so much more engaging and enjoyable, steering feel is on another planet.
My lad will be selling his as has bought a Supercharged Monaro, will be a lot less than 15 grand, cloud cuckoo land I would say as there arent that many folk wanting 20 mpg and high VED, plus can get a 370Z for that, plus change, Monaro was about that, and there is a similarity in feel, albeit with more than double the power.
Definitely had that Japanese muscle car feeling, as it did feel weighty but more than happy to casually step the rear out in a controlled fashion. I've got to be careful or I'll talk myself into buying another.
I took it from 65k to nearly 68k miles and it was fun to drive. You really could feel its heft but it went great, a tad thirsty though. Had 1 service, sold it for £5700. Should have kept it? 
The only recurrent issue I had was the airbag light intermittently coming on. Switching the ignition on and off 5 times or so would reset it (Youtube tip). That, and the corrosion.
On the forums, most say they are robust but they really aren't. My car had spent a lot of its time in the NE on salty roads. The crossmembers underneath rot away, and I spent £300 having the rear wheel arches sorted but it was starting to come back again (yes, I should have had it all cut out and replaced and not treated, but that would have been nearer £1k). The inner wings in the wheel arches front and back all had surface rust on them, thin paint here, and I slathered it all in black waxoyl to keep it at bay. The panels under the rear of the car had become wafer thin.Rear hatch struts become weak (there's a fix using some small copper washers or 1p coins), and I remember having to faff about with a washer or two to get the fuel flap cover to align properly.
It's been SORN since Feb 2023 and has 89k miles on it now. ETA: I admit I have found myself looking at them now and again but I've switched my preference to the 370Z. I test drove a 2019 one in 2020 but the headroom for me was tragic. The 370Z is one of the few cars to benefit from the VED rule change in 2017. Before April 2017, £735, after it, £190 because most of them were under £40k new.
It matters when they get older....January 2017:
Now, as we know, the Japanese can provide us with cars with featherlight steering, hair trigger brakes and knife through butter gearchanges, but that isnt the ethos with the 350Z, it sort of straddles the sports and muscle car genres.
I hadnt driven one for a while and had it in my head it would feel, old slow and gutless, but I had my lads for a couple of days as he nicked my (his old) Fiesta ST, and the Fiesta (its not standard) would leave it for dead but it was a pleasant surprise how enjoyable it was.
its funny, back when these came out, a 3,5 V7 with 280 ish bhp would be a bit of a beast, a big engine that people would see as having plenty of low down grunt, which it sort of has but with modern turbo stuff it seems a poor relation, you need to get it spinning to make meaningful progress, and when you do there is enough power to make it enjoyable.
They’re not super fast, but then most stuff from early 2000s isn’t terribly quick these days in comparison to modern cars. For me it’s about the feel and weight of everything. I know exactly what the car is doing. I find they’re quick enough to be able to exploit their performance on public roads, without being so fast you’re left feeling frustrated by nuisance things like speed limits and traffic. Plus they look and sound great IMO.
In general, the cars are probably hitting their low point price-wise. There are loads that are a little rough around the edges, haven't been looked after that well or have been heavily modified for track/drift work so I expect we'll see prices start to creep up for the average car in decent condition and fairly standard in the next few years. They're a lovely place to be, very relaxing to drive with a great ride and as other have said a feeling of "heft" behind everything including the power delivery. Great low down torque in every gear.
We have one and are about to get a few rust and corrosion spots treated and resprayed, there's not much around at their normal price point (around £6-£8k now for a decent one) to compare really.
There are faster, sportier, lighter, newer cars out there but the 350Z remains one of my all time favourite cars for ownership reasons. Mine was fairly young still when I had it but but the only thing I needed to spend money on in 3yrs of ownership and 50k miles was a replacement backbox (for £80).
Still have a big soft spot for these.
it says in the article that no limited edition version cars, the yellow one is a GT4, limited run in either yellow or black. Largely the same as a gt spec car but with different wheels and a slight lift in power.
I took a brand new 350Z Roadster to a cheeky 130 back in 2006, I really liked it to drive. I just like the whole Nissan Z car vibe for sure.
On paper the 370 doesn't look like it has much torque(270Ib/ft), but it feels like it has more than that to drive though for me.
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