Advice on buying a Z

[Zahmed1094]

I am a 77 year old guy looking more for a grand tourer as I have been a road tripper, having crisscrossed the USA over the past 8 years, driven all lower 48 states in an Infiniti q60, Kia Stinger, Corvette C6 etc. I am no longer an aggressive driver, don’t race or track, just looking for comfort. I like coupes.

so now, with a limited budget of about $35-$37k, I wonder if I should settle for a new Sports trim or a used low mileage Performance trim? Chat GPT suggests that at my age and needs a Sports trim is more comfortable and the higher performance is not needed.

Also, in looking at the 2025 Nissan Z at local dealers, several are in red/black exteriors and a couple in Black. I prefer the one that is all black. Now the question. A dealer has one that is slightly damaged by hail. You cannot see it from a far but up close, there seem to be tiny hail dents on the roof, hood and one flank. Counted about 12 on the roof, about 3 on the hood and one on one of its flank. Dealer has offered to take off $1500 off the price if I bought it or he would fix them and I would have to pay the higher price. Basically, $35,500 or $34k. Cars are new. Comments?

 

[bpeckham]

I think ChatGPT may be hallucinating a bit since both Sport and Performance have the same engine and transmissions.

If you're looking for comfort, I'd pick the Performance as it has an upgraded interior, which you might appreciate on your road trips.

 

[Zahmed1094]

The reason ChatGPT says it’s more comfortable is because the suspension is more taut on the Performance trim but I was wrong and you are right, it says

”
The Nissan Z Performance trim clearly offers enhanced comfort over the base Z Sport, thanks to heated and power-adjustable seats, premium interior materials, noise reduction, and a higher-end audio system. These upgrades contribute to a more refined and supportive driving experience—particularly valuable for senior drivers seeking ease of use and reduced fatigue.

If long drives, ease of entry, and adjustable seating are important, the Performance trim delivers the benefits with relatively modest upgrade costs. The Sport trim remains capable, but comfort-wise, the Performance is a better match.

 

[ZillaZ]

Sport to me is if you bar none cannot afford a Perf but want a Z - OR - you are going to mod it do much you would be replacing most / all the perf upgrades.

If you want a GT coupe for road trips out the door and you want a Z, the Perf is the way to go. Suspension is perfect for a GT coupe.

If you are looking at other GT coupes maybe a Miata, GR86 or BRZ but those are a bit smaller and no offense but at your age you would probably enjoy more space inside.

 

[Zahmed1094]

Sport to me is if you bar none cannot afford a Perf but want a Z - OR - you are going to mod it do much you would be replacing most / all the perf upgrades.

If you want a GT coupe for road trips out the door and you want a Z, the Perf is the way to go. Suspension is perfect for a GT coupe.

If you are looking at other GT coupes maybe a Miata, GR86 or BRZ but those are a bit smaller and no offense but at your age you would probably enjoy more space inside.

yes, at 6’4” those ones are too small. I have a 2016 Jaguar F-Type with just 18k miles, original MSRP of $69k but sadly, now worth closer to $28k or so. Dealer is offering $31k.

 

[ZillaZ]

yes, at 6’4” those ones are too small. I have a 2016 Jaguar F-Type with just 18k miles, original MSRP of $69k but sadly, now worth closer to $28k or so. Dealer is offering $31k.

For what it's worth I am 6'2" and fit in the Z just fine. Did a 500 mile trip last year and had a blast! Very comfortable and got 34mpg on the interstate.

 

[bpeckham]

I've done several 300-mile days and two 600-mile days. The Performance is very comfortable for tips like that. It doesn't have a lot of cargo space, but based on your other cars, you've probably got that sorted.

Note: I have zero experience with the Sport, so I'm sure I'm Performance biased.

 

[Drago86]

I would drive both the performance and the sport at a dealership before you decide. I have a performance and I feel it is still very softly sprung and damped for a sportscar. I drove ~700 miles with my 71 year old mother after picking mine up as I purchased out of state and she was even commenting on how comfortable the ride was versus what she expected and was comparing it to her Lexus. Nissan seems to have gone for a "GT" tune with soft spring and stiffish sway bars, I've noticed it eats even bumps and highway undulates incredibly well but is a little more jarring on uneven cross chassis bumps.

I ,like a lot of us here, here feel the ride should be a bit stiffer from the factory and will probably add coil overs, but it sounds like it may be absolutely perfect for your needs.

If you're scared of depreciation though, the Z is also dropping like a stone, hopefully not as bad as an F-type, but similarly due to it's initially inflated price, impracticality for most and questionable brand prestige they've already fallen quite a bit and will undoubtably fall more in the coming years.

I actually was considering an F-type when shopping for Z's as they were about half the price due to the insane depreciation but after sitting in one I eliminated the possibility because of how much more comfortable the Z was or me. Both are a bit large for a sportscar(the Z being still basically on the 350z/g35 shared chassis, so a luxury sports coupe chassis tarted up as a sportscar) but the F-type felt cramped comparatively.

The only negative in regards to comfort I've found(and I didn't notice it until after 30+ minutes of driving on my road trip after buying the car, not on test drives) is the left side drivers seat plastic trim. If you're on the taller side and have the seat all the way down the bolster on that side retracts quite a bit into the plastic trim to the point where my hip bone was basically sitting on top of that trim piece with a just thin piece of foam. It actually became painful until I readjusted my seating position to something less natural but accounting for that stupid plastic trim piece (more leftover 370z plastic molds). Other taller drivers have noticed it also, so I'd test drive specifically looking for this and see how it feels ( see this thread: https://www.nissanzclub.com/forum/threads/has-anyone-replaced-the-seats.2554/ ). I've since made it better by unclipping that trim piece to allow more movement but I may remove it entirely or trim the plastic in the long run as it's still noticeable.


I hope the Z suites your needs and you decide to join the club, it really is a phenomenal and special car

Also, similar to the F-type because the Z is so rare and good looking it turns heads and gets a lot of stares.

 

[RedAustinIX]

I would avoid the hail-damaged one. Cars never look good after hail damage repair, and many times have a glue-odor inside. A $1500 discount for hail is way too little, in my opinion.

The Costco auto program is a super-easy way to get the best deal on a new Z. I saved about $8500 on my Performance with no need to haggle.

 

[Zahmed1094]

I would avoid the hail-damaged one. Cars never look good after hail damage repair, and many times have a glue-odor inside. A $1500 discount for hail is way too little, in my opinion.

The Costco auto program is a super-easy way to get the best deal on a new Z. I saved about $8500 on my Performance with no need to haggle.

Problem is that I have a trade in and Costco can’t help.

 

[Zahmed1094]

Problem is that I have a trade in and Costco can’t help.

The damage from hail is very minor. Standing 10 feet from the black Sports Z, cannot see any. It’s only when you are standing next to it, you can see about 10 very light ones on the roof, about 3 on the hood and one on the left flank. It’s got 18 miles on Odometer, is discounted to $34k. They can get it fixed for $1500. However, I can either get it done for less or elect to do it on my own time.

 

[naveed]

I would avoid the hail damaged car. Look around, other dealers might get close to your.
I am also thinking of buying the Sports Trim. One reason is that, with 18" wheels/tires, the ride is probably less stiff compared to the 19" on the perf.
Is that the case or not ?

 

[Zahmed1094]

I would avoid the hail damaged car. Look around, other dealers might get close to your.
I am also thinking of buying the Sports Trim. One reason is that, with 18" wheels/tires, the ride is probably less stiff compared to the 19" on the perf.
Is that the case or not ?

chatGPT disagrees, says the conveniences of the higher trim make for a better grand tourer.

 

[thesilverbullet]

Only $1,500 discount for hail damage is laughable. I would pass. ’26 will be here soon. so ‘25 prices will be dropping.

take trade-in to carmax - you will get more for it. or sell it yourself.

you will like the perf’s powered seats. Makes it easy to tweak the setup on the fly.

 

[Zahmed1094]

Only $1,500 discount for hail damage is laughable. I would pass. ’26 will be here soon. so ‘25 prices will be dropping.

take trade-in to carmax - you will get more for it. or sell it yourself.

you will like the perf’s powered seats. Makes it easy to tweak the setup on the fly.

Thing is, I cannot wait. I leave for a 3+ week road trip of 4k miles fromSt. Louis to Montere, Ca then a week there, up to Oregon before I head back. I leave on September 1st.