Specifically, I’m talking about a 2011 Honda Accord V6 coupe (34k miles; V6 trimline) vs a 2010 Nissan 370Z (16k miles; 40th Anniversary trimline).
The story:
I used to have a 2008 Mazda RX-8, but it went gremlin on me – breaking my heart in the process – so in the spring of 2011 I kind of overcorrected and bought a new Honda Accord V6 coupe. Practically since the moment I drove it off the lot I’ve wanted another sports car. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine car: it has a lot of features that I like, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it other than being boring as hell to drive. So I’ve been making more than the minimum payments every month, and throwing some extra money at the loan whenever I can, and I finally owe just about what I could probably (hopefully) get for it as a trade-in.
I’ve wanted a Subaru BRZ since the day I learned about them, but I’ve always been a little unsure about how underpowered they are: Subaru swears there are no plans for a turbo, but what if they change their minds for 2015?? Then, the other day I learned that Consumer Reports will not be recommending the 2014 BRZ, because of reliability issues with the first model year. I’m still a bit infatuated with them, but am starting to think it might not be a bad idea to wait them out a few more iterations.
There are no other new sports cars that I’m interested in/can afford right now, so I decided to start looking through the used inventory on some local dealership websites. And I found the aforementioned 370Z. With relatively low mileage. For about $1000 less than a new BRZ.
And I started thinking…
So: totally crazy idea? The 370Z looks great, has a good engine, and gets pretty good reviews, with the only negatives being a wimpy engine sound and lots of noise at high RPMs (some road noise issues, too). I owned a used Nissan Sentra for a few years and never had a problem with it, so I have no objection to that make, and I know some folks who love(d) their 350Zs (commasense, you around?). It feels weird to be considering a car that’s older than the one I currently have, but I keep thinking it would be a trade up.
I’m asking about this trade, specifically; not the idea of trading in a 2.5-year-old car, which I’m sure several of you will find insane.
To repeat/further clarify: my question has nothing to do with economics. How I spend my money is my prerogative. I’m just trying to compare cars here. On paper it looks like the 370Z is worth buying – for someone who wants a sports car – even if it’s a 2010, and the one I’m looking at has less than half the mileage that my current car does, but I just don’t know much about them.
Um…the cost of the 370Z? I’m not sure what you’re getting at.
Thanks for providing the exact type of comment I specifically said I wasn’t interested in.
You know, I think I decided that I wanted the 370Z as soon as I saw the listing on the dealership’s site. I’m generally not impulsive, though – especially with cars – so I think I just needed to see it all in writing and get some kind of reality check. I’d definitely still need to drive the thing (one review I saw mentioned that the steering wheel doesn’t telescope – which was fine for the 6’ tall reviewer, but I’m 5’3), and ultimately it would come down to the value of my Honda. According to Edmund’s, Kelley, and NADA it should be right at what I still owe, but I also know that dealerships often lowball trade-ins.
Do you have to drive in bad weather? Not sure if the 370z would be a good snow/ice car. Also, your car insurance may go up quite a bit with a sports car like the 370z, might want to get a quote from your insurance company first.
As long as you can afford it, I don’t think it’s crazy at all. You’ve gotta live a little bit. Of course, I am biased because I did pretty much the same thing as you. You may have to buy winter tires for the Z though.
That said, I agree that the BRZ needs a little more power, but it is really fun to drive. It will always lose to the Z in straight-line speed, but I liked it better anyway - something I didn’t think I’d ever say of a naturally aspirated four banger on fucking Prius tires. If you are set on an FR layout (and why not?), I’d also look at the Honda S2000.
The 2010 370z 40th anniversary is also a limited edition (1000 made according to Wiki) so you may be able to keep some extra value in the car. Be sure that it has the badging, the plaque of authenticity and the commemorative car cover still with it. They may not matter to you as the owner, but will help when resale/trade-in time come around again.
For what it’s worth: my wife has a 2006 Nissan Murano (SUV). It is our first, and will be our last, Nissan.
It’s very nice-looking, comfortable, drives well, and would be a fantastic car if stuff didn’t keep breaking. And it’s not so much that it needs repairs; it has 50K miles and some wear and tear is expected, but whenever something breaks I look online and find hundreds of other Murano owners complaining that exactly the same thing happened to theirs. This includes:
The hinge on the driver side sun visor wearing out (which was really nice when it flopped down while driving at night) - $100+ repair.
The driver’s seat suddenly coming off its track due to a metal bracket snapping - $1000+ repair.
The high-pressure power steering hose springing a leak - $200+ repair.
Ball joints/control arms prematurely wearing out - around $600 repair.
Brake pads, tires and all wheel bearings wear out much more quickly than any other car we’ve owned.
Here’s a sample site where dozens of others complain of all of these problems and more. There are many other similar sites.
I have no idea whether other Nissan models are less lemony, or whether they’ve gotten their act together since 2006. Nor do we intend to ever find out. I’d always thought of Nissan as a reliable manufacturer, the likes of Honda and Toyota, but not anymore.
The year isn’t as important as the mileage and wear-and-tear. And, of course, the most important thing is the overall reputation of the car. There are lemons in every batch, but there are far fewer lemons with certain types of car. Hondas are famously reliable, but Nissans are also reportedly reliable.
Of course, I’d sell it outright vs. trading it in because the difference is probably going to be thousands of dollars. If you simply don’t want to deal with the hassle, then at least know the blue book value of the car you’re trading in and don’t accept anything less than a $500 markdown.
I’d be really surprised if the 370Z is actually more reliable compared to a BRZ. I think the trouble is that the various publications are having trouble placing the BRZ/FR-S in a category-- it’s really hard to come up with a tangible metric by which they’re any different from a small economy car. They’re not going to compare favorably with things like a Civic or a Corolla or a Focus, but they should probably be a lot better than a true performance car like a 370Z.
That’s similar to the question I’d ask myself if I were you. The BRZ and the 370Z are very different cars. The 370Z is an honest-to-goodness performance car with all the complexity and increased cost of ownership that entails. The BRZ is really more like an old fashioned pony car or roadster. It still delivers fun, but in a less tangible way that comes from a more involved driving experience with a more minimalist car. IMHO, that kind of roadstery fun is a lot better for daily driving than a big muscle car you’re never going to really ever let unwind in the course of your normal driving. As the saying goes, it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. I think the 370Z would be an awesome weekend car but, personally, I don’t see enough extra fun coming from driving it every day to justify the increased cost of keeping it on the road. The BRZ, on the other hand, I think would be a fun commuter car and shouldn’t cost much more to run.
Well, like I said upthread, I’ve owned a Nissan before: I had a used Sentra that I kept for four years, with no problems. I’m sorry your wife’s Murano is such a pain in the ass!
I did.
It wasn’t my first trade-in.
“Lesser” is in the eye of the beholder: I feel like I just won the used car lottery. And if all I cared about was dependability, I never would have gotten the RX-8 in 2008!
Any car can wind up being more or less reliable than any other car. But with the BRZ, it was “I can’t shake the feeling they’re going to come out with a turbo next year” + “Consumer Reports isn’t happy with the first year’s reliability” that equaled “maybe I should consider something else.” I looked at the dealership’s used car inventory mostly as a lark: it’s an Audi dealership, and I love those cars, but I wasn’t expecting to see anything I really wanted/could afford. The 370Z took me by surprise.
It was never “BRZ vs 370Z,” it was new BRZ vs a used something better. Know what I mean? I never expected to come across a 370Z with such low mileage and in such great condition that I could afford. I’m loving it!
I cannot wait to take this thing to the track in the spring…
One of my good friends bought one the first month they were available as a track car. It’s plenty fast but apparently needed brakes and an oil cooler in short order. More of a touring car than a outright corner carver. Also, visibility is terrible and trunk space doesn’t exist, but it’s still a fantastic car.
And this, because he promptly put it into the wall at VIR
I’m generally not impulsive, though – especially with cars – so I think I just needed to see it all in writing and get some kind of reality check. I’d definitely still need to drive the thing (one review I saw mentioned that the steering wheel doesn’t telescope – which was fine for the 6’ tall reviewer, but I’m 5’3), and ultimately it would come down to the value of my Honda. According to Edmund’s, Kelley, and NADA it should be right at what I still owe, but I also know that dealerships often lowball trade-ins.
