Nissan’s Final 370Z Enthusiasts Grab Before Values Reset
$67,260. That is where the 2027 Nissan Z Nismo starts before destination, and it buys a properly sharp sports car: 420 horsepower from a twin-turbo V6, GT-R-derived front brakes, and, finally, a six-speed manual. Nobody is arguing it isn’t worth the money. The problem is that “worth the money” and “affordable” quietly stopped meaning the same thing.
For half a century, the Z’s whole pitch was serious rear-drive performance at a price regular enthusiasts could reach. It is the reason Nissan still shows up on every list of affordable sports cars. That car still exists. It just isn’t sitting on a showroom floor anymore, and right now a good one costs roughly a third of what a new Nismo does.
Why A $67,260 Nismo Sticker Changed The Math On Affordable Sports Cars
When Nissan launched the seventh-generation Nissan Z for 2023, it called the car an “attainable dream car” and priced the Z Sport at $39,990. Four model years later, the 2027 Z Sport starts at $44,480, the Performance at $54,480, and the Nismo at $67,260, all before a $1,325 destination charge.
The car got better for that money. Twin turbochargers lift output to 400 horsepower in Sport and Performance trim, and the 2027 update adds chassis revisions alongside the manual Nismo. It also got heavier, with Kelley Blue Book listing a 2027 Z Sport at 3,549 pounds. That is the trade modern sports cars keep making: more speed, more weight, more money.
Fewer Than Three Per Dealer Means Fewer Deals
Supply is tightening too. According to a Nissan dealer briefing reported by CarBuzz, most stores should expect fewer than three 2027 Zs each, with Nissan steering buyers toward ordering the car they want rather than buying off the lot. With the Toyota GR Supra out of production, the manual Z Nismo has its corner of the market largely to itself.
That matters for what buyers actually pay. Edmunds listings this summer showed 2026 Z Nismos advertised at roughly $2,000 below MSRP. Fewer cars on the ground leaves less room to haggle, which is exactly the outcome CarBuzz flagged when the allocation news broke. For anyone who simply wants a rear-drive Z with a V6 and a manual, the new-car route is getting narrower and pricier at the same time.
The 2020 Nissan 370Z Closed A 50-Year Chapter
The 2020 model year was the end of the line for the Nissan 370Z, and the last time a Z left the factory without turbochargers. Its 3.7-liter VQ37VHR V6 makes 332 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 270 pound-feet of torque in standard form, while the 370Z Nismo pushes that to 350 horsepower at 7,400 rpm and 276 pound-feet. Nissan’s VVEL variable valve lift system lets it pull cleanly all the way to the top of the tach.
The six-speed manual is the one to want. It comes with SynchroRev Match, which blips the throttle on downshifts and can be switched off for anyone who prefers to heel-and-toe. A seven-speed automatic was optional, and standard on the Sport Touring. Sport models add a viscous limited-slip differential, larger brakes, and 19-inch wheels. At 3,386 pounds in base form, per KBB, it is also lighter than the car that replaced it.
Why The Final Model Year Is The One To Chase
For 2020, Nissan dropped the roadster and sold the coupe in base, Sport, Sport Touring, and Nismo trims. It also marked the Z’s 50th birthday with the 50th Anniversary Edition, a $2,600 package on the Sport that wears two-tone paint inspired by the #46 BRE Datsun 240Z that won multiple SCCA national championships. It changes nothing mechanically, but it is the version auction bidders chase.
The bigger reason to shop late is everything Nissan sorted along the way. Early VQ37VHR engines used paper oil gallery gaskets that could fail and drop oil pressure, according to VQ specialists, and engines built from roughly the 2013 model year onward use a revised design. A 2020 car sits well clear of that problem, and our 370Z model-year guide covers the rest of the generation’s changes in detail.
What $24,000 Buys Today, And Why It May Not Stay That Way
The honest picture first: the 370Z market is not on fire. CarGurus puts the average used 370Z, across all model years, at $18,734, down 9.25 percent from a year ago. Kelley Blue Book values a 2020 370Z in good condition at about $24,300 in a private sale for the base car or the Sport, and the model year as a whole has shed 18 percent of its value over the last three years.
There is an early sign that the slide is flattening, though. CarGurus shows 370Z prices up 1.98 percent over the past 30 days, while its index for the broader used market fell 1.18 percent in the same window. One month is not a trend. It is, however, exactly the kind of divergence worth watching when the new car is getting scarcer and more expensive at the same time.
The 2020 Nismo Has Lost Just 12 Percent In Three Years
The Nismo tells a stronger story. KBB’s depreciation data shows a 2020 370Z Nismo losing 12 percent of its value over three years, and its private-party value actually rose $1,733 during 2025 before giving some of that back. Nationally, KBB’s Fair Purchase Price for the car sits at $36,100 against an original MSRP of $46,740. That is roughly 77 percent of sticker six years on, which puts it in rare company among sports cars that hold their value.
The 50th Anniversary Edition goes further. It started at $36,420 with the manual, and low-mileage manual examples sold on Bring a Trailer for $44,500 in September 2024 and $37,500 in February 2025. Treat those as the ceiling, not the norm. Both cars showed under 3,500 miles, and an automatic Anniversary car failed to sell at a $16,500 high bid in May 2025. Condition and the third pedal decide what these cars are worth.
The 370Z Is Dated, And That’s Exactly The Point
None of this makes the 370Z a modern car. Its cabin dates to 2009, the steering column only adjusts for height, and fuel economy with the manual is 17 mpg in the city. The new Z is quicker, more refined, and better equipped in nearly every measurable way, and nobody shopping a 370Z should pretend otherwise.
But the 370Z is the last Z with a naturally aspirated V6, and a 2020 car carries every fix Nissan made across 12 model years. It costs about $500 a year to keep running, and a good one trades for roughly a third of a new Nismo’s price once destination is added. With new Zs being rationed to a handful per dealer and the final-year Nismo already holding most of its original value, this is the window where a driver’s car with real peace of mind is still priced like a used car. Enthusiasts who want one would be smart to move before the market decides it is a collectible.
Sources: Nissan USA, KBB, CarGurus, Edmunds
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