@4DRZ being you work at a dealer, and that you're absolutely ridiculous in general, can you do 12/18/24 month leases for a decent amount of money?

 

I prefer the term "crazy," but just curious, what makes me "absolutely ridiculous in general?" Most leases are not great right now. Every once in a while I stumble across a fantastic short term lease special on a Nissan since they hold their value really well, but it is usually on a vehicle I am not that interested in driving. I almost pulled the trigger on a loaded new Frontier truck lease as a daily driver and also get a new Z because it was something amazing like $250/mo. for a $48k truck when everything else was $800/mo. for the same price truck. The residual was insane like 97%!?! For those who don't know, most vehicles have a residual around 50% meaning that the manufacturer thinks the car will be worth about 50% of the original msrp when the lease ends.

If you were referring to my ridiculousness as swapping cars quickly lately, it is only because the used car market has been so nuts that I could buy a car new and sell it used for more than I bought it. The cars just made financial sense and I will do it with the Leaf as well. Not sure how long this will continue, but the days are definitely numbered.

 

Nissan and retaining value somewhat surprises me. No offense to Nissan/Infiniti, but I always thought they were middle of the pack in that regard, and pretty far behind Subaru, Toyota and Honda in depreciation. Is it possible they were inflating residuals in order to get people into leases and drive their short term sales?

 

My experience is that Nissan, Toyota, and Honda seem to be the 3 best mainstream cars for residual, especially compared to just about anything domestic, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, etc. Some Subarus do well and most niche cars like Mini Cooper, GTI, and Jeeps do well too. Most expensive luxury cars have horrible residual value so they are usually a great deal on the used market if you can afford the maintenance. That is historically what I have seen over the last 20+ years working in the auto industry. However, as you all know used car values are still relatively high on just about anything as they have been since covid.

 

@4DRZ Have you driven the new 400z? If so, im curious about your thoughts on it.

 

Only briefly in the parking lot. The first one we got was the first yellow Performance stick shift in our state and I believe in the Midwest. I sold it almost 2 years ago and the owner is a content creator so I wanted to make sure there were next to no miles on it. I have a bunch of them sold and it will probably take me years to fill all the orders. If one becomes available I will take it out for a real test drive.

However, a lot of the parts on this car I have experienced in other cars so I have a pretty good idea how it will drive. Compared to my 370Z I like the shifter better and I dig the modern dash and center console displays as well as the retro styling. I know I like the motor as I have sampled a version of that in a few Infinitis, and it was easily the best part of those cars. I am also very familiar with how the brakes work as the Akebonos are the exact same brakes I had on my 370Z and my G37. I have not driven the car at the limit, but I am guessing it would drastically benefit from some better tires. Sorry I don't have a better answer for you.

 

@4DRZ Ah right on, so you felt positive about it with the limited time you had with it. Didn't blow your mind, but didn't disappoint either, and felt familiar to your 370 chassis wise but with a vr30.

Im a bit curious about that car, a q50 redline sport tracked with us last year (obviously heavier than the 370/400z), but with catback exhaust and downpipe upgrades, it seemed pretty damn quick with that vr30. The front im still iffy about,but im really starting to like the back end since i love the 300zx.
I think i need to drive one. Thanks!

 

Have you seen the car in person? I think it looks better in person than in pics.

 

I haven't actually, you could be right about it being better in person. I do totally dig the back end, its just the headlights that throw me off, but until i see it in person i cant fairly judge the car.

I do think its awesome that they give us coolant/oil temp(and psi)/rear diff temps on display stock. No need to install and fiddle with guages. It seems like nissan really wants you to track this car, which is why im trying to be open minded about it. It seems like it could be a fun toy, and i want my next car to be more nimble and less modest of a track toy

Tbh i hated the new supra in pics but once toyota had a pearl white one out front, i walked around the car, and decided i really liked it. So maybe the 400z will change my mind as well. Definitely has to be black or blue though.

As for stock tires, i dont really care what tires come on a car stock, as i immediately go after 200 tread tires anyhow. Actually there is a 100 treadwear tire im interested in now, Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3r but thats for another post so ill stop there lol

 

That's interesting that you don't dig the headlights. Do you know the story about the shape they get from the LED daytime running lights to mimic a Z only sold in Japan that had a very similar reflection off the headlight covers? I think it is a neat story, but I really just thought it was cool how they created the illusion of a longer more cylindrical headlight. Anyway, maybe something you notice more easily in person.

Man, we are on the same page about just about everything else you mentioned though. When I first saw the digital dash in the prototype Z years ago the actual temp gauges were what I was most excited about. I saw those and I was like, "FINALLY!" Lol.

I am still not in love with the front of the Supra- probably just because the concept looked so much better. But the side and rear looks a lot better in person. I am not in love with the BMW interior and the claustrophobic feel inside, but the car as a whole is solid.

I do the exact same thing with 200 or less treadwear tires when I look at a new car. Crazy since I don't plan on tracking my next car. Right after I drove the Lexus IS F 500 Sport Performance Too Long Name... I looked into stickier tires. I am still leaning pretty heavily toward the 40th GTI as the perfect daily driver for me and they come with 2 different types of tires. Hopefully, I get the better set.

 

From my understanding they took two halves from two cars i absolutely love (s30/datsun240z Front, 300zx rear), but in photos it looks mismatched to me (again maybe in person it wil look better to me).

I just felt like either make a whole s30 return OR a 300zx, dont combine them and waste 2 great opportunities for comeback designs. Hopefully you are right and i will get over it in person, and possibly like it a lot.


S30 / using the Devil Z as an example because why not lol

Im assummed (correction) the headlights were on the 400z are basically a tribute to the s30 with extra flare like the clear caps people put on them, which looked great on the old zs imo. (I didnt realize it was from a very special one, that IS pretty cool. Ty for sharing that.

And yea, the gti, just get some re71r (or the newer versions), pretty sure you going to be treating every offramp/onramp like track day. Why fight your natural instinct to push limits on corners lol

 

It's definitely said in a positive way and purely vehicle related. You've had a pretty wild path the last couple years with vehicles and are all over the place with what you're looking for lol. If I had the budget I'd probably be doing similar things. Too bad on the leases, makes sense though but for somebody that likes variety in the vehicles it would be nice if it worked well. Whatever you end up with will be a great vehicle, and then in a year or two you'll have your eyes on something else great.

 

How dare you even put that garbage Q50 in that lineup, lol. And there's more to a car than how fast it gets from 0 to 60. I like my IPL but you couldn't pay me to buy another Nissan product. EVERYONE i know has had to have their transmission replaced.

 

What does that mean? I like the way the car looks and the copper wheels. Nice to have a different color than black or silver come from the factory.

 

I thought the same thing originally about the 2 halves of the new Z, but the execution in person is pretty good because both ends are modernized enough to match.

I already treat every roundabout and corner in the Leaf like I am lapping a track. (Old habits die hard.) The stock tires don't like it much, but the low center of gravity and near 50/50 weight distribution make for some unusually entertaining turns.

I always search for the same thing- fun to drive. Recently that has taken many forms because with the Jeeps I wanted to experience off-roading for the 1st time since I felt like I had already done everything fast car related. The STI Type RA got me back on track with sports cars in my garage, but ironically not back on an actual track. It made me realize it was too much for a daily driver. The Leaf I initially thought would be a total sleeper and it absolutely is, even without the sticky tires. It just so happened that I tore up my back the same day it arrived so it has been a savior being A/T since my left leg and foot could no longer handle the clutch in the STI. Now I am hoping to get back to a sporty daily driver in the GTI as long as my leg and back have healed enough to daily drive stick shift. It gets here in a little over a month so hopefully, that is enough time to heal.

Short leases actually would not be good for me because I would pay a significant amount of interest on the lease. With buying and selling cars quickly I am only out the maintenance or upgrade costs. Maybe I could have sold one or two leases for more than the buyout and come out ahead, but unfortunately not on the cars I got. I looked into leases on the Jeeps, but they were terrible. The STI was used so I could not lease it. The Leaf did not include the $7,500 federal rebate if I leased it so that was out too. I also save a significant amount of taxes on the GTI by trading in the Leaf.