The FX was funny because I bought it sight unseen (well, I had a video go round) after MANY months of looking. It got traded in on a Lexus in TN and the used car manager, who is now the dealership manager, had just sunk a lot of money into being able to do do a reasonable level of restoration at their shop. I truly think he was using my car as an example for how he could generate additional revenue via some restoration because he repainted the entire front of the car for me, refinished the wheels in dark gray and drove the car to the local tire shop to get new tires, brake fluid change and alignment for me (on my dime).

I was initially just looking to get a decent car that I could use for kids sports etc and not worry about it too much, Then, it gets trailered up to MD and as I watch it come off the enclosed trailer I’m waiting to see the big scratch or dent that I missed. But, as it kept rolling out of the trailer inch by inch, not only was there no big dent, but the dang thing was perfect.

I kid you not, as it rolled out I was both excited that it was in mint shape, but at the same time I remember thinking, “here we go again, another car to be babied”.

Anyways, there’s a lot more funny to this story, but you get the gist.

 

You and I have the same sort of car karma. I see people all the time that have so many issues despite doing everything they are supposed to do...

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a7...ti-q50-teased/

If Nissan can integrate elements of the R34 into a new sedan as elegantly as they shaped the image of the new Z based on prior generations, it will be a home run.

 

I want to believe, but Nissan's track record hasn't been that great for the last decade or so. A sedan (dying segment) aimed at a narrow market with established competition is a big hill to climb.

I mean, the prospects of a Q50 6MT should get me excited, but for some reason, it doesn't.

 

The Nissan and Infiniti brands have definitely taken a beating over the past decade.

example: https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a7...z370z-g37-g35/

Fast reliable cars aging and becoming affordable for younger drivers isn’t new, but the reinforcement of stereotypes on social media is new and has been exceptionally devastating to the brand image.

The issue is that people do not want to pay as much for a Nissan product as they would a German vehicle or even Toyota. Add that most Infiniti dealerships merged with Nissan, I struggle to see myself regressing as those dealerships where I live are more shady than most smoke shops.

 

The Nissan and Infiniti brands have definitely taken a beating over the past decade.

example: https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a7...z370z-g37-g35/

Fast reliable cars aging and becoming affordable for younger drivers isn’t new, but the reinforcement of stereotypes on social media is new and has been exceptionally devastating to the brand image.

The issue is that people do not want to pay as much for a Nissan product as they would a German vehicle or even Toyota. Add that most Infiniti dealerships merged with Nissan, I struggle to see myself regressing as those dealerships where I live are shadier than a smoke shop with a message parlor in the back. Not a place where one is comfortable dropping over 60k on a new car.

I see that the new Z is getting great press and selling well now that dealerships are knocking 10k off MSRP. I suspect the same cycle will happen with the new R34 inspired Q50.

 

Yeah, all that is unfortunately true. And at least with the G37 --> Q40 Nissan destroyed the residual values by practically giving away leases for $250/month. There was back in 2015, 4 black G37 sedans and one coupe on my street -- including my 6MT. They were reliable and cheap. And kids did what kids did with them. Nissan sold ~5500 Z cars in 2025. Not sure that is really selling well. Nissan would need to really play on value, but they'll probably overprice it and miss the window. Guess we'll see.

 

2 seaters are roughly 1% of the market, so the numbers will never be impressive next to SUVs and Pickups.

Also, they didn't really start selling ("dropping pants") till the middle to end of 2025; there does seem to be a little bit of a ground swell now as there are alot of Zs on Auto Trader and even BaT. Many are 2023-24s with almost no miles and the Z Performance w/6MT is going for mid 40s. Some I see have just over 15K miles and those are just a smidge under 40K. 38-39K for essentially a new car that can hit 60 in under 5 clicks with a manual and interior with buttons and analog gauges is enticing to many. At 50K+, it was just a tired, over priced platform from a company trying to dodge bankruptcy.

Example of one at a BMW dealer near me: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...icle/775686269

The Nismo under 50K may be an even better deal, but the 9AT is the only option for now. That fact alone is driving the resale into the ground. With that said, the I have watched alot of reviews online where the reviewer is blown away by how well Jatco implemented the 9G-Tronic, so the transmission works well.

 

Looks like others such as Jeep are working the retro styling angle: https://www.motortrend.com/news/firs...ecial-editions

I like the "Rewind" branding.

 

I am very intrigued by this, and cautiously optimistic that they will pull it off. Nissan seems to have the right ideas (BOF Xterra, hybrid powertrains for the normal crossover crowd, bringing back manual transmissions for the enthusiasts) to pull out of the Ghosn malaise they've been in for the past 10 years.

Fretting about names is silly, but I sure hope Infiniti drops the awful Q naming scheme. Bring back the G! Or, even better, just call it a Skyline.

 

Skyline 3.0TTS

But then it needs to be a Nissan right? It may work because the GT-R is not a "Skyline GT-R". This will keep the R35 at a premium.

 

The G was the Skyline in Japan. I don't see why they can't use the name Skyline here as well, and sell it under the Infiniti brand.

Meh. If wishes were fishes, we'd all stink.

 

Regardless of the build itself, the car is a Nissan elsewhere.

Holden Monaro<->Pontiac GTO

Branding and positioning thing. If the Skyline were just an upscale Nissan, they could pull this off. My money is on the "Q" name sticking with us, but of course I hope I'm wrong.

 

modern branding is such BS...

Nissan should absolutely know how rabid Americans are for Skylines. It was literally ONLY sold here (AFAIK) as a G/Q. Its like they hate money.

 

1989–2002 Nissan Skyline GT-Rs (R32, R33, R34) with RB26s, and now R35s seem to be well known and are now super car status.

Non GT-R Skylines under a different brand may confuse some, but not as much as moving two very sucessful "G" brands over to "Q"