2023+ Performance · 400 hp VR30 · Manual
Buy the Performance trim if you are going to build it and you want the value, and treat it as a platform first, a finished sports car second. Skip it if you want something sharp and sorted out of the box, or if you can stretch to a Supra.
A buyer's guide built from our seven-category Board. Each section gives you the numbers first, then plain talk about what they mean for your decision. We scored the car as a 2023 or newer Z in Performance trim with the manual, and it landed at 46 out of 70, with a verdict of Buy the platform, not the polish.
The one-line version of who this car is for: a builder who wants a high power ceiling at a low buy-in, values a cheap buy-in and a huge engine ceiling, and can accept a heavier, less-polished car in return. If that is you, read on. If you want a sharp, sorted sports car out of the box, the Supra comparison at the end is where to look.
All money figures use a fixed set of assumptions so they can be compared to other cars we cover: 12,000 miles a year, premium fuel at $4.00 a gallon, and insurance for a 35-year-old driver with a clean record and full coverage. Insurance numbers are published averages, not personal quotes. Prices are from Kelley Blue Book.
| Figure | Nissan Z (2023+ Performance) |
|---|---|
| Used buy-in (KBB, Performance) | ~$33,000 |
| Sport trim used | ~$30,000 |
| New MSRP when sold | $42,085 to $55,085 |
| 3-year resale retention | ~72% |
| Trims | Sport, Performance, Proto Spec |
~ our estimate, not a measured or quoted figure · * there is a caveat, and the note under the table explains it. Why we mark figures
The Z is a genuine performance bargain to buy: about $33,000 for 400 horsepower, roughly ten thousand dollars less than a Supra. That discount exists because the car depreciated hard from a $42,000-to-$55,000 sticker after early markups faded. For a buyer chasing horsepower per dollar, that is the appeal in a single number.
The flip side is a resale risk if you sell in a few years, and a thin used market that makes finding your ideal car slower than it should be. The trim decision is important and money-saving: the Sport has the identical engine to the Performance, so you are paying the Performance premium purely for the limited-slip diff, bigger brakes, and wider wheels. Get the Performance if you will drive it hard, but know exactly what that extra money buys, and what it does not.
| Figure | Nissan Z (2023+) |
|---|---|
| Power-to-weight | 8.9 lb per hp |
| Power | 400 hp, 350 lb-ft |
| Curb weight | ~3,550 lb |
| 0 to 60 mph | ~4.5 sec |
| Engine | 3.0L VR30 twin-turbo V6 (Q50/Q60 Red Sport) |
The Z is genuinely fast and torque-rich, with muscle everywhere in the rev range that the naturally aspirated cars in this class cannot match. The engine comes from the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 Red Sport, so it pulls hard and lag is minimal. In a straight line it is nearly Supra quick.
But this is the section to read alongside The Limit, because reviewers keep landing on the same verdict: grand-tourer, not sports car. It is muscular and quick, yet it lacks the sharp, alive feel of a Miata or the delicacy of a GR86. If you want effortless straight-line pace and torque, the Z delivers. If you want knife-edge engagement, this is not the car, and that distinction should weigh heavily in your decision.
| Figure | Nissan Z (2023+) |
|---|---|
| Total annual running cost | ~$6,100/yr |
| Fuel | ~$2,182/yr (22 mpg, premium) |
| Insurance | ~$2,700/yr |
| Tires (amortized) | ~$650/yr |
| Routine service | ~$600/yr |
| Octane | 91 (premium) |
The Z costs about $6,100 a year to run. A 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 on premium returns only around 22 mpg, so fuel dominates the bill, and wide staggered tires plus higher insurance pile on. The cheap buy-in genuinely hides an expensive car to feed.
The one bit of relief is that Nissan parts cost less than the Supra's BMW-derived components. But the overall message for a budget-conscious buyer is blunt: do not let the low purchase price fool you into thinking this is a cheap car to own. Month to month, it is the most expensive sports coupe in this group to run.
| Figure | Nissan Z (2023+) |
|---|---|
| Worst realistic repair | Turbo pair or oil-control solenoid (~$3,500) |
| The engine | VR30, sorted from years of Q50/Q60 use |
| History to know | Earlier Infiniti turbo, coolant, and solenoid issues |
| Ongoing items | Carbon (60-100k), fuel injector, heat soak |
The engine is a known quantity, which is both reassuring and cautionary. The reassuring part: the VR30 has years of Infiniti Q50 and Q60 service behind it, so its problems were largely found and fixed before the Z inherited it. You are not the beta tester.
The cautionary part is the history. Earlier Infiniti versions saw turbo failures, cooling-system and porous-block trouble, and a sticky oil-control solenoid that could destroy an engine. The 2023 Z runs the sorted, later version, but it is also a first redesign year, so it carries first-year risk. It is decent, not bulletproof, and it lacks the over-built confidence the Supra's B58 gives you. For a buyer weighing the two, that is the trade: the Z is cheaper but carries a more complicated reliability story, and the worst realistic repair is a turbo or solenoid running a few thousand dollars.
| Figure | Nissan Z |
|---|---|
| Cargo volume | 6.9 cu ft |
| Seats | 2 |
| Body style | Hatchback |
| Character | Comfortable, GT-like ride |
The Z is more livable than a 400-horsepower coupe has any right to be. It is genuinely comfortable, one of the smoother-riding cars in this segment, and a real grand tourer on the highway. With a 6.9-cubic-foot hatch and two seats, it suits a solo owner or a couple who prioritize comfort.
The cap is the seat count. As a strict two-seater, it cannot match the GR86 for anyone who needs to carry passengers. But if two seats works for your life, the comfortable ride makes the Z an easy car to use every day, and that everyday comfort is a real point in its favor for buyers who commute in it.
| Figure | Nissan Z (2023+) |
|---|---|
| Max grip | 0.98 g |
| 60-0 braking | 112 ft (Edmunds, measured) |
| 70-0 braking | ~152 ft (conversion estimate, not the C&D 70-0 protocol) |
| Weight | ~3,550 lb, against the Supra's 3,400 |
| Track hardware | Performance: mechanical LSD, bigger brakes, staggered 19s |
| Track caveat | Reluctant and less composed when pushed hard |
On paper the Z looks strong: 0.98 g of grip and a proper limited-slip on the Performance. But this is where its grand-tourer character becomes the verdict. At around 3,550 lb it carries more weight than anything else in the segment, and reviewers consistently describe it as reluctant and less composed at the limit, with ABS that can feel crude when you lean on it.
So the grip number flatters the car. It is fast in a straight line and competent on track, but it engages less than these cars do when driven hard, and that is precisely why a lighter, cheaper GR86 out-scores it here. If back-road precision is what you want, the Z is not the answer. If you accept that and buy it for the engine and the build, the capability is still there when you need it. Decide honestly how much edge-of-grip feel matters to you, because that is the crux of this car's case.
| Path | Cost | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Tune / module | ~$800 | Low |
| Bolt-ons (~500 whp) | a few thousand | Low |
| Bigger turbos | more involved | Moderate |
| Big power | serious money | Moderate to high |
This is the Z's superpower and the strongest reason to buy one. Bone-stock, it already dynos near its 400-horsepower crank rating at the wheels, impressively little loss and a sign Nissan under-rated it. A tune and bolt-ons push it past 500 wheel horsepower on pump gas, and tuners openly call the VR30 the next 2JZ for its boost headroom.
The aftermarket is growing quickly, shared with the Q50 and Q60 Red Sport world, and the entry cost is low, a module for a few hundred dollars delivers a real gain. For a builder, this is a very cheap route to big, reliable power, and it is the argument that pulls the Z's whole case together. If you plan to modify, this section is why you buy the car. If you never intend to touch it, know that you are leaving the Z's best quality on the table.
Buy the Performance trim if you are going to build it and you want the value, and treat it as a platform first, a finished sports car second. Skip it if you want something sharp and sorted out of the box, or if you can stretch to a Supra.
This car is for you if you are a builder chasing maximum horsepower potential per dollar and you can accept a heavier, less-polished car to get it. It is not for you if you want back-road precision, low running costs, or the confidence of a bulletproof engine, in which case the GR86, the Miata, or the Supra will serve you better. The Z is the segment's value build platform. Whether it is the right buy depends entirely on whether you are the person who will actually build it.
So you wanna buy a Nissan Z. Tuners are calling its engine the next 2JZ, and the rest of the car is the only reason to think twice. That is the whole story in one sentence, and whether you should buy one comes down to what kind of owner you are: a builder or a purist.
We scored the car as a 2023-or-newer Z in Performance trim with the manual, and it landed at 46 out of 70. That places it behind the GR86 and Supra it ties with on power, and just ahead of the 370Z it replaced. Here is why, category by category.
A used 2023 Z in Performance trim runs about $33,000, with a base Sport closer to $30,000. That is a genuine bargain for 400 horsepower, roughly ten thousand dollars less than a Supra, and the reason is depreciation. The Z stickered new anywhere from $42,000 to $55,000, and early cars sold at dealer markups, but values have since settled well below MSRP.
That hard depreciation cuts both ways. It makes the Z a performance bargain to buy, but it is a resale risk if you plan to sell in a few years, and the used market is thin, so finding the exact car you want takes patience. One trim note worth money: the Sport has the exact same engine as the Performance. The Performance trim adds a limited-slip differential, bigger brakes, and wider wheels, so buy it if you will drive the car hard, but understand you are paying for hardware, not power.
Genuinely fast, and torque-rich in a way the naturally aspirated cars in this class are not. The twin-turbo V6 makes 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet, the car weighs about 3,550 pounds, and it runs to 60 mph in around four and a half seconds. That engine comes straight from the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 Red Sport, so there is torque everywhere and very little turbo lag.
But hold one thought for later, because reviewers keep reaching for the same words: grand-tourer, not sports car. It is quick and it feels muscular, but it does not have the sharp, alive-at-the-limit feel of a Miata or the delicacy of a GR86. It is more about effortless straight-line pace than knife-edge precision, and whether that suits you depends on how you like to drive.
No, and this is where the cheap buy-in gets balanced out. Running costs come to about $6,100 a year. A 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 on premium fuel returns only around 22 mpg combined, so fuel is the biggest single line. Wide staggered tires and higher insurance stack on top.
There is one small mercy: it is a Nissan, so parts are cheaper than the Supra's BMW-derived bits. But the overall picture is clear. The Z is cheap to buy and expensive to feed, and if keeping monthly costs down matters to you, the cheap purchase price hides a running cost that leads the class.
The engine is a known quantity, and that cuts both ways. The good news is that the VR30 has years of use behind it in the Infiniti Q50 and Q60, so most of its bugs were found and fixed before the Z ever got it. You are not buying an untested engine.
The history to know is what those earlier Infiniti versions went through: turbo failures, cooling-system and porous-block issues, and a sticky oil-control solenoid that could kill an engine. The 2023 Z benefits from the later, sorted version of the engine, but it is also a first redesign year, so it carries first-year risk. Ongoing items include carbon buildup around 60 to 100k miles, the occasional fuel injector, and turbo heat soak. The honest verdict is that it is decent but not bulletproof, and nowhere near the over-built peace of mind the Supra's B58 gives you. The worst realistic repair is a turbo or that solenoid, a few thousand dollars.
More easily than you might expect from a 400-horsepower coupe. The Z is genuinely comfortable, one of the smoother-riding sport coupes, a real grand tourer on the highway. It has a 6.9-cubic-foot hatch and two seats, so it works well for a solo owner or a couple who value comfort.
The ceiling, as with the Supra, is the seat count. It is a strict two-seater, so anyone who needs to carry passengers regularly will find it limiting compared to a GR86. But the comfortable ride and usable hatch make it an easy everyday companion if two seats is enough for your life.
Here is where the grand-tourer reputation becomes the verdict. On paper the numbers look strong: 0.98 g of grip and a mechanical limited-slip on the Performance trim. But at around 3,550 pounds it carries more weight than anything else in the segment, and reviewers consistently find it reluctant and less composed when you actually push it, with slightly crude ABS behavior at the limit.
So the grip number flatters it. The Z is fast in a straight line and competent on a track, but it engages less than these cars do when driven hard, and that is the honest reason a lighter, cheaper GR86 out-scores it here. If your idea of fun is carving a back road at ten-tenths, the Z is not the tool for it. Buy it for the engine and the build, not for how it feels at the edge.
This is the real reason to buy one. The engine is a monster waiting to happen. Bone-stock, the Z already dynos near or at its 400-horsepower crank rating at the wheels, which is impressively little drivetrain loss and a sign Nissan under-rated it from the factory. A tune and bolt-ons take it past 500 wheel horsepower on pump gas, and tuners are openly calling the VR30 the next 2JZ for its boost headroom.
The aftermarket is growing fast, shared with the whole Q50 and Q60 Red Sport community, and the entry cost is low, a module or tune is a few hundred dollars for a real, usable gain. As a build platform, this is a very cheap way to make big, reliable power, and it is the single strongest argument for buying a Z.
These two are the segment's turbo-six grand tourers, and the comparison is close. The Supra is faster, sharper, better sorted, and holds its value far better. The Z is cheaper used, has arguably even more mod headroom, but is heavier, thirstier, and less composed at the limit. On our Board the Supra edges ahead, 49 to 47.
So the decision is about money and intent. If you want the more finished, more capable car and you can afford it, the Supra is worth the premium. If you want maximum horsepower potential for the least cash and you plan to build it, the Z is the value play. The Z asks you to accept a less polished car in exchange for a lower price and a huge engine ceiling.
Buy the Performance trim if you are going to build it and you want the value, and go in understanding it is a platform first and a finished sports car second. Skip it if you want something sharp and sorted straight out of the box, or if you can stretch your budget to a Supra.
The Z finished at 46 out of 70 because it is heavy, thirsty, and less engaging at the limit than the lighter cars, and it lost value fast. But this Board ranks best buy, not best car, and as a cheap-power build platform the Z is genuinely compelling. The right owner is the builder, not the purist, and if that is you, few cars give you this much reliable horsepower potential for the money.
Filming reference: cue sheet · for the hosts on set, not part of the review.
The frame that closes the video. Nissan Z at 46/70, with the 370Z and the Supra 3.0 alongside. Take it and use it.
