Format: bullet cues only, reference not read-aloud. Hosts riff from beats, never teleprompter the page.
Scored as: 2009-2010 Sedan, VQ37VHR, 7AT · Total: 47/70 (PROPOSED, not ratified) · Target runtime: ~6:40, hard ceiling 7:00
Title (curiosity gap): "Do Not Buy The Manual. We Mean It This Time"
Thumbnail word (emotion/verdict, zero overlap w/ title): "PAPERWORK" + big 46 on the Board
Order: Deal -> Drive -> Upkeep -> Risk -> Daily -> Limit -> Mods -> Board -> Verdict

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Hook | One Sentence (~0:05)

1. "For the first time on this channel, we're telling you to buy the automatic, and there are two separate reasons that both cost real money."
2. "Three hundred and twenty-eight horsepower and four doors for under seven grand. Now here's the bill nobody shows you."
3. "Nissan fixed this car's worst problem in 2013. The fixed one costs more than you have."

Recommend #1: it contradicts what the audience expects from us. Cut straight to The Deal.

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1 · The Deal, reveal 9 (~0:50)

Beats

• $6,945 · KBB private party, Good, 120,000 mi · range $5,595 to $7,270
• $21.2 per horsepower. Second only to the 350Z's $18.7 · NC Miata $41.8 · GR86 $103
• What that buys: 328 hp, rear-wheel drive, four doors, five seats, a real luxury interior
• The correction, said out loud: our draft had this at $18/hp and ranked it above the 350Z. Stale price. It's $21.2 and the 350Z is cheaper
• Why an 8 and not a 9: assume a $1,200 to $2,800 gasket bill unless the seller proves otherwise
• 120k is a fair basis. These were driven

B-roll: live cars.com search, 2009-10 under $12k · screen-record the grid at edit time
On screen: the $6,945 plate · $/hp ladder with the 350Z above it · the struck-through "$18/hp" correction
Reveal line cue: "Three hundred and twenty-eight horsepower and four doors, for under seven grand... The Deal scores an 9."

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2 · The Drive, reveal 7 (~0:40)

Beats

• 328 hp / 269 lb-ft · 3,640 lb · 11.1 lb/hp · 0-60 5.4s · 7,500 rpm VVEL
• A hair behind the 350Z's 10.9, same engine family, and this one seats four adults properly
• What it does not do is entertain you. Heavier, more isolated, tuned for refinement
• Ties both Zs: gains in usable pace, hands it back in engagement
• An earlier draft called the G37 and 350Z "dead level" on power-to-weight. Unverified spec site. Close, not equal

On screen: 11.1 vs 10.9 lb/hp against the 350Z · four-doors-vs-two-seats cutaway
Reveal line cue: "Nearly Z pace, with a back seat and a quiet cabin... The Drive, a 7."

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3 · The Upkeep, reveal 6 (~0:50)

Beats

• ~$4,932/yr: $2,182 fuel · ~$1,900 insurance [ESTIMATE] · $350 tires · $500 service
• MoneyGeek publishes no G37 page at all. It carries the Q50 and Q60, which are the replacements on a different generation and engine
• So our $1,900 is bounded by the 350Z ($1,950) and the 370Z ($2,324), nudged down for a four-door body
• We cannot dollar-compare this car to the 370Z. Rank only, and say why on camera
• 22 mpg on the 7AT against 20 on the manual, worth ~$218/yr. Reason two for the automatic
• Tires are an estimate: Sport trims run staggered and cannot be rotated, base cars do not

On screen: running-cost stack with the insurance bar visibly marked ESTIMATE · "NO MONEYGEEK PAGE" callout · 7AT vs 6MT mpg split
Reveal line cue: "Mid-pack to run, and softer sourcing than we like... The Upkeep, a 6."

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4 · The Risk, reveal 5 (~1:15)

Beats (this segment is the review, protect it in the edit)

• Every other car down here had an escape route. This one does not
• Miata: everything findable. Civic Si and 350Z: pick the right years
• G37: the gasket hits 2008 through early 2012. Nissan fixed it for 2013+, and 2013+ costs more than $10,000
• Land the line: "the fix exists, and you cannot afford it"
• The oil gallery gasket: $1,200-2,800, 10 hrs, difficulty 5/5. Codes P0011 / P0016 / P0021, and driving on them costs the engine
• Only partially detectable, which is the worst category: a scan finds a car already failing and says nothing about one about to. A clean scan is not a clean bill of health
• The slave cylinder is 6MT only. Buy the automatic and it is not on your car. Reason one for the 7AT, and why this is a 5 where the 350Z is a 4
• The class action covers the 2007-09 350Z, the 370Z, and the 2008-14 G37 manual. Three cars on our Board, one defect

PPI CHECKLIST - hold it on screen

1. Gallery-gasket documentation. No paperwork means assume $2,000+
2. OBD scan for P0011, P0016, P0021
3. Oil weep at the rear of the engine
4. Cold start, listen for timing chain rattle
5. Prefer the 7AT
6. Oil level and consumption history

YEAR-ONE COST

• Gasket documented, 7AT ~$1,200-1,800 · Gasket unknown, 7AT ~$3,850-4,800 · Gasket unknown, 6MT ~$5,350-6,600
• The manual's worst case is 95% of the $6,945 buy-in. The automatic tops out near 69%
• The gasket squeezes out by roughly 62,000 miles. At 120k the job is either done or long overdue. There is no third option

On screen: 2008-2012 vs 2013+ year band with a price wall at $10,000 · P0011/P0016/P0021 code card · "A CLEAN SCAN IS NOT A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH" · 6MT-vs-7AT risk split
Reveal line cue: "No model year you can afford escapes it, and a scan can't clear it... The Risk, a 5."

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5 · The Daily, reveal 8 (~0:30)

Beats

• Five seats, four doors, a genuinely luxurious interior. Level with the WRX and the GTI Mk6 on livability
• The only budget-tier car we'd call a credible only-car: four adults fit, long drives don't wear you out
• It doesn't advertise that you bought a cheap fast car, which for some buyers is the entire appeal
• Off a 9 on age rather than design: no CarPlay, dated infotainment even on nav trims
• We did not source a cargo figure, so it reads Not captured rather than a number we guessed

On screen: interior b-roll against the 350Z's cabin · seats/doors comparison across the budget tier
Reveal line cue: "One of the few down here you could genuinely live with... The Daily, an 8."

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6 · The Limit, reveal 6 (~0:40)

Beats

• SCCA F Street, Coupe and Sedan, read straight out of the 2026 Appendix A
• Same list as the 350Z, the 370Z, the Shelby GT350, the C63 AMG and the IS F
• All three of our VQ cars are cross-shoppable on one entry form. Useful if you want to race on a budget
• RWD, four doors, 3,640 lb. Capable rather than engaging: it does not talk to you
• No instrumented grip or braking figure exists for the scored car, and we will not model one
• 350Z a point ahead, 370Z two, and both are this engine in something lighter

On screen: the F Street list with all three VQ cars highlighted · three price tags under one class banner
Reveal line cue: "Same class as both Zs, and less fun than either... The Limit, a 6."

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7 · The Mods, reveal 6 (~0:35)

Beats

• Strong ecosystem, shared with the 370Z. The aftermarket treats them as one platform
• Both known failures get worse the harder you use it. Track use worsens the gasket weep; on a manual, power drives the slave cylinder
• The payoff line: the first modification you should make to a G37 is a repair
• Steel gallery gasket sets exist (Z1, VQPLUG). Do it before you add power and you use labour you were going to spend anyway
• Do it after and you pay that labour twice
• No installed forced-induction price was sourced, so we are not quoting a cost per +100 whp

On screen: steel-vs-paper gasket comparison · "FIRST MOD = A REPAIR" stamp
Reveal line cue: "Great parts shelf, and the first thing you buy off it is a gasket... The Mods, a 6."

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The Board + Verdict (~0:50)

Beats

• Total lands: 46 / 70, and it is a proposed score
• It ties the 370Z exactly, by a completely different route: wins The Daily by four, loses The Limit and The Mods
• Same engine family, same race class, one third the money
• VERDICT: "Buy the automatic, demand gasket paperwork, or walk."
• Both halves are load-bearing: automatic = no slave cylinder plus 2 mpg · paperwork = the only thing that clears the gasket
• Skip case: you want the manual, you want engagement over speed, or you hoped a clean inspection would be enough

On screen: the 46 landing level with the 370Z · $6,945 vs $18,000 side by side · Buy stamp with the two-part condition
Close cue: one line pointing at the 370Z review · end

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Runtime + notes

• Sum ~ 6:40. The Risk carries the extra runtime again. If it runs long, pull from The Mods and The Limit.
• All seven scores are proposals. The Upkeep (6) is the softest number because its insurance line is an estimate. The Risk (5) assumes the automatic; on the manual it is a 4.
• Do not say on camera: this car's insurance or annual cost compared to the 370Z's in dollars, grip or braking figures, or that a clean OBD scan clears the gasket.
• B-roll warning: listings are asking prices, the $6,945 is KBB private-party. Name which is which.
• The class-action beat is bigger than this car. 350Z, 370Z and G37 manual, one defect. Consider spinning it out.
• Title and thumbnail share zero words per channel rule.