In a world seemingly obsessed with SUVs and crossover vehicles, the singularly-focussed Nissan 370Z is a breath of fresh air.

While engineered from the ground up to be a true sports car, the 370Z is hardly a bespoke vehicle. Using Nissan’s FM platform and components borrowed from various other Nissan models, the 370Z still managed to impress motoring enthusiasts around the world.

Short of minor cosmetic updates and some added equipment via limited and special editions, the 370Z has hardly changed over its 12-year lifespan.

However, the 370Z is ageing and many in the motoring press have declared it to be well past its used-by date. But is it? Should you buy a used 370Z?

What goes wrong with a used Nissan 370Z?

• One of the biggest issues with the 370Z has less to do with the car and more to do with how previous owners have used, and potentially abused it
• Look for poorly executed and cheap modifications
• Look for accident damage and dodgy repair work
• Look for signs of track modifications like roll-cage mounting points and excessive rubber in the wheel arches
• As far as common issues or problems, the Nissan 370Z is mechanically very robust and suffers from very few “common” issues. However we do know of reports of concentric slave cylinder (CSC) failure and faulty steering lock mechanisms

Should you buy a used Nissan 370Z?

Yes. The Nissan 370Z is starting to feel its age, but for us, this age adds to the charm.

The fact the Nissan 370Z has existed for over a decade means it has a great fan base and support network and as long as the example you’re looking at has avoided abuse or dodgy modifications, it should show excellent reliability, unlike many of its European rivals.

Plus, there’s nothing else quite like a Nissan 370Z. The styling is unique, it’s quite practical for a sports car, the performance and driving experience is fantastic and for us, sits right between a Ford Mustang and Toyota GT86 or Subaru BRZ in terms of driving dynamics, so we highly recommend buying one.