# Why did Nissan stop making the 300?



## slicked25 (Mar 4, 2005)

Also, will they ever start making them again? I was at a Nissan Dealership today and asked the salesman this question and he said, I don't know. He had just started working there 3 months ago and was interested in selling me the 350. I said, No thanks. I'll just rather have my '87 300. The 350 was ok but nothing like the new style 300.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

As with everything, they became overpriced. At least in the American market. They stopped selling them here after the 96 model year, whereas in Japan they were sold til '98 or '99. Same thing with the Supra, which was sold til '00 in Japan, I beleive. No one wants to pay $50,000 for a Japanese sports car, as evidenced by declining sales in the final model years of both the above mentioned cars...... The 96 300Z could top $45,000 in full flavor, The Supra TT could top $55,000. Both Toyota and Nissan decided to nix these cars, at least selling them here, in favor of higher selling models which would net them more profit. Such cars could be had for the mid $20s in Japan, $30s for a fully loaded R34, as such import duties is really what killed these cars being sold here. For the money, Americans would rather have bought Corvettes and even Camaros, and maintenance costs for a Supra TT or 300Z out of warranty was horrendous.


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## hondakillerZX (Aug 16, 2004)

so why did they move on to the 350Z instead of building a new version of the 300ZX in the 350Z price range? Don't get me wrong I think the 350Z is sick but I think they changed the look too much, it looks nothing like the traditional Z body style . I'm a 300ZX fanatic just like most of you guys. I hope sometime in the future nissan goes back to the 300 look , kind of like what ford did with their crappy mustang line.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

hondakillerZX said:


> so why did they move on to the 350Z instead of building a new version of the 300ZX in the 350Z price range? Don't get me wrong I think the 350Z is sick but I think they changed the look too much, it looks nothing like the traditional Z body style . I'm a 300ZX fanatic just like most of you guys. I hope sometime in the future nissan goes back to the 300 look , kind of like what ford did with their crappy mustang line.


Ford did that because the demographics of Mustang buyers are much different than sport import car buyers. 

People that are original Z owners felt the same way about the 300Z, which I have to correct you on since the 300 is not the "Traditional" Z body style ..

times change and the rest is based on personal taste. As a Car Manufacturer they can't simply keep producing the same design and expect it to create excitement with new car buyers.. They won't go back... I can guarantee that.


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## hondakillerZX (Aug 16, 2004)

i know about the other Z's too I'm just saying why couldn't they just keep the low profile, sportscar look of the 300 instead of bulking it up like on the 350Z. all of the Z's before the 350 had similar body styles and characteristics that you could easily see the relation and tell it was a Z. all i'm trying to say is they changed the body too much.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

hondakillerZX said:


> i know about the other Z's too I'm just saying why couldn't they just keep the low profile, sportscar look of the 300 instead of bulking it up like on the 350Z. all of the Z's before the 350 had similar body styles and characteristics that you could easily see the relation and tell it was a Z. all i'm trying to say is they changed the body too much.


I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Like I said... personal taste... and opinion.

I personally think the 300 and 350 are much more similar than the original 240Z and the 300ZX...


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## JAMESZ (Mar 12, 2004)

Z31s still share alot of body styling with the original styling. Z32s did break away from that, and now the 350Z continues the trend.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

JAMESZ said:


> Z31s still share alot of body styling with the original styling. Z32s did break away from that, and now the 350Z continues the trend.


It's kind of interesting how those things work out. It was the same with the Supra as well. The Mk4 looks nothing like the MK3. It was a modernization of the brands back in the early 90s, I think most manufacturers wanted to get away from the inadequacies of the 80s and prove that they had moved forward with designing proper sports cars. Both the Z31 and the Mk3 (for example) used truck engines, rather weak transmissions, and rather odd suspension designs. The Z32 and the MK4 were complete departures from their former selves, as it was intended. Proper sports car design is always on the move, otherwise it will stagnate and the model will die. One design which seems not to have changed a whole lot, and rather slowly, has been the Porsche 911. They had the same body design for almost 40 years......... Then again, Porsches were never "_out of style_" with the motoring community. THe Z32 was a complete departure from the Z31, and the Z33 is the same way. It's just to be expected with manufacturers, they want people to forget about the problems and inadequacies of the old models and concentrate on their newest flavors.


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## 1900 (Jul 27, 2004)

It all boils down to one thing money, thats all it is. They will make what they think they can sell. Its unforunate for people that like things the way they are. But they wouldnt be here if they kept everything the same so you just have to hope that one day the designers at nissan will pull there heads out of their asses and design something that looks good and performs well.


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

Nissan needs more pop-up lights


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

1900 said:


> It all boils down to one thing money, thats all it is. They will make what they think they can sell. Its unforunate for people that like things the way they are. But they wouldnt be here if they kept everything the same so you just have to hope that one day the designers at nissan will pull there heads out of their asses and design something that looks good and performs well.


A lot of sports car models don't make a lot of money. Exceptions have probably been the Corvette and the Porsche, and of course exotics. But most sports cars aren't cost effective. Sports car models for the most part are to simply promote the brand, and give a chance for those with deeper pockets to set themselves apart.


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## hondakillerZX (Aug 16, 2004)

actually the first z's sold more in 10 years than the corvette did in 25 years. i saw it on this website with the complete history and origin of the Z's, I'll try to find it again.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

hondakillerZX said:


> actually the first z's sold more in 10 years than the corvette did in 25 years. i saw it on this website with the complete history and origin of the Z's, I'll try to find it again.


Perhaps I should have said the later sports cars. Starting with the Z31, Zs became more and more expensive. The S30 chassis (240/260) was a fairly cheap sports car, easy to produce and cost effective, but the level of technology was fairly low......


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## siamiam (Feb 10, 2005)

all good things come to an end eventually.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

siamiam said:


> all good things come to an end eventually.


Which means the 350Z may go on for some time to come..........


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