All generations and engines together · 2,384 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 33k
Not enough recent tests to rate this coupé or convertible. Watch suspension and brakes. Not enough recent MOT data to call this one yet.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
Owners on both 350Z and 370Z forums describe it as one of the most common complaints on the car: rear lower control arm and differential bushes wearing out and giving a clunk or knock over bumps and on hard acceleration, usually from 60-80k miles as the factory rubber perishes. The measured MOT data backs this up, with suspension flagged as this car's signature fault area. Full bush replacement front and rear runs roughly £300-£700 depending on how much is done in one go.
Early 370Z steering lock units can develop excess oil inside the assembly, which trips the body control module and refuses to let the engine start. Nissan ran a voluntary service campaign (NTB13-014) on 2009-2010 cars covering 370Z and GT-R to replace the faulty unit. Outside that campaign a replacement has been quoted around £1,600, so it is worth checking the car isn't still owed this fix.
Some early 3.7 VQ37VHR engines burn oil faster than they should, in bad cases around a litre every 1,000 miles when the car is otherwise fresh. It comes down to piston ring and bore tolerances rather than a leak, so there's no puddle to spot, just a dropping dipstick between services. Nissan acknowledged it and covered short-block replacement (new pistons and rings) under warranty in confirmed cases; out of warranty it's an engine-out job running into four figures.
A run of early 350Z owners reported clutches wearing out unusually fast, as low as 9,000-25,000 miles, well short of what you'd expect. It's disputed territory because plenty of other owners get 60k-plus from a clutch, and driving style on a car built to be thrashed makes a big difference. Replacement is a few hundred to around £700 depending on whether it's a dual-mass flywheel car.
The clutch slave cylinder on manual cars sits inside the bellhousing rather than bolted to the outside, so when it starts leaking or losing pressure, giving a soft or inconsistent clutch pedal, the gearbox has to come out to replace it. That pushes what should be a simple part into a bigger labour bill, roughly £500-£900. Doesn't apply to automatic cars.
A knocking noise that gets louder under load, pointing to worn rod bearings on the VQ35DE in the 350Z. It shows up mostly on cars that have been run hard or modified with more power, and on high-mileage examples with a patchy oil-change history, rather than being a blanket fault across the model. Not manufacturer-acknowledged as a design flaw, but repeated enough on owner forums to take seriously; a full rebuild or replacement engine can run to several thousand pounds.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 1,607 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Coupés, convertibles & GT), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.