Which car should I buy? Ford Mustang GT v Nismo 370Z

I have an admission to make. I really don’t like modern cars all that much. I’m not into hybrids, I don’t need turbos or AWD and I certainly don’t want an EV. In fact I want a Nissan 370Z Nismo. Or I thought I did. I’m now wondering if a Mustang GT is a better idea? -Dave R

Crikey. There are old cars and then there’s the Nissan 370Z, a vehicle that was first shown at the 2008 LA Auto Show. That said, it’s an oldie but a goodie and we can never quite wipe the grins off our faces when we get a pedal in Nissan’s feisty rear-driver.

It’s not completely devoid of tech either, being the first manual production car to offer rev blipping on downshifts. Switch SynchroRev Match off and the 370Z will still let you heel and toe with the best of ’em.

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While 253kW doesn’t seem a whole hill of beans by today’s performance car standard, accessing it is real fun. You’ve got a viscous rear diff, hydraulic steering and a kerb weight of 1467kg, which is reasonably light by modern standards.

That’s a massive 265kg less than the Mustang to accelerate, brake and steer. That counts for a lot on a twisty road.

It also means that despite the Mustang’s 339kW power figure, the power-to-weight ratios are closer than you’d expect; 172kW/tonne for the 370Z and 196kW/tonne for the GT. In other words, it’d take a well driven Mustang GT to shake the Nissan on track.

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The Mustang’s a great new car choice insofar as Ford has done a great job of incorporating new tech but retaining an authentic-feeling muscle car vibe.

Were we handing over money for new, we’d choose the Ford. With the new Nissan Z incoming, however, a used or runout 370Z Nismo could prove a real bargain. – AE