Nissan Z Proto Spec Markups Are Absurd [UPDATED]

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Look, we knew there was a lot of hype around the new Nissan Z. Rightfully so, as our first drive showed. And we know that quantities of any new model from any brand are usually limited at launch in a normal year -- and supply-chain problems across the industry, along with the pandemic's lingering effects on production, have made 2022 anything but a normal year for autos.

Still, the markups being charged for Nissan Z Proto Specs strike us as absurd.


According to posters on our parent company's Nissan Z forums, the markups are wild. One poster showed an ad for a Proto Spec car at $125,000, with the dealer (Nissan of Irvine, presumably in Irvine, CA) reminding buyers that less than 300 units of Proto Spec trim would be built.

Another dealership, this one in Kentucky (Jeff Wyler Nissan), was spotted charging a $50K markup. Meanwhile, a forum poster found Mike Rezi Nissan selling one for $79K on Cars.com.

As a reminder, Nissan plans on building just 240 Proto Specs for the American market, with an MSRP of $52,990 for either the automatic or manual transmission. That doesn't include the $1,025 destination fee.

We've reached out to Nissan for comment and will update if we hear back.

UPDATE: Nissan replied with this statement: "As Nissan invests in our future together, we are focused on delivering strong customer satisfaction. Our Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) are determined after extensive research to provide the right value proposition for the customer, however, the final price of a vehicle is determined by the selling dealer. We expect dealers to be transparent with customers regarding pricing, which will help to increase loyalty for future purchases and service."

[Image: Nissan]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
  • B-BodyBuick84 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport of course, a 7 seater, 2.4 turbo-diesel I4 BOF SUV with Super-Select 4WD, centre and rear locking diffs standard of course.
  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
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