280Z Vs. 240Z Handling

[Freerider]

they come up between 10 and 20 thousand (Canadian$) I was actually looking for a project car, something that I could drive but was pretty rough around the edges. I don't knwo if im just looking in the wrong places but i can never seem to find the fixer upper type, they are all good running, no rust(or so thy say), nice paint, just good looking cars, how much would i expect to pay for a 240 that say needs a bit of rust repair, paint work, drivetrain work, mabye a bit of motor work? I can do most if not all the motor work myself, I can paint the car mslef, body work I am not to familiar(sp) with yet but I could probly stunbmle through it with some help from an autobody shop, basically i could do most of the labour intensive work myself, so restoring or refreshing it would not be to big of a problem. Oh and which route is cheaper? to buy a car that is already in A1 condition or to buy an old "beater" and fix it up? I would still probly fix it up even if t is more expensive just for the experience .

Thanks guys

[TomoHawk]

I disagree on that. The 280ZX yes, but the 280Z is not a luxury sports car by any means. Compare the 78 to the 79, then you'll see what luxury, for that era, is.

Well, after I took out the a/cand a bunch of other heavy things, and added some 'sportier' (skimpy) seats, I'd say that my 280Z is now an UN-luxury sports car. No heat, either (a little trouble with the vacuum hoses which the radiator shop couldn't figure out which goes where). Add to that the basic 2-speaker FM-cassette radio, lack of carpet, etc., and I'd say it really was a sports car.

Albeit, the extra weight makes sharp turns a little fun, but it'll go around the corner at 30+ MPH

[dogma420]

my 2 cents....

The bodies are essentially the same between the US 240 and 280, the 280 I believe has some extra sheet metal to strengthen it a little (underneath)....

The bumper assemblies add a lot of weight, the 240 has just metal bars bolted to the body essentially....the 280 has shock absorbers that bolt to the unibody (and hence the unibody is modified vs. 240 here)....

the insulation in the cab is dramatically more in the 280 (although I don't have any figures)...I had a 74.5 260z (looks just like a big bumper 280z) and it was much quieter inside than the 240...also drove much heavier feeling. The difference, if you're into motorcycles, is like driving a Honda XR250 vs. a Honda XR650....a nimble bike vs. a big beast (minus the extra power of course!)

The fuel injection/ignition components along with the interlock/safety components added a lot of extra wiring...just the wiring harness is probably double the wires, and weighs double at least.

Things such as the electric fuel pump, etc. added more weight.

If you are looking for a rig that drives smooth, like a caddy (sort of) go with the 280z...if you want something that is untamed, rougher around the edges, and will only go up in value, go with the 240z. I have had both, and the 240z is more fun!

Just my 2 cents, good luck.

Also, the 240z is easy to get rust started on it, while the 280z less so.

[sblake01]

My 280 has been basically trouble free in the 7 years I've owned it once I sorted out the previous owners problems. My 240's would occaisionally develop glithces and when I owned them they weren't 30 plus year old cars. I had the 70 (purchased new) for just under two years and the 72 (also purchased new) for a shade over 4 years. It's my opinion and experience that the fuel injected cars are less problematic than the carbed cars but you'll hear arguments for and against both. I guess comes down to what your expectations for a Z are.

[Freerider]

I can't stand fuel injected cars, I dont like how it is set where its set and thats it, there are no adjustments(not easily at least) , I like the tunability of the carb. Mabye thats just me?