240z vs 280z

[dogma420]

Mr. Camoflage,

What I was saying about power is that if the cars are dyno'd, you'd find the 240 should have more power than a stock 280 at the rear tires. I know the figures under the hood and those reported by Nissan are higher for the 280...they had to be to help compensate for big bumpers and US smog restrictions....US regulations had a lot to do with making the 280 look/behave the way it does...without the regulations, we'd be talking about 77 and 78 240z's (or 77 or 78 260z like in Australia)...

BTW the 260z's the aussies have look like a 240z with small bumpers, even in later years, pretty cool.

Here's what I would do on considering 240 vs 280...If you like the 'solid feel' of a modern car, in terms of chassis, steering, etc. get a 280...if you want a possible classic, that is much 'rawer' than a 280, cause it doesn't necessarily have that 'solid feel' cause it weighs so much less, get a 240. The 280 is comparable to the label 'GT' and the 240 is comparable to 'sporty'. The big bumper 260z I had was much more comfortable to drive 100 miles to the beach with the girlfriend back in the day...less wind noise, smoother ride, very predictable turning, etc. In comparison, the 240 is noisier and feels sometimes almost too light, and so someone like myself who loves to drive and do turns and really feel the road, and ignores my girlfriend complaining that she doesn't necessarily like going for a long drive in it, LOVES the 240. For what I like, it's my favorite of the S30s. But I also have a modern vehicle for when I need it...If I only had one car, and I was going to only have a Z, I would definitely get a 280 FI...I think a 5 speed with AC from 77 or 78 would be perfect if I only had one car....and I would keep it stock....many years from now, the 280s are going to be worth something, but they have to be stock (or have the bumper caps from MSA at the most)...the cool thing about the 77/78 280z's is they don't rust as much as the 240s...so possibly they will have less rust....

I'll stop rambling now! You all have a Grateful week!!!!!!!

I think its a win win situation, you can't go wrong with either one...after all, they are both S30s!

[mdbrandy]

...the cool thing about the 77/78 280z's is they don't rust as much as the 240s...so possibly they will have less rust....

I have a '78 that is next-best-thing to rust free, but I also have a garage full of parts from another '78 that was rusted horribly. I also know of another '78 sitting in a yard in town that is little more than a pile of rust. The later S30s have more metal, so I guess they might be a little less prone to complete rust through than a 240, but not much.

[Bambikiller240]

The 280 was still rated at GHP. My tag says 170 hp. If that were net then wouldn't the gross be even higher? I believe the net ratings began in 79 with the ZX, at least here in the US.

That is different than what I read on the IZCC mail list, but since I don't own one (280Z) and you do, you obviously would know better than me.