Newbie with some questions.

[Scotty]

Ive always loved z cars. Ive been looking at a 75 280z. I am just wondering in general if they are a reliable car. I know it can depend on if the car was well taken care of but I am asking in general. Is insurance expensive? Are there some specific things that can go wrong and cost alot? Would one be okay for a 16 year old as a daily driver? Id really appreciate some responses,

Collin

[MikeW]

Insurance is probably going to be your biggest problem. A young driver equals high rates as does a sports car. Add the two together and you should know what to expect. Your best option is probably to have the car insured in the name of a parent with you listed as the primary driver.

Unfortunately there's a trade off in terms of "daily driver" reliability. Just last weekend my 240Z let me down. I had just driven it for about 30 miles and a couple of times during the run it stumbled and lost power on me. I suspected it was fuel starvation because I knew my fuel filter with a replaceable element was starting to get clogged from debris in the tank. I was planning on replacing it but hadn't gotten around to it. I was able to get it running properly again a couple of times but it died on me 3 houses down my street and I couldn't get it started again. Total electrical failure. Very strange. I pulled it home and quickly discovered a battery cable was loose. That may have been the problem all along; taking a corner too fast might have caused the battery to shift a bit on me. It's all my own fault for not making sure it was completely secured and hadn't replaced the filter sooner. I went ahead and replaced the filter element today and took it out for another 20 or so problem-free miles. Total repair cost: about $2.

Bottom line: when an early Z breaks it's generally easy to figure out what is wrong with it and the fix is usually cheap unless it's something catastrophic. A newer car is probably more reliable but when it dies on you you're having it towed to a repair shop where you'll likely pay a big bill. Newer cars are just so much more complicated with all of the electronics. My regular mechanic can't even work on some new cars because the manufacturers withhold diagnostic data that the cars themselves output.

My advice would be to think about getting a more modern and hence more reliable and safer car as a daily driver in addition to getting a Z that you can tinker with. You'd then have something to drive when in Z is in the middle of some big project. That all depends on money and space, of course.

[Scotty]

Well I just talked to the person who I am planning on buying the car from and here is the story. The car was bought by a guy who totally rebuilt the car. New interior, and rebuilt engine. When I buy I am definitely going to make sure there is paperwork for the rebuild and such. But anyway the dad got on kind of bad terms with the son who he bought the car for so he sold it at an auction. Which is where a friend of the kid bought it. He recently replaced the clutch it has about 90k on the body. It looks good. Im probably going to bring someone with me who knows more about cars before I buy, but its sounding really good. I have seen the car.

[e_racer1999]

zeds aren't terribly reliable, but to put it into perspective, the two cars i own are both 72 240zs....... and i love life.

[sblake01]

To say that Z's aren't very reliable would depend on a lot of things. The eariler carbureated cars as e racer1999 mentions I can't really address since it's been over 30 years since I've owned one. My recollection of my 70 and 72 is that they were both reliable but they were both new. You are talking about fuel injected Z which is similar to the 78 that I have owned for the last 8 years. It spent roughly the first four years as my daily driver until it got stolen. I did get it back, repaired the theft damage and stopped using it as a daily driver at that point. As a daily driver, the only problems I encountered during that span was a water pump failure and a blown tire. A water pump could go out in four years on any car and the blown tire was my fault for waiting a little too long to by new tires. I drove the car from Upland, Ca. to Whittier, Ca. five days a week, a 75 mile round trip. I presently use my 810 as a daily driver. The 810 is esentially a sedan with a 280Z drive train. Again, in two+ years no real problems other than a leaking oil pressure sending unit and a bad fan clutch. Both easy to replace and not too costly. Both cars were in good running condition when I bought them. That is the important thing when you're looking for a potential daily driver.

[Bambikiller240]

One thing no one has yet said is that WHEN something goes wrong, if YOU can't diagnose and fix it yourself, finding a shop that knows what it is doing is not so easy. There are not that many mechanics out there who know much about 30 yr old 280Z's. Also, how fat is your wallet? Paying someone else to fix a 30 year old car every time it hiccups, or breaks down (if you don't know how to do it) would not be cheap and may happen more than you expect, or can afford.

I'd suggest a newer reliable car for a daily driver, and a Z as a second car, or a hobby (a car you don't have to depend on). There is nothing like not being able to go somewhere, or do something because you have a car problem, or spent all your money fixing one. At 16 you have plenty of time to find a Z.

[Scotty]

The Z I am looking at is about 3600 leaving about 2 grand for anything else needed.

[sblake01]

Carl makes a very valid point. I'm looking at it from my prespective. I will soon be 55 years old. I have tinkered with cars since I was about 14. I was my older brother's helper. I don't claim to know everything about these cars. It's an ongoing learning experience. I do know enough to keep them running. And I have advisors, this list included.

[26th-Z]

I'm right there with ya, Stephen! I bought a $50 Triumph TR3 for a daily driver when I was 16. I walked a lot - bummed rides... It sounds like Scotty has about $5,500 to spend which is not a lot for something reliable. I will say this though, a 280Z would make a great starter car to learn on and tinker with.

[CCC77]

My first car when I turned 16 was a 280zx. I think compared to a lot of cars 16 year olds get it was very reliable, and way cooler. That said the one component I found not to be that reliable was the alternator. If one thing has gone wrong on all of my z cars that’s the piece. The other piece that has gone on me always at annoying times is the seal on the hydraulic clutch.

I did have the head gasket go in that 280zx and if I had not been able to do the work myself it would have cost a fortune. So if your not comfortable with the possibility of doing your own work a newer car might be better.

I have no regrets owning any of my z cars. But I have always had a love for them and I really like working on cars.

Regards CCC77

[Sean240Z]

Scotty,

I was 19 when I bought my 240Z (my first car). I knew very little about maintaining / repairing cars when I got it, but I have learned over the years. For most of my life, I lived in Canada so I stored my car in the winters and did a lot of walking / begging for rides. That's something to think about if you live where it snows in the winter. If you drive in the snow / salt, the car will rust out from underneath you.

Initially, I was hesitant to work on my car as it was my only vehicle. When my fiance bought a car, I started to complete more of my own repairs. One thing would be to check if there is a Z Club in your area. I've always found fellow Z owners to be very helpful. I was fortunate when I lived in Kingston, Ontario, a couple of guys in the local Z Club really got me started in completing my own major repairs (i.e. helped me replace my clutch and later, my transmission).

I have used my car as a daily driver since 1995 and have put approx. 55,000 miles on it since 1991. Last month I drove to Orlando for the Florida Z Fest and put over 900 miles on my car over the weekend with no problems.

In closing, I would much rather own a classic car which I can work on myself than a Honda Civic or other sub-compact.

Cheers,

[billcapp]

Sean240z said one of the most important things...rust is the z's biggest enemy. If you do decide to buy, take someone that knows where to look for rust. It can cleverly be concealed.