Need Reliable Z

[snarty]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum, but have much experience working on cars. This week, my car was totalled, and I am now in the market for a new car. I've always been interested in Z cars and now is my chance to get one. I need something that will be reliable as a daily driver, but still fun to drive and autocrossable. I'm also looking for decent fuel economy. My top choices are as follows:

240z

280zx

280zx Turbo

Which of the above would give me the best reliability/fuel economy? Thanks for your input.

[=Enigma=]

Welcome to the forum.

The answer is obviously going to depend on the condition of the motor, what modifications if any have been done, and what size motor. As far as mileage goes, you're probably best off going for a 240Z with an L24 and SU carbs. The early 240's are lighter, have a smaller displacement engine, and the easy to maintain SUs. As the cars get older, they get heavier, especially the 280ZX. They also get larger displacements. Same blocks more or less, and not much weight difference there, but bigger displacement generally means lower mileage, although the addition of fuel injection in the later years may help to address this difference. Then it's all about weight and drag. None of the cars are particularly aerodynamic, although to the untrained eye you would think they were. Anyway I've gone on long enough.....

[dogma420]

I own a 1972 240z and I use it as a daily driver. They are easy and simple to work on. A stock 2.4 liter 6 cylinder motor will get at best 25 mpg...I get on average about 18mpg (have a slight head gasket leak)...so they don't get the great gas mileage.

The are VERY autocross-able…there are lots of members on here that do so. I would absorb as much information on this sight as possible, and start and reply to posts, and be very very polite. Once you’ve absorbed at least 15 hours of time reading and absorbing as much as possible, I’d say go for it. Be sure to use the SEARCH function as much as possible. Most topics have already been answered, and the search function works very well.

I would definitely search items such as ‘what to look for in a Z when first buying’. In regards to the S30 (240z, 260z, 280z through 1978) it is very important to be knowledgeable about the car and problems with them; the average person wouldn’t be able to find these problems—you are in a good spot right now to gain knowledge and insight into problems that are hidden when looking at one of these cars.

If you are mechanically inclined, I would recommend a 240z. If you aren't mechanically inclined, I would say pass on it, and get something newer. They aren't hard to work on, but at any given time, there may be a small problem that you need to work on. Sometimes bigger; and sooner or later, you will fall in love with your 240z and want to restore it to some level, which not only costs a lot of money, but requires its owner to be mechanically inclined. (unless you have a LOT of money to blow to have someone else do it!)

Not sure what you've driven in the past, but the 240z drives like a 35 year old car. Please keep that in mind. What I mean by that is it rides rougher than something newer. The 280z with fuel injection from 75-78 is virtually the same car on the exterior, except for the larger bumpers. They are much heavier due to a lot of factors, and have a more 'refined' ride to them. The 1973 240z and 1974 260z had bad carburetors due to emissions laws and should be replaced if they haven’t been already.

I’ve owned quite a few newer cars, and the 240z drives rougher than something newer…

But, the 240z just kicks but on the 'hey, I want to go out and take a drive on this windy back road'...AND...they can make a good daily driver, as long as they are properly maintained.

***If this would be your only car, I would highly recommend getting a 2nd car as a backup...it's just me, but I've always had a 2nd car handy in case of a failure on my 240z. You never know when you've got 1/2 hour to get to work, you get in your car, and it sounds like you need to adjust your points (if you still have them) and don't have time to do it, or something like your choke cables are keeping your choke on and you can’t turn it off, etc…lots of little things can happen from time to time when everything on the car is 35 years old....so when something like that happens, you just hop in your 2nd car....In my opinion, I would recommend a 2nd car.

Good luck, and welcome to the forums!

[dogma420]

Enigma--you said

As the cars get older, they get heavier, especially the 280ZX

You mean as they get newer.....

[sblake01]

Plus, that 280ZX thing is somewhat of a myth anyway. I used to believe it too. True, the 280Z is heavier than a 240Z, but there's not much difference in weight between a 280Z and a 280ZX.

[DougN]

I drive my 240Z as a daily driver (along with 2 other cars), mainly because its very enjoyable to drive. I only advice would be to buy the best Z-car you can afford.

[deadflo]

I will "weigh" in on the issue by saying road and track weighed a 280 Z and a zx and said the 280 z was about 75 pounds heavier.

If you can find a 240-Z in good condition I'm sure it would make a reliable daily driver. But you may want to reconsider if you have to drive in wet conditions or your area has salted roads in wintertime. These beauties RUST easily. Better to put the 240 away for the winter or keep her out of the rain.

Since they are newer (a little bit,now)and there werr lots of them made you'll probably find a 280 Z or ZX in better shape. I can attest the ZX is extremely reliable. If course that depnds on how the car has been treated. But you do see low mileage ZX's around,here and there.

The S30 model (240-280Z) is better for autocross duties.

[snarty]

Thanks guys, you've all been really helpful. I've been trying to search for fuel economies for these cars, but it is very difficult to find. Dogma, you say your 240 gets 25 mpg max. Do the fuel injected Z's and ZX's do any better?

[DougN]

Another thing to note if your interested in fuel costs, is that at least with my 240Z, you need to run the high octane (93 around here) in the car for the best performance. Not sure about the ZX models.

[moonpup]

Your profile doesn't mention where you live, but if you're in one of the HOT southern states you will definitely want a good dependable AC system in your daily driver.

That eliminates the 240Z from your picks.

[snarty]

Actually, I'm from northeastern NY, and hardly ever use A/C; I love the open air feeling. Speaking of which, was it only the 280z's and later that had T-tops?

[Arne]

Just the ZXs had T-tops. None of the first body style had them, at least not from the factory.