2002tii vs 240Z

[Pete84]

I might get banned for this, but heck . . . .

Last Sunday I drove a really good friends early '70s 2002tii, and wow it was incredible!! He had a performance cam on it, original mechanical fuel injection, and the steering was tightened up, but with pretty much stock suspension.

I've never driven a 240Z, and as there are 2002's for sale at similiar prices as comparable quality Z's around up here, how do the two stack up? The BMW is sure ugly, but once your inside it doesn't matter much.

Thanks!

[=Enigma=]

Personally I like the stying of the Z better, but it's all a matter of opinion. I had a 2002 once and it was a lot of fun. Handled great and pulled strong for a 4 banger. Don;t forget, the Z has an inline 6 that comes in 2.4, 2.6 or 2.8 litres stock.

Ok, now that that's over, where's the ban hammer?:stupid:

[Pete84]

Personally I like the stying of the Z better, but it's all a matter of opinion. I had a 2002 once and it was a lot of fun. Handled great and pulled strong for a 4 banger. Don;t forget, the Z has an inline 6 that comes in 2.4, 2.6 or 2.8 litres stock.

Ok, now that that's over, where's the ban hammer?:stupid:

I too much prefere the styling of the Z, but it is also a bit heavier, and how well does the engine put out? The 240z is rated for 150hp and the 2002tii, while very limited, performance parts can be had to boost non-tii's close, is at 130hp.

"pulled strong", but compared to a Z, how strong? How did the handling compare?

[zguitar71]

Nothing wrong with the 2002, but I have read that the carbed models are less pricy to modify for power. IMO the 240 will out perform the 2002, not sure about acceleration but in the handeling department it will. As far as modifying the cars the 240 has more potential due to the larger displacement and lighter weight for both handeling and acceleration. One of my favorite cars is the Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV. The 510 was the Datsun answer to the 2002 and the GTV.

[26th-Z]

Pete,

I own and drive a BMW. The first thing that comes to mind is that the cars are in different classes. A 2002tii is a sedan and the Z is a GT sports. Kind of like asking to compare a huge SUV to a Mack truck. Another observation I would like to make is that the series one 240Z was not equalled in performance until the debut of the 280ZX turbo, however you mentioned cams and performance upgrades. Once you get into that conversation, the playing field is wide open. But the obvious answer to your question comes from one of the original ad campaigns which said; "Drive a Datsun, Then Decide".

[DougN]

The 2002 certianly has its following, as does the Z. It just depends on what your looking for in your car.:classic: To me, its about the overall combination of style, performance and handling. I have 3 different cars (240Z, MGB and Audi A4) that are all great at what they are intended for. My Audi A4 Quattro probably handles the best, and as has the best overall performance of the Z (and its 28 years newer than my Z, 35 years newer than my MGB), but I seem to drive it the least of all 3. I also find that the more I drive my Z, the more it becomes my favorite of the 3, to the point that I drive it almost every day!

As suggested, drive the Z and then decide for yourself! :cheeky:

[e_racer1999]

both good cars. 2002 is a bit more practical (rear seats) and as a matter of fact i sold one of my Zs and am looking at a bmw!

but as previously stated they are in different leagues. the Z is going to pull on a stock 2002 strictly because of the SIMILAR weight and greater displacement. but it's all in what you're looking for.

[Red-Eye]

Anyone out there have a pre-diving board 2002 for sale? Wouldn't mind adding one to my collection...Robert

[Carl Beck]

Hi Guys:

The 2002 could be better compared to the Datsun 510's. Of course the 510's ran the BMW's and Alpha's off the tracks in the Trans/Am series. To this day Datsun 510's are still winning races. John Morton, driving the 25 year old BRE 510 - just waxed the field at the Monterey Historic's a couple years ago... (2001?)... gee time flies...

Secondly - before you jump into a BMW - go price the repair or replacement parts for the 2002's (or 1600's) and compare that with the 510's...

No question in my mind that when new - the 2002's and 1600's were higher quality cars... felt more solid, was painted far better, stock handling was firmer... actually a very nice car - in many ways the model for the Datsun 510 to follow... but no way would I take a 2002 over a Datsun 510 then nor now.

I worked for a Datsun/BMW Dealership in the early 70's (73/74)... and while the 2002's were in the shop over and over and over, for all manor of petty problems... the little rugged 510's were on the road .. running and running and running. We salesmen loved those BMW's... we always had shot after shot at selling the owners another BMW as they sat in the Service Customers Waiting Room... They were usually wonderful people, well educated, good incomes, fun to talk too - and while they were writing those huge checks for service - they would be telling you how happy they were with their BMW's (music to a salesman's ears;-).

On the other hand, those darn Datsuns... people would buy them and leave - and you'd never see them again. If they didn't get a good 100,000 miles on the car before anything at all happened to it they'd be in there raising hell and demanding that the Dealer fix it for free... (and half the time the Dealer DID!!)...

Let's not even get into the 510's and East African Safari Rally's...

Bottom line is the BMW 2002's and 1600's.. are very nice cars indeed.... but there simply is NO comparison to the Z Car... and sorry to say they didn't really compare well to the Datsun 510 in performance nor reliability. The did have better paint jobs...

FWIW,

Carl B.

Carl Beck

Clearwater, FL USA

[Pete84]

Thanks!

So the 2002 is a nice car, but not as good as the 510 or a 240z . . . right?

Time to hit up ebay and craig's list and see what 240's are out here.

[Arne]

My favorite old BMW was the '81 323i that I owned for 5 years. For those of you here in the US, the 323i was not normally sold here. Imagine a 320i with small 240Z-like chrome bumpers, 4 wheel disc brakes and a 2.3 liter six cylinder. It was a great all around fun small sedan.

[=Enigma=]

As stated, it's hard to really compare the two. The best car for you will depend on what you're requirements are. If you need room for pasengers, the 2002 or 510 will be a better choice. If you;re looking for a pure sports car, the 240Z is definintely the better choice. As for weight, I'm not sure what the 2002 weighed, but the early 240's(70/71) were only 2200 lbs. I think they started adding some wheight in 72 and more in 73. Perhaps 200-300 additional lbs. I'm sure than info can be found somewhere in here by doing a search. With that info, you can do a weight/lbs comparison to get an idea of the relative perfomance of each. As stated, if you start talking about mods, the whole picture changes.