Prospective Z buyer Q's

[DJEuphoriKa]

I've always loved old-school imports, and I've seen a few Z's for sale around here that are really cheap. Thing is, I want to know about possible maintainance woes I'll have. I'm not planning on swapping in a V8 or anything, so the engine has to be fairly solid.

Basically, what sort of things should I look for when I go shopping for these? Do they have limited-slip differentials?

[Royce]

I would say that a good running Z is quite reliable and has a lot of performance potential, that's why I have kept mine for the last 15 years. Many use them as daily drivers although they are not equiped with all the modern creature comforts of a modern car. But the big thing to remember is they are 20 to 30 years old and can easily cost a few thousand dollars to get even the best looking car to the point of reliability. Being an old car the key danger area is rust, there are many posts on this site that discuss the specific places to watch out for -under the battery tray, front frame rails, rear hatch sill, door threshold, etc.

Another week point is the dash, center console, and interior they are usually cracked up pretty bad or covered in some way. Also, many of the plastic interior pieces can be expensive, hard to find, and difficult to keep in good condition.

Then find one that runs good and drives well and you are on your way to being hooked!

Have fun!

[DJEuphoriKa]

I don't mind a bit of cosmetic damage on the interior. The truck I'm driving right now is pretty messed up Here in Southern California, rust isn't a huge problem, either, unless the car has spent a lot of time near the beach.

I don't mind the lack of creature comforts, either. My truck rides like a horse, and the radio is broken, and the AC barely works. Plus I drive it way harder than a truck was ever meant to be driven (which is why I'm looking for a good, cheap sports car).

What is a good year to look for? Are they all pretty much the same except for the engine displacements?

[26ounce]

They are very similar up until the 280ZX was introduced (79 I think). Apart from the engine displacement the main differences are that they get progressively heavier as the model progressed and you can get the 280Z with fuel injection.

The L series motor is pretty durable and you can get stock parts relatively easily. Since I bought my 260Z I have driven it to work daily with no problems apart from a dead battery so I reckon the reliability is excellent for a car thats old enough to drink.

It's probably better if you try and find a body with the minimum amount of rust than just go for a Z with a good motor. Rust is the main problem facing the survival of most Zs.

[jcdozier]

Being in California is a plus for you. There are probably more "good' - as in relatively rust-free - Z's in CA than in the rest of the USA, (except for possibly Florida). My personal favorite is the early ('70/'71) Type-1 240Z, but not everyone agrees with my choice. Fortunately, you have lots of options - the 240, 260 and 280 are very similar.

You may want to take some time to browse through the forums here to get a feel for what to look for, what kinds of problems you can expect and some of the possibilities for "improving" your Z. Please keep in mind that many of us only post when we have a problem - just don't be mislead into thinking that Z's are "problematic" cars, (I guess we should also log on to report how well our Z's are running, too). They are possibly the best older cars around, and they also tend to be easy to work on when something does go wrong.

You may also want to log onto the Internet Z Car Club's site - www.zhome.com - and browse there for awhile. Somewhere on that site (I just can't remember where) there is a page that shows all of the Z's with general specs - a great "look" at the various Z's, 240/260/280/etc.