Well, the parts car is now gone (as of yesterday - RIP, #27602) and I'm back down to two 240Zs. I can certainly sympathize with your question, Walter. I first went through this in the early '90s restoring an early MGB. Took me 4 years. Seemed like forever at the time.

I bought my first Z (the yellow one) just over a year ago. Instead of immediately disassembling it for rust, body and paint, I started by trying to get it drivable first, then go for the body. At the one year mark, the car was almost drivable. A bit of exhaust work, and that will be about it.

Of course, right at that point I took a big shortcut in buying the red car instead. Not that it needs no work - there's plenty of things that it needs. They're just a whole lot different in magnitude. Whereas with the yellow car I was concentrating on the basics like a running engine, good brakes, reliable electrics and such, on the red car it's all about the details.

And you know what? It's all fun. I'm going back to work on the yellow car now. Probably I'll offer it up for sale once it's mechanically sound, but on the other hand....

I've owned my z for 8 years. It rotted at my uncle's place in Florida for 5 years. Then the day before Hurricane Francis I dragged it to Kentucky where it still sits today in my Mothers garage... I got to drive it once! Have you ever tried to load a non-running vehicle onto a u-haul trailer sitting in sand in the midst of a hurricane? LOTS of new combinations of words were flying that day!

took delivery may 03/05. just had to turn the key, needed nothing. passed safey inspection with flying colors.85250 original miles.

I bought my '78 in july 1987. I had the engine and tranny rebiult. Then a new paint job. In '94 I rolled it. after reskinning the roof and quarter panel I drove it until I got t boned. The car has been sitting waiting for me to get rebuilding.

I've had a Z since '86, the one I have now I bought in 2000 and had the engine/suspension swapped out in 2002.

As of today, I've had my Z for 34 years, 1 month, and 14 days. It was up on blocks for a year while I was stationed in Japan, and otherwise has been out of service for maybe 4 or 5 weeks during engine swaps/rebuilds, paint/body shop, etc. - otherwise, I've been driving it all this time ...

Goose

Goose,

Know the feeling. I bought mine new 33 years ago, still remember the day, the excitement and thrill of it all. Also did a few years in the military ( a little over thirty) and it has been back and forth across the Atlantic with me four times and although she is not a daily driver anymore she certainly is a weekly driver now that I don't live in snow country.....

George,

I am always amazed at how many of us kept our cars all these years. Yours certainly might have a record for trips across the pond!

Bought mine in '72 with a re-enlistment bonus (I only did 10 years) and it has been a part of every major life event that I've had since then ... lots of memories ...

Goose / Wayne

PS - thanks for your 30 years of service.

Wayne

Wayne,

And thanks for your ten.... that is perhaps what I should have done but I have no regrets.... met too many fabulous people and did too many interesting things...

BTW, have you register as an original owner in the Z Registry? If not, perhaps you could consider it. Here is the site:

http://zhome.com/IZCC/ZRegisters/

George

George and Wayne,

Thank you both for your years of service.

I am lucky enough to be able to go to brunch with my grandfather (85 years old and counting) a couple of Sundays a month and sometimes I get to listen to his recollections of being in the Army Air Corps in England during WWII.

Even better when I get a chance to visit Florida my stepfather (88 years old and counting) loves to talk about being in the Navy in WWII in the Pacific Theater. The fun part is when we walk out to the garage to see a Ford Mustang GT parked next to the Nissan 350Z and the inevitable comparisons about Japanese and American made cars. I used to get irked by the not so nice comments about the rusty old Z cars I seem to drag home but now I miss them.

I bought 26th from the estate of the original owner in 1984. She was probably the first Z I ever saw. 27th came to me a year ago.

I got mine in July 2004. It was the first S30 i had ever seen before. Some 8 or so years earlier I had a 3 minute ride in my dad's friend's 280ZX and the memory of how cool it felt stuck. When I wanted to get my own car I looked for a 280ZX and couldn't find one anywhere. I stumbled across my 77 that summer and thought taking the older car would be a compromise I could deal with. Boy am I glad I got the Z insted of the ZX. I remember walking up to it and thinking, "Holy cow! This car is so tiny!" Most exciting thing ever when i took my first ride in it.