What To Expect?

[zimwy]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and was hoping I could ask some pretty broad general questions. First, some background. I'm considering buying a 1973 240Z that I've found with around 60,000 miles. I've never owned (or driven for any amount of time more than a few minutes) a manual car which brings me to question number one:

1) Is it cruel and evil to buy this car and learn on it? Will it just explode under my unskilled hands?

I am also far from a mechanic. I've taken seats out of my current car (a '90 Volvo 240) and replaced the seat foam, and taken apart a bit of the sunroof to prevent leaks, but that's probably the extant of my mechanic genius. So, second question:

2) Do I need to be a mechanic to get any pleasure out of this car, or at least keep it healthy and in good condition. The last thing I want is to buy a well preserved car and turn it to crap. I'm more than happy to buy parts whenever necessary and learn as much as I can, but I don't have a large amount of space to operate on the car, nor do I have a huge array of tools past some ratchets. I'd prefer not to have the car live in a mechanic's shop. Will that be the its life? How much maintenance is usually required?

I live in Brooklyn NY. It does snow here, quite a bit

3) I'm assuming that driving this car on slushy wet roads is just out of the question both from a handling point of view and from a rust point of view. Is this the case?

This car would be mostly for fun and trips and such. However I'd prefer to not be half-way to delaware and get stuck.

4) I know it probably depends on the individual car, but are 240's in general reliable enough that I could feel comfortable driving long distances without a cell phone or a trailer full of spare parts (and a person in the trailer tha knows how to install said spare parts)?

I'm hopefully going to look at the car this week with a friend of mine who both knows a lot about cars and used to own a 240Z that he did large amounts of work on.

5) Is there anything besides rust that a car doofus like myself can look at? The price is $7000 or best offer. Is that an outrageous amount? It's been garage kept and well looked after (or so he claims, as I've yet to look at it myself).

I think that's basically it. I'm trying to decide whether or not to get the car. I have my Volvo but my garage is too small for it. Thus the car has to live really far away and I never drive it. The 240Z on the other hand is small enough to fit in the garage. So basically my final question:

6) Obviously this is a bias place to ask, but, should I buy it?

Thanks immensely!

Gabe

[ktm]

"1) Is it cruel and evil to buy this car and learn on it? Will it just explode under my unskilled hands?"

The 4-speed transmissions in these cars are rock solid. I would not say that you will do detrimental damage to the transmission in the short period of time it takes you to get it down.

"2) Do I need to be a mechanic to get any pleasure out of this car, or at least keep it healthy and in good condition. The last thing I want is to buy a well preserved car and turn it to crap. I'm more than happy to buy parts whenever necessary and learn as much as I can, but I don't have a large amount of space to operate on the car, nor do I have a huge array of tools past some ratchets. I'd prefer not to have the car live in a mechanic's shop. Will that be the its life? How much maintenance is usually required?"

Will this car be your only transportation? I see that you plan on using this car for trips and such, so I am assuming that it will not be your only car. These cars are mechanically simple and easy to work on. Open the hood and marvel at all of the room in the engine bay compared to modern cars. The carburetors are easy to work on as is just about everything else on the car.

Do you at least have a garage to store the car during winters? You do not need a huge amount of space, just enough to be able to safely work on the car from the sides. I would buy a complete metric set of sockets up to 19mm, two sets of metric wrenches up to 19mm, locking pliers, breaker bar, and a torque wrench. Do the work yourself if it is not your only car. Its a great way to learn and save yourself money as well.

These cars are VERY reliable when running correctly. If something does go wrong, there are an abundance of parts and you can usually do the work yourself over a weekend (at most).

"3) I'm assuming that driving this car on slushy wet roads is just out of the question both from a handling point of view and from a rust point of view. Is this the case?"

I think you answered your own questsion. You can drive it in the snow, but unless you have driven a rear-wheel drive vehicle in the snow I would not do it. Remember, these cars are over 30 years old. They do not have the electrical nannies that modern rear-wheel drive vehicles have like stability control.

"4) I know it probably depends on the individual car, but are 240's in general reliable enough that I could feel comfortable driving long distances without a cell phone or a trailer full of spare parts (and a person in the trailer tha knows how to install said spare parts)?"

Yes. However, if you are going on a long trip I would carry some tools with me anyway just in case.

"5) Is there anything besides rust that a car doofus like myself can look at? The price is $7000 or best offer. Is that an outrageous amount? It's been garage kept and well looked after (or so he claims, as I've yet to look at it myself)."

Rust. Let me say it again - RUST. Look underneath the batter tray for rust and/or battery acid/corrosion damage. Look under the engine cowl (right in front of the windshield). Look at the rocker panels right behind the front wheel. Lift the hatch and look along the flat portion right above the tail lights.

Most importantly, check out the condition of the floor pans. Take the carpets out and look at the floors. If you see the original 'tar' paper still inplace, don't be fooled. Rust can hide under the tar paper. Check out the floor pans and rails underneath the car.

If the car is an East coast car, it most likely has rust.

These cars suffer from exhaust fumes in the cabin due to poor aerodynamics. If all of the seals are in good condition and you are getting a good seal, it is not a problem. However, some people have been trying to get rid of their fume problem for over a year (once its started).

I am not qualified to comment on the price. Out here in California, $7000 would net you are more highly sought after 1970/1971 in very good condition. It's my understanding that people in the Rust Belt are willing to pay $7000 for a car that those of us in California would pay around $4000.

"6) Obviously this is a bias place to ask, but, should I buy it?"

It's up to you. If you are willing to spend $7000 this car, I would actually look at a Arizona/California car and look at a 1970/1971. Find a car and have it professionally inspected (around $300). If it looks good, fly out and drive it back or have it shipped to you. I say this only because of the amount you are willing to pay. Then again, that is my opinion.

It's hard to say without actually seeing any pictures of the car.

[zimwy]

Hi ktm,

Thanks for the quick and thorough response! As for your question about whether or not this car will be my only transportation, I take the subway wherever I need to go in the city. The car would just be for fun trips out of the city. That being said I'd prefer to have the car work when I wanted to take those trips and not have to hope it starts or hope it takes me there and back. What would you say is the longest reasonable trip for one of these guys without a mechanic in the passenger seat?

Oh, another question. Do the 240Z's use unleaded gas without problems? I just realized that perhaps I'd have to find leaded gas. Is that the case?

As for pricing, I should be getting some better pictures soon. Here are the ones I have at the moment: