First ride in a 240Z

[gogriz91]

First ride was in a 260 I bought in '86. If I had known then what I know now I never would have bought it but all I knew then was I wanted an S30 body style car. I went to Okinawa in '82 and S30s were the hot cars to have, even with the ZXs out. There were RX-7s, Skylines and Laurels but the S30s were the shizzle. Owned that 260 for 11 years, bought a trashed '72 in '91 that ended up at the crusher when I found my '73.

[=Enigma=]

My first drive in a Z was the day I test drove the 240Z that I ended up buying. It started right up and idled great, but ran like crap under load. After a short test drive I felt like this was probably due to bad gas, burnt points, bad condenser, fouled plugs, old ignition wires, a bad tune, or all of the above. Since the rest of the car was clean with low mileage and there didn't appear to be any major oil or coolant leaks, I took a chance based on the character of the guy and bought the car. Turns out all of the above stuff was original and just needed to be replaced.

[DaveN]

My first time in a Z was in Albuquerque in January 71, driving my new '71 off the dealer's lot.

[DougN]

First ride was in a 260 I bought in '86. If I had known then what I know now I never would have bought it but all I knew then was I wanted an S30 body style car. I went to Okinawa in '82 and S30s were the hot cars to have, even with the ZXs out. There were RX-7s, Skylines and Laurels but the S30s were the shizzle. Owned that 260 for 11 years, bought a trashed '72 in '91 that ended up at the crusher when I found my '73.

Where in Okinawa were you? I was at MCAS Futenma 82-84 :-) I saw my first S30 there as well, and immediately wanted one!

[vercingetorix]

My first ride was in a '71 from a used car lot. I fell in love with the first Z I ever saw in late 1969 or early 1970 at a dealership but being a poor freak I couldnt get one, A couple of years later(now married and still broke) when they started showing up on used car lots my weekend recreation consisted of "test driving" the ones I found on the mountain roads outside of town.

[Caen Fred]

Vercingetorix??????????????? You should be driving an Alpine Renault... Are you lost in time???? Gergovie isn't really in New Mexico, is it :classic:

[vercingetorix]

He was the honorable Gaul

[1973Z]

In 1985 as a high school graduation gift, my dad was going to buy me my first car. He mentioned that a guy was selling his Datsun 240Z and was bringing it to our house so we could test drive it. I had no idea what a 240Z was, and for whatever reason, when I heard "Datsun" I just cringed as I thought of some car that would be a complete embarrassment. I had made up my mind that I would shoot this Datsun car idea down before even seeing it. When my dad called out to me that the guy just drove up the driveway, I peaked out the window expecting the gag reflex, and instead....I was blown away! As we were going to the door to meet the previous owner, I knew before I even drove the car that I now wanted it more than anything. Then when I drove it....pure love. I no longer have that Z, but I love my "new" 240Z just as much. I am still all grins behind the wheel.

[JimmyZ]

Eighteen years ago I had been searching for a 240Z for about a year. Finally found one for $2000 which was reluctantly for sale by an SCCA driver named Tom who raced 510's. (He lived in Altamonte FL) Could this be "turbo Tom"???? He needed a bigger better trailer and the Z was almost traded away for one 'til I stepped in. It hadn't been on the road for some time and was still banana yellow. Even covered in mildew it looked HOT. This was my first time sitting in the cockpit of a Z. The clutch was slipping badly but dayeeummmnn it was quick! A few days later I had it titled and was almost in tears driving my dream home. Falling in love with a piece of machinery... Is there a mental disorder for that?

Three days later an uninsured driver pulled out in front of me and that was when I took the car completely apart/stripped/repainted the frist time. Women have come and gone but I will always insist that the Z stays.

Jim

[Galaxybj]

My first ride in a 240Z was the day I drove it off the lot of Jaremko Motors on N. Monroe in Spokane, Wa in July 1971. My first eyes on of one was in Okinawa earlier that year. Why did I decide to get one - I drove a 2000 roadster the fall of 1969 and ordered one. Shortly after the sales manager of Valley Datsun in Spokane called me and said he had something for me to see. It was the first brochure out for the 240Z (I still have it) - I told him to forget the roadster and ordered the Z. Would have had the first one in Spokane had it not been for a trip to the Philipines for 18 months.

[Ttiger]

I remember when the 240Z first came out, I was in 5th grade. I was car nut back then and used to ride my bike down to the Datsun dealer to sit in them. The salespeople used to chase me out, that was until I sent my school teacher over to buy a 510. After that I had full run of the Zs on the lot.

I bought my first 1971 Z when I graduated from high school. That car took me to college with all my stuf shoe-hroned in the back. About 3 months after I graduated, in 1981, the window crank handle broke and I drove over to the dealer to get a new one. I had to walk through the showroom to get to the parts department and there was a black 1981 280ZX Turbo sitting there.... Well, you guessed it. I traded my '71 on the '81 and kept that car for 100,000 miles. When my wife's Mazda was hit, we bought her a 1972 Z from the original owner. We kept that car until our first child was born and had to sell it. I ended up selling my Turbo in 1994 and we were Z-less for a few years.

In 2004, I found a 1971 Z parked on the street and left a note. The guy called me and said it was mine for $700! It's in great shape and my 18 year old son drives it. About a year after that I found a 1981 black 280ZX Turbo parked in a driveway without most of the engine. I got it for nothing and found a donor car for parts. My 16 year old son drives that one. It's kind of neat that my kids are driving clones of the cars I drove way back then.

Sadly though, the '81 was hit by an unlicensed driver last week and totalled. My son was devastated, and I saw many hours of my love and sweat get towed away. We're shopping for a replacement.....

[jayhawk]

Like Galaxybj, my first Z drive was the one I took driving it off the lot after I bought it new in April, 1973. I was just back from an 11 month cruise on an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam), had been planning to get a Z for a couple of years but that was sort of hard to do while at sea!

Incredible feeling! Felt bigger than I thought it would, powerful, quick, and NEW!

Bought it at Gubrud Valley Datsun in Mt. Vernon, WA. Jack Gubrud sponsored lots of Z gatherings and runs in those days. Had one memorable trip in 1973 with about 30 other new Zs over the North Cascade Highway. Will try to find the pix of that run and post here someday.

Still have it. Restoring it now, hopefully will have it ready in a couple of years for the MSA West Coast Nationals.

--Jayhawk