Series 1 on Ebay

[geezer]

What are your thoughts on this Z? An inappropriately dressed pig with lipstick or a suitable driver worthy of the asking price?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FABULOUS-FLORIDA-RED-240Z-80-PHOTOS-4-SPEED-SWEET_W0QQitemZ300188257198QQihZ020QQcategoryZ6187QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[EScanlon]

I'd want to know more about those rear rocker panel non-repairs.

That is, no mention of their being repaired, yet that driver's side is bad news, and the passenger's isn't blemish free either. Look at the pictures about half-way down on the separate window that opens up.

E

[Walter Moore]

On the other hand...

The buy it now price is $9887, and from the looks of the floors it has never seen road salt. Knowing what I know now about how hard these cars are to repair when they rust, If I had the money I would buy that car and keep my current one as a parts vehicle.

There is something funky going on with the heater hoses. I expect that the heater core is bad and it has been bypassed, or disconnected. Of course pictures tell you nothing of the actual mechanical condition, but frankly the engine and drive train are the cheap/easy part.

Nice paint...

[Carl Beck]

This is an all too perfect example of "what not to do".

One of two things should have happened to a 240-Z like this one was - as it was shown in it's original condition (before being turned into a total mess).

1) it should have been simply "cleaned", made drive'able and preserved... then sold later for a tidy profit.

2) it should have received a complete "refresh" or "restoration"...

Looking at the receipts for parts and services - it is sad to see anyone taken such advantage of, but on the other hand - a fool and his money are soon parted...

As for the trustworthy dealer that finished an unfinished project - his glowing description "may" be believed by him. He might be perfectly honest about his view of the car - but we all know there is a very high probability that he is just the second fool in this sad story. So much money spent in the wrong order and on the wrong things..

What a shame that a Series 1 example, with really good floorboards and frame rails was used for the basis of such shoddy work.... More sad is the fact that now that so much money has been spent on the car - no one will be able to buy it at low enough price, to justify completely undoing the damage done and then refreshing the car properly.

A pig with lipstick ? More like turning a potential silk purse - into a very expensive sow's ear. On the other hand it does make the 71 here in St. Pete look like a super bargain at $6K...

FWIW,

Carl B.

[barth4567]

Right. Nice paint. I bought my 72 about 4 years ago,it had been sitting in a garage for several years. Paid $2500. Since then I have put quite alot of time and money into it. It is at the point where I hope to get it painted this summer. A person can spend alot of money on in a hurry on these cars.I am sure you all know that. I do not have that kind of money so I try and do as much of the work as possible with the help of some very good friends. It will be a real nice car when it's done. Not show quality by any means, but I will be happy with her. Still won't be into my car nearly as much as this one.This car is overpriced in " my opinion". I believe Geezer is right. So is Carl Beck. It is sad. You an put all the lipstck on a pig you want. In the end it is still a pig.

[DeesZ]

Along with the previously mentioned things to check out, take a good look at the way the hatch fits. There seems to have been an issue in the 'old' pictures as well as the 'new' ones. There also seems to be something funky at the cut-out where the tail pipe exits (maybe it's just me and the way I'm looking at it). I really don't know what he means by the engine being an obvious rebuild. He may have said it somewhere, but for that dollar amount, I'd want the numbers to match as well. The seller has very good feedback and seems to volunteer a lot of information, but for that $$, I would have a very knowledgeable person give it a good inspection. IMO if it's all that it's cracked up to be it's not a bad price, but no big bargain, either. Again, just my opinion.

[Arne]

I paid less than that for my Series 2, which had less than 60k miles on it (documented), almost 100% original (dang sunroof!) and zero rust (West Coast car, seldom driven in rain and always garaged). Yes, it will need paint, carpet and upholstery. But still a far better buy than this Series 1.

[bigoak]

I'd want to know more about those rear rocker panel non-repairs.

That is, no mention of their being repaired, yet that driver's side is bad news, and the passenger's isn't blemish free either. Look at the pictures about half-way down on the separate window that opens up.

E

I think those are the pre-restoration shots. He could have been more specific on the repairs, but they visually seem ok post-restoration.

Still, a bit of a funny car. Why not spend the $350 on correct seat upholstery and look into a dash? Oh well.

[barth4567]

Very Well said Arne. And I have seen your car.After looking at the pictures again, to be fair there are positives about this car, but in my opinion there is alot more negatives. There is some real obvious issues here, even a "Non Expert" such as myself can see. Too bad really.

[geezer]

This car would have made a nice starting point for a nice driver, but I agree there was a lot of wasted cash put into it and it is an amature refresh at best. There is no attention to detail. It is obvious to me that it has been dressed up for a quick sale. I think the underlining problems that existed before a nickle was spent on it are just hidden. I could finish that rear panel blindfolded better than that. I figured most of us would see this the same way and conclude it is way over priced, considering what still should be done to it. What I am trying to get a grip on is, why do these cars seem to sell easily when there are obvious better deals out there. It won't surprise me a bit to see it meet the reserve.

[DeesZ]

It will probably sell... but not to me (or should I say "us"). There are a lot of people out there with a lot of money to spend... The economy isn't really as bad as some may wish us to think.

[AZ-240z]

I agree with Carl. It appears that a shiny paint job was applied to mask many faults that should have been addressed first. I would say that the front and rear valence panel have seen quite a bit of damage and a lot of doors and panels don't fit very well, just as starters.

The one gem that I take away from this is seeing the very earliest of oil pans on a 10,xxx vin car. I always wanted to know how far into the production they carried this pan which had structural design problems. It appears at least halfway through the series 1 cars.