Nice looking 71' on Ebay

[Carl Beck]

Had a chance to go look at this 240Z today.

Overall impression - looks like the previous owner found a pretty straight, solid 71 with about 75K miles. It was Yellow.. and the PO didn't like that much so... Color change to a dark green that is a few shades off the Datsun Dark Green of 1970/71.

It is a shame that the Dealer "detailed" the undercarriage - spraying black paint all over everything certainly hurt the sale of the car. Nonetheless the floorboards and frame rails appear to be far better than average, but not perfect either. I'd guess that before the black undercoating there may have been some typical rust in the seams of the frame rails, perhaps a spot at the rear... but nothing that could not have been easily addressed without major metal work.

The engine was amazing.... original matching numbers... it was one of the quietest engines at idle that I've heard in a long time. Took it out for a spin, pulled strong to 6500 RPM in 1, 2, 3.... no noise from the rear end. Drove straight... Shift lever typical monkey motion, needed new bushings. Clutch needs adjustment as it engaged right off the floor.

No choke in the 4bl carb - but started right up, and after a few minutes of running, seems to smooth out and run fine.

On the one hand it is a shame that this car wasn't treated to a stock "refresh" or even a restoration when it was in its original form ... on the other hand it will be a good weekend driver, or hobby car for someone at an affordable price. I'm sure the PO spent a ton of money making it "his"... even if it's not what most of us would have done.

Noted in passing:

Right rear bumper section - old, rust (but it looks like the center an left side are new)

Half Dash cover

Paint job and body work are acceptable for a driver..

Left headlight bucket is steel

Original Hatch Lid... was amazingly rust free..

Floor boards were "blacked out" but looked pretty solid and unmolested.

Carpet was not original, but it was a fairly high quality cut pile... and fit well

All weatherstips/seals seem to be in very good condition... doors and hatch seem original

Tail Light chrome was near perfect

Threshold below the deck lid was in good shape - looks like the left side may have been worked on when the car was repainted.. but nothing bubbling up anywhere.. I'd guess the doglegs were replaced as well.

What's it worth East of the Mississippi? It'll sell for between $10K and $14K... just depends on how long some potential buyer has been looking, and to whom a grand one way or the other won't matter much.. Serious buyers get tired of looking at junk after a time, then when a reasonable car comes along they will pay reasonable prices, usually far higher than they thought they would need too.

This "Dealer" had about 50 Classic Cars there- many very nice indeed. They do not have an open showroom, cars are shown by appointment only to retail customers, mostly they hit the national auctions with the cars... Overall, while their write-up may have been a little flowery... it was for the most part accurate for Muscle Car guys trying to describe a Japanese Sports Car... one mechanic there seemed to have a pretty good grasp of the 240-Z's...

FWIW,

Carl B.

[JLPurcell]

Just a note: did anyone notice the 68 Shelby Mustang!

[Arne]

Would anyone of you gents be interested in checking out a Z car (top to bottom) for me next year. I figure in either AZ or CA?

I imagine several of us might be willing to do that. If you find a likely candidate in Oregon (still fairly non-rusty here, no road salt), I'd be happy to look one over, if the timing isn't too bad work-wise.

[Carl Beck]

Just a note: did anyone notice the 68 Shelby Mustang!

I believe the salesman said that car sold for $128K. One could have bought it in 93 for about 28K.

FWIW,

Carl B.

[76Datsun280z]

Sounds like fun test driving that car!

Just a note: did anyone notice the 68 Shelby Mustang!

I did!

[JLPurcell]

I believe the salesman said that car sold for $128K. One could have bought it in 93 for about 28K.

FWIW,

Carl B.

Carl, don’t call me for investment advice. I sold my 68 Shelby for $1,800. in 1975 in order to keep my 72 Z car.

[Arne]

I suspect many of us have a few of those stories to tell, Jerry, although maybe not of quite the same magnitude of your Shelby boner.

In high school, I had a pristine '63 Galaxie 500XL two-door hardtop. Factory buckets, floor shift, 390, etc. Similar to the picture below, but in Wimbledon White with black interior. I sold it for a whopping $500 in 1974. Should have just put it in storage somewhere.