Hey guys I just joined this site and wanted some feedback from everyone on this car. I don't know too much about it because its my brothers but he got a new car so i basically took over taking care of it. My brother did something to the engine and either blew a head gasket or cracked the head, but the engine only has 71,000 miles on it. But I really wanted to tear the car down to its frame and completely rebuild it with new parts where needed as a project car. Is this car worth rebuilding from the ground up? I like the Z's a lot, i owned a 1990 300 ZX and it was a great car. So any feedback on the 280 ZX would be great from anybody, remember I'm pretty new to this!!!

We need pics.

Worth it? IMO I say no.

I'd encourage you to buy the best example of a 240z you can find and rebuild that instead. Lighter, faster and looks are a bit better.

Get the ZX going and sell it.

I agree with our kiwi pal...

If the question of worth revolves around could you get your money back...almost assuredly not. The 280ZX, while perphaps unfairly, is the least valuable of the Z's (the Z31's are close to that level as well).

If the question of worth is about building a car you can have fun with for a nice long time, if revolves around the body. If the body is in good to decent shape (read no rust), you either tear down the motor or buy another one cheap and get the car going. If the body is weak, find a better one and use the current vehicle for parts.

Either way...beware...once you get into it...Z's are addictive (witness the fact that my collection seems to be reproducing like rabbits).

Welcome aboard!

If you think the car is worth it, then do it.

If you think the car is worth it, then do it.

And if you need help, this is one of the best places for it!:rambo:

I agree with our kiwi pal...

If the question of worth revolves around could you get your money back...almost assuredly not. The 280ZX, while perphaps unfairly, is the least valuable of the Z's (the Z31's are close to that level as well).

If the question of worth is about building a car you can have fun with for a nice long time, if revolves around the body. If the body is in good to decent shape (read no rust), you either tear down the motor or buy another one cheap and get the car going. If the body is weak, find a better one and use the current vehicle for parts.

Either way...beware...once you get into it...Z's are addictive (witness the fact that my collection seems to be reproducing like rabbits).

Welcome aboard!

Everything he said is spot on. My 78 S30's body is perfect, but needs an engine rebuild (which I plan on doing) it's also VERY addicting. as soon as you get one you start thinking "Hmmm what can I do here, or how can I improve this" before you even step into it! The question of worth is ultimately decided on you, the owner. Some people may look at you like your crazy, but as long as it's worth it to you, who cares?

i would rather buy a brand new one with 48 miles open mso rather than dump 35k or greater into an old car. mike barney nissan in amherst, ny has one on the showrrom floor soon to be up for sale.

Did you ever sell yours?

As far as"is it woth it" You probably won't get back what you put in it if you were to sell it. If you bought a new car you would never get back your investment. If you intend to keep it as a driver and not turn it into a show car and it has a good body (no rust issues) it's cheaper to fix things as it needs it than buying a new one.

I picked up a 82 ZXT because I wanted to decrease the miles I was putting on my 240. Now it's my daily driver and the 240 is my weekend car. I knew when I bought it I was going to have to put money in it, such as a suspension, rebuilt engine and other thing but the body was in good condition. It's a great daily driver more creature comforts than a 240 and more comfotable to drive. "was it worth it" to me it was.

As a proud owner/caretaker of a 79 ZX, I must say go for it-as long as you can handle dealing with whatever may be wrong with it. However, as everyone has stated (and this generally goes for all old cars), you will most likely not get out of it what you've put into it at the selling time. Sure, there are exceptions to that, but but for most of us it's the truth.

What you need to consider is this: Is this car something that I will enjoy working on and driving, or is it something that will bog me down with it's variety of issues?

There are many who dismiss the S130 as a lounge lizard. Is this fair? Perhaps in direct comparison to it's older siblings. However, if you consider the S130 on it's own merits, it really is a nice car. It may lack the pure sports car mentality of the S30, but it has other things going for it. Great comfort for long drives and pretty good handling in all situations (I've driven mine in snow and on icy roads-handles just as well as any other rear wheel drive car).

Would it dominate a track in its stock form? No, it wallows a bit in the corners, and the emission stuff saps much of the power from it. It is still a great car to drive, and pretty easy to work on (assuming you have patience and a willingness to learn a pretty sharp curve).

Regarding yours: only you can decide, but those of us here can and will be a great resource. We do need photos (we're funny like that) in order to point out potential areas of concern and reasonable fixes.

If I had been a member here at the time I bought by ZX, I most likely would have passed on it (though perhaps not, I couldn't get the car out of my mind...it was calling me...), but I would have had a much better idea of what I was getting into (FRAME RAILS!!!).

Ultimately it's up to you.

You need to decide on what you want out of the car, and how much you are willing to put into the car (and that doesn't just mean cash-it means the whole shebang).

Again, another thread with more than a week with no reply from the OP. hmm...