Buying 1977 280Z 2+2

[c0ry5]

Hi guys,

I have never used a forum before and am new to Z's

I have always bean interested in old z cars but do not know that much about them.

Recently I found 1977 280z 4-spd 2+2 for sale

test drove the car, its in fairly good condition the odomiter displays 83000 mi but owner is unsure how many times it has reset at 100K.

cold start isn't that good and car smokes

The VIN is GHLS30060176

i tried to do a car fax to find out millage but didn't work. Also DMV didn't know. Any way i can find out true millage?

asking price is 1300$ is this reasonable?

are there any tell-tale indicators of problems i should look for?

last car i owned and fixed up was 1980 international scout and im looking forward to working on a Z!

[MEZZZ]

Welcome to the board. There are a great many users on here willing to share their knowledge. I am still green myself, owning my car for a bit more than a year now and doing the work as time and money allows( VERY SLOW )

You will not find Car Fax helpful, they do not go that far back. The only way to know for sure the actual mileage is if the car had stacks of receipts that you could research. Most older cars are valued on their overall condition rather than mileage, so if its worth $1300 to you, than thats a reasonable price. Remember the ole saying, its only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

The cold start problem and smoking could be due to a bad cold start valve. It sits on top of the intake, kind of like a 7th injector. It only works for a moment, spraying fuel into the intake when the motor is cold. It is controlled by another sensor. Do a search on here for the Fuel Injection Bible and read up. Its the only way to learn and it is a valuable resource.

Good luck.

[sblake01]

True mileage would be tough to find without service records being kept by the previous owners. I do know that it has passed it's smog test five of six times over the last 12+ years from Nov. 1996-October 2008 except for one time where it hadn't been smogged for 5 years (2003-2008). You can check that kind of thing out at http://www.bar.ca.gov/applications/VehTests/PubTstQry.aspx.

[c0ry5]

Thanks that web site: http://www.bar.ca.gov/applications/V...PubTstQry.aspx is really useful

would it be highly abnormal for an original non-rebuilt l28 engine make it to 280,000 or even 180,000?

[Zealous]

Should be able to make it to 180000 without a rebuild I have heard up to 200000 miles but there could be many reasons for the bad cold start.

Perhaps the best way to tell is wear and tear on the chassis and interior. Look at the quality of the bushings and whether they have been replaced. Looking under a car is very useful to tell age. Best thing to do would be to get a "Z expert" out to check the car. I know having owned mine for 7 months or so I now know what to look for exactly and where the problems are.

[montanagrl]

When I sold my other '78 280Z this past summer it had 312,xxx miles on the original engine. No rebuild just lots of TLC and regular oil changes. The tranny had never been rebuild either.... They are great cars and can run a long time with care.....

[c0ry5]

how much did you sell your 280z for??