Why does the 260z get a bad rap.

[Hunter260Z]

Made only 1.5 yr.,crappy carbs, added the 2+2, bumpers, early and late model. Other sites saying they lose the resale value. So what is it . Please comment.

All s30 have their own set of problems.

[TomoHawk]

IMO, it's not -THE- 240Z, the first of the famous Z cars, and it's not a 280Z, the one with the biggest engine of the series. It's in-between the two more notable S30 models, so it doesn't get noticed, along with the other things mentioned.

fwiw

[FastWoman]

Yeah, it's the middle child. I don't think it's any less noteworthy than a 240 or 280, but rather that it doesn't get noticed because there are so few of them. Dunno.

[Arne]

IMO, an early 260Z with a carb swap makes a great daily or weekend driver. There are many improvements over the 240Zs, especially the early ones. But to the general public, the comments the previous two replies are what sticks.

[FastWoman]

Here's the silver lining, though, and I don't understand why more people don't see it this way:

The 260 is every bit as much car as the 240 or 280. It just doesn't get the love. So you can buy a really nice 260 (if you can find one) for less than a 240 or 280. And while it's true you won't have as valuable a car, is that something you really want/need?

What if I told you I'd sell you an Acme GTO -- an exact clone of a Ferrari 250GTO in every way, equal in quality -- for $1000. But it would only be worth $1000, and it wouldn't appreciate any faster than the Ferrari. Maybe a decade from now you could sell it for $1500. Would you be interested in owning it? I would.

There's a reason I sold my perfect '66 Mustang and drive a less than perfect 280. It's cheaper fun. In fact the Mustang was valuable enough as to have lost all its fun.

Edited June 30, 2011 by FastWoman

[John Coffey]

I think the car is fine. The purists scoff but those kinds of people are never happy. They find a decal wrong on on your car and they accuse you of being some kind of ax murder.

[SportBikeMike]

The 260Z actually had some significant improvements over the 240Z, including a better interior- they got rid of the ugly quilted vinyl and the fake wood steering wheel. I haven't really noticed 260Z prices being significantly lower than 240Z or 280Z prices though.

[clayton 260z]

All things said I would match my early version 260z against any other Z 240 or 280. It is a great car to drive and very few if any can tell it from any 240. As John Coffey said the purists seem to have the biggest issue with them. It still cost me the same to put it into the condition it is in today, as it would any other Z 240,260, or 280.......

[jmortensen]

Wrong motor, wrong carbs, wrong bumpers (either way, if it's a 240 shell you still have the heavy 73-74 bumpers, if you have the 280 shell then you get the really heavy 280 bmpers), which suspension do I have and what parts do I need for my brakes and suspension (?), and as reported by a friend who worked at a Z shop for years, wiring issues.

Other than that what's not to like? If you're building a race car or are not afraid to swap the motor or deal with the wiring, really it's just a chassis, and the chassis is fine.

[AndysPlit]

Let's not forget that the acceleration for a 260 (stock) is the slowest of the three S30 models. It doesn't make it a bad car or even Z, but I can see why "purists" prefer the 240 and 280.

[kjohnson2444]

The 260z is a great car that you don't have to feel guilty about upgrading. You can easily make it a better performer than a stock 240 or 280 and end up with a great driver.

[H4LIGHTS]

From a collectors standpoint the US 260Z may have future value.

2 styles for the transition from 240 to 280.

Unique VIN (RLS30): HLS30 for the 240 and back to HLS30 for the 280 and since so many are gone because of the bad image, the few that remain may become desirable by collectors.

But there are very few Yugo's around in the US and the 260Z may follow the same plight.

I used to have a 260Z that I really enjoyed. Sold it off and I'm told it now resides in Bogota Colombia.