Went to look at a 77 280Z last night for my great nephew. He really wants a Z, but has a very limited budget.

Car had lots of rust, but nothing unexpected at the very low price. Engine needed a tune-up, but otherwise looked & sounded fine. Needed new brakes or a brake re-build, but again, nothing we couldn't fix over the weekend. Interior needed a lot of work, but was usable.

"Deal Killer" was the tranny sounded like it was full of loose gravel. If the noise had only been in 1st & third, I would have figured it was just the idler gear, but it made same noise in 2nd & 3rd...

He's stil looking…

Sounds like you made the right choice!

Julio...so what was the bottom line on price? I'm surprised a Calif. Z was rusty...I thought all of them out there were solid. If it was a manual (I'm assuming yes), you can pick up a used one for a couple hundred bucks and its installation can be used as a "teachable moment" . Best regards