Hey all,

I've been reading this forum for the past few weeks, but just joined today. It looks like a great place!

I am about to pick up a 280ZX sometime next week, and will be restoring it to pristine condition… That is the hope, anyways. Having never done a car restoration before, this is going to be interesting. The car has been sitting for 6-7 years and has gathered a fair bit of rust—looks like most panels are salvageable, though—and the engine doesn't run, although it isn't rusted out and looks to be in ok condition. So you might say it's going to be a bit of a challenge, but I'm excited for it!

My newb question of the day is, how much would you pay for a car in this condition? It's at a dealership and I'm probably going to make an offer on Friday. I have a few numbers bouncing around in my head but I would certainly appreciate some advice and suggestions from the members here.

Looking forward to getting to know you all better, and having a great time here!

Pictures would help us help you.

I only have two pics of the exterior, but I'll post them here. Thanks!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/photofreak18/7229637602/" title="280zx ab by Jfserama, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7229637602_e354d6c318_b.jpg" width="1024" height="576" alt="280zx ab"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/photofreak18/7229637488/" title="280zx by Jfserama, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7229637488_1206b60b75_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="280zx"></a>

$500 - $800 would be my estimate. If you see surface rust like that you can pretty much say there's plenty of rust you cannot see. And rust repair will eat any budget alive!

Keep hunting,don't rush it,rust is very hard on the pocket,WELCOME to Z LAND

$500 - $800 would be my estimate. If you see surface rust like that you can pretty much say there's plenty of rust you cannot see. And rust repair will eat any budget alive!

That's the exact range I had in mind! Thank you for the help!

Keep hunting,don't rush it,rust is very hard on the pocket,WELCOME to Z LAND

Good advice. I'll probably keep looking. Can't say that I have much hope of finding rust free classic, since I live in New England—finding a rust free car here is like trying to find a virgin at a frat party.

That "virgin" can be found in the West. Concentrate your efforts west of the Big Muddy and you'll likely have some success. If you find a car, let us all know. Maybe one of us can help by providing an eyeball or two for you.

Thank you for that offer. I will continue the search.