1974 260Z Survivor for Sale

[JFAZ]

Looking for advice on the sale of my father's 1974 260Z.  He is the single owner, and at a stage in life where he can no longer drive the car.  This car is almost like a family member, so will be tough to see it go.

The car has 117K miles, is a runner, has no visible rust and has been garage kept from day 1.  He had some extensive work done years (?) back to address rust and had it repainted.  At the time, he had them swap out the original side mirrors and wheel covers for more current Z car version (280?).  The interior is in reasonable shape with the exception of a cracked dash cover.

Any thoughts on best places or sites to market the car would be appreciated.  It's based in Northern NJ.  I have a complete set of photos of both exterior and interior for those who might be interested.

 

 

[S30Driver]

Very nice looking one owner 260!  Your dad took great care of it.

If your dad has kept any documentation of the service history of the car, that's a big plus.  Also the original paperwork, owners manuals.   It appears to be an early 260z which is the most desirable.

Bring A Trailer - web site for sale of classic & unusual cars gets great traffic.  Take a look at the 73 orange 240z that sold on there Thursday for an idea of pictures and description you need.   Ebay is another option.

What is the paint code of the car?  Should be on a sticker in front of the radiator.

Good luck with sale!   Do you have a sale price in mind yet?

Edited September 10, 2016 by S30Driver
additional info

[JFAZ]

Thanks for responding so quickly.  Not sure on price. Hagerty suggests $4,500 for fair to $7,800 for good. His z isn't perfect for sure, and given it's age, assume it will need some work.  In the last two years, he had the carbs rebuilt, radiator replaced and got a new water pump. 

Our main concern is to sell to someone who will appreciate and care for it. 

Will pull paint code and let you know when I get over there.

[JSM]

Since yours is a 1 owner car with no rust you should have no problem in my opinion getting close to 12-15k.

I drove from Orlando to Augusta to look at a 1 owner 73 that petty good amount of rust' hadn't ran in 5 years, was in a horrible spot with flat tires. She would have let me have it for $3500.  I passed but helped her get $5500 for the car with just a craigslist ad. 

The only thing that hurts you car is it is 260z. Even though they are more rare it's odd to me they don't bring as much money.  It is a thin bumper though which makes it more like the 240z and I'm pretty sure from a chassis perspective they are the same as the 73. In 74.5 they switched to the thick bumper and carried those into the 280z. 

I can tell you for sure values are going up in Z cars, even 280zx models. You will regret selling it and will likely never find one as clean as yours is. If it were me, I would keep it unless your hurting for money. 

At 13 I was passed over for my dads 73 one owner Z. I've tried like heck to find a white Z with a red interior and they are next to impossible to find. 

[JFAZ]

I have a similar story.  When my Dad bought the z, I was 16 - just one year from being legal to drive in NJ.  He traded in a 1966 Mustang coup, which I recall he got $500 for at the time.  It wasn't anything special - 3 speed with a straight six, but I begged him to keep it for me.  Well, that didn't happen.  However, I came to love the z.  I learned to drive a stick in it and my Dad let me drive it as often as I wanted it.  In fact, it was my get away car from the church when I got married.

I'm truly conflicted about selling.  Having a decent place to store it is my main problem.

 

[Mark Maras]

 Hypothetically, if one put late 73 240 emblems on an early 74 260, I think a vin search would be the only way to tell. IMO, as the supply of 240s continues to decline, the 260s will be the next to go up in value. The last year of Su's along with one year of production (if you go by model numbers) will become desirable.

 If you don't NEED the money right  away, hang on to it any way possible. You won't be sorry.

 

[colinc]

Prices are definitely going up. I just sold my early 260z for $22500 Canadian. 

I am already missing it

[SteveJ]

3 hours ago, Mark Maras said:

 Hypothetically, if one put late 73 240 emblems on an early 74 260, I think a vin search would be the only way to tell. IMO, as the supply of 240s continues to decline, the 260s will be the next to go up in value. The last year of Su's along with one year of production (if you go by model numbers) will become desirable.

 If you don't NEED the money right  away, hang on to it any way possible. You won't be sorry.

 

Taillights, bumpers, center console, center stack, hatch struts, ballast resistor, fuse box, etc., are different. The carburetors for 73 & 74 were not SUs, either.

[Mark Maras]

 Thanks, I stand corrected. I didn't think that there were that many differences. I thought most of those changes came mid model year like most of the others Datsun did. I did know about the carb change. Not many late 240s or 260s with flat tops on the road any more, except maybe the Cap'n.

 

[Captain Obvious]

The 70 to 72 carbs weren't SU's either. In fact, the carbs from every year was produced by Hitachi, not SU. So the 73-73 carbs are as much SU's as the previous years. 

Haha! And contrary to popular belief, I do not own a car with flat tops. That doesn't mean that I'm not still messing with them, but just not on MY car.    In fact, if things go according to plan, there will be one more car running flat tops ADDED to the world in the not too distant future!

Also different for the 260, Electronic ignition. Carbon canister. Speedo. Seat belt interlocks. Off the top of my head...

[DatsunEurope]

has this sold ??  cheers

[JFAZ]

In a sense. On the advice from club members, I bought it from my Dad. Just picked it up from him yesterday. He wept as I drove it away, which is exactly why I bought it. This was his pride and joy from day 1 of ownership in 1974 and wanted him to know it's still in the family.