240Z/260Z/280Z as a Daily Driver?

[Hardway]

Your Miata is a Miata.  It is and always will be a roadster.  That said, it comes down to what you want to deal with on a daily basis.  If your girlfriend gets upgraded to wife then it will also become a question of what she will be willing to deal with on a regular basis while still supporting your love of cars.  No matter your age, there is something to be said for having something comfortable, reliable, and safe as a daily driver.  As Psdenno said, back when the classic Z's were common, SUV's and everyone texting did not exist.  It sounds like you really want a classic Z so I say save your money and get one.  Use it as a daily and see what happens.  There is a guy named Robert Jackson that has been posting up on the various Datsun and Z Facebook pages.  He just bought five 240z's this week.  Yes, FIVE!  They are all 4's and 5's on a scale of 1-10 but he is planning to resell or auction some and build one or two.  Try dropping him a line on FB.  Since you are in Houston, he is in Oklahoma, it would not be an impossible trip to make.  Or, just keep watching the Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio CL and all the other Datsun and Z classified pages.  Not sure what your fab skills are like but the best advice, buy the cleaned body you can find.  Everything else is pretty easy to acquire and since you want a bare bones car, interior condition may be a non-issue.  Going back to your original question, 240z, 260z, 280z.  Buy the one in best condition regardless of what it is.  If you really REALLY want a 240z, better save and keep your cash on you because when they pop up for any kind of reasonable price they go quick.  Be willing to travel and if possible, have access to a truck and trailer. Some of the best deals on 240z's are on the ones that do not run, ask Robert Jackson.  260z's and 280z's offer more value just for the fact they are not as expensive while delivering 95% of the fun factor of a 240z.  Keep us posted on your hunt and if you find one of interest.

Edited February 10, 2017 by Hardway

[Daniel Jestes]

Update:  Hey ya'll so my search has been continuing but I wanted to ask everyone's opinion about this.  Would it be more wise to keep my Miata as a secondary driver (I really want to hold onto it and not drive it much since it's so low miles and nice) and get a fuel injected, late 70s 280Z?  Other question is what is the tunability like on those old ECUs?  Or (like my Miata) will I have to run a parallel/standalone ECU?  I have read thread but just curious since with the carbed cars if you add a cam you just adjust the carburetors...?  Eventually once I experience the L28 in it and the suspension, brakes, and rest of the car is done up how I want I will upgrade the engine.

[Zed Head]

Wise?  What does wise have to do with old sports cars?

The ECU's aren't tunable or chippable or modifiable.  You'd need standalone if you want to play around with tuning.  Most people seem to go with Megasquirt due to cost but there are many more options, some every expensive.

[Mark Maras]

 If your Miata is reliable, it will be your daily driver. At least for a while.

[Careless]

On 3/7/2017 at 0:17 PM, Zed Head said:

Wise?  What does wise have to do with old sports cars?

The ECU's aren't tunable or chippable or modifiable.  You'd need standalone if you want to play around with tuning.  Most people seem to go with Megasquirt due to cost but there are many more options, some every expensive.

you don't necessarily need a standalone.

if you get a 82/83 distributor, 82/83 oil pump gear/driveshaft, and an ecu from a Z31 + the CAS disc from the Z31 distributor, and a Z31 MAF, you can use Nistune with the Z31 ignition system on the L engines. It will come juuuuuust under an MS2 kit and if it ever fails for whatever reason- it most likely will not take the Nistune with it, so you could just resocket another ECU and pop the nistune in there if the address files are compatible.

It's a slightly cheaper option, and can be retrofitted to run with just 3 standard 4/5 pin relays.

Edited March 11, 2017 by Careless

[Martzedcars]

A 280z or 280zx has no ECU....  It has a ECCS,  what could be explained as an ANALOG "computer" It does not have a "clock" as a ECU has and no Programming Either..  But.. please correct me if i'm wrong..

And ECCS stands for: Electronic Concentrated engine Control System.

[Zed Head]

9 hours ago, Martzedcars said:

A 280z or 280zx has no ECU....  It has a ECCS,  what could be explained as an ANALOG "computer" It does not have a "clock" as a ECU has and no Programming Either..  But.. please correct me if i'm wrong..

And ECCS stands for: Electronic Concentrated engine Control System.

The ECCS came around in 1981 with the Turbo 280ZX's.  They did call it E.C.C.S. and it stands for what you're showing.

But Nissan called the 280Z EFI control systems just "E.F.I" and actually just called the control unit the "control unit".  You can see a good comparison in the 1982 or '83 FSM's.  I think people just added "electronic" to control unit because ECU is commonly what they're called for most brands.  And Nissan still calls the box a control unit, for the ECCS.

Anyway, the first few pages of the FSM's are like school books.  There's a member here, cgsheen, who recommends the later 90's era ECCS if you're going to go to Nistune.  It's more advanced than the 80's 300ZX systems, but not too complex like the 00's and 10's systems.  The key is modifying a distributor to use the CAS wheel.

The real answer to the OP's first question is probably "keep the Miata".  The old EFI systems aren't known for dependability, after all these years.  There will be downtime.

 

Edited March 11, 2017 by Zed Head
forgot the picture

[Reptoid Overlords]

I have been dailying my '80ZX for about 3 months now. Not by choice. My daily was a '94 Cherokee. It has 384k miles, but the timing set is loose. Decided its time for a rebuild. while its taken apart in The garage, the Z has proven to be quite the reliable get to work/ kid transporter. Plus the added fun associated. There something about I6 RWD configuration that makes everything comfortable. It may be a longshot, but if you could find a late '80's Toyota Cressida you'll get a lot of the same joy while not burning up your Z.