1971 Orig Owner

[kjo]

Hi

I am new the the world of Z cars

I have a friend who has a friend who is selling his

1971 240Z for $1,800

He is the original owner and the car has under 80,000 miles

is it worth it

[918/240Z]

Look for rust if there is none look for rust.....I'm new to Datsuns also just got my new 71 240z in july not running....sitting 3years

runs now very very little of the r word to speak of... :-) ... havent driven it yet ... maybe in the next 2 weeks . If the body is clean and it runs well your ahead of the game..... good luck... Dave

[Shiin]

Be really carefull about the floor pan of the car some cars have rusted there so bad that holes will form. Places you might look at are the floor, lower parts of the fenders, rear hatchback and in the engine bay.

Listen for any knocking noises on a test drive.

About the miles on the car, the Datsun's odometer resets after 99,999 miles. Since it doesn't have a spot for 100,000 it may have gone over once maybe even twice. But scince he is your friend then you should trust him on that.

I've been through a lot looking for a Z after my first was trashed in March. I found one where it looked like a good deal, but when I had a mechanic who knew a lot about z's looked at it he tolded me that there were more then 100,000 mile+ added to the car that the seller didn't mention. Luckily I didn't buy because of that so be careful.

Ask about maintance one the car, many cars can be neglected and hoses might be old and gauges might not work right so make sure to ask.

Sounds like a good buy. Good luck

[kjo]

Have gotten more info on the car.

Yes he is really the original owner he has EVERYTHING with regard to paperwork that he bought the car new in 1971. He is an older fella with some other cars as well. He does have proof of under 80,000 original miles.

NO RUST WHATSOEVER CAR CHECKS OUT CLEAN

has a new mastercylinder, no dents in body has only been painted once since new and is the same color, cracked dash of course and a few guages don't work

So of course I am going to buy it

but now the big question is how much can I get for it after I fix the little things

1971 240z 77,934 ORIGINAL MILES !!!!

any ideas out there on what I should sell it for?????

[2ManyZs]

Be sure to check for rust in the front frame rails and around the strut towers. The frame rails rust out from the inside out so until the sway bar mount falls off or a hole is found you never know how bad the rust is. Other places to check are the rocker panels, behind the tension rod mounts where the frame meets the floor, radiator support, under the battery tray where the inner fender meets the firewall and under the hatch. If all these check out OK then you have found a great deal. The mechanicals are usually the last thing I worry about, if the chassis is good you have something to build on.

As far as what it might be worth, that is a tough thing to judge. Is it a Series 1 with the vents on the hatch? This will add to the value over a Series 2.

In my opinion, if it is a Series 1, it might be best to hang on to it for a while. Replace the little things that need to be replaced and slowly restore the car. Right now you could probably double your money with little work but who knows what it may be worth in another year or two? The earliest models are sure to gain in value. Being a one owner car with paperwork to prove it's relatively low mileage it sounds like a keeper to me. At least until someone makes an offer you can't refuse. That is just my opinion.

[EScanlon]

As a matter of fact, you want to stop looking at it immediately, don't go near it, stop thinking about it, in fact consider it gone.

Now, in order that the guy selling it not feel like he got messed over, give him my e-mail address: escanlon@worldaccessnet.com I'll just take it off his hands so that he doesn't have to worry about having to sell it. Heck, I'll even fly out and pick it up and take him out to dinner to boot!

[2ManyZs]

I was thinking the same thing!! Guess this means when someone finds a good deal to keep quiet until the deal is done right?? Lucky for him I already have 4 Z's. I guess I'm going to have to clean out my inventory a little. NOT!!

I found a cherry Series 1 a couple years ago right here in my hometown. It was owned by my doctor, I knew had had it but had never seen it. One day in the office I asked him to let me know if he ever wanted to get rid of it. I test drove it the next weekend, looked it over, wrote a check for what he asked for. It was the most perfect 71 (11/70 build date) I had ever seen. It was bought new in DC, passed down to the mans son, then sold to my doctors brother. I'm the 5th owner, only 117,00 miles and have the original owners manual, original warranty booklet. Anytime you find something like that, I say jump on it!!