kiboy6

Thanks so much KDMatt... I really appreciated your detailed response I'm going to meet the seller at a mechanic's shop somewhere near his house and have a mechanic check it out. Other than what's already been stated (compression test, rust etc.) are there any specific things I should tell the mechanic to look for? And are there any particular criteria I should think about in picking the mechanic to begin with?

Ok, thanks Sailor Bob - any tell-tale signs of such abuse to look for?

Thanks so much for the advice - what do you mean by the above though? As in I should be concerned that the car may have been damaged by prior drifting? Or that if I want to drift in it myself I need to check it out!? I'm no boy racer so if it's the latter that wouldn't bother me!

Thanks guys! Yeah I know that with a car this old you can't expect it be problem free. I was just wondering if there's room to hope that it would still be reasonably reliable? Also, if anything does go wrong beyond the realms of my inexperienced tinkering, would this be a particularly expensive car to maintain? I've heard that the parts can be hard to find for example....

Many thanks for the responses. So is there any reason to think this car would be particuarly unreliable / expensive to maintain? It has c. 150k miles on it. Also, are there any particular things I should check for when taking a look at it? And in general, how do z-cars of this age hold up in terms of potential resale value? Unless there are any mechanical problems / non-standard alterations is there any reason to think I'd have problems with the smog check here in Cali? @Sailor bob - I couldn't find any accident history check systems for sale on ebay - any further tips? Carfax etc don't do VIN checks for cars older than 1981 and I haven't been able to find anyone who does... Thanks so much for the help / advice - I'm really excited but want to make sure I'm not doing anything rash / silly!

Forgot to mention that I got the VIN from the owner : ghls30100576 BAR shows that it passed the smog check throughout the past 10 years. Anywhere I can get more info with that VIN?

Hi, I just saw the following ad on craigslist: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/mcy/391863155.html I'm a complete noob when it comes to all things z. I'd love to know anyone's thoughts on things to look for when I go to see the car (bearing in mind that while I am eager to learn/do more I'm still very inexperienced in car mechanics ) I'd also love to get general advice on the pros / cons on getting a 280z. I want to get one just because I love the look idea / of it. However.... I need it not to be a risky / troublesome investment. I need a car, however I'm an actor (ie brokeish) and also don't know how long I will be staying in the states (although it would be at least a year before i thought about returning to the UK) In other words, I won't be able to afford large upkeep costs, and ideally would love to be able to sell it for around what I got it for (provided take good care of it of course) I am not averse to learning what I can and tinkering on it myself to maintain it. I don't know - maybe you'll all think I'm mad for even considering this car given those constraints...? Would love to hear your thoughts Many thanks in advance