Zedyone_kenobi

I will not have a car as Mark was kind enough to act as my chauffeur for a day. But I will be arriving around 2pm on Wednesday and will be staying in a hotel around Ashville Regional airport (AVL). I will PM you my cell number, as it would be great to meet you over dinner somehwhere...if you have time.

You got me red handed. I have been talking to Mark for a couple of months. It is Marks Car. I have nothing but great things to say about him. Very friendly over the phone, and comes across as a very warm and personable guy. I feel very lucky to be purchasing a car from him.

I fly out Wednesday morning to see and drive what will hopefully be my entry into the world of the 240Z. I have read enough books, searched enough websites, talked to enough sellers, saved enough money, and now its time. I fly out with check in hand to see this beauty wish me luck.

sblake I agree with you. Av-gas. Its typically made to run in a much leaner environment, and while it works, its not ideal for your engine. Race gas with higher octane made for automotive use is the ticket for hot street setups.

I am about to pick up a 71 240Z, and was wondering how everybody with origina engines in their Z's handle the lack of leaded gasoline? Do you add it to the mixture? Or just drive it regularly? Do you use regular gas or super unleaded? That thought just occurred to me as I was reading the 'how to build your L series engine" book.

Per capita is useless. We all must boycott Those damn Virgin Islanders!!! They are killing the environment. The US is 15th in that list behind a host of other countries. You can only compare the US against a similarly developed nations. Comparing the US against a 3rd world country and saying we are more wasteful than they are is not a 1 to 1 comparison. Having the US compared to Chad, or Cambodia is just ridiculous.

Keep it...its an investment!

I think that pretty much sums it up. All problems faced in this country and other modern countries are the same. Problems such as medical care, unemployment, education, environment, security, are all far to complex to be handled completely in a thread on the internet. The BEST you can hope for is to read everybodies opinions, those that you agree with and those that you do not, and try to gleam some new bit of information that you can add to your own personal collective database. Some of us, me included, are too far to one side of a problem to fully understand the opinions of others. Reading those opinions and actually listening to them are means to grow as a person and I think in the end will make you feel more comfortable about whatever decision you make. The world is a billion shades of gray. Its always changing, and evolving when we throw a splash of black or white into it.

I think to some degree that has already started. Disposal of goods is becoming a real issue that is even being considered in early design. After the product is built, its too late to worry about how to dispose of it. Of course this in the earliest of stages. I am far from a green fanatic. In fact, I am so sick of the word green, I get nauseated when I hear it. However, when I walk down the grocery store isle, its apparent something needs redirect our thinking. Everything is disposable, from mops, to wipes of all sorts, etc. Its not the correct path to reduce waste. Anyway, I hear what your saying, thanks for the points to think about.

While I agree with lots of what you said Big Oak, we simply cannot cut back on the use of oil by 6x to equal the global average. Everything we touch is petroleum based to some degree. Every office laptop, every interior door panel, the entire medical field is based on petroleum products. There is no way we can cut back on our usage that much anytime soon if ever. It would mean an entire lifestyle change, and 'doing without' is not a popular American attitude. We want what we have, and most people feel they deserve what they have worked for. I know its how I feel. I am proud of our abundance in this country, not ashamed of it or apologetic for it. If we have more than any other country, its because we made it that way. For better or worse is debatable. But its not dumb luck we are the most prosperous country in the world. If you look at the rate at which our population is growing compared to how fast we are developing new energy savings technologies, its a grim picture. Combine that with two very important facts. 1) Going 'green' is mostly for the middle to upper class, as green technologies are expensive and or inconvenient. Lower income families are too busy worried about paying their bills to worry about being green, and... 2) The fastest growing part of the US population are from lower income families whose main goal is not to save the planet, but to feed their children. Unless going green is made cheaper nothing is going to happen. Only when non petroleum product substitutes are made less expensive will people switch. Not one second sooner.

xray, well stated, and very well written. I concede to most of what you said, but you have to understand that I assume the owner takes care of the car, and does not pay a mechanic to do it for them. When you take the mechanic out of the subject the price to maintain such cars are very tolerable. the Porsche example was flawed, but I suppose I should have written it better to be more specific.

Upon reviewing all the new CAFE standards and the extremely strict emissions people will have to meet, it seems that besides all the current wonderful things the Z offers, it has yet another feather in its cap. Let me explain. With the feds clamping down on pure bred sports cars, they could very well cease to exist in the next 5-10 years. According to the new Cafe standards, Porsche and Ferrari must be at over 35 mpg by 2015, hardly possible. And while a company like Ferrari can just pass the fuel penalties over to the public (whats another $3000.00 anyway), companies like Porsche who mass produce cars simply cannot meet that standard and stay competitive in the US marketplace. Cars like the 911 may very well cease to be sold in America in a worse case situation. Porsche will not sell a watered down version of their cars here just to meet CAFE. The Staunch Germans would rather pull out than to compromise their principals. Having said that, the solution to this is simple and elegant. Buy classics. Here me out... here. With more and more cars becoming generic cookie cutouts of a prius of some sort, without souls, or any kind of character that can last more than a model year, classics offer a sublime alternative. Classics never go down in value. Their styling is timeless. They are completely immune to all the latest Federal CAFE rules and regulations. They are free from needing expensive emissions equipment. They are easy to fix and maintain. I say to the man who is ready to spend 50000 dollars for a newer 911. Redirect your thinking my friend. Spend 50000 dollars on a pristine restored 1970 911S. You now have a car that will go UP in value, will never look old or dated, performs amazingly and can be improved upon quite easily, and every time you drive off, you are now a connoisseur, not a rich yuppie. I give you my fellow lovers of the Z....that classics are destined to be greatest choice to free yourselves of the shackles of CAFE and the green weenies.

This is exactly what I wanted to know! Thanks again folks. As usual great info.

For drag racing your looking at peak power, so the 6-1 is the right choice. A 3-2-1 is more a midrange power maker and would seem to suite daily drivers more.

THat green car is on my back up list of cars to look at if my North Carolina Z does not work out.

I keep reading adds for Z's that have a electric fuel pump and the stock mechanical fuel pump. In my experience this is a tad bit overkill. Why would you want both. If I was going to install an electric pump near the gas tank, I would simply remove the mechanical one and block it off. Anybody know of why you would want to have both?

Agreed, this reeks of somebody trying to cash in on the Z's growing popularity.

YOu and me both Frank!

Here is the pic of the car I am flying out to see. If the entire car is this clean, I will be handing him a certified check. The current owner is a stand up guy, and he has taken great lengths to keep this car in great condition. I cannot wait to see it, and drive it. Barring any large surprises it will be coming home with me.

I would love to do it, but I can't right now just leave my job and my wife for a week or so. Believe I thought about the awesome adventure. I even had three friends bidding for who would get to ride with me. Fun is not even the word!

my son is 3 months old, I think I will be doing most of the driving! hahaha

wow thats unreal

north carolina again! lots of cars there it seems

yeah, the owner called me. Its cool. I have my eye on another. Bought my tickets yesterday, flying out on the 11th, wish me luck

Ha ha, road atlanta... that would be great, but I have a confession to make. I am a bit worried that I will be a little disappointed in the Z. I have always love them for their sweet styling and good engineering, but I have been autocrossing a decently modded 2006 WRX STI for the past two years and its just an insane beast of a car. I have never actually driven a Z, and this one in North Carolina will be my first taste of the Z experience. I love the weight, and the layout, and the looks. I do not expect it to be an STI killer, but I am looking forward to some balanced car RWD goodness.