Danglybanger

...I have to say, it's painful to think of all the goodies that the latest 300ZX had that the 350 doesn't, despite them being very different cars in the first place... In terms of the technology bundled with the 300ZX, no other company, let alone Nissan, has made a successor IMO... The 350 is a bit on the big side, in an odd way after thinking about it I suppose the 240SX largely did occupy the Zs former niche, despite only being a 4 cylinder... If a new Silvia is introduced, perhaps a Z might become a 6 cylinder Silvia. Is that a good thing? I really don't know... I do think that the S30Z has a magic about it that would be almost impossible to duplicate nowaday anyways, a straight six and reduced weight would probably be part of the equation if they were really trying for that though. In the meantime, I don't think there's any Z car I would refuse

...Uggh, WHY are people still talking about that thing. Aside from the Miura Concept-esque taillights (and only from some angles), it looks like a cheap, Squashed Z (by Whirlpool). It appears it would be light, but it looks like the detailing just screams "hey, you know I'm a Z because they stuck melted looking sugar scoops on this spat out jellybean. Never mind the sagging edges, I'm a Z, get it?"

...So I parked an 86 Lotus Turbo Esprit at the dorms, and continued driving it to college for the next four years or so (when it ran). In Riverside, CA. What do I have to show for it? Aside from NEVER managing to attract a chick through its use :laugh: (seriously, girls either figure you're overcompensating or don't care/know what it is except that they are very uncomfortable in the seats... I now resort to leaving it in the garage, that way when a girl comes by and sees it parked there I can be all like "oh that thing..." and come across as less showy. But I digress.) No one ever stole it, keyed it, etc... I really don't know why in retrospect. But I bought the thing to drive, and was ready for the prospect of any of that happening (and so took a few precautions), but somehow it survived unscathed. Though it can't ding, it's fiberglass. A Z as nice as yours looks I'd worry a bit about, but I'd much sooner feel secure having a Z in the lot than a Lotus... As much as we love Zs, I think its not THAT conspicuous of a car. Yet. The majority of people: 1.)Don't realize that they're actually rare now. 2.)Have no clue what it is. 3.)Think Datsuns equate to old rustbuckets anyway (which many of them were, before they all seemed to go extinct a few years back). The only people who are likely to give you much attention are the odd classic car enthusiast of any age, or the 40+ year old contingent (who usually approach saying how great they always thought they were and how they're in the market to buy). But as you have a free GTI, I can understand why you'd rather take that to school. But... I've gone through more cars in fewer years than many manage in a lifetime... Muscle, exotic, sports, etc... THE best car I've owned, in every respect is my 280Z. Keep it fresh. You'll come back to it and love it. In 4 years you'll have a degree and be making money, don't worry about it now if you can afford to keep it.

...So I own a Lotus Esprit (please contact me about remedying this, ), as well as a Triumph TR7... Maintenance on the Lotus is scarily expensive and scarily manditory, and the threat of something breaking (and the price of that) is so great that I'm forced to sell, though there are many aspects of the car that I love... Though come to think of it, nothing horrible ever really HAS happened to it in terms of reliability, or things breaking. One time a light switch DID melt itself together though The TR7 has never run while I've owned (inherited) it, but is probably an FI scrubdown away from doing so, amazingly it has NO rust (thank CA), and EVERY electrical component in the car still works. Headlights. Fans. Lights on the dashboard. I mean wow. Of course it's powered by whatever made Donkeys run in the old testament. Really I think it depends on the amount of sympathy any car is given... Though granted it seems like things like the small block Chevy (or L series 6 cyl) are far less sensitive to things like that...

For every 16 year old girl riding around in a car like mine, I imagine I'll by proxy look that much less like a slimeball, so this is great ...your HS has an auto shop? No way, I thought those were only in old 80s sitcoms or something. Anyway, 280s really are the best, don't listen to anyone else You'll totally complete the rockabilly look by painting those wheel spokes red, . Missing expensive bumper componentry is a great excuse to replace with 240/260 bumpers though

Well, Nissan made a prototype 240Z before they came out with the 350... A few more cues, but... Honestly, I think the 350Z looks MUCH better than that. Honestly I think the 350Z is a GREAT looking car (even if it suffers from being bigger than it looks, much like certain Camaros)... I think the 350Z ties in terms of looks with the 240Z in my mind. I'd call it the best looking (attainable) car made today. I hate retro styling because basically (as on the Challenger/Mustang etc.) this means taking the basic shape, rounding off the corners, and making it fat. Destroying any character in the process btw. The Camaro isn't quite so "retro", and actually manages to look more detailed and thoughtful than any Camaro made to date. A Z with an S30 body and 5mph bumpers, they did that, I own one. though it wouldn't be a bad idea, IF Nissan could do it. 4 cylinder? A Z has a 6 (preferably inline if I had my way), but we need a Silvia with a 4... Luckily, the S30Z (esp. the 280 IMO) is very modern feeling and still a feasible enough car that we don't need an exact copy just yet IMO. I'd rather have a classic than a new car any day, especially with prices where they are :laugh: And to that end, the 350Z is a car for these times, and does a GREAT job of it IMO. (though these early 370 renderings disappoint me, as well as the continual engine bloat ) The spirit of the 240Z to me is equaling a Porsche for half the price, and blowing the competition out of the water. The 350 seems to be doing that as well as the 240, at least (though most of its competition is dwindling, oddly).

I don't, but hey from another Riverside folk I'd be up for knowing this info too, thankfully my car hasn't really needed work at all, or nothing past what I've done myself...

A bit benchracer in nature and also a bit useless as I don't intend to mod my car at all, but... I've read in various places that the 280Z was nebulously "rated at 150 in 1975 and then at 170 horsepower in 1977" (usually with some specific note that the engine wasn't actually changed), in other places that all 280s have either 150 or 170, or etc... But it seems like the 77's injection system was at least different in having lambda sensors if I'm not mistaken... could that account for the difference? I'm sure this has been covered here before, but it's a rather hard subject to search for so What exactly ought to be the horsepower of any specific 280Z?

Sorry but I can't really like it... The color is GREAT though It'd look much better with bigger wheels and an improved stance, but the ground effects just throw the whole look for me... they're too boxy at the back, make the car look too fat (not helped by the bulge at the deck, though it may be necessary for the top's operation)... The bit of roof still behind the windshield comes under a bit of scrutinity but might not be able to be helped due to the top's origins... I can't doubt it as a showcase of craftsmanship though and likely it will appeal to some, come back with finished pics to show off

...it looks light, but it also looks really cheap and rehashed. The 350Z looks much better. This is more like an uglified Z in kit car form. Glad it's just speculative rendering (though I get tired of speculative renderings, especially in auto mags/sites...) I DO like the tail end treatment a bit more than the rest, reminds me of the retro Lambo Miura concept from a couple years back...

The mags look cool as hell... I'd find two more and put them on the car The steel doesn't quite look like my 280 wheels... missing hubcap tabs? What exactly is the difference?

Liked the old ones better *hides*... New ones look ace though (as does the rest of the car, love it), probably does handle a bit nicer now

...it's really a chameleon, and at times I don't even know whether to call it dark metallic gray or green... but I'm pretty sure it's one of those in any case. I don't have an interior decorator's sense of color (though people wonder if I might be at times ), colors have to be bright and obvious for me to be able to name them, hence my desire for something gaudier. I'm almost sure it wasn't even ever a color on offer by Datsun, it's an early 90s Maaco job. But here's a larger pic in slightly more accurate lighting, for those who dare click.

...oddly I came to... not quite be so offended by the 280 bumpers after looking at them for a while, so long as it's not next to a 240 I can forget that it could look any better The only airdam style I've ever really liked is the more classic sort I often see on 240s... wish I knew what to even search for to find a specific pic. Thanks for the compliment Aggie But having seen so many nice looking orange/yellow/lime cars... (my dad's old ones included...)

...Plate says Florida? Since the car isn't melting it might not be Riverside, in any case. . Gorgeous car, wheels keep the 70s vibe alive Always love to see another 280 in good nick, too many of them are in rusty beater status nowadays, so it's important to remind people that they can in fact look good. In any case, gotta love the injected L28 for smoothness and torque :bandit: Love the ticking injectors at idle... Mine was originally that color too, til Maaco happened about 20 years ago... Sorta wish it still was, but it gives an excuse to eventually lay some citrus hues down, .

Like the owner's manual says it does. Or are they supposed to? Not a huge deal, but it would be convenient... It turns on and off in the conventional manner. Before I start investing any time in this, are 280Z dome lights intended to stay on for a bit once the car is shut off/door opened etc.?

Love it, both of em actually Is the 3000GT yours too? Paint looks newish, or is it a trick of light on primer... Anyway, slap some bumpers/handles on, paint the valence and enjoy the turbo

haha, I'd like them to say Z, but the price was right, yes... I'd just missed a beat pair that went without bids for 50 bucks Honestly I think I prefer them polished, but once on the car they might look a little too bling, the matte black would match things up nicely... They'd look best though, I think, with the inset portion painted body color on a yellow/orange car :laugh:

so I just bought these... Nice and shiny, the style I wanted, etc. I didn't care that they for some reason say "Datsun" on the centers rather than Z, my guess is that it's a sticker or some sort, perhaps someone was using them on a 510 and didn't want them saying Z? Or was this style cap on multiple Datsun cars from the beginning? They claim to be 14" in any case, and looked great to me so... Sorry if my curiosity is bothering anyone anyway. But anyone heard of the daisy type caps without a Z?

This is getting rarer and seems to be working its way out of the car... Sometimes once the car's fairly warmed up and been running a while, the idle will want to stick at about 1500 or so, and acceleration will be mediocre and a bit intermittent... On my first trip in the car the power would occasionally just cut out, but it doesn't seem to do that any more, just this idle/choking up problem every once in a while, 50% of the time the car is fine. I'm chalking this up to the car having sat for the last two years... And driving seems to be making it better so I don't plan on worrying about it. what component specifically might be related to this though?

I'm afraid of buffing through the 15 year old maaco paint, which does have to go at some point, but must stick around a bit and look at least decent for now... Not sure what sort of paint this is, but there appears not to be a clearcoat... or else it'd probably look a lot worse by now.

haha, the turbo Esprit is a great car, no doubt, but even engaging in normal driving on the road it needs to be wound up beyond comfort in a way that makes you worry about your wallet (220 horsepower turbocharged 2.2 4 cylinders tend to make their power that way), the gearing, suspension etc. is all suited for the racetrack... While bits don't quite fall off of them as people tend to claim, nothing is as well thought out as the Z. Point to point the Z is definitely a quicker car, and in executing any maneuver it feels more solid and stable. The Z could be a new car, while the Esprit feels a bit more dated IMO... (as for the gearshift, the Esprit's shifter is notoriously loose) When 6' people ride in the Lotus I take off the sunroof and their heads stick 3" above My dad only bought his Corvette ZO6 after declaring it the only car that could match the Z in his opinion... (he now owns that, a few more classic vettes, but as I grew up he had the afforementioned Z, as well as Porsches, MGs etc...)

I need to make a post like this. Had the car around for a week or so, my daily driver. It's an original, maintained 280Z and I'm coming out of a Lotus turbo Esprit... Honestly, I feel that the Z is about 10 times the car and I'm not making excuses. Whatever anyone says about cars from this era, it has torque like a hot rod (I can just take off at ANY time in any gear from any RPM it seems) and it's just so smooth and quiet while it's doing it... 6 cyl FI is a great combo... I can really see it being revolutionary for its time, being something so driveable and usable and still delivering that sort of performance, in an era where most sports cars needed to be wound up and were uncomfortable in any way to drive normally. Little details about the car keep striking me as thoughtful the more I drive... The little mat beneath the gas cap, the way everything fits together and feels so solid. The gearchange with the four speed is the best feeling of any car I've ever driven, the lightness and action of the clutch... The suspension seems more solid and precise than anything I've driven short of my dad's C5 Vettes, which it feels about on par with (the Lotus simply acted like it had no suspension). Keep in mind I'm not racing it or anything... But in every day situations, this thing is definitely quicker and easier to drive than the Lotus. In the past I've driven/owned classic muscle cars, Vettes of multiple generations, the Lotus etc., I think the best overall car really has to be the Z. My father agrees (he's owned I think four of them in his lifetime). Everything just feels nice, and properly thought through, meant for driving. Plus gas mileage rivals new cars (Also, might be the first car I've owned, very new models included, where all the guages seemed to work... including the clock) ...Alright, that might be all for now. I'd post pics of my new love, but not til I've buffed her out a bit and found some proper hubcaps (the cheap arse Kragen ones that were on it when I drove it down managed to crack and fly off on the grapevine... blame Enormous Torque). Think the girlfriend's getting jealous of it, uh oh... Swear to god the Z came first (I was brought to the hospital in a 260 upon being born, the story goes... came back in a Ford Tempo, let's not talk about that).

Anything actually do it fairly well? The hood/deck of my car are a bit hazy, I went over the hood with meguire's cleaning wax and then scratch x (scratch x first really didn't do anything, but applying it after the cleaning wax gave a fairly significant improvement...) The finish no longer feels like chalk and is a bit shinier (it reflects SOME light now but...) well, there must be something better Short of a new paint job (it'll be in the next ten years, and almost certainly be yellow/orange/lime green) but for now I'm not too concerned with looks beyond polishing so... What product should I purchase to do this?

yep, Folsom (near Sacramento) is where the car is now, taking a flight up in a few hours, driving down the next morning. I wound up living in Fresno for about 5 years, so I won't be taking any sightseeing detours Riverside might be an armpit in itself, but at least it's sorta near things, .