AldaMax

Sorry for the late reply, I took a break from the Internet for the Holidays (happy new year to you all btw!) I took a picture of the color code. It says 216, which is white. I spotted some dark green paint somewhere too... I need to inspect it again. The current color seems to be the light metallic blue. I took the car for a 450miles trips in the SoCal desert over the holidays and it didn't fail on me. Baptism by fire! The main 'problems' I noticed is a very loose stick shift, and in the past few miles the stick also started to rotate a bit on its axe and vibrate quite a lot. Other than that the car runs pretty great. The RPM needle gauge got stuck for 100miles and started working again. If any of you are from Los Angeles, would you recommend Mike's Z shop over Z Experts in Venice ? I live in Venice but feel like Mike's Z is even better and worth the drive (but maybe not?). I want to treat that undercarriage rust as well, so maybe Mike's is more able to do that. (the Z Expert in Venice is a tiny garage which might not be able to perform some heavy duty work on the car). Any advice appreciated! Attached is a picture of the hood and 3 other pictures I took of the car (I know you guys love pictures ) Thanks

Hi everyone, I've been looking for a Z in all California for several weeks already and finally bought one. It's not perfect but it was Christmas and I got seduced by that light blue metallic color. Biggest problem, and the biggest of all Zs in general, RUST! I've been talking to my local Z garage and read a ton of documentaion and I'm well aware of the effect of rust on Zs. The owner of the garage and a a couple threads on that forum were listing values of rust-free Zs sometimes well below the bar of 5000$ but after looking methodically in all the US for such cars I couldn't find any even close to that price without a major problem somewhere. Coming from a wet/salty road/close to ocean area in France, I'm used to see rust on cars and I guess it doesn't bother me like most Z owners in the Sun Belt. That being said, I do want to treat that car the best I can for my limited budget and I seek advices. I got the car for 4750$, I dropped the price of a couple thousands due to the rusty parts (initial price was way too much). The body and inside is perfect, nothing to complain aboute. I drove the car for a couple miles and it's running strong. The pictures here show the worse of what I could find on the car, the front car picture is just to show that the Z is still a gorgeous lady and not a total piece of rust. I believe that the rust is mostly on surface on most (or all) part so I won't have to get parts removed/replaced, but it's all over on the underside of the car. The paint of the car isn't infected except for the front underside (see picture) + tiny dents which created rust on that line of metal at the very edge under the car (it might have a name in english but I don't know it... I'm thinking of getting a car jack and and stands and sandpaper everything underneath before treating it with the most appropriate set of anti rust chemicals. I'm not a car mechanics but I'm willing to learn. Every advices or comments is much appreciated.. and I'm of course happy to finally join the Z family! Thanks!

Awesome, thanks guys. Rotor it is then. What do you think about the steering wheel locks? I heard that for a real theft it's probably going to be a piece of cake to bend and remove it ? But additional protection is always good I guess, especially when it's very cheap ?

Hi everyone, I'm actively looking for a Z in the LA area and I'm probably about to make a deal very soon. One of my main issue will be to keep my baby safe. I'm not a fool and I know that there is no 100% secured protection for a classic car but I'll do my best. Problem : I live in Venice and I'm moving into a new place with no parking spot and no garage (well, it's Venice). There is enough street parking though and the street isn't too sketchy, it's a relatively nice and safe area. What would you advice to secure the car ? I don't mind going through the hassle in the morning removing whatever security is 'on' as long as it works pretty well. I was thinking Club steering wheel lock, as a start, but what else ? Removing an important mechanical piece so the car won't start ? (which one and where is it located? I'm still learning) I'm also thinking of buying a car cover to protect it from UV and salty marine air. Maybe it's an additional theft protection or wouldn't they care at all ? (or worse, think the car is actually worth a lot more money...) Any advice welcome about keeping the car safe and protected in West LA (or other similar urban area I guess) Thanks!

Alright, thanks for the detailled answers guys. I'll keep hot rod for when I'll know more about mechanics. I'm going for an all stock one. It's so hard to find an actual good price. There's a lot of offers in LA, I won't complain, but it seems there is also a lot of demand. Well priced, honest Z sell fast. Next one might be the one! Thanks again Carl & Stanley

Hi everyone, I'm actively looking for the perfect 240Z (preferably, but also considering 260/280Zs) in Los Angeles. I got in touch with that guy on Craigslist (who was also recommended to me by a Z garage so he might also be a member of this forum as well, I wouldn't be too surprised haha) who is selling a modified 1972 240Z. My budget is limited and that one is a bit above what I'm looking for (9000$ , I can possibly lower the price a bit). The car is rust free, rebuilt hot rod motor, clutch, trans, suspensions. The car will be used mostly for leisure (not a daily driver) but I do need something reliable as I'm not an expert in mechanics. I don't know if these engine mods are actually a good thing considering my situation. Any advice welcome ! thanks

You guys are awesome. Thanks for the detailled replies and the useful tips. I'll definitely post more when I'll have specific questions. Thanks!

Hello everyone! My name is Max, I'm a French guy who recently relocated (permanently) in Los Angeles for work. I'm 26 and it's been years since I'm looking at 240Z but I've never been able to afford one, until now. Los Angeles is also definitely easier than French countryside for finding a good car! I understand that I'm a real beginner here but I'm really motivated to learn a lot and find a ton of useful advices... and ultimately the car I want. My main problem being mechanics. I did a few things in a workshop for personal project but my knowledge in car mechanics is very very limited. That's why I'm not looking for a project car but a car which runs well (I never owned an old car). The good thing is that I don't need it for my daily commute but rather for leisure. If something breaks, I'll have some time to fix it.. or get it fixed. I started looking on Craigslist, car dealers and even parked cars in the streets in case the owner wanted to sell it. Maybe an experienced member of the forum who would come with me to check a car before buying it ? :classic: Looking forward to posting more on here and owning that fine piece of car very soon. Max