lvmy240z

Nissan wasn't going to build a retro 240Z were they? For the price, the styling, performance and value of the new 350Z is much the same as on the 240 when it came out. Most of the reviews I've read say it performs as well as European cars for less money, in some cases alot less. The styling isn't ugly its just not retro 240-esque enough for some people. Nissan wasn't going to build another Z you could get into for $20K or less. I don't think they can given what competition is now and what it costs them to develop and build a car like the Z anyway. (Remember, not too long ago, Nissan was in such dire straights that the let the French buy them, not a pleasant prospect for a Japanese car company) They were targetting the same group of buyers as in 1970, a family where dad could drive a sports car to work and the minivan or SUV on vacations. I liked the new Z alot more once I accepted it wasn't going to be a retro 240 and I saw that it could perform and be alot of fun to drive.

Try EBay, or if there's a Z club within 1000 mile radius of where you're at there's probably one for sale. Get in touch with someone in it and let them know what you're looking for. You can go to the MSA meet this summer and find one, but it all depends on how serious (meaning how much money you've got to spend) you are about getting one.

It would be retro like the new Mustang, and have a 90%+ parts commonality with my '73!

Thanks for the help, think I'm going to try to get this one off of EBay. At $100+ for a new one they must be fairly proud of them huh?

Saw this on EBay and seeing how I need a new one was curious if anyone had done this before or if they knew whether or not it would work. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4540312086&category=6755 I wouldn't mind going with this as a cheaper option to buying a new/used motor out of a 280. Thanks

Check on EBay for the SU's, they can be had for a pretty reasonable amount. Courtesyparts.com has a ZTherapy tune-up video that can be had to help you get them back in shape too.

MSA is also selling 14x7 and 15x7 Rewinds for a competitive price compared to what they've been going for on EBay.

The clubs may still be a good resource of discounts etc. I don't know how many Z's you've seen but is it possible the east side of the state could use a club?

Welcome to the site. You could start on the Web links page on this site, or do a Google search for Z car history or 240Z history. This is a good site too to start off with http://zhome.com/ Depending on where you're at in Washington state, there's a Z car club in the Sea-Tac area and a Northwest Datsun Enthusiast's club. Here's a link to the ZCCW in the Sea-Tac area http://www.zccw.org/ and here's the address to a Z car club in the metro Portland/Vancouver Wa area if that's closer to where you are. http://www.northwestz.org/ Finally, here's the Northwest Datsun Enthusiast's webpage http://www.nwde.org/ When you get serious about buying an early model Z, do a search here of what to look for when buying a used Z. Most references will be about rust, but there are a few other things to look for as well. The Z car clubs in Wa. can help you look for a car, and get a discount on parts and labor for fixing it up and maintaining it.

Abracadabra was a company in BC, Vancouver I think, that restored two 240Z's and was offering them for sale in th early 90's. I think they wanted to make it a full blown business but wanted a lot for their product. They took them to one of the first Z-car conventions and presumably scared off any prospective buyers with sticker shock. You'd have to have gone to one of the first Z-car conventions to be familiar with the company and their efforts. The cars looked hot, they had 5 speeds and were tweeked elsewhere as well.

Does anyone remember these 240's? I saw a video about their restoration but never heard anything about them again. I assume they got bought and the company that restored them dried up.

Do a search for "alternate grille" or just "nismo grille" as there have been some threads that talked about what mods might have to be done to fit one of these in a non 240 first gen car.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4536535453&category=34204

Maybe someone should email the seller and say "Dude, did you look at the condition of comparable cars on EBay before you priced this one?"

Is it just me or does the wiring behind the fusebox on the yellow Z look like it's been through it with Phyllis Diller's hairstylist? (Look at the picture taken from the passenger door looking towards the interior and center console)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7962032631&category=43955 http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=WWC19

The second major point was who will fix it when it breaks down. The older the Z, the easier they are to work on, but the more expensive they can be to maintain in terms of access to parts and experienced labor. Part of the pleasure of owning a Z can be working on it and taking care of it, or having enough money to pay some one else to maintain it.

I was 19 when I bought my first Z. It was a 260 in good condition although it had a set of Stromberg carbs on it that weren't worth a crap. What I learned from that car was that I love Z's, and that I had better be willing to work on it because they do break down. If it's a daily driver, have a back up plan for when it doesn't start. I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just saying it's a 30 year old car, restored or not, and it will break down. Do a search on this website for what to look for when buying a Z. You need to look for rust in particular among a variety of other things. If possible, you could take it to a reputable mechanic and pay them $50 or so to inspect it for you. Z's are a lot of fun to drive and are relatively easy to work on but we're almost 25 years removed from when the last first-gen bodystyle Z was produced . If you aren't willing to roll up your sleeves and work on it when it does break down and it will,then be ready to pay for someone to do it for you. It's all about enjoying yourself in your Z.

Put an L-28 with SU carbs in your 240. Throw a 5-speed in there and that should solve your bumper, tail lights, and horsepower concerns.

Let me add much of the mystique of a first gen body style circles around the 240. When I had my 260 I would get one of two standard enquiries 1) "Is that a 240?" or 2) "What year is your 240?" The 280 fanatics were much more reserved.

Car and Driver did a comparo between a modified 240Z and a mid-late 80's 300ZX. The 240 was modified somewhat and performed well against the stock 300, outperforming it in a few categories. The two things about the article I distinctly remember were that the 240 had a mechanical failure before the test was complete (water pump) and that in order to get the 240 to perform to the level of the 300 the 240 driver was busy pushing themselves and the car. The 300 driver by comparison, seemed to be "just there". The older the Z, the more effort will be necessary to keep it on the road, and the more prone it will be to mechanical failure. The driving experience in a newer Z seems muted from the older Z's. I feel like I'm a better driver in general when I can get my older Z to perform as well as a newer Z might. That said,the 240Z is louder and the ride is much less refined than even my 260 was and later Z's. It drains you more physically to drive it long distances whereas newer Z's are more comfortable. Whether you should buy a 280 or wait for a 240 is best determined by what you want the car to be and to do. If you're thinking about stripping a 280 to get the weight/performance closer to a 240, just buy a 240. If you want a Z daily driver with great performance and the classic first gen body styling, get the 280.

The new garage looks to me like a better place to park my cars than to work on them. Maybe that would be the ultimate demonstration of wealth, having two separate distinct facilities to house/repair your vehicles. Money can't buy a lot of things, but it does create more options.

That guy must have won the lottery to go from having an old BMW and a Chevette parked in the driveway to having Ferrari's etc parked in there.

Here's one for the rest of us. Looks like a nice car for a lot less money. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4532363284&category=6187

Looks like his wife threw an ultimatum at him, and the Z's lost. He'll regret this in 5 years when he divorces her.