oldroaddog

I looked at a car today that appears to be a real jewel. No owner modifications except for a 12 disk changer mounted in the cargo area. Paint is good with just a few tiny chips from road pebbles. The glove box has all the maintenance receipts. The timing belt was changed right on schedule at 62,000 miles. Interior in very good with minimal wear and no stains. Engine compartment a little dirty but nothing that a good steam cleaning won't fix. The seller is asking $6500 1990 300ZX with 89,000 miles showing. This car is a five speed N/A. You guys think it's a good deal? Middle Tennessee area.

Thanks guys. That's two good tips from one post. Maintenance looks a little steep on the Z32. But I think the same was said of the Z30 way back in the day. These cars seem to be falling in a good slot as far as current value though. Too old to be attractive to the average buyer. Too new to be attractive to the classic sports car collector. I'm thinking they are a good buy right now as long as the proper maintenance has been done by previous owners.

After participating in the Middle Tenn Z Car Club Z-Attack yesterday with my daughter along it seems she has taken a real interest in the 300ZX. This subject is a little off-topic for a classic Z forum but I thought I waould ask members for links to reviews, factory specs and other info. I'm looking at '90 or '91 300ZX non-turbo automatic. Also, any one here who has owned on these cars that would like to give pointers and/or advise - please do! OBTW - The Z-Attack event was fabulous! There were a lot of really nice Z cars from all generations. Thanks.

So that's what my car looked like when it was new. Note the Alpin Blue paint on the charcoal canister bracket. It's the little things...

http://kalecoauto.com It's got all those really hard to find parts. Enjoy!

I would definitely take a hard look at the chassis and floor boards for rust. Ohio can be very rough on older cars if driven during winter months. There is a lot of bumper rubber missing which will be expensive to replace if your restoring to original. Also note the composite steel wheels. My car came with some like those and they're not the best quality.

That is a nice RX-7! I looked into getting a Mazda for restoration a bit before buying my 280Z but was discouraged by others statements on the rotary engine. Sounds like your very happy with your car. You can see where the Mazda designers were trying to capture some of the Z car popularity in the RZ-7 design. You may want to consider getting a bit newer model 280Z. It seems good 280's are getting harder to find. The larger engine, EFI and available 5-speed makes the 280Z a lot of fun to drive!

Welcome to the forum. The rust damage looks fairly typical for a 280. My '75 had pretty much the same. We love your fresh attitude. Keep that going when you start finding unexpected problems.

Thanks Nacks. I've actually got a replacement guage coming from an eBay purchase. I will though take a close look at those contacts before installing. Is there a testing proceedure for those guages? Maybe with an ohm meter? Or would that be DC voltage?

I noticed while driving recently in my '75 280Z that periodically the needles in both the oil pressure and water tempurature guages will drop to 0 then after a few moments restore to what I believe is the correct readings. This appears to happen on a regular basis say every 20 seconds or so. Is there a common ground for this instrument? Or could this just be a bad gauge altogether?

I've restored my '75's stereo to orginal condition and it doesn't sound that great. I don't think the OEM equipment ever did. Those of us who are old enough to remember riding in the cars of the '70's should appreciate the fact that today's cars have OEM stereos that are far superior to what was installed back then. That's the reason everyone repaced or upgraded the standard equipment. Now days I'm just happy to ride in my classic car - listening to classic rock - on a classic crappy radio.

It appears to mount on the same bolts as the rubber bumperettes. What condition is yours in texasz?

How about the extra bar on the front bumper? I don't know that I've ever seen that before. OEM? Add on?

The car has only sat in the garage for two weeks without being started. That's the reason this was so surprising. I'll follow your advise and test the ignition switch first. I've got to replace the turn indictor as well so opening up the steering wheel cover will be in my weekend plans.

Went out to the shop to start up my Z Car and got an ugly surprise. When I turned the ignition switch the engine starter engaged and the engine fired for about 2 seconds then the starter began a loud whirling noise without engagement. Even worse than that was the fact that when I turned the key off the activity continued. So I opened the hood and pulled the nuetral disconnect terminal by the battery and no effect. So I grabbed a wrench and pulled the positive clamp off the battery. Wow! So if any members have experienced this I would like to know where to start (no pun intended). Starter soleniod? Ignition switch? Both? Thanks!

The frame rails of early Z cars are prone to rust and weakness. I've heard stories of cars breaking in half. If your interested in strenghtning those areas check out this link... http://www.baddogparts.com/. I purchased the rail covers and think they've made my 280Z chassis much stronger.

I have also been monitoring Celica and Supra auctions on eBay. Specifically 1980 through 1990 automatics. I love the dependability of Toyotas and the later models do have safety features that would be desirable for a teenage driver. The Supra Turbo is definitly too much power though.

I've been passing by a Z car on a mom & pop car lot near my house for several weeks now. I looked at it through the fence on a Sunday and finally pulled in this afternoon to get a closer look. It's a 1980 280ZX with what looks to be original features. The paint has been touched up here and there. There's a rust spot on the passenger side front quarter panel. Seals on the windows look good. No cracks in the glass. I could not detect an rust on the frame rails but that will require closer inspection. The engine is running well and the seller has driven the car fairly often. The interior is a little rough with some tears in the seats, cracks in the dash and needs a real good cleaning. The original radio is missing of course with a cheezy replacement secured by a wood face plate. This car is an automatic which is why I'm interested. My daughter will be needing a car in a few years and she wants something sporty but with automatic transmission. So I'm looking for input from members as far as how this particular model stacks up to the 240, 260 and 280 models. Any inheirent design flaws? I know it's got the same engine as my '75 and the odometer says 103,000. I was told they'll take $1800 cash for the car and I'm going to stop by again tomorrow, look closer and take some pictures. So if the past or present 280ZX owners will speak up I would appreciate it.