KDMatt

Allright well, today I went to look at '79 Datsun 280ZX I've had my eye on for a while, and first off I'm going to express my amazement with the car as a whole... I realize it's not like the highly discussed first generation or anything, but I can finally put a physical feeling behind all of the commotion made over these things. I always knew they were pretty, but I really hadn't any clue of how much fun they are to take for a spin, haha! Anyway, with that said, this post isn't all about good stuff. I've noticed some pretty serious defects with this car, and I want your guys' opinions on them, which includes how much I would expect to have these particular repairs done and/or the kind of effort it would take to do them. The first thing I noticed wrong is the keyswitch. It is rusty, and an absolute bitch to turn. The owner doesn't have any problems with it, but I could not, for the life of me, get the key to turn. I actually ended up pulling out the key while the car was still running! Without a doubt, this needs to be replaced. The second thing I noticed that concerns me is that the driver's side seatbelt does not retract at all. It's pretty much stuck (taped) all the way out. The third thing that really concerns me is that the lights in the dash and gauge cluster will not illuminate. I checked the fuse box; nothing is burnt out. I checked the dimmer switch, and it was turned all the way to the right... So... electrical snafu? Worst case scenario, what could I expect to pay for this kind of repair? The fourth, and I guess most concerning thing about this ZX is that I noticed these horribly corroded, chipping, falling-apart rubber pieces under the front of the car. I'm not sure what they are exactly, but I'm going to guess that they're some kind of bushings for the steering? I have a feeling this is a pretty serious deal. Everything else is pretty minor, although I don't think the oil-pressure sender is working quite right, since the dial was bouncing around pretty much the entire time (though for higher idles it read a consistently inconsistent higher pressure). The interior is all worn out and faded, and there are some of those cheapo sheep-skin seat covers in there, stinking up the interior, and making it smell of 'cheap old car.' That all said, I was extraordinarily impressed with its mechanical condition. The engine started up with less cranking than my dad's '98 Escort, nothing appears to be leaking, and I couldn't detect any odd odors or exhaust fumes. Oh yeah, the body is almost rustless too. I noticed a few minor spots here and there (inside the door panels, behind the rear bumper), but nothing that personally concerns me. I'd really appreciate your feedback.

Thanks for the info Alfa, that datsunhistory.com website was very informative.

Okay... so I'd like to know if this is true, because apparently there's a story behind the creation of the name Datsun... Well... does that sound right?

Hrm... well any ideas on how I would find it out if it was a fuse? For one thing, I don't even know where the fuse box is on a ZX. I've never been up close to one before. ... and I tell you what, the interior on the ZX is uuugley. That would be the first thing I redo. That steering wheel are shift boot are just about as good as gone assuming I get this car.

Hrm... well I happen to kind of like the way the ZX looks, it sort of looks like a spaceship IMO, . ...and as it turns out, the character SilverStreak from Transformers was a 280ZX anyway, so it's now it's like official (In case you didn't know, I'm a Transformers fan too...) a silver 280ZX? It's gotta be like fate or something, that's really coincidental. I looked into 300ZXs too, and I couldn't find any at a price I liked in a condition I found acceptable. Believe me, I've looked into several different generation Z's, and I have searched for them all... but from what I can tell right now, this particular 280ZX seems to be the offer able to give me the most bang for my buck... unless of course that thing with the guages not lighting up is serious. Hrm, besides, the thing I like about the first and second gen Z's is that they don't just blend in with the crowd. A lot of the newer ones just seem sort of 'par' with auto styling of the era. Even the 90's 300ZX and new 350Z seem to lack a certain luster for me. Anyway, that's about enough of that I suppose.

Whoa, my mind totally like, leapt over that display of brilliant humor... At least... I think it was brilliant, you never can tell these days. Deloreans and Datsuns forever!

Oh yes, I'm well aware of that (I've seen 'mint' ones go for about 18k). As a policy I would just like to have a little extra to cover any unanticipated costs that would come with a car like that. No rust though? Not much of a selling point if you ask me, considering DeLoreans are stainless steel with fiberglass underbodies... Anyway, back to Z-talk. I'm not sure if you guys actually followed that link I posted to the cars.com listing (or were actually able to go there), but in a nutshell, the car I'm looking at now is a '79 280ZX with 94k miles with a new paintjob, new clutch, new tires, and a new battery. The pros: -The car has acquired little mileage within the last 15 years. If I understood the seller right, it was used regularly for short jaunts. -This car originally belonged to a close friend of the seller's father (purchased new), then 15 years ago, that friend sold the car to the father, and then four years ago, the seller's father passed away, and now he has it. Less than 800 miles have been put on the odometer in the last four years. -The car has supposedly been garaged in the winter for its entire life (and in case you don't know, winters are brutal up here in MN). -New exhaust The not-so-sures: -The guy selling it really doesn't have much of an idea of what he's got from the sounds of it. He's got it priced at $2900 or BO. He even admitted that he's put more money than that into it during the last four years. -He told me that originally it was in the newspaper classifieds for $6900, but then some Z-enthusiast told him it wasn't worth that much... then left and never ended up buying it. -Nothing has really gone wrong with it (supposedly) for a long time... So either this is a well-maintained Z, or it's due to have something go wrong with it at some undetermined point in the future (I'm sort of superstitious that way). The cons (hopefully this whole thing isn't one!): -The upholstered ceiling panel (headliner?) has been removed. -The dash has apparently cracked -The gauge lights inside of the car do not illuminate (a fuse I'm thinking?) Other than that he didnt' say a whole lot of specific consequence, other than the engine runs really well, but they always say that don't they? Hey, also, does anybody have a fuse-box diagram for this car handy? ... When or if I go and check it out in person, I'd like to be able to see if the gauge light thing really is due to a bad fuse. I would not want to inherit a car with a serious electrical problem. Thanks guys, I really appreciate any feedback you have to offer.

Ah, so in essence you're saying they have the major components of the drivetrain in common, and that's about it? I think I could live with that (unless that severely degrades chances of reliability and/or performance). I happen to like the more angled styling of the 280ZX, it sort of reminds me of a DeLorean (especially when in silver!), and that's probably why I'm attracted to it. Yeah... I'll level... I'm a Delorean fan... if I were like 30 grand richer, and 15 years older, I'd be shopping for one of those too... but, back to Z-land. Anyway, I found a listing on cars.com for a ZX I might go check out. http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=25&paId=163372390&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&recnum=1&leadExists=true&criteria=K-%7CE-ANY%7CM-_65_%7CH-%7CD-_2998-4006-4008-2956_%7CN-N%7CR-50%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CX-antique%7CZ-55432&aff=national It'd be ironic if I ended up with a ZX... only because my dad's got a ZX2 (a Ford, but named similarly nonetheless). :stupid:

Ya know... I'd be willing to be that this question gets asked relatively frequently, but I can't seem to find it anywhere, so I'm just going to ask it anyway. I'm sort of curious, other than the prefix "280" what do the 280Z and 280ZX have in common, and what don't they have in common? I'm looking around, and from what I can tell, the ZX is bigger (longer and wider?) and has a different engine than the the plain ol' Z. What I'm wondering is, is there a distinct advantage/disadvantage to having that 'X' on there, or does it not really even matter? I've noticed that there seems to be little mention of the ZX on most 'Z' communities, indicating that the differences between Z and ZX are minute, or, that they are so great that the ZX is hardly even worth considering as a traditional 'Z.' Anyway, may I have your thoughts please?

Yeah, that's what I'm thinkin' too. I'll have to see this car in person though and see if it's bad or reasonbly/driveably rusty. As I keep saying, I'm not looking for a cosmetically perfect Z, some little dingers and some small rust spots won't bother me too much so long as it runs smoothly and isn't suspect to be a headache. Unlike the other one too, this one has maintenance records, and has been owned by the same person for the last 12 years.

Thanks again guys, it's really encouraging to hear from people who have a lot of experience. I like the idea of working on a car myself, and remembering that the Z's design is simple and prospectively amateur mechanic friendly is something that, quite frankly, gets me excited. I'll have to remind my dad of that too; I could never work on a newer car with that much ease. I'm getting him to soften up actually. He admitted, "Yeah, I mean, that would be pretty cool, but... still..." It's not like that really matters a whole lot though, I value his opinion, but I'm 18 and I can readily make my own decisions. My gut is telling me to keep looking into Z's, so that's the direction I'm headed. I've always known I wanted a car that's a little, shall we say, unorthodox? but in a cool and stylish way! I've got my eye on one right now that I think I might call on. For those of you who couldn't access the link I posted last time: '76 280Z, 83k miles, silver (like SilverStreak! score!), owner claims there are spots on the body that "need some attention," what that entails, I shall have to see.

Thanks guys, Even though I know I made the right choice, it's always nice to have some people who know more than I do validate that decision. Heh, and like I said, I'm no longer heartbroken, seeing as I've now found that silver one (the color I'd always wanted anyway) with less mileage, and a consistent owner for 12 years plus. I should have a silver Datsun, and name it SilverStreak, just like the old Transformers character who was a 240/260/280 Z ... (ya can't really tell since animation is sort of ambiguous). It was the 80's so my best guess is a 280Z or 280ZX. I was actually sort of disappointed to discover that, like, the reincarnation SilverStreak for the new transformers show is a Subaru WRX... that's just not right, he shoulda been another Z. *snaps fingers* EDIT: Actually I realized I had more to say, and I didn't want to double post, since that would be poor forum netiquette. I'm curious. Do you guys think it's realistic for someone like me to consider owning a classic Z? Like I said before, I'm looking to own a Z that's not nearly in "perfect" condition, more than it is in "good" condition (a little bit of rust doesn't bother me much either, so long as the drivetrain is in really good shape). I don't want to have to sink "loads" of money into it to make it a functional daily driver either. Is it infeasible for me to want to find one of these cars at a price I can afford and not have to expect major, major problems with it (i.e. blown tranny, blown engine, headgaskets, etc.)? In a way, it's sort of discouraging to hear people talking about sinking thousands upon thousands of dollars into these cars to bring them up to their standards. I cannot help but think "God, would I really have to put that kind of money into this car just to make it work?" My dad has already expressed his dismay at my idea of investing in a 280Z because of its age and drivetrain configuration, does he have a point? (He's been feeding me, "If you're going to have a first car, it needs to be like a beater Honda or something; It needs to be as dependable as the setting of the sun.") Anyway... ideas?

Okay folks, the jury is in, and I think I am definitely passing on this car. I paid another visit to it today, and, through the miracle of daylight, determined it to be a 20 footer, maybe 30. The guy painted right over the friggin' rust! It's no wonder he put so much paint on it. Also, it looks like there's a poor bond-o job near the hindquarters. He painted over the key inserts on the doors, and the chrome looks like it's been poorly buffed with some steel wool. I also took a peak under the thing too, and I could, literally, put my hand between layers of rusting metal and tear off a chunk if I wanted to. This car is, by no exaggeration, rusting from the inside out. I would not put 2 G's towards any car in this condition, potential dream car or not, that, and he's obviously just been talking me up, failing to mention that he didn't prep the car properly before he had it painted. For those of you wondering, I was interested in this vehicle as a daily driver, and actually, I'm still possibly interested in a 280Z (or, ZX?) daily driver, which means that I don't care if it has a reasonable amount of rust. I would feel guilty using a perfectly restored Datsun as a daily driver, especially when there's the possibility of a winter drive now and then... a known force of brutality on cars. Oh well, as disappointing as it is to think that perhaps I won't have a Datsun as quickly and as easily as I'd hoped, I can at least say I now know what I'm not looking for. 90% restored my arse... :disappoin EDIT: Hrm... it's funny what a quick search on carsoup can do for one's mood. http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.asp?usedVehicleID=1691373&minYear=1972&maxYear=1982&searchID=3357608&vehicleTypeID=1&UVViewID=4&Page=1

Now that you put it that way, me neither. I'll ask him about it. I have no idea why it's really there, or if it really IS chicken wire, I just made an assumption. An interesting point I never thought of before. I'd never look at it at night, though I'll admit, when I got close enough to touch it yesterday, it was cloudy, but daytime nonetheless. The paint-job I mentioned before, really does look remarkable, but I'll go back and check for imperfections, and body-lines that don't seem quite right. Well, I've got a few friends who are car buffs (one in particular who buys a lot of older, used cars), so maybe I can get one of them to accompany me. Yeah I know that well, I'm an avid ebayer. :cheeky: Well the general impression I got was that he was just going to take whatever offer he could get, and that the first person who could give him money would be the person who got the car. Oh yeah, I get that. I meant 'outmatch' only in terms of having something that looks way cooler and that actually has a legacy behind it. Thank you, I really appreciate your input on this matter (all of you)... and I'll admit too, it is discouraging, but this is part of the process. I would much rather make an enlightened, educated decision in the negative, than make a foolish decision in the positive just because I think the car "looks cool." I'll see if I can get some pictures of it uploaded soon, then you can all see what I'm looking at... but... two dimensionally of course.

Thank you everybody, I appreciate your prompt responses to my inquiry. Allright well, I talked to the current owner today to get some more info about this Z. There are just over 100,000 miles on it. There is rust on this car, he says it is under the floorpanels. He had new sheet-metal installed over it, but has not had it welded in. The front fender is also missing (and there is some shoddy looking, painted chicken wire there to protect the radiator, or so I assume). He says that I would, for certain, need to replace the tires though. He's never replaced them in the 1.5 years he's owned this car, and now they're starting to crack. He just replaced the U-joints, and the door rockers. He says that they are brand new, genuine replacement parts. He also replaced a large portion of the rubber fuel line. In addition, he has installed a brand new radiator, and upgraded to an electric fan/thermostat assembly to replace the stock setup (since it was the stock fan setup that damaged the radiator to begin with). Other than all of that this car is (at least cosmetically) in great condition. I'm tentatively planning to meet with him (if circumstances permit) on Thursday night, to inspect the engine and perhaps even take it for a quick spin, if he offers. I might see if I can get my car savvy neighbor to go with me, since, if memory serves, he had an old beater Z at one point or another. I would however, take any official Z club members up if they offer to come out with me. The car is in the Blaine/Spring Lake Park area in Minnesota (I'm just a bit further south). The seller tells me that parts for Z's are, comperably, quite inexpensive, and still readily available. He said that he picked up his new radiator for $130 (which amazed me, considering my dad paid over twice that much for a brand new radiator for his Ford, which is just over 20 years newer!) He told me that when he had it repainted, that basically a gallon of paint was "dumped" on this car, and it really shows. (Mmm... Porsche Red...) Anyway, he also said that I probably shouldn't see any issues with either the engine or transmission with this car; confirming everything I've been reading to the testament of the Z's reliability. If anything starts to go, it'll probably be things like corroded wires, cracked hoses, broken belts, busted water pumps, etc. etc. He told me his motivation for selling it is that he's going to be graduating soon (he's 22), and he has a Mustang GT, and hasn't had any need for his Datsun. Apparently it's been sitting idle for a while during his disuse of it. He also informed me that he's basically flat broke, and needs the money, hence the reason for him not just giving it to his girlfriend. Here's the kicker though: I ended up talking with this guy for about 45 minutes or so, just chatting about the Z in general, in addition to his Z. I told him that if I had a Z, I would probably end up wanting to modify it in some interesting, unique way, ya know, outmatching all of the little civics and 'tegs in my neighborhood. After a lot of conversation along those lines, he basically said that I'm the kind of person he wants to sell this car to, and, after a lot of hesitance, he said he would consider a significant drop in price, if it made me more able to buy this car from him. After hesitating some more, (mentioning his parents will 'kill him for this,') he said that, for me, he'd drop the tag down to 2060, all just because he wants to see another Z enthusiast take over on it. He even said, "Yeah, that's 800 bucks you could spend on a body kit. It'd be really cool to see you do something like that to this car." So... I get the feeling that he's sincere about it... I'll know for sure when I get a chance to inspect the car more thoroughly, and actually meet with the guy. Thanks for the welcome! Please continue to post your thoughts and ideas.

Allright, I'll be perfectly honest. There is a 1977 280Z for sale in my neighborhood that has me absolutely entranced. Here's what I know about it: It's an almost finished restoration (he claims, 90%, what that other 10% entails I do not know). It's a five-speed, and a "strong runner." New, red paint with supposedly, a new interior. I haven't checked the mileage on it, he wants a soft (meaning, a negotiable) $2850 for it. I'm 18 years old, and I guess you could say I haven't been 'looking for' a car, I've just been keeping my eyes open in case something I like comes along, and the Datsun 280Z definitely falls into that category. What I'd like to know is, do you guys think it would be wise to look into this car more seriously? What could I expect in terms of reliability? I'm not exactly an engine-savvy person, though I probably know more than any average driver, and can do a few simple things with confidence (i.e. oil change, sparkplugs, etc.) I like tinkering on things, but I wouldn't want a car where I'd have to tinker, just to keep it running, you follow? Anyway, I'd really appreciate some insight, even though I realize I can't give you too many specifics about this car. I've heard that the Z is very easy to work on and I like that, but, I don't want to have a car where I could readily expect to have to swap the transmission or replace anything major of that sort (nobody ever does). Anyway, opinions please?