I welcome your thoughts on the wisdom of this potential purchase.

dmn23

Duller than cardboard
I'm having impulse control. I drove a 1976 280Z from high school until my early 20s and I've always wanted another one. Mind you, this ad has been up for months and I'm only about 30-40% seriously entertaining the idea. But...
  • They're basically bulletproof and it's nearly impossible to kill one.
  • They're slowly creeping up in value and the purchase price for a nice example like this one will never be any cheaper.
  • Many of these cars have been ragged out, or worse, they've suffered the indignity of a Chevy V8 swap. This one appears incredibly well cared for.
  • It's funkier, more charming, and likely entertaining than, say, a '99 911 that could be purchased for around the same price.
  • It would be far cheaper to maintain than that same hypothetical 911.
  • They still look great.
  • They're a hoot to drive. Nice torque, decent handling, comfy interior, plenty of storage, cold AC, and a good highway cruiser.
  • Finding an original dash with no cracks is like finding a unicorn that poops winning Powerball tickets.
  • As noted above, the ad has been up for a while and I'm sure he's finding some wiggle room that wasn't there before.
  • The wheel & tire upgrade is tasteful.
  • Already tinted!
  • Comes with a cover!

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1976/datsun/280z/100730120

1976-Datsun-280Z--Car-100730120-e8b99f8656b5758261b6504214f2d523.jpg
 
My cousin had one of those back in the day. It was a fun little car. He used to love lighting up the tires on that thing.

If you have the means, go for it.
 
I appreciate the aesthetic of old vehicles, but the relative lack of safety features compared to modern cars are, for me, a huge deal-breaker. I hope that you come to the same viewpoint, because I love you and the world needs as many RT fans as possible.
 
I have always liked that model but since I have a heavy foot I would need more safety features that are on the newer models. Also the price is a deal breaker for me.
 
I appreciate the aesthetic of old vehicles, but the relative lack of safety features compared to modern cars are, for me, a huge deal-breaker. I hope that you come to the same viewpoint, because I love you and the world needs as many RT fans as possible.
Toy or DD?

My DD is (and would remain) a '99 Miata. Safety clearly hasn't been a pressing concern.
 
Strictly from the point of view of a parts man with 25 years experience in the industry...

No, no, no...hell no...

Parts availability is a nightmare...it's going to spend as much time sitting while you try to find the replacement clevis pin so you can fix your brakes, or the shifter bushings, or any of the other 3000 parts, as it will being driven...

Appreciate it from your memories...don't ruin them...
 
Strictly from the point of view of a parts man with 25 years experience in the industry...

No, no, no...hell no...

Parts availability is a nightmare...it's going to spend as much time sitting while you try to find the replacement clevis pin so you can fix your brakes, or the shifter bushings, or any of the other 3000 parts, as it will being driven...

That surprises me to hear that. They only built a gazillion of these. I would imagine parts practically grow on trees, or there's a well established support network.
 
I remember a friend of mine that had a 280zx (is there a difference, z & zx?) That thing was quicker than some of my other friends muscle cars that had big V8's in them.
 
If it's super clean I would want it parked inside. If not it will deteriorate and that will be sad. It's all about disposable income IMO. Having to wait on parts isn't a big deal if it's not your daily driver. It would be like my motorcycle is to me just for the fun of having it cleaning it and taking it for rides on those perfect days. I don't know about the 280z but a friend of mine had a 260z in the 70's and it sure seemed to spend a lot of time in the shop.
 
I remember a friend of mine that had a 280zx (is there a difference, z & zx?) That thing was quicker than some of my other friends muscle cars that had big V8's in them.

The ZXs generally aren't considered to be as desirable because they're (rightly) perceived as being bigger and heavier and more luxurious and thereby straying from the spirit of the 240Z. That said, I'm sure they have their own devoted following.
 
I think it looks like a lot of fun, and I agree that the Z from that era is a future collector's car, and that is a rare thing from the late 70's. My only issue with such a purchase would be the potential maintenance headaches associated with a 40 year old car (all the rubber and plastics must be close to the end of life by now, right?). If you like working on cars it is probably not a huge issue. I know the dude is driving it now, but he might be driving it one weekend a month and replacing annoying shit the rest of the time. These cars have a pretty big fan base, so I would look around the web for some forums and see what major issues to look out for and such.
 
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Also, as you are buying something that is a collector's car, you want to make sure that the thing is as close to original as possible (clean title, numbers matching, no bad accident repairs, no mods that alter metal). Try to get every scrap of paper you can with it, as stuff like original owner's manuals, bill of sale, service records, window stickers, etc are going to be desirable stuff in the future if these really take off in value. Provenance is really easy to lose at sales time, and every little bit might turn out to be important.
 
If you can do the work yourself go for it. There's a guy nearby with a '66 Stang. He's constantly working on it but it's clearly his baby and it is in immaculate shape. I doubt he could have it/afford it if he didn't do most of the work himself. I'd be a bit concerned about something like Tilsta mentions if it has been available for a while though.
 
Strictly from the point of view of a parts man with 25 years experience in the industry...

No, no, no...hell no...

Parts availability is a nightmare...it's going to spend as much time sitting while you try to find the replacement clevis pin so you can fix your brakes, or the shifter bushings, or any of the other 3000 parts, as it will being driven...

Appreciate it from your memories...don't ruin them...
This is not even remotely true.

Parts availability is actually fantastic, and the aftermarket is awash in Z Car replacement and upgrade parts. As a multiple Z owner, head of a Z club, and complete Z nerd I have to call bullshit. Sorry.

Not only are parts a dime a dozen, but aside from the notoriously frail interior pieces, the car is as bulletproof as any car EVER built. That straight 6 L28 block's lineage goes way back to pre-war Daimler Benz. It is quite literally... a fucking tank.

Safety... well, it's certainly not the safest car on the road, but pretty damn stout. Some minor brake and suspension upgrades will make it markedly safer.

I'd hit it in a heartbeat.

Btw, my 280ZX had 289,000 miles on the motor when I parted ways with it, and had never been opened up for ANY major repair. Still had the OEM timing chain and tensioners. Perfect compression across all 6 cylinders. I grenaded a five speed tranny at about 260K, but that was likely the massive racing clutch that twisted it up.

That's the car I drove from Tallahassee to San Diego in 30 hours in the middle of August, when it was 24 years old and had over 250K miles already. I wasn't even remotely concerned about the car making the trip (I had driven out there several months before). The only thing I checked before hitting the road was the air pressure, because I was running 17" wheels with 40 series ZR tires and had no spare...

Here it is two years later with 18" wheels and a massive brake upgrade.

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My DD is (and would remain) a '99 Miata. Safety clearly hasn't been a pressing concern.

In that case, I'm so-so on this one. Like the year and interior. Pics are not detailed enough and no under hood & chassis for the asking price. Wheels don't really do much for me but that's subjective.
You can come up a couple years and drop $5K+ from that listing price in a heartbeat from what I've seen in the past but I don't follow the market enough to really offer rock solid. That's a lot of scratch to throw at other upgrades/replacements
 
Broke my hand once on a 240 block. Don't have warm fuzzy feelings about them. Also hated the orange plastic steering wheel.
 
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