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How much should I pay for a 280z


Zetsaz

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Been a while since I posted. I'm currently looking at buying a '75 280z as a project car. I was curious about whether or not you guys think it's worth buying.

 

Guy offered it to me for $400, before he decides to scrap it for $350. Here's the details 

 

The good:

-Running engine

-Clutch replaced a few years ago (needs to be bled properly, no pressure right now)

-Exhaust is almost new, was in a shop being worked on to pass inspections for a while before they decided to stop throwing money at it. 

-No rust on the wheel wells

-No holes in the floor panels

-Interior is complete

-Glass is in excellent shape

-83k miles

-Dashboard is slightly faded but has no chips or cracks. Near perfect condition

-All lights etc... operational.

 

The bad:

-Rockers and doglegs will need to be replaced, they're pretty rusted, few holes

-Floor panels have some rust, but it seems to be surface and mostly on the underside

-Two pinholes in driver side door

-Carpet and seats are torn up a bit

-Missing stereo

-Dented passenger side headlight bezel

-No bumpers (fine by, I would shave rear and get a 240z style bumper up front anyway.

-Might need new batter

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That's what I was thinking... 

 

It needs new paint obviously, but on a project I would repaint no matter what.

 

Literally, the only thing concerning me right now is the rockers and doglegs having to be replaced. I know I can find panels, but I'm not sure how difficult the work would be for me and my dad, and I have no clue how much it would cost to do it in a shop. 

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Hahahaha, you may just have me convinced. And I appreciate the humor. I'll keep you guys updated. Currently in college and living at home, so I have to get the okay from the pop to get it home. Not that I couldn't buy it anyway... but I'd rather have his approval since it'll be sitting in his backyard or garage for the next year or two if I buy it.

 

Plus he knows how to weld far better than I do... I'd rather be on his good side.

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Geeez...  Buy it.  Just keep it out of that Utah Winter and off those salted roads.  When you get it running, take it up through my old Home Town - Idaho Falls - then up the back way to Jackson Hole.  You know how to get back to Logan from there...

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Yeah, Utah roads spell death for things like this. Even my 91 Celica has some rust issues near one of the wheel wells from the salt (granted the thing is ridiculously well taken care of and runs beautifully despite it's 276k miles).

 

It wouldn't take much to get it road worthy, it would just be a fair bit of work replacing the doglegs and rocker panels to make me comfortable with the rust damage. The rest of the car is actually pretty good despite a bit of chipping paint. 

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UPDATE:

 

Still waiting for my dad to check it out sometime this week and get the okay from him to have it in the backyard.

 

In the meantime, I was talking with my older brother about what exactly I'd do with it, if I go and buy it in the next week. We decided the rust was probably too much of a time/money investment to really consider a full restoration, but it's still okay to have some fun.

 

So that plan would be to:

-Buy it.

-Make it drivable

-Clean out the interior

-Do some really cheap patch work on any of the rust holes to clean it up a bit

-Sand all the faded and chipped paint, then do a cheap rattle-can flat black paint job

 

Any serious investments beyond that will be things that are fully transferable to a different rust free shell in a few years when I'm working in a real career field and have more serious income. Transfer all the good parts to the better shell then scrap the old body or sell it and be at only $50-$100 lost for the fun of having something to play around with now.

 

More car experience gained, more fun had, without any huge investments trying to make major restorations and biting off more than I can chew.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Update: I was waiting on a month's worth of pay to come in from my job on campus. I didn't buy the car because if I did I wouldn't have enough to pay for everything I needed before my two paychecks came in on Friday. They guy was scrapping it by Tuesday because our scrapyard in town offered him more for the earth day promotions they have every year. 

 

I was bummed.

 

BUT... the seller messaged me today saying he had gotten too busy to take the car down and he still has it. He's taking $300. I'll probably be buying it later tonight if I can work out a way to pick it up with my dad. 

 

Updates to come.

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