Youngins: How'd you end up with a Z?

[Globerunner513]

Just realized I never wrote anything in here.

 

I'm 21 and when I was about 17 a friend of mine came over and told me he drove "the z". It was his dad's car and he let my friend drive it sometimes. All I knew was that It was a Datsun, and before seeing the Z my only experience with Datsuns was an old rusted 610 wagon (i think it was a 610.).

 

Needless to say, I was floored when I saw the Z. It wasn't the best looking car, but it was straight, and had a big ol' engine in it. He let me drive it that night, and I fell in love with the thing. His dad ended up selling it a couple months later, and I picked it up for $200.

 

Worked on it through the last 2 years of High School as my senior project, and drove it for the first time the spring after HS.

 

Here is what it looked like when I first got it.

 

[cheg]

I'm 15 and bought a Z because they're cheap which means i can justify running the piss out of it, and when i breaks down i actually know how to fix it (for the most part). The engines in them are so simple and are strong motors and on top of that there is so much room in the engine bay you could put anything you wanted in them.

The Datsun 'family' is amazing people will go out of their way to help you out which is awesome. Everybody that owns a Datsun honks and waves at fellow Datsun owners. Hybridz is around..(anything you could dream of has either been done or talked about.)

And they have so much character that you really cant get with any current cars (meaning they look #$^@#$^ amazing!). They're fast cars (they keep up with muscle cars) and even if they beat you in a straight line once you get out on some curvy roads you'll loose them in a heart beat.

Last reason is because I could afford it on my own no help from my parents (Money wise and also mechanically i basically got no support other than "it's alright if you bring it home")

[GrenadeZ]

got mine at 21. I was tired of driving around old slow boxy bmw's (dont get me wrong I love bimmers) all which had 200+thousand miles on them.

 

I saw my z on ebay for 1700.00 and the 16x10 diamonds on grey primer sold me. It looked sexy and wild.

 

I had 2,000 in my account lol so of course I bought it.

 

Apparently my addiction came from my childhood and my father having 3. Apparently He also used to strap my car seat in the cargo area since it was a two seater.

[Oddmanout84]

When I got my first car, I had little to no knowledge of early Z's from what I can remember. Not that it would have mattered, for my first car was limited to FWD (parents wouldn't allow me to buy a RWD or a motorcycle, regardless if it was my money or not). So I ended up getting a nice deal on a 3000GT SL. Awesome car for a teenager, but looking back I wish I could have started with more of a beater, haha. That car was TOO nice for me.

 

My first memory of the early Z was from childhood. There was a "mom and pop" gas station near our house, and there was always an old white car standing outside it, in various states of restoration every time we drove by it. I remember one time years before I could drive asking my mother what that old car was, as I had never seen one before (typical New England kid). From the age of four I was adept at identifying a car's make/model by its taillights, and I was stumped for the first time.

 

"Oh, that looks like a Datsun"

 

"A Datsun? Like the dog?" I replied.

 

Suprisingly my mother knew more about cars than I did for once. It wouldn't be another several years before I saw what an S30Z should look like, at a Z car show at the Bob Sharp Nissan Dealership. The looks of the older Z's instantly replaced the Z32's looks in my mind as "optimal".

 

Several years later, and I was in the military, stationed in SoCal, halfway through the flight portion of my training. I was a couple months away from turning 20. I needed a cheap car to drive to the squadron and out in town to cause trouble. Since I can't stand "normal" cars, I went through the current Autotrader mag and looked up all the cheap japanese sportscars. There were a few Rx7's, was kinda interested in those, but none in the price range were running. So I then came to the Z's. There was a perfect comprimise; $1600 for a well running '78 280Z, original poo-brown metallic paint, no bodywork. Stock. I bit, and it was mine. Originally intended as a beater, I quickly grew to love it even though the shocks were busted and it leaked when it rained.

 

When I graduated and got my wings, I was slated to be stationed in Okinawa, Japan for the next 2+ years. Since I had a months leave before I shipped out, and because I had decided I couldn't part with the Z, I drove it from CA to CT to store at my parent's house until I returned. I'm now 24 years young, out of the military, and 7 months deep in my Z project. I don't regret any of it.

[Negafen]

I've always found the 240z to be a jaw droppingly pretty car.

 

At around 21 I was in the search for a new car. The 240z was in the running against several other vehicles. I figured if I didn't buy something I'd really love now, I might lose the chance for a long time.

 

It always breaks my heart to see a car with a soul die.

 

The 240 won out, since then it's been a year of hard wrenching, polishing, and fiddling. For which I've been rewarded with an immense and impressive improvement in performance.

 

Mind you, I'm pretty sure my Z is trying to kill me. I know for sure it runs on my blood.

[Daeron]

I know for sure it runs on my blood.

 

Every single car that is truly worth it does..... "Datula"

[m4xwellmurd3r]

Hmm I never posted here.

I'm 21 (now) but I got my Z when I was 19 in Sept of 07 (wow, almost 2 years now actually)

I've always liked 240z's for some reason. they just really drew me in. I knew I liked Z's before I knew what a Z was. the first time I saw one I knew it was a Z and i didn't even know WHY I knew that. For a while I wanted to build a mild turbo bug, because they're light, cheap, and plentiful. Had one too, and loved it, except the climate in NC destroyed my perfect restoration candidate (it was an original AZ bug with 0 rust when we got it 8 years ago, now it's a pile of rust after 4 years of NC. 4 years to destroy a car that survived 40 years of being outside in arizona)

Anyways, things happened, I moved back to arizona, and needed a car. I had 1300 dollars and wanted to have at least 300 when i bought a car. The only option to me was a Z (every other car I wanted was a roller at 1k)

at first I was only looking at getting an early 240z because of emissions and such (and ignorance of the differences between years) after reading HBZ day and night for weeks I decided that year didn't matter, rust and the problems it had did.

 

A guy JUST down the road from me was DESPERATE to get rid of a Z he's had for the past year, because he needed money very badly and never had time to do anything except replace a few parts (namly, brake lines) Price was 1100, talked him down to 900.

it ran like CRAP and it took me a long time to figure out it was because of a kink in the fuel line behind the pump. after that, it ran so rich that it was smoking like a semi truck, and me being ignorant me, figured the AFM is for a different car, so I tweaked the thing SO TIGHT that it would actually run. And run it did. it overheated like crazy because of a clogged radiator, but it was FAST (I blame the seized FPR pumping 100# to my injectors, and my AFM so tight that it actually didn't max out till I hit a good 5-6k)

I could NEVER get it to pass emissions, and I had to send it to a local shop to get work done to it. it sat in the shop for a VERY long time because they were having trouble getting everything diagnosed. Turns out it needed a head rebuild (and I knew something was up because #3 was dead at idle, but would work fine under higher rpm) the exhaust on #3 was leaking bad, so I had the head rebuilt, got a new water pump, new timing chain kit, new radiator, and a few other parts. Car ran really great, but would pop out the intake right at 5500rpm, and wouldn't go any more. I couldn't figure it out for the longest time till I remembered that my EXHAUST WAS CRUSHED.

for a while I was skeptical because I was able to push it to 6500rpm before I got the head rebuilt (I have a feeling the leaky exhaust, added to the really screwed up tuning I had, caused it to not be an issue)

got a MSA cat back, of course, I have no cat, i have a center muffler, so it didn't fit right, so I bought a propane torch and heated the muffler enough to where I could get it to bend just a smidge so it would fit.

 

Brought it to emissions after tuning, failed, bad. talked to some people and eventually they said I should try to set my timing at 0. that did the trick. I finally got my car registered april 10, 2009, and I get to go back in october to get it tested again.

 

While doing all this work, (namly adding the exhaust) i cleaned out my Z and discovered it hasn't been driven much since around 1986 or so, and after looking up its registration history online, its LAST EXPIRATION date was Oct, 1999. meaning the last time it was actually registered was in 1998. So my Z hasn't been driven in about 10 years. and considering the things I found in the car, hasn't been driven much since the late 1980's

The odometer said 67000 miles on it, and after the head rebuild showing a solid 160-165 on all 6, I'd say it's pretty accurate. Body has its share of dings and waves that I'll have to bondo smooth (none of them are any more than a 1/16th of an inch deep) and the interior is completely shot, but has a lot of nice things about it (like the wooden deck panel in the rear)

 

All around it's a very solid car. No rust, and no electrical issues. The entire harness is still 100% intact and hasn't been cut into at all, so I haven't had any electrical issues outside of corrosion on my fuseable links, and this recent issue (since april) of my ignition key kicking on everything but the starter when i turn it to start (installed a push button as a cheap fix since it's a non-issue for me)

 

it needs bushings BADLY and tires just as badly. but that's arizona for ya.

 

so far i've put a solid 5000 miles on a car I bought for 900. but I put 3 times what I paid getting it where it is now and it was worth every penny.

 

tl;dr

I've loved Z cars since before I knew what one was, and found one that was both a nightmare and a blessing to own.

[thrustnut]

I am 29 now, but bought it when I was 16. My Dad owned a Mercedes shop in So. Cal. and it was one of his customers second cars. He brought it in for an oil change and some other light maintenance and my Dad had me take it around the block when it was done. I pretty much fell in love with it then, it was fast, good handling, clean interior, nice lines, the whole package. I asked my Dad about it and Chuck (the PO) said he would let it go for 1000.00, of which I had 500, and borrowed 500 from my Mom (for a week). You know what's funny, all the years, new interior and every time I sit in it it smells EXACTLY the same as it did the first time. Maybe its weird that I notice that.

[turboHLS30]

Im fifteen and i bouht my first z when i was 14 and i still have it but its bein sold tommorow its a 72 240z and then i just recently bought a 75 280z and i have a turbo 240z motor that i am putting into it i first got into z's when my dad got one on trade for some work and thats when i fell in love =)

[BenLT]

My Father had a 73 240 and a 76 280 when he was my around my age. He talked about them, and showed me pictures when I was younger. I always wanted one, but until recently did not have the funds... but the glorious day has arrived!!!!

 

Oh, BTW I am 22 yo.

[turbojohnny]

well I'm 21.

I got my z just a couple of months ago. my uncle had bought this '77 280z maybe 5 years ago. within the past year his step-son's buddy took it out for a joy ride and blew out the head gasket.

 

so my uncle didn't want to deal with the head gasket, and knowing my obsession with cars he offered it to me. the only catch was i had to go down to texas and tow it back.

 

 

I also enjoy working on my '82 trans am, and occasionally my '95 saab 900se

 

[letitsnow]

I'm 20.

 

My dad used to talk about some Z's he used to have, showed me pictures, all that stuff. I actually tracked down the '77 he had in the 80's, and it was cheap enough that I could buy it with a parts car. I tore it all down and found the years had not been kind to the body/frame. I ended up selling them to a friend who repaired the parts car and gave it to his aunt, it was in better shape but a 2+2 and I wanted a coupe.

 

I kept the engine and transmission out of one just in case I found another one, which I did. I found it on craigslist for $400 with no pictures and listed as 'restorable condition', I expected that it was a heap, but it was 15min away. The car had no engine and the only rust was behind the front wheels, and there wasn't much there anyhow.

 

I put my engine and trans in with some turbo stuff I've been collecting, and this is the point I'm at now.

 

 

 

turbojohnny, do you ever go to NYIRP?

[capt_furious]

I'm not quite a young'un anymore, but to sum it up: aux made me do it. A few rides in his Z and I was sold. Prior to that, I was a domestic/classic/Mopar purist/nazi.

 

Now? If it's simple, easy to work on / mod, cheap, and reasonable with regard to getting parts, I'm game. Brand names don't add horsepower.

[turbojohnny]

 

turbojohnny, do you ever go to NYIRP?

 

I haven't, but once my Trans Am is finished I plan on running it down the 1/4 mile out there. the closest track by me is only an 1/8th

[turboHLS30]

I'm 15 and bought a Z because they're cheap which means i can justify running the piss out of it, and when i breaks down i actually know how to fix it (for the most part). The engines in them are so simple and are strong motors and on top of that there is so much room in the engine bay you could put anything you wanted in them.

The Datsun 'family' is amazing people will go out of their way to help you out which is awesome. Everybody that owns a Datsun honks and waves at fellow Datsun owners. Hybridz is around..(anything you could dream of has either been done or talked about.)

And they have so much character that you really cant get with any current cars (meaning they look #$^@#$^ amazing!). They're fast cars (they keep up with muscle cars) and even if they beat you in a straight line once you get out on some curvy roads you'll loose them in a heart beat.

Last reason is because I could afford it on my own no help from my parents (Money wise and also mechanically i basically got no support other than "it's alright if you bring it home")

 

Nice to see another teenager on here especially as old as me thats even better but i know what you mean i payed for both of mine only thing is is that my dad has a shop so i have help as in how to do things

[75280z]

I got my Z when I was 17 I had ridden/driven B210's since I was a kid. THose ugly little hatchbacks hold some of my very fondest memories my father used them as pumping cars to check oil wells. I used to ride around with him. When I got older I found out that Datsun made a sports car looked it up and was instantly in love.

 

I went to look at a Z that was on ebay about an hour and a half away, it had some damage so I didn't end up getting it. I did however drive past one in a parking lot it was much straighter no for sale sign so I just started knowcking on doors (Apartment COmplex) untill I found the guys roomate I got the guys number. He was coming back the next day to put it on a trailer to move it he couldn't get it to start. After he fixed that he was going to sell it. I offered him 2 grand (No rust in the frame rails on a datsun in Oklahoma) he accepted. We opened the hood jumped it accross the starter and drove it home.

 

I got the need for speed a couple years after driving it daily. I went turbo charged at one of the worst times to do it, right before I went to college. So over the next few years I slowly aquired the parts for megasquirt while my car sat in a barn at my parents house.

 

I am 23 now just got done with college, the Z sat the entire time I got my bachelors. I just commissioned in the Air Force. All seh needs is a fuel pump to make her go again unfortunately I am in California and she is back in kansas. I plan on getting her shipped out here hopefully pretty soon. I just picked up an 83 VW GTI for a daily driver if anyone knows anything about them I would love a heads up.

 

THis car has been a learning experience my wife has been so patient with me and the car. THe Z is running now she had rust in the tank so that had to be fixed and in the proccess the fuel pump was broke and I had to report to my first assignment before I could get her fixed but she does work once the fuel pump gets replaced. This car is amazing and I don't plan on selling her. Next major upgrade is suspension but that is after I put a few thousand miles on her when i finally get her back out on the road.

Edited August 9, 2009 by 75280z
Ambiguous wording

[Jin]

I got my 240z (my first car) when I was about sixteen years old.

 

The main reason I got it was the fact that I love cars in general, and I

 

saw the 240z's as an ideal car to work on. Plus, I just downright love the

 

car all in all haha. But I've been doing regular maintenance and what not, and

 

she's been running like a champ for the passed few months I have had her.

[280z-racer]

i got my 76 280 when i was 15 and im 28 now. it was my aunts car that her roommate stole and wrecked while drunk. it sat in a garage for many years. a cousin of mine yanked parts off of it and and uncle got around to doing the majority of the body work but never got it running. as i was getting closer to 16 and wanted a car i asked her if she would sell it to me. she told me if i got it running i could have it. i took some pics of the engine and went an compared them to complete ones in the junkyard. bought the necessary parts and spent a couple of weekends installing them. new battery, oil, and fresh gas and it fired on the 2nd try. fixed a few more things and made it my daily until i was 19. i needed something reliable so i kinda shelved it. worked on it here and there but never really got it going again due to other things in life. this last summer i gave it to my neighbor who will make a bracket racer out of it and i bought a 77 that is in much better condition that im building now.

[Chris240zTurbo]

I'm 36 now, and I was brought home from the hospital in 1972 in a new 240Z, the first new car my parents ever bought, it was sold a couple months later and they bought a truly hideous 4 door Chevy Impala to haul the family around in.

 

Flash forward to 1987 and there's only one car I want for my first, and I bought a '78 280Z, S-30's were just used cars then, and were plentiful.

 

Since that first '78, I have owned 11 S-30 Z's, and one lonely '82 ZXT, and a '90 ZXTT, and I currently own my '73 turbo car, a triple weber'd ZG flared '72, and a '78 Black Pearl. I have owned at least one S-30 Z continuously since the summer of 1987. I'll always have at least one

 

I even married a girl whose first car was a 77 280Z, she claims the '72 as hers now, and she's treasurer of the Cowtown Z Car Club. The Black Pearl is a project we're just starting for my son, who turns 15 in a few months, ya gotta start 'em off right!

[Magnum380Z]

I'm not quite a young'un anymore, but to sum it up: aux made me do it. A few rides in his Z and I was sold. Prior to that, I was a domestic/classic/Mopar purist/nazi.

 

Now? If it's simple, easy to work on / mod, cheap, and reasonable with regard to getting parts, I'm game. Brand names don't add horsepower.

 

 

 

X2 but i still have to have my MOPARS, my best friend's dad had one back in 89' and i was hooked ever since