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Selling my 1977 280z, what should I do?


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Hi I have a currently non running z that I was going to do alot of work on but I just dont have the time. I disconnected everything from the engine as I was going to put in a fresh one but now I decided I need an actual daily driver (I'm 15 and will get my license in a few months). Now I am reconecting everything and I am going to replace the spark plugs, wires, distributer, and maybe the injectors. The car ran before I disconnected every thing, just not very well; the idle was very bad. I bought the car for 3600 (I know it's a rip of, but the fact that the offer came with a fresh metallic blue paintjob really caught me). I have most of the interior parts except the carpet and some other panels. The seats are also worn pretty bad.

 

This is my plan: replace the spark plugs, wires, distributer, maybe the injectors, and it needs a new exhaust manifold because I broke one of the bolts on accident when trying to remove the frozen nuts. Now my question is: what should I spend my money on fixing to increase the resale value and hopefully get my money back?

 

Thanks

 

My plan right now is to replace

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I would fix it if I were u no point in loosing even more cash by selling it non ruining. You could just slap on some carbs and Probably be easier than trying to mess with you efi and would be easier. 3600 is hard to get for a 280z in CA. But if u plan to get that money back I think you gonna have to make it run to some degree.

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If I was You I get a nice pair of seats from the junk yard. Get a ebay carpet kit just make it look decent and sell it. You might be able to find nice carpet in the junkyard also if there are any yards near you I would try my best not to go throwing more new expensive parts into when u can get really nice used ones for close to free .

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I would first try and sell it as is. No money out of pocket.

 

For all you know, the prospective buyer might be looking for a clean shell,

or to do a v8 swap. You can always turn down an offer, and spend the time and money

to make it run later.

 

My 2 cents....... :)

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You're a kid and you've got your first car. That's not meant to be taken as a put-down, mind you. Unless you have a regular job that you need to be at, there's usually no real pressing need for a daily driver. Get it running and enjoy it, the upcoming license makes for an interesting deadline which gives more incentive to finish the car. Have your fun now, because your time for working on fun hobbies such as this gets drastically shortened as you age.

 

The next time you get that sort of opportunity is retirement...

Edited by Oddmanout84
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any exhaust shop should be able to drill out the bolt you broke on the header. as far as getting your money out of it, I wouldn't hold your breath. You can try to sell it as is, and anyone who comes to look at it you can keep them in mind as you upgrade parts. What was it that you bought it for? the Paint? well you should emphasize that in your ad to sell it. Getting it running again is a priority. wether it goes or not could be worth $1000 bucks. but don't spend $1000 bucks fixing it us to sell it for what you paid for it. better to take a the $1000 buck hit and not do anything than to waste $1000 bucks and hope to get your asking price.

 

Best advice I can give you though is CLEAN IT. A clean car will always sell for more than a dirty one. It's Percieved Value.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I am going to utilize all of this advice and try to get this car in ok condition spending little to no money.

 

What do you guys think of this idea?:

Pull the engine and transmission and sell them.

Then sell the roller as a perfect candidate for a v8 swap.

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I think that's a bad idea bro. No one is going to try to swap in a v8 in a 1977 because they won't pass smog. It will just be too difficult to get it bar'd! Just clean it and see what kind of offers you get.

Edited by grretc
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I say give it a good wash and get the motor running. Dont worry about the interior or stuff like that. People tend to see interior as an easy fix so dont worry about it when buying a Z so I wouldn't waste time or money doing it. If you really want to put carpet in just go to a local automotive store and buy a roll of generic carpet for $15 bucks and cut it to fit. You probably are not going to get the original investment back into it but putting more money into it on interior and whatnot will start to decrease your reimbursement.

 

Or just keep it man. I'm 17 and all my friends love my Z even with it still being under construction. I have spent two years restoring mine and I work, trick is to bum rides haha.

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" I bought the car for 3600 (I know it's a rip of, but the fact that the offer came with a fresh metallic blue paintjob really caught me)."

 

:D

 

OH MAN I gotta bookmark this one, I've told people this for YEARS: "Most car buyers are like crows, they like shiny things, the difference between a $700 turd and a $3500 saleable S30 is three days at Maaco or Earl Scheib and the cheapest, quickest paint job you can buy!"

 

I see this is another case of someone taking my advice! (And ignoring it at the same time! "Don't buy a paint job!")

 

Yin and Yang, together in the same post! B)

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I think that's a bad idea bro. No one is going to try to swap in a v8 in a 1977 because they won't pass smog. It will just be too difficult to get it bar'd! Just clean it and see what kind of offers you get.

 

This statement is just wrong, and obviously comes from someone who knows nothing about Smog. :rolleyes:

:angry::rolleyes:

 

 

The reason it's a bad idea is unless you can get about $2900 for your removed non-running engine and tranny, what you will be offering will only be worth about $700...

 

A decent looking, RUNNING S30 of late manufacture might bring 3600 out west. Back east more. Get it running, drive it to the East Coast next spring, and fly back on the profits.

Edited by Tony D
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What you fail to grasp is as most youth are obsessed with IMAGE, so are you going down the road in the same manner.

You overpaid for a car because it LOOKED good. Now you are concerned that the interior LOOKS good.

 

The advice: Get it RUNNING AND DRIVING first.

 

See if you like the car. If not, SELL IT! You likely overpaid for it in the first place, and then started taking things apart without adequate notes. Lesson Learned? Get it running, drive it around, and if you DO like it, THEN start worrying about creature comforts.

 

I've got a POS "Blue Turd" that doesn't likely look to be worth $700 to the casual observer (or most close observers...)

 

But on three occasions I have jumped in the car without a second thought and crossed the country three times. Each time putting more than 15,000 miles on the car in no more than three weeks.

 

Never had a problem.

 

When it WORKS, your mind is at ease. You have to make a decision: Do you want a car you can jump in and drive ANYWHERE ANYTIME, or do you want something that sits in the driveway and you can show your friends (who eventually start asking 'does that thing actually run or what?)

 

It's not to say that looks and functionality are mutually exclusive. I simply choose not to spend money on aesthetics when the paint is stored outdoors (no garage) and flashy cars are likely to attract attention when parked for extended periods at the airport (I don't need to come back to no interior...no stereo...etc!)

 

You bought a car to DRIVE it, take steps to accomplish THAT. Paint doesn't let you drive it, and neither does upholstery. Solid mechanicals do. After it's running....THEN worry about what it looks like!

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Well I bought the car when it was primered and the guy I bought it from was a painter, but still a mistake on my part. It was also running when I bought it but when I took it home I realized that it does in fact run, just takes about 15 minutes to start it.

 

So this was my even bigger mistake: I figured that it would be easiest to get the engine rebuilt, so I began to get the engine ready for removal. Everything went smoothly except breaking the exhaust bolts. As I was taking the car apart and reassembling I noticed a HUGE amount of missing bolts and screws (some hand tightened). The guy obviously used this car as a donor.

 

The one great thing about this car is that it has absolutely no rust in the normal z car areas except a verrryyy small amount of surface rust in other areas, as any rust has been cut out and replaced by the PO. Another up side is the paint and flawless body (though the paint has some small flaws but the body has no scratches or dents whatsoever). Other than that it's nothing special.

 

Right now I'm just seeing what I can do without spending a dollar. The two things stopping the engine from running is the exhaust manifold and a small part of radiator hose.

 

I would love to get a z again when I have the time and money. But right now my mom just wants me to get a well running and safe car, like a volvo. So I just have to get it out of here with as little financial loss as possible.

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This statement is just wrong, and obviously comes from someone who knows nothing about Smog. :rolleyes:

:angry::rolleyes:

 

 

The reason it's a bad idea is unless you can get about $2900 for your removed non-running engine and tranny, what you will be offering will only be worth about $700...

 

A decent looking, RUNNING S30 of late manufacture might bring 3600 out west. Back east more. Get it running, drive it to the East Coast next spring, and fly back on the profits.

 

 

You know...he's right. This may sound like I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not. Good luck with everything. Keep us updated.

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I'm in the same boat as 240zboy, except I've been working on mine for 3 years. I also did what you did, immediately started tearing into things (I was 14 and curious) I've lost nuts and bolts, and rear brake parts, and other little things. I had to literally pay for my mistakes, and I didn't like it. If your Z runs, get it to where it's safe and reliable. I wish I would have followed my own advice! It takes time, and like 240zboy said, trick is to bum rides :)

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I would keep the car, you sell it and you will regret it. I was in the same boat as you when I was 18. I had a Z that did not run ever and now I finally got it started up 8 years later. I hope it happens sooner for you. Lastly, dont go buying injectors unless you know they are faulty. Test resistance with an ohmmeter as it should read Close to 2.7 ohms. If they read fine, soak the tips of the injectors in decarbonizer. I ran into this when I got my z going the other day for the pintels were frozen in the injectors. I would do a power balance test before doing this

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As much as I would love to keep it I just need the money for a safer and more reliable daily driver, and one with less work. Also I'm going to have to deal with smog cuz the car is post 1975. I think these are my options that I'm set on:

 

1. Try to sell as is and then try to sell it running

 

2. Donate it to a local highscool and get a 4000 dollar tax deduction (help the school and my mom out)

 

Or

 

3. Spend more and more money on it and deal with a 500 dollar daily driver.

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