danman Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I am looking at buying a 1971 240Z this weekend. Here is what I know about the car. Original owner always in California, always graged. Owner now 88 can't drive anymore. 193,000 miles, original 4-speed and engine. Neither have been rebuilt. Radiator and hoses, belts, have been replaced. 4 yesr old tires with 4,000 miles on them. Original paint Orange with black stripe. Needs new carpet, seat covers, weather strping, etc. Car was in minor front collision in 1982, supposedly fixed correctly. New shocks. His son is selling it, asking for $3,800. Also supposedly only minor surface rust in rear hatch area. This car needs interior, and with that many miles will prob need engine and tranny soon. Very stock car. Does $3,800 sound reasonable for that much work needed? What would you guys offer given that description? Original paint prob. means needs paint job bad. Any help you can offer would be great. This is my first 240Z.[/b] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Sounds exactly like my car. To a tee. Same mileage, color, condition, useage. I bought mine for $1900 three years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonzer12 Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I have been in the process of gathering knowledge and parts and have been casually looking for a Z for about 6 months now. Any unrestored Z will typically require some drivetrain/suspension work so I would just be concerned with the body. If you can afford a paint job and the actual metal work is very solid I would probably offer around 3 for what u describe. However if the car turns out to be rough I would not pay that much. Worn out Z cars with moderate body rust can be found very cheaply if you take your time. I have seen a few VERY nice cars for ~4k so I wouldn't hop on this deal if the car is not a good 6-7 out of 10. Most Z's out there need tlc so make sure this car is something you are capable of fixing. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 imo, should cost at least 1000 bucks less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Venture-Z Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 That seems like alot of money. You can get a Z with the V8 swap for less than that. With that many miles, It's going to need some work. Try and talk him down and use the money you save to do the work. If he won't come down just keep looking, you can get a really nice Z for under 2K. It also depends on what you want to do to the car, If you're going "ground up" you might as well just get a POS. If you don't want to do much work on it spend the money and get the nicest one you can find. I only spent 1500 on mine, and that was probably to much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman Posted November 7, 2003 Author Share Posted November 7, 2003 The price he listed seemed way too high to me also. If it isn't a rust bucket, it might be a good start though. I will offer two thousand and see what he says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskrat Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Danman, like Venture-Z said, you can get a really excellent solid Z car for 2 grand or less, it just takes some looking. I got my '72 for $850 with a rebuilt head, good paint, rebuilt early SU's, ZX distributor, and a box full of goodies. On a side note, from the Zs I've looked at, surface rust is usually a pretty good indication of rust that isnt as visible... good places to check are the floorpans, and the sheetmetal between the spare tire well and the back hatch. Mine was slightly rusted in the back, and had a baseball sized hole on the passenger floorboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Yeah A bit high...esp. since it's been in an accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Check out this car also. http://www.hybridz.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=27162&highlight= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HBskinheadZ Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I just bought a 71 w/auto trans on Tuesday for $500 and it hauls a$$, some minor rust in front of back wheels, needs a hood and some other parts but interior is complete and currently registered until 4/04. Keep looking, have cash on hand this guy wanted $1200, "Cash talks" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted November 8, 2003 Share Posted November 8, 2003 http://www.craigslist.org/sby/car/18942366.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman Posted November 8, 2003 Author Share Posted November 8, 2003 I now have a better idea what to pay for the car now. Thanks for all the advice. I have my inspection mirror, flaslight and magnet ready to check the car. If it seems good I will take to local Z-mechanic and have him run some tests on it. If all is sound I will start with 1,000 and set limit of 1,500. Car sounds like it needs quite a bit of restoration. Thanks for the help hope to be the proud owner of Z soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fontouk Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 http://www.usnpl.com/ Find your state/area that you're willing to travel to for the car, and just search the classifieds there. This is a much broader search for the POS that will become your masterpiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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