First Z car! how did you get yours?

[Guest goldraven]

I thought it would be interesting to see how everyone here got their first Z car.

 

I really did not know much about Z cars when i got mine. i had just sold my integra and my porsche 944. and i was in need of a car asap. I pass this old guy's house on the way out of my house with this white 280zx sitting in his front lawn with a for sale sign in it. I had no knowledge about 280zx's let alone any Z cars really. So i talked to him and he said it only had 40k miles on it. apparently it was a show car most of its life and was towed around. thats why mine has all of the body work on it. (body kit/spoiler) interior has a CD player in it and the speakers are some really nice kenwoods. I really had no clue how much this incredibly nice car was going to cost me, but from the looks of it i just had to test drive the car. he gives me the keys and off i go. I fell in love with it right as i made the first turn, i had never experienced a car that could handle like the Z, no other car feels like the Z. i get back to the mans house and ask him how much he would like for the car. keep in mind this is the same day...only like 3 hrs. after i saw it. he says, "25". i paused and asked out of stupidity, "thousand?" he said 2500. i went to the bank and got him the money and drove off with a brand new Z car (to me). best part of the story is...on the first drive home i stop at a stop light and a guy rolls down his window and asks if i own the car im driving. i said i just baught it from this guy down the street. he told me congradulations, he had his eye on it for a while and thought it was a really awesome car. i have never gotten that from owning an integra or a 944. the Z community is so awesome! right from the first day. the Z car had just one ding in the driver's side fender, i thought for 2500...a 40k car with one ding is awesome. and no rust...it was in AZ/CO all of its life.

 

No other car have i fell in love with immediately. the Z just feels right. and now im throwing a 350 into it. I cant wait, and one of the main driving factors for me in this project is not how im in dept for the project...but how incredible it is going to feel to drive the car around again.

 

I guess what are your guys' stories about your first Z car experience? had you been a fan for a while? or was your story similar to mine? story time!

 

Nick

[Xander]

I bought my 260Z from a guy who was going abroad for 3 month. Two weeks before he went he heard that his workspace had to be cleared. the car was not more then a set of boxes filled with parts but everything was there and the body had almost no rust. He was very sad to let it go. His loss my gain . 6 months later and it was back on the road I payed about 1100 euros for it. that was about the same in dollars.

[DavyZ]

My first Z car was a '74 260Z that I was eyeballing in the newspaper. I should have passed on it since it was not a 240Z and that the smog laws had not changed yet, so I had the car for a few years, did very little work to it and finally sold it, but not before taking the wheels off and selling/trading them to Auxilary.

 

Next was a '73 240Z with a 350 V8 and TH350 tranny, mounted Scarab-style. A chopped up car, to be quite frank, and had the whole rear end of a 280Z. Strange animal that I made go away quickly. Wiring was a rats nest and the moon roof leaked (sound familiar?). Rear end was flared and it had generic "centerlines." I sold it right after I bought it--it was going to be too much work.

 

I waited over a year to buy Yuichi's '73 240Z (ZDriver.com) after he bought a new 350Z. His car had a moonroof *gasp* but the price was right, it had almost no rust at all and it runs great. I have just had the roof reskinned, drip rails removed and the rear vents shaved--looks great! This is the V8 project car, but I have to pull the motor first and detail the engine compartment. 95% of the parts are there other then a few ancilary (sp?) items. The car has a lot of interesting parts, many of which I'll end up selling, using, or trading away" 2.5" exhaust, MSD ignition, 3.9 R200, Eibach progessives with Tokiko incerts, urethane bushings, etc. The car is silver *HOORAY!* not some pukey color from the 1970's, and I am so stoked about that. The car still needs paint, but I plan on having the original silver laid down on it in due time.

 

Davy

[Top Fuel ZX]

The first time I saw a Z in person was when I purchased mine. I was 16 at the time looking for a car and my dad offers his advice. "How bout a Z car?" I was like, "What's that?" Little did I know how awesome these car are. He knew a guy who was selling one so we went to look at it. It was a 1981 280ZX in good condition with a semi new metalic blue paint job. For only $1000 I was blown away.

 

The day I brought the car back I was pulled over by the cops... I knew that must have been a good omen.

 

Sean

[Guest ON3GO]

well my 1st Z car was a 1993 300zx but thats a whole other story...

Was looking for a clean S30 Z car for awhile.. maybe a month or so before i joined this site. On April, 12th 2003 i sold my 300zx and the search was really on because i needed a car for work and class.

I was on Ebay everyday looking for a early model 240Z. One day I saw this add for this green 280Z and at 1st when I was looking the pictures all I could say was boy thats a ugly color, and kept saying I wish it was a 240Z. After looking at the add for sometime I just went to the next add, not thinking I would buy it or want the car. After a few days had passed, I found the add again and desided to send a email to the owner, just asking him a few questions. Turns out it was a one owner car, with no rust, 100% stock and was asking $3500. I offered him $2250 and he sure. i then had a board member on here go look at it from here and he said it was worth buying.

I got a shipping company to ship it from cali to florida. I didnt even sleep for 2 days straight before it came, i was scared it was a Shat box.

On May 17, 2003 i got a call from the shipping truck that they were at a parken lot near my house and to come pick the car up.

So with me freaking out me and my father drove to go get it down the road... man i was scared. Drove into the parken lot and saw the shipping truck but didnt see the car on the truck, nor see it anywhere.

drove around to the other side of the truck and there it was.. sitting low and ugly as hell lol. Guy gave me the keys said that the keys dont lock the doors just work to start the car. i was like ok. Me and my dad looked it over and it seemed in good shape.

It started right up and was maybe running on 4 cyl's and had a bad exhaust leak... but i didnt mind at the time.

Now at the time this was the 1st time i ever sat in let alone drive a old Z... so i took a big step even buying a car i didnt even know i would like.

driving down the road i fell in love... and also tried shifting it into 5th gear, started freaken out then remembered its a 4-speed.

i laughed for hours.

 

mike

[Hybrid240z]

The first time I really saw a Z-car was my senior year in high school. Two seniors, actually twins, had a 280ZX 2+2. I first saw it when they were pulling away after school one day. I thought to myself, that's a cool car. I started working a part-time job when I graduated and needed transportation. My dad said that he would buy me an inexpensive car and I told him that I wanted a Z-car, not knowing much about them. We bought a 79 280ZX from a used car parking lot for $1400. Overall the car was in decent condition but ran really well. I had only driven a car, with a standard transmission, a couple of times my whole life. That was only a total of 10 minutes. My dad didn't let me drive it home because he thought I needed to practice. I had to get to work when we got home and my mom said that they could take me to work and I could practice driving on the weekend. I was thinking, the he11 with that and drove away. LOL I had no problem driving the car to the fact that I was pulled over for speeding like 5 minutes later by a cop. My first ticket after owning the car a few hours. Sound familiar Sean? LOL

 

Marcos

[Two40MuscleZ]

I ordered a silver 72 240Z from the dealer in Nov. 1971. Back then you had a waiting list of anywhere from 3-6 months. Since I was in the military it didn't much really matter. When I went home for Christmas leave the dealer still hadn't recieved the backordered cars. I waited another month and just by chance one afternoon I stopped by the dealer. No silver Z's...however, there was a metallic Brown one that had been shipped in its place. I took it for a quick spin and then went back to the salesman to finish the purchase. At that time I had just turned 21 and the salesman fell over when I paid off the balance in cash! You have to remember though, back then Z cars were only $3,500 with all the extras.

 

I still have it to this day...It's my show car "The240MuscleZ" Still has less than 60,000 original miles, but it doesn't quiet look like a stock Z. I've put together a sweet little small block, (686 hp) flaired out the both the front and rear fenders (rears measure 76.5" outer flair to outer flair), back halfed the car, tubbed and added a triangulated 4 link. Tires are Mickey T's 18.5" wide mounted on 15" wide Convo Pro rims. Still a ways to go until its ready to show. In the mean time I've been working on my second '72 240 "The Orange Crate" I originally purchased it from a prior club member. During the past year I have completely gone through and rebuilt from ground up, including the engine which is now a 383 stroker. It's been in a few local shows, and I have managed to take several awards for the engine. Just Lucky! But, thats my daily driver, and she's very dependable...just like I like my women! Z's are great...wish every one could experience the thrill of having one...especially after you do the conversion!

 

Laterz, VAN

[Tim240z]

Geez Van... You ordered your first Z the same month and year that I was born!!! I bet the 'purists' are crying about that Z getting hacked....but having seen it with my own eyes...it's gonna be a MONSTER!!!!!!!!

[zguy95135]

My dad used to tell me about a really nice brown 280Z that he would see driving around. It had 17" chrome wheels and was lowered. I remember thinking about the car, and a couple of years later he told me he talked to the owner and it was for sale. It had been sitting in various garages for years. The guy was askin $1500 for the car w/the wheels but it had a blown headgasket, so we waited for a year to buy it and by then he was desperate to get rid of it. We got it for $600 (no chrome wheels, too heavy anyways) and he had spent at least $3500 on the suspension (coilovers ect). It was a mess when we got it, ripped up carpet, torn headliner, cracked dash w/messed up cover, the stock steering wheel had no rubber left on it, paint oxidized to a dull brown, the hood was completley faded the paint was peeling, and it was filled with sunflower seeds. Luckily it had no rust and the engine and chassis was very clean but it had a pretty good sized dent in the rear quarter panel. I remember when we got it to start before we fixed the gasket, it was a beautiful sound. Now $1500 later (life savings ) the car is almost back to street worthy condition and it looks cool 8)

[akeizm]

I first saw a Z when my parents bought one about 12 years ago. That also turned out to be the Z I was given. And i'm damn happy too.

[Vintage-TechZ]

I was about to turn 16 and all my buddies parents were buying them muscle cars to drive !Of course my dad said forget a muscle car and by the way,how much have you saved for the car of your choice,6 months insurance and money for a set of tires ?I mowed lawns as a summer gig and had saved about 3600.00 bucks !

I was driving down the HWY one day and about crapped when I saw a RED 70' 240 on the back of a flatbed heading the opposite direction.I'd been looking for this car,but no one could remember who had it.The story was,some farmers son got stuck overseas in the military and it hadn't moved in years.

Of course I SCREAMED at my friend to SPIN AROUND and follow that truck !We caught up to the man as he walked out of the TOYOTA dealership where he was just dropping the car off from a previous Trade-in on a new Toy. truck.

The salesman saw my enthusiasum ( even though I tryed to look anything but ) and made me pay what the window sticker in the glove box read ,because it was already a classic in his book ! DARN !

Oh well ,it was in absolute perfect shape(even being 9 years old )

I still have it....with several other early Z's,all in different themes and restore levels.

Rock on Z lovers of all sorts !

..........Vince

[fl327]

I should write a book about my adventures with buying and selling the zcar. 1972-3-5-6-7-8- 82-83-92tt ive owned them all except for the 1970 that keeps avoiding me, a true 260, and a 350z

 

My first Z found me. I was driving a B16a swapped honda civic hatch back at the time, and I had just found out about z cars. It was 330am and im driving in the rain to go home from the library (finals) and I see this red car in the distance. I drive closer, and its a z, with an AIRDAM!!!

the sign said

 

FOR SALE

327 v-8

4 speed

FAST

serious only

3000.00

 

MINE

 

Sold that honda faster than fast, and bought the v8z, the rest is history, a three year legacy with an average of a street race every other day from a daily driver -and earning a reputation in the bay area for being FAST by pulling cards and seperating the real from the fakers. From breaking almost everything on the car and blowing the engine, tweaking the chassis and getting in more than one accident, I learned a whole lot about the zcar and it made working on other cars really really easy. Anyways I do have more stories, but you have to hear them in person, ethics and legality issues you know.

[Guest smoov280zx]

Still on my first. I was driving by a tiny car lot(like 5 cars tiny) and saw a gold car shining by the road. It looked like a z to me, but i had only seen 2+2 280zx's and didn't know they came in the "good looking" edition, the coupe. The paint was not mint, but was in great shape, good factory wheels and really nice interior, power doors and locks. I took it down the road for a test drive and the engine sounded butter smooth and i couldnt believe a 5-spd could pull this smoothly through the entire rev range. I'd never owned a stickshift, but this car was so great. The rear shocks were completely ragged, bottoming out and spongey and all. I promply smoked the tires while pulling a uturn and liked the response. Everything on this car worked including the factory radio, which sounded pretty damn good for 1983. He was asking 3500, which is probably more than the book, but the one in the book couldnt possibly be this great.

 

I came home and talked to my dad, who is really tight with money, but for some reason let me buy the car without even looking at it himself. I traded in my 1989 s15 jimmy 4x4, complete with digital dash, cobra cb, sweet sound system, jet 6-pack chip, flowmaster and all, and took 2000 for it, but i didnt care. Screw the jimmy, i got a sweet t-topped sports car . About 6 months later, i talked to a guy at autozone, who said he had gone to buy the car the day after i bought it, talk about good timing for me.

 

So about 3 years later, im driving the same car with much better handling, rims, tires, open exhaust and a swapped dizzy from an 80, and it runs 0-60 in 7.8 instead of the factory claimed 9.2(which may be for a 2+2 or an auto). And its just been painted dark metallic green. I paid more than it was worth and lost money on my truck, and i wouldnt trade it for the world.

 

I got lucky and fell ass-backwards into a great car that i didnt know a single thing about. Now it's one of the 3 nicest in my town, and i get revs from almost every ricer/mustang/camero in town, nods from some of them and compliments from the guys who drive the real cars. I think I'll be Z'ing for the rest of my life, this is just my starter kit . Here's to the rest of the collection I'll have someday.

[80LS1T]

Back when I was 4 years old, my parents got divorced. Me, my sister and my mom moved back to Wisconsin when I was 6 to live with my grandparents. My dad stayed in California due to his job. Then when I was 7(1989) my dad bought a 1980 280ZX. He was the second owner and it was California car its whole life. When I turned 10 me and my sister started to visit our dad out in CA every summer. On our first visit to see him, he showed me the ZX. From that momment on my dad promised me the car when I was old enough to drive. Then I went on my first drive at age 10. He let me drive the car down some side streets in CA(I was sitting on his lap)! It was kinda funny though cause I almost hit a parked car!!!!! He also had a Jaguar XJ8(I think it was an XJ8?) at the time but that wasnt as cool of a car to me! I loved the ZX from the time I saw it.

 

Then when I turned 16 I started to look for a car to drive. I found a 1977 280Z in pretty good condition. Thats when I called my dad to see if I could have the ZX. He said he would ship it as soon as I have some actual driving experience. Not just a few days of driving experience. So I begged my mom to let me get the 280Z but she said no because it was too fast. So I got a 1986 Crown Vic Ltd. yeah that sucked! What a friggin BOAT!!!!!! I hated driving that car but it was pretty fast(at the time) for big a$$ boat of a car! LOL

 

Then on Oct 25, 1999 my father passed away from a heart attack at the age of 62. I was only 17 at the time. After all the legal matters of what goes to who I finally got my 1980 280ZX on May 21st 2000. It was not the way that I wanted to get it but it has been my baby ever since then. I treat my car like a mother treats her first born child. Anyone screws with my car and I will lay a beating down on them! This car will never leave the family and I hope to pass it down to my son(when I have one) one day.

 

I think my next project will be a 240Z though! I just love the way they look with ZG flares and a nice aftermarket front airdam!

 

 

Guy

[Georgia Flash]

My love for the Z car goes way back to when I didn't have a pot to pi$$ in. When I was about 17 a guy down the road had a black 1976 280Z with oversized wheels and a sunroof, remember in the 70's sunroofs were cool .

 

The guy took me for a test ride and I was amazed by the little car's attitude and verocity. However, he wanted $4,600 dollars for the car and I was a broke little redneck with a Ford Pinto! My parents were not too eager to help me buy this sports car because afterall they still had me on their insurance.

 

I drove several Z's and ZX's back then never having enough money to buy one. I test drove a 1982 280ZX to my job at the grocery store and told them that I was going to buy it. Yeah right.

 

The years and cars went by and I mostly forgot about the Z cars until about 1994 when I purchased my first ZX. I had a 1981 piece of crap Chevy C-10 pickup at the time and I was driving by a small used car dealership when I saw a beautiful silver 1979 ZX. I traded the truck and put some cash down and off I went.

 

I wish I still had that ZX because to date it was the fastest Z that I have owned. I have also had a beautiful 1980 ZX that was off white with the red interior. I won several trophys with that one at local car shows. I cried when I sold that one I almost chased the guy down the driveway to stop him from taking my baby away.

 

I now own a 1976 Z that will be my 350 Z soon, I hope, and a 1975 parts car that was to be the 350 car.

 

By the way I bought an Auto Trader yesterday and saw some good deals on a couple of Z's and ZX's

[Mikelly]

I tried to buy my first Z in 1982 when I was 16. I found an Orange 240Z, 1973 vintage, and tootle down to the insurance company to get an estimate... The agent laughed me out of his office, and said he'd just as well insure me for a Corvette for the same amount... I left, dejected, and sad.

 

In the winter of 1987 I totalled a 1985 Pontiac Sunbird an old Girlfriend talked me into buying. After the car was paid off, I had some coin left in my pocket... I talked to my uncle, who owns a VW repair shop. He had several cars in shop that he was fixing and selling... a 1970 Chevelle, a late model Karmangia, a Porsche 924 and a Poop brown 1974 Datsun. I drove three of them... The fourth, the Z, was in need of repairs, so I had no clue what it was like driving one... However, seeing the twin carbs and big 6 underhood, I was convinced it would be the better of the cars... little did I know what I was getting into...

 

I bought it for $1400 without even test driving... He fixed it for me, and I drove that car until 1995.

 

I've owned 17 Zcars since 1987...

 

What a ride it has been!

 

Mike 8)

[BillZ260]

I have wanted a Z ever since I was a freshman in HS. There was this black 280 taht was for sale a couple of months before I turned 16. I wanted one so bad for my first car! My folks had other "SAFE" cars in mind, So I end up with an 82 LTD instead. I guess once I got started in VoTech and saw everyone elses muscle cars I got into that, had a 82 Z28, Guess that was my first Z , but not much muscle. THen I had a 80 Malibu and a couple a 4WD's. Got married and finally had a bit of extra money to get something to play with, looked in OK for over a year and a half and found jack worth buyin. Then on fall day, my wife and I are shopping and decide for what ever reason to go a different way home and low and behold is the little blue 260 in the parking lot of the grocerystore, with a 4sale sign on it. I was like, I have to go look at it! She's like what ever, so I'm checking it out and the guy wanted 2400 for it. Body was CLEAN, newish paint, interior was fair. Called up the guy, drove it, the thing barely ran, later to find out that it was the alt and reg. But I wanted it so bad, but I was a bit short on $$. My wife knew I had been looking for a long time and she knew how bad I was wanting one, so she lent me the money! What a woman! I talked him down to 1900, which I figured was worth it since there has been very little rust. Seen better deals but NEVER in town! So I have had the car a year and a half and have had it apart for about 6 months now. Loving every minute of it!

[JMortensen]

I've got a bunch of friends who autox 510's, and when I was 17 I was looking for a 510 for about 6 months, when I found the perfect deal. Clean, no rust, repainted, fresh L18, SSS SU's, it was sweet. My parents were going to loan me the money to buy the car, but when my mom saw it she said it was a death trap and wouldn't fork over the $$$.

 

I went back on the prowl, this time looking for a Z. Found a 65 year old guy who had owned a '72 since the day he bought it off the showroom floor. It didn't run right because some jack@ss had messed with the needles and nozzles trying to get it to pass smog. Bought it for $2K, took it home and started fixing stuff.

 

About a year and a half later I was rearended by a lady in a Firebird doing about 50 mph, which pushed me into oncoming traffic where I got in a head on collision. Broke my nose on the steering wheel (had the lap belt on) and had some rhinoplasty to fix. Took the insurance money and bought my current '70 and a 280ZX for parts. Still driving the '70 some 7 years later. I've owned 7 Z's, 2 to drive and 5 for parts.

 

Every time I'm on a big track with my buddies I thank god my mom didn't like that 510!!!

 

Jon

[Guest Anonymous]

I was in love with Z's since I was 15 and my uncle bought a green 73 240. I got to drive it to my junior prom ( with matching tux) Hey it was 1977. I was cool. Date was a dud so I took her home and spent the rest of the night driving the piss out of that car.

 

My wife bought my first Z for me in 1983. I still have it, see my album, Its getting frame rails now. I returned the favor 20 years later and bought her a 2000 convertible vette.

[Garrett76Zt]

Well I was 14 when I first got into Z's. A buddy of mine was just turning 16 and had purchased an '85 300zx turbo. The car was extremely clean and I took a ride or two in it and that's all I needed. Soon I knew twice as much about z's than he did and I didn't even own one! So as my 16th birthday approached, I was really hunting. Finally I came across a good deal on an '84 z31 turbo. I was so stoked. I talked to my dad about it and eventually won him over. He wanted to be the one to make the sale though. I can remember my dad talking to the seller on the phone. I had picked up the other phone in my room and was eavesdropping on them. The seller said," Well, I've been into mustangs for a long time and I've had this car a couple of years. I put a boost controller and exhaust on this car and let me tell you, this thing is fast! Faster than several mustangs I've had." Well my dad replied," Hmm, I don't think I'll be telling my son about that!"

 

Haha so we bought the '84 turbo . . . and I was ADDICTED. Good grief did I race everything in sight with that car. Eventually I bought an '87 turbo but not before I had sold the '84. My parents thought I was nuts with two 300 turbo's sitting in our driveway! Anyways the '87 didn't stick around for long and I went off to college with no car. The summer before my freshman year I was home in Florida and came across a '76 280z for sale in the paper. I think he was asking $800 for it.

 

At this point I think my parents thought that my previous addiction had been a phase, since I'd been out of it for a couple of years. SO I went to check the car out, really clean body very little rust and it didn't run. He had no idea what was wrong with it but his parents were making him get it off they're property So he sold me the car for $200. A few weeks later I swapped in a $3 fuel pump relay from the JunkYard and she fired right up! by Spring i threw some tires on it and drove it to Chicago!

 

Now she's got an L28et and rapidly progressing my addiction . . . . . . .