Slade Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Hey guys; got a question for ya. I've been lurking around the forums for a little under a year now, playing around with the thought of getting one in my head for a while now. Love all of your Zs, especially that GN one that Scotty, I think correct me if I'm wrong, has. Anywho, here's my situation. Without boring you with all the details, I was going to get a 79 280ZX for free through a friend that was recieving it from someone who had to give it away for financial reasons. It's not the Z I would've wanted, me liking the first gen styling better, but hey, free is free. What went wrong was that my friend told him that I wanted it, which caused the guy to think that maybe he could get some money out of the deal. He wants $250 for it, which is awesome, but I don't have that much due to bills of my own to pay first. Here are some pics: With original wheels: And the most damage is here on the drivers side: As you can tell with that last pic, the car might not have been started since 1996. From what I know, one tire has a hole, the engine has a blown head gasket, and might need some new fuel injectors. So I doubt the thing starts. All things considered, I can still scounger out some money if I really wanted to buy this Z. The question that I present to ya'll today is if it is worth it? Thx for your time, Slade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Well, judging buy the pics, it doenst look too bad.. whats the under side look like though? Me, Id jump on that. Partially because it REALLY resembles my first Datsun. (also the first CAR I ever bought) Same blue paint, and a similar state of dissrepair . $250 isnt a bad price if it's all there, and isn't too rough underneth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 If you can do the work on it yourself $250 is a great price and well worth picking it up, IF it's not covered in rust underneath. If it's either rusted, or you aren't going to be fixing it yourself, and you're on a limited budget, stay away. Rust costs a fortune to fix, and the headgasket and injectors wont be cheap. You're looking at at least another $200 in tires right off the bat. If you're paying someone to replace the headgasket and injectors, you're probably looking at over $1000. I love the ZX's as well as the first gen Z's. My first two Z's were 280zx's... I loved them for all the amenities, power everything, and I love the way they look, ESPECIALLY the blue and silver paint scheme. The downsides are.... they can be hard to make fast w/o a turbo, especially if you live somewhere that requires you to smog it. They are heavy, and they have this problem where they sag in the rear whenever you are accelerating. I went thru three different performance suspension setups and never got rid of that. They CAN have a lot of electrical problems. Both of mine did, but never really anything that would keep me from driving the car. The upside is that they are much more comfortable than the first gen Z's, and more solid as well. I know I'd love to have another one just as a daily driver. My second ZX, an '81 will over 280,000 miles on it, has been the most reliable car I've ever owned to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade Posted May 1, 2004 Author Share Posted May 1, 2004 Thank you very much for the input. I might go back and take pictures of the underside. Yeah I'm kinda strapped for cash at the moment but if I do get it, my goal is to get it running by the end of summer. And stock power is fine for me now; I'd rather drive around stock for a while just to get used to and get a good feel for the car. But man I would love to do some changes sooner or later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 305240 Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Go for it. Once you've been bitten by the Z bug , life is never the same. You're priorities seem to change somehow and you don't even care. If you don't, you will be like that old man in the Harley comercial. " I couldda had a Z way back when... " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 I got a running '75 Z for $300 in about that shape - L Qtr needs replacing and 1 hole in floor. Engine was STRONG! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade Posted May 1, 2004 Author Share Posted May 1, 2004 K, just got back after looking at it a second time: Interior: Dash: Underside from front: Underside from back: Now that I look at it again, I think it's really not worth it for me. It's just too much work for how much money I will be able to sink in it. I guess I'd rather buy one for more money, but at least running. And I confirmed, it hasn't been touched since 96. Driver side door won't open, and hood latch wouldn't pop the hood so I couldn't see the engine. If anyone wants to get this car for parts or whatever and is in or near the Fort Worth, TX area, I'll help get it. I myself might take it though if he is still giving it away in the end... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 305240 Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Slade, think a moment. From what I see by the pics, it's not in bad shape. Heck, the seats are worth the 250 alone. Not to mention the dash. I don't see any cracks. That alone is worth 300 or more. What I'm trying to say is if you get the car, and join a local Z club, they usually give club members a break on parts. Not to mention they usually have a fountain of information. you shouldn't have to put that much into it. Do some search on various items and find out what everyone has replace on their cars. I'm willing to bet you won't have that much to replace. I wish I were closer, I'd add it to my Z collection in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 man that interior is REALLY nice!!! Unfortunately the underside pics dont show me much... you really gotta get down there and see with your own eyes if there's a lot of rust. The main areas you want to check are the floorpans and frame rails. Surface rust is not too bad... but look for deep, badly rusted and deformed areas or holes. I'd buy it if it were me... knowing that I could go at fixing it a little at a time, and that saving up the money, though it would take some time, wouldn't be a problem. That's one of the cleanest 'beater' ZX's I've ever seen, and the interior alone is worth the asking price. Hell even if the engine is toast you can find running ZX engines used for $300 if you look, maybe even less. Sometimes it seems to me swapping an engine is easier than replacing a head gasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 Personally, I wouldn't touch it. Maybe (and only maybe) if it was free. As you said, you really want a first gen. Wait and get what you really want, otherwise you'll never be happy! For the amount of work that that car needs, I would rather be putting my efforts into a S30...... Just my 2c worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade Posted May 2, 2004 Author Share Posted May 2, 2004 lol, man and I had a hard enough time making a decision on my own, it seems like what ya'll say is exactly what's going through my head all the time. I might regret it but I already told my friend to tell him that I don't have the money, which is true anyway. Well, one of us is going to snap in the next few days; he's got to get rid of it in 2-3 days since his house is being repoed. It would actually cost him money to have it taken to a junk yard, or anywhere else, so it would be easier for him to see that it's cheaper to give it to me since i won't budge. Unless he sends it for scrap metal and melts it down; god I hope he doesn't do that... We'll see what happens. Thx again guys. Edit: Oh, and the reason I wanted a first gen was cause I knew more info about the car, swaps, etc. while I knew little from the ZX's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguy95135 Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 well the engine from a 280Z and a 280ZX are pretty much the same. I think the car is a good deal, you can always replace the engine with a junkyard one. Maybe after that you can resell it and get a first gen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade Posted May 2, 2004 Author Share Posted May 2, 2004 Hell even if the engine is toast you can find running ZX engines used for $300 if you look, maybe even less. Sometimes it seems to me swapping an engine is easier than replacing a head gasket. I was thinking that but when I googled the l28e, all I could find them for was $1000+. Care to point me to where the sell them for $300 plz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableSrv Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 Slade I second Tim's opinion on not getting it!! If you like first gens better then save for that, cause if not your going to have alot more pain with what you have than what you want!! Trust me I held out till I found a awesome 240z!!! since your local anything mechanical you might need fixed I'm a decent wrench monkey and I'm off on weekends to boot!! I'm not the best at electrical but installed my own kick ass sound system including customer fiberglass rear speaker pods and fiberglass sub box in spare tire well btw welcome to the club Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade Posted May 2, 2004 Author Share Posted May 2, 2004 Watauga? Man your real close! I'm up in the Eagle Mountain Lake area. Just like 10 minutes, if that, down the street from Watauga. My friend that has access to this ZX, works at the Auto Zone on Rufe Snow. Man we gotta hook up sometime, I'd like to see that Z of yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableSrv Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 LOL yea i'm off rufe snow and watauga rd. the road that connects them together aka stardust I'm off on weekends so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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