Guest NJ280z Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Hey guys, I found a fully restored 1978 280z for $5000 in my area, wondering if it's a good deal. It's in great shape, minor imperfections and has 130,000 original miles. It starts right up and runs smooth. No rust. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 No rust. No Z in the Northeast is rusty. When you go look at it again, assuming this is your first Z car, bring someone with rusty Z experience just to be sure. I WANT TO KEEP YOU FROM GETTING RIPPED OFF SO DON'T TAKE RUST LIGHTLY. Good luck. Where in NJ are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NJ280z Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 No Z in the Northeast is rusty. When you go look at it again, assuming this is your first Z car, bring someone with rusty Z experience just to be sure. I WANT TO KEEP YOU FROM GETTING RIPPED OFF SO DON'T TAKE RUST LIGHTLY. Good luck. Where in NJ are you? Central Jersey, Old Bridge area. I had a Z car once before. A 1973 240Z and lost the battle with rust on that one. Though I did sell it to an enthusiast who owned his own body shop and had done restorations before. I don't know if I'm going to get this car though for another reason. After my 240z, I've had the following; 1996 Ford Mustang Cobra (bought with blown motor, replaced with rebuilt 1998 motor.) 2002 Ford F150 Lightning (modified) 2003 Ford Mustang Cobra (modified) 2004 Ford Mustang Cobra (stock) As you can see, I've been driving a lot of high horsepower Fords (I worked for a dealership), I don't know if going to a 280z car with an 170hp motor is going to make me happy. heh heh. Thanks for the responses guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I have a 240 with a LS1! lol You can ditch the 170hp motor and get a Ford v8 in there. Since you had a Z before, you know where to look for rust....look hard and long for that kind of cash you will spend. Hope to invite you to the next tri state get together in your new 280z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Need pics of the rust areas.......paint hides everything. Also when you go to look at the car, bring a magnet with you. Cover it with paper towel and run it across the paint to check for bondo. Be sure to check the floors, spare tire, battery area, frame rails, firewall, brake lines. The car looks good in the pics but make sure you are buying a true resto car...not a paint job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I don't know if going to a 280z car with an 170hp motor is going to make me happy. heh heh. Now that is funny. This is HybridZ. All of our Z's have 170hp here. As a matter of fact, mine has a 170hp motor also. It's sitting right next to the Z in my garage on the floor. Wanna race? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnZ Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Didn't Mull buy a "rust free" 240? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Didn't Mull buy a "rust free" 240?sure did. and i just bought a 240z that only needed floor pans and subframes...NOT! do yourself a favor and get one from CA or AZ thats rust free or close to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Are you going to buy it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73DatsunZ Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Seriously, sounds pretty nice to me if theres no rust. If you had pics, that would be awesome. And if you slapped a decent HP Ford V8 in there, your Z would be like "bye bye '04 Cobra" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 I would pay $5k for a rust free 280. But like EvilC says, paint hides everything. Hell, even carpet and sound deadening hides things. I have owned my 240 for over 20 years now and I didn't know a section of my floor pan needed replacing until I went to put in subframe connectors. The tar must have detatched years ago trapping water underneath. Something I wouldn't have found if I hadn't removed the tar for the SFC. Just finished the job last night. One could say I got burned by my own car. I'll bet you could put a 5.0 in there for less than $4K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4xwellmurd3r Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 i went under my car with a wrench once and knocked around the floor panels to see if any of it was weak from rust XP never heard a change in the sound really. it's all there with no holes. Doesn't surprise me though. i got a 62vw that was in restorable condition (no rust anywhere) UNTIL i moved to NC. the weather ATE the car away, and did well, 40 years worth of damage, in 2 years. pretty much, it went from a blast and paint job, to what would have been 3k+ worth in body repair. That being said. my Z will never stay on the east coast very long, and will never see the beach XP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 PoP is right, my car had a rusted spot on the floor that I didn't see until I was installing the BADDOG v8 frame rails. Just look everything over.....twice. A second pair of eyes is always better to have with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NJ280z Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Are you going to buy it? Sorry to leave you guys hanging. As it turns out, I may be losing access to my garage/shop soon so I don't think buying this particular car would make sense right now. I hope another one will come along in the future though, I love the idea of V8 Z car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Sorry to leave you guys hanging. As it turns out, I may be losing access to my garage/shop soon so I don't think buying this particular car would make sense right now. I hope another one will come along in the future though, I love the idea of V8 Z car! Is it possible for you to send me the link to the car or info, I know someone in the market right now. Sorry to hear about the shop....cars will come and go but you have to do what is best for you. Clive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z2NV Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 'pop n wood', a rust free 280Z for $5k is VERY possible in CA and AZ. I have seen them RECENTLY. Get on the net, if you find one in the SF Bay Area, I'll be happy to check it out for you, and I have pretty extensive rust detecting experience. 'EvilC', same goes for you. I SERIOUSLY doubt that a 30+ yo NE car is "Rust Free"...that'd be like lightning striking you in the eyeball and you only get a headache [WTF, where did that analogy come from?!]. I am happy to check cars out for people out of the area, within a reasonable amount of distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 NJ280Z any info on the car you were going to buy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.