first z/1979 280zx

[cestan]

going to buy 79 280zx this weekend. driving 100 miles to get it. owner assures me it will drive back. anything special i should look at prior to purchase when i go down there? should be about 3grand. thanks

[BleachZee]

For that price it better run good!

 

Is it a regular driver for the current owner or is it parked a lot?

 

New spark plugs and new gas in the tank should get you back home without a problem. Once you're home doing a more thorough tune-up would be good.

[PhilbertZ]

$3K??!! wow that's a lot - do you have photos? Is it modded? Turbo?

[cestan]

well, everything works on it. no rust. not turbo. he owned it since 1989. second owner. less than 100000 miles. not daily driver. he essentially drives it on weekends only, otherwise in garage. some rips in seat, otherwise good to go. newly carpeted and painted. i didn't think price was that bad, but thats why i asked. i need to learn a lot and am open to all your advice. would love to hear other thoughts. has all the repair reciepts.

[PhilbertZ]

do you have a link to the posting/ad - with pics? you certain there's no rust? posting pics and the link of the ad would help guys here chime in on good/bad things to look for.

[cestan]

here are some pictures. more to follow. thanks

[cestan]

ok let me try this again. here r all the pictures i have. thanks for all your help. i have a lot to learn

[roger.svoboda]

unless you really really like it 3K is a bit much for zx. did you look for rust in the wheel well and under the rear carpet. those triangle windows like to leak. make sure all the electrical stuff works. parts getting hard to come by. how much mileage on it? If over 200k wheel bearings and steering components are suspect.

[roger.svoboda]

Looks like they cut the battery ground strap off and ran it straight to the starter. This is not the best thing to do. It should go to a body bolt just below the battery box and thence to the starter. ZX are real finicky about voltage and bad grounds can give you some headaches. No rust you say but looks like the spare tire is about ready to hit the ground thru the wheel well bottom. I wouldn't give 2K for that one. No battery hold down clamp good way to spray acid around the engine room. What ever that cardboard stuff is behind the driver seat you will have a hard time finding a decent panel unless you don't much care what interior looks like.

[woldson]

Looks like there is rust in the rear quarter panel as well.

Known rust spot.

[slownrusty]

For $3K..you are not getting much of a "deal"..in the past few months I looked at several '82 and '83 ZX Turbo cars, the cheapest one was $1700 and the most expensive was $4000, all were quite nice (need cosmetics but all ran great!).

 

So if were you I would keep looking and buy a turbo 5speed car (coupes look best), they are leaps and bounds much more enjoyable to drive than the 135hp normally aspirated ZX cars. Plus I see pretty significant rust in the spare tire wheel well (typical). That '79 car you are looking at is a "stripper" model (first year for the ZX S130 chassis) so does not even have factory aluminum wheels.

Good luck.

 

Yasin

[WV75Z]

NO WAY! For 3k keep looking. I picked up a sweet 83 turbo with all kinds of suspension upgrades for 2k, needed about 1k worth of mechanicals, wear items etc. right away, now for 3k I have a FAR better ride than that one.

 

At the very least for that much you would probably want t-tops and an 81-83 with the higher compression motor.

 

There was recently a really nice clean looking maroon turbo for sale on here for $3500.

 

I wouldn't pay more than $1500 for that one, if I even wanted it in the first place.

 

I'm not trying to be rude, but you need to watch the market more, you can do better with that much money!

 

Just curious, where are you located? That has a bearing on what you can find, but you have to be willing to travel a bit to get what you want.

[jayzrocket]

Absolutely, 1,500 at best. These guys are right, and like the gentleman said before "not trying to be rude" but you can do much better for that kind of $. Just take a little time and keep your eyes open, you will be much happier. I found one sittin in a dry climate field that hadn't been driven or even started for 15+ yrs, 83 turbo 5spd bought it for 800 bux towed it 100 mls to home and all she needed was a fuel pump.

Rust free, very very hard to find but they are out there.

P.S. Welcome to this site, it has been the biggest help to me!

[dave280zx]

I 12th that motion. I dont know about Florida, but here in Cali you can get the same year, same condition for 1/3 that! If you're fine with over 100K miles, then think even lower... I would take everyone else's advice and show up with about $1500 cash. Cash seems to make people a little more interested in lowering their price. Tell the guy you could fly across the continent, buy the exact same thing, drive it home, and have almost a grand left over.

[frank280zx]

id say look on craiglist or ebay .. buy a ZX in SoCAl for anywhere between $1000 $2000 in the same .. or better shape ..

I bought two there that where better and i seem em pop up allot for less aswel.

 

Then use the other 1k to get it transported to your house or fly down and drive back

While you there you can stop at MSA for some stuff

 

Or if you dont want to drive as far ..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-280zx-1979-Datsun-280zx-FL-car_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a317Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem3a4e06c206QQitemZ250417168902QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks

 

It looks like a fairer car than the one you linked to us.

 

or this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1979-Datsun-280ZX-All-Numbers-Matching_W0QQitemZ160333294293QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item25549bead5&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A317|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

 

What we are saying .. dont buy the car you linked .. it is not worth much more than a 1000

[datsun79z]

Cestan;

 

$3,000 is high for a ZX in that condition. Personally I like the ZX's, however most people do not. For that reason they are not in high demand. Not only that but parts for the ZX are harder to obtain (not as many were made compared too the Z) I speak from personal experiance. For comparison purposes, a gentleman showed up at our Car Club meeting in Portland, Oregon last night with a 77 Z. Very minor rust, both frame rails were undamaged (you always need to check for this), all the glass was in good condition, all window and door seals were fine, the dash board was uncracked (very unusual), the car drove nicely and it had 76,000 miles on it. He is asking $1,300 with a clean title. It could be in your best interest to watch as many ads as possible, maybe even concider flying out West too pick up a rust free West coast car. I hope you find this information useful.

[frank280zx]

Cestan;

 

$3,000 is high for a ZX in that condition. Personally I like the ZX's, however most people do not. For that reason they are not in high demand. Not only that but parts for the ZX are harder to obtain (not as many were made compared too the Z) I speak from personal experiance. For comparison purposes, a gentleman showed up at our Car Club meeting in Portland, Oregon last night with a 77 Z. Very minor rust, both frame rails were undamaged (you always need to check for this), all the glass was in good condition, all window and door seals were fine, the dash board was uncracked (very unusual), the car drove nicely and it had 76,000 miles on it. He is asking $1,300 with a clean title. It could be in your best interest to watch as many ads as possible, maybe even concider flying out West too pick up a rust free West coast car. I hope you find this information useful.

 

Eeehm the s130 was sold in bigger numbers then the Z, I think it was the best sold sports car in the world for a while.

The aftermarket support in suspension is a bit harder.. but you can easely use s13 stuff or z31 for that matter

[WV75Z]

I have had a 75 and a couple 83's. I like the zx really well, you could argue for either one as a street driven car. Now for racing and such I can't really comment but it seems as though people prefer the z series. I guess most people on here are more into performance but I really like t-tops..lol.

 

I hope you check on this for updates before you go buy that car, you're getting a lot of friendly advice that will make you happier in the long run. Besides, with a decent budget like yours, shopping is half the fun!

[cestan]

wow. i am sure learning a lot. am going to take all your advice and not purchase the car unless less than a grand. i will continue to look and read. not really sold on zx. really like the 280z snd the rounded body. if go with zx will need to consider 84 and greater. really need an automatic but my heart wants standard. wife wants auto so will compromise. if the mommy bear is not happy no one is happy. would like to hear from anyone who has a good car for sale. will continue to look and read. am not opposed to travel but car will need to be in good enough shape to get it back to florida. once again thanks and i hope to contribute in the near future.

[WV75Z]

There is a super sweet 82 turbo automatic in the classifieds for $3500. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=147281 Fresno Ca may not be practical though.

 

Or this turbo automatic in Arizona http://www.zcar.com/forums/read/8/2037557

 

Even if these are to far away you can get an idea of what you can find.