boogalou1 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Been looking for a 280z for awhile, since my Z31 project is almost finished. I found a 77 280z 5-speed manual close by and took a look at it today. Car shows it has 39,000 miles on it and according to the owner, it belonged to his wife (original owner) who passed away about 3 years ago. She only drove it in the summer and always kept it garaged. When she passed He parked it in his barn and it's been sitting there ever since. Interior is in great shape, basic body is fine with no dents, engine looks clean for sitting for 3 years, etc. The bad thing is that it has bubble rust in a couple of places - underside of back of hood, front fenders at lower rear, passenger door at bottom of window, etc . I couldn't check out the rear panel area because there was no light in the barn except for what was coming through the door and the car was backed up to a wall. Rocker panels looked ok, and I didn't notice any rust under the car from what I could see. I'm pretty sure I can talk him down in price based on the rust I've found and the fact that it hasn't run in 3 years. I know he has some sentimental attachment to it since it was his wife's car, but he seemed ready for me to make any kind of offer since he is moving in another month and confided he didn't know to much about the car and wasn't very mechanically inclined to get it in running condition. I told him I would come back and look at it again if he could get it running (battery was dead) and move it outside so I could inspect the car better to look for rust. My only concern right now is the amount of body work I may have to do to restore and keep the rust from spreading. He did call me later to say that him and a buddy of his jumped the car and it did turn over. He said he would oil the cylinders and purchase a battery to attempt to get it started and get back with me. Any thoughts or suggestions on what else I should look for before I make an offer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismiller5157 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Nice find. I say grab it while you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boosted280 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 (edited) If the price is right I agree you should pick it up. Edited April 21, 2011 by lilt304 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z for XC Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Once the battery is there, check as many of the electrical as you can. Also, interior can be very expensive to restore and replace, so get an idea of the condition it is currently is and your goals with it. Ask about accident history. Another place to check for rust is the spare tire well. Rather then thinking the floors are solid, tap them with something like the butt end of a hammer. where it feels sort of soft is very likely rust through. You often can't guage the ammount of rush on the floor from underneath the car. Basically, look over everything you would want to be in good condition. Hope that helps a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddog437 Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Sounds like you got a good deal, I got my 280z out of a barn for 800 dollars and it has been my daily driver ever since, it had some rust but the interior is clean and has 64k original miles. Offer him 1000 bucks and take that ****! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two80z4me Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 *sigh*.... some peoples children. P.S. Make him a good offer after looking for the rust, then go for it. Focus on chassis rust and rear end, the rest is easy to fix mostly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Well a lot depends on the price. Even with 39K miles I would be hesitant to pay more that a few $K. It's the actual condition you need to look at. How is the Dash? How much rust is there? For 39K miles you could still have a ton of rust, since you don't know most of the cars 35 year history. Usually low low miles like that, there's a reason for it for this kind of age. look for accident evidence, or especially if the car has been repainted. The rust bubbling is concerning since you know the rust is way under the paint and likely rusted through the panel. Pinholes like that aren't too hard to fix, but the metal would be very thin. that is assuming they're just pinholes. Anyway, Think about what you want to use the car for and go from there. Don't expect perfection, it is 35+ years old. Talking the guy down is always warrented. good luck and Keep em' running!@ Oh PICTS PICTS PICTS!!@! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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