Hey i'm a seventeen year old with no real history with cars, but i really like the 280 and my mom had one back when they first came out. I was wondering if this car is a good one to try to fix up. Is it a good unexperienced project car?

 

great project car for a first timer. pretty easy to work on, pretty easy to find parts for, and plenty of people online willing to help. as long as you keep your expectations realistic (i.e. no, you will not be running 10s. dont even ask.) and don't get something that is too far gone, you should be good.

 

Welcome to ZDriver!!!

I was 17 when I got my 280zx... 10 years ago. Hopefully you have some kind of "mechanical experience" tho... kinda hard to work on cars if you don't know what you are doing.

Rule #1... go to your local auto parts store and buy a 280ZX HAYNES MANUAL. It has ALL the basic and advanced steps to maintenance and rebuilding the car. It will be the best $14 investment into the car you can make.

It is a very basic car... but you do need to know the basics about cars / motors and how they function. I suggest taking several auto repair classes in your schooling.

 

dude. stfu ur not 27. lol. E is barely 25 im 20..... in a couple months DAMN YOU 21!!!! i just want to go to bars and pick up some hoochies. but any who. i was 17 when i got my first Z. but it was a 300ZX and my dads dad used to own a gas station (back when they serviced cars) so i learnt ALOT from him, at 19 got my S30 (very similare to s130) and with out knowing anything about the cars did my research and turbo'd it. but lets not go there, other memebers know why. basically they are an easy car to access everything, and very simple in how they work. you can tare one apart in a day put it back together in 2. by urself. its all about patience and learning. now LEARN !!!!

 

welcome to zdriver, i had my 280zx when i was 17, great car, good power, good handling. dont upgrade it straight away, drive the thing, get to know it and do lots of research, then upgrade. it will be a great car to have and keep, just dont try and drive in the snow. get a winter beater.

 

If I had no mechanical experience whatsoever and ended up changing the timing belt with the help of a manual on an 85' 300ZX I think someone with a 280ZX and the Haynes guide should be good to go.

 

Hell Yeah Zs are good project cars, i got my 87 300z to work in just under a weekend and sold it that same weekend! My 80 280zx is killing me but its my lack of $$ thats the problem. With a manual you should have no problem at all, and it never hurts to take a few auto classes at the local junior college, you may even make a career out of it like i did for a while. Welcome to Z Driver! may the Z be with you!

 

Yes man, believe me and everyone on here. The 280zx is a great project car. I found my mechanical ability. I thought I never had, or ever would achieve. The L28 engine is a simplified piece of machinery. I have learned a lot on this car and it's components. Over a period of 7 + years, and still learning more as I go. Back in '00 I picked up my lifelong addiction. hehe I wouldn't change it for anything, it was meant to be.

I now own 4 280zx's, and still want another older Z. But will save that for one of my threads. Anyway don't pay too much for one. Shop and research carefully, and smart. By the way, what kind or year of one are you thinking about? And anything you need, or help with. We will be there for you as much as we can. But yes go get yourself a Haynes manual to start with. And you are good to go. And good luck to you, and welcome to Zdriver.

 

Mustang!!!

 

okay thanks

 

banned!!!

 

280zx's are great project cars. even the slightly more complicate turbo setup is a breeze. i bought mine back in august with intentions of doing a V8 swap, then drove it and decided i liked the strait 6 plenty enought. and it is insanely simple to work on. With less than three months of ownership, i regularly sit out in the parking lot and tear one component or another out, dismantel it, look it over, put it back on/in and drive it to work again the next morning. They are that simple. Now education is a must for anything, so get that haynes manual, and if your doing major work, there is also a book called How to rebuild your Nissan & Datsun OHC Engine. same company also offers How to books on Restoring your Z-Car and Modifying your L28 Engine. If you are buying the turbo zx and do have modifications planned down the road, better check out Maximum Boost By Corky Bell. Best and most informative book ever written about ANYTHING to do with turbo-chargers.

 

dude asking if a 280zx is a good car on a 280zx forum is like taking a date to a wedding...it's a sure thing!

btw good choice on car haha

 

right on you got ya first 280zx good job, they are a awsume car with heaps of potential for anything, if your a motor sports fan ya got to go zed! i broght my first 280zx wen i was 15 and stiil drive it to this day and i am 19 and the 280zx has taught me everything and is now one of the fastest street regesterd 280zx around running a 6. but my point is once you star doing up a 280zx there aint nothing else like it!

long live the 280zx