A local mechanic is selling a 79 280zx that was abandoned by a previous owner and sat there for 2 years.
Body is in decent shape except for a dent on a quarter panel.
Don't really know much about this one.
He says it runs but needs some work
He's asking $600 for it, so i'm thinking about buying it as a temp. DD to drive 4 miles to work.

 

Get it!

 

More pics:







I'm very familiar with S30 but don't know that much about s130

But I think it's not bad for $600

It'll definitely need a good tune up but he said it runs

 

Yes, get it. Good price.

But on the conservative side, is it a little fishy that the PO left it at a mechanic's place? How did that Z get there and what did the mechanic tell the PO that made him abandon his beautiful Z? Z owners hate to leave their Zs and walk away... They almost never do that.

"..it needs some work..." Did the mechanic then figure out that if he fixed it himself, he could get paid from the sale price? Doesn't look that way to me; the asking price is way too low for a car that has been abandoned and then heavily worked on. Looks like the mechanic could be selling a serious dog that broke down, was abandoned and then he didn't want to fix - or maybe is not fixable - without major serious time and bucks. I think you better drive that baby for a hour or so if "it runs," like he says. You will know what the deal is.

Is there a title in your deal - and is it clear? Does the mechanic have it - or are you on your own for the title. Can't register that Z without one, no matter the condition. You will need a clean title.

So, I guess I'm saying 'buyer beware.' Unless you are experienced with the 280Zs and really know them inside and out, you may be looking at a sale-priced nightmare. All things are possible, unfortunately.

 

He told me the guy just disappeared, so the car has been sitting there for 2 years. He told me clutch is new, injectors are new, fuel pump is new, rebuilt starter and gas tank has new seals. He's doing a lien sale so he has no pink slip but all paperwork for lien sale is done.

I will definitely drive it before i buy it, interior is pretty decent, very little visible rust on the body.

I'll post more pics.

I'm familiar with S30's since I've been working on my 280z vg30 project for over a year now but i am not very familiar with S130.

 

 

Cool enough. Maybe you're in on a real prize! Eyes open, too. She clearly needs some work. If that is your goal and you have the time and skill and bucks, you found her!

 

would you say it's a good price for it?

 

Well, we don't know really what she needs to run the way you want. Some guys are happy enough with a Z that just gets them to work and back and maybe runs around town. Not reliable on the highway - no problem. They have another car for the highway and long distance.

Others guys (like me) are not happy at all until it runs just like new, everything working right - and all the time. That takes obsession, time, labor and serious bucks. But we get it done eventually.

As a general rule, any car costing less than $1000-$2000 these days is a craps shoot. The seller just want to dump it and is telling you that in the price. If you find a diamond in the pile, you win. The current price for that Z is easily recovered if you put some work into her, get her reliably starting and running well - under all conditions. She could go for $2000 next week if she's not already doomed.

I think an hour driving her will tell you a lot. We don't know what your skill level is (it's way over mine!) but you will have a really good sense of how that Z will run if you put some work into her. So take her for a spin. The price, like Nismo said, is clearly a bargain price - after you check her out...

 

Well if i do get it, it'll mostly be used to commute 3-4 miles to work and around town and as a backup car.

I already have a 280z project so I'm not planning to do any major work besides getting it in a decent running condition. At least not until i'm done with a current project.

I usually do most of the work myself

 

OK so you're good to take on a project with this one. It may already be running enough to be your daily driver. Our S130 guys here are serious and know their stuff so they can help out as you move on it. Let us know how the test run goes. We may have some pointers.

You already know your service manuals are freebies from XenonS30 and XenonS130 - S130 Reference , yes? They come in handy.

 

thanks!