Korsair

I'd normally do a long and boring introduction saying how I always liked the older Z's and what not, but I'll spare you all the suffering and get to the point

I recently found a couple of ~$1000 280ZXs in my area, and had the grand idea that they would make a fun project to bring back to their former glory.


I've got some questions though, and I'd like some opinions from people who live and work with 280ZX's if my plans are feesable or just setting myself up for trouble...

First off, I found two 1982s that I'm looking into, according to the owners they run great, have recently had a lot of stuff repaired/replaced such as radiators, alternators and a few other important parts... They're both $900, but I know one will go much lower than that. They both have current stickers, but are both ~220,000 mi.

I haven't seen them in person yet, but plan on it in a couple of days. I've read a few things to look for when buying, rust being a major one, but was wondering if there's a few more things too look for.

Now I plan to get this car as a project and restore it, but I am looking into using it as a daily driver for at most a few months. I have a beat up older Accord that just will not stop giving me a headache, and I would rather pour some sweat and money into something I'll enjoy more than a bloody run of the mill old Honda.

I plan on switching to a motorcycle as a dd in the next few months, and I could keep the Accord in the meantime, but it has a major coolant leak that is the current problem keeping it sitting in the driveway, but I would much rather drive the Z and ditch the Honda... Am I taking too much of a leap of faith in a 200,000+ mile Z?

Now I'm no car expert, but I've learned a lot recently and I really think the Z could be a great learning experience/project for me to start with... from what I've garnered they're forgiving and no where near as complicated as starting out on say... my other choice, an M3


All that aside, I've also got questions as to emissions. I live in Texas, and while both of the cars I'm looking at have recently passed and have current stickers, is it hard to get it to pass?

Are there any major things a Z noob should know? I would love to make a 280ZX my learning project, and bring it back to it's former glory.

NismoPick

Welcome to ZDriver!

Have you seen this checklist thread? https://www.zdriver.com/forums/240z-280zxt-s30-s130-tech-tips-275/280zx-common-problems-checklist-purchase-inspection-16386/

Korsair

haha thanks XD I tend to overlook things in my excitement...

In the process of talking to the sellers to get some more info, if it seems okay I'll be looking at them soon.

I'll post the info they give me and ask more stupid questions soon

njgheewala

Welcome to Zdriver, Questions are not stupid its just the manner you ask them LOL! Seriously though just do a search on the site and you will find most of the repair and maintenance stuff here. Also some pictures with the info given to you will be really helpful to tell you want you need to know.
Believe me we have some great experts on Z here and they can tell you a lot about your car by just looking at the pictures.

Yzzerdd

Where are you in TX? I used to have a 280ZX. I sold it last month. If you come across a 1982 280ZX that is green with t-tops, kindof ratty interior, about 216,000, and paint fade on the hood, don't buy it. I sold that trash for a reason. Don't get me wrong, I love the 280ZX, but that thing was in such bad condition(especially under the car) that it wasn't worth the $500 I paid for it or the $750 I sold it for. On the other hand, it had a brand new $100 battery.

Big things I'd watch for on the car, other than rust, is to check the steering. I mean jack up one side of the front and check the tie rod ends, bushings, boots, etc. Watch for frame damage under the car. Check to see if the heater at least works. Take it for a drive to warm it up and see if it still acts right. Check for things under the hood and under the car that just don't look right. Fluid leaks. Fluid Levels. Belts. Hoses. Etc.

Good luck!

--Ryan

Korsair

Right next to you Yzzerdd.. hah Flower Mound :/

Hah and no I haven't seen your Z for sale... looks like the owner hasn't tried to ditch it yet...

I'm quite busy, but I should be able to go check them out starting next week, as tempted as I am to just go with money in hand I might take the SLR instead and take a lot of pictures...

I'm going into this assuming that paying under a grand there will be problems, but I want to now what to try to avoid if I would like one that could run and get me a couple miles to work for a month or two, after that I can start doing major overhauls on it...

Yzzerdd

Did you ever try to buy the Z while it was still mine? I had two people from Flower Mound look at it. One person low-balled me $500 so they could enter it into the LeMans race/derby extravaganza, and another didn't even let me present it. They got out, took a glance, and were gone.

--Ryan

Korsair

Hah no... but that sounds like people from Flower Mound... we gotta lot of dicks here...

Well I just got back from the Zombieland Zombie walk hah so now I can check the cars out this weekend...

280zx2by2

ha i was almost in that movie... if only i was 18