mikeycrum14

Hello!
New to the forum, and interested in purchasing a 280zx or zx turbo. I ran across this and it seems too good to be true. Your thoughts?
What I've been told:
Some new seat upholstery
vacuum lines
hvac checked up
brakes checked up/new rear left brake rotor
new paint
runs good
Newer tires
drives good
digital dash - works with no issues
betty still talks
bought as a collectible 9 years ago and only has 3k miles added since
roughly 140k miles
no oil leaks, valve tap, or rod knock
"dealership work with receipts"
Reason for sale - needs more space

Is this an amazing buy or a total scam?
Price he gave me: 2500$
https://us.letgo.com/en/i/datsun-280...b-805c617cf9ef
and
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/c...459563365.html

zxguy1986

Definitely fishy. The sale notices make almost no claims for 'running well' - or not. Running at all? "Drives good" when it is running? If you are too far away to drive there to check it out in person, walk away. If you can drive there and don't know your Zs well, take a pro mechanic with you. Tip him well for the service. You need to drive this Z. Mileage sounds too low as well. Get the VIN from the seller and run a Carfax check. If you buy an older Z out of love, great. She will require a lot of your time and money before she loves you back, so don't plan on running out of either before the love comes.

mikeycrum14

I'm actually away at school like 800 miles away. My dad/brothers (two of which are car savyish) would go look at it for me (they live within 2 hours). This is probably going to be my college car, driven every weekend and loved every moment. This would be my families first Z. My family thinks its fishy too. Still skeptical.

Should i even be thinking about a z as a reliable college car?

zxguy1986

I can't tell from your post how experienced you are mechanically. That Z is from the era (80s) when the on-board computer, if it has one, still working right, may give you some basic information but cannot really "solve" a small problem with performance. Hunting down the source of a glitch in a fairly complicated machine like the Z31 (my babies) can require a real understanding of autos component by component. I always relied on the best mechanics I could talk into working on my Z31s. I know very little about the S30s but I can tell you that a Z31 (1984 and on) well maintained and not abused, will run forever and be amazingly reliable day to day. I would expect the same from an S30 but I cannot say so from experience. If you are looking for and really need instant reliability, maybe you should be looking for a 90s Civic or maybe a Toyota that is running well. They are available in your price range and lower. The Z in those ads (35 years old now) seems fishy to me. The guy bought it as an "investment" but then what? Did he just give up on making it a reliable daily driver? Is there something about it now that makes it more of a dead weight in his driveway (or on his lot) than an investment - so he wants his money out of it? Anyway, your heart is in the right place. The Zs are fantastic cars if you pick up a good one. In any case, I would not buy any car I have have not driven - and that is your "step one," which is a problem you need to solve. And get the Carfax. Also go to http://www.car-part.com/ and check for recyclers near you who may have that Z model on the lot - full of parts you may need. You can't get'em from Nissan any more

mikeycrum14

This will be my second car. My first was a 81 Porsche 924. I am an engineering major at college. If that tells you what my mechanical ability is. I don't have a ton of experience, but I can figure it out. The 924 had fuel injection. When i wasn't driving it, I or me and my brother, were working on it (generally true). I like classics, they don't make them like they used to. I'm just going to say no to this car at this point (unless my dad goes and looks at it and says its really clean) because it seems fishy, and since i haven't driven it i will have no idea if i actually like the way it is. I don't want to buy a car that's a good deal but i hate it.

zxguy1986

Zackly, buddy!