bmwe30

I dont have too much time to choose on a new car,
so I cant do that much research right now,
I found an 83 280zx, I have not test drove it yet, it looks good all stock from what I can see it looks like great paint and interoir.

the bad is the speedo does not work and the obometer is out also, it stopped at 197000ish
what are some major problems that are usual for this year and car?

could I get an aftermarket cluster put in? how much?
my other questions are, what are the specs to these cars? how do they compare to other cars? I had a 89 bmw 325i would it be faster then that or about the same?
what are the aftermarket trends?
what are some ways to upgrade the motor/performance on a student budget?
he's asking 3900, is that a good price at a dealer?

NismoPick

Welcome to ZDriver!

We have a "buying checklist" sticky: https://www.zdriver.com/forums/240z-280zxt-s30-s130-tech-tips-275/280zx-common-problems-checklist-purchase-inspection-16386/

There's lots of upgrade options, and $3900 is probably quite high unless it is in tip top shape (doesn't sound like it is).

Bleach

more torque, less hosepower than the 325i. I think the 'feel' of it in normal driving would be that it has more power. (more in lower rpm range). I had a 1989 325i as well, but mine was an auto so it felt a lot slower.

What country are you in? You can buy used speedometers from another 280ZX online or in a wrecking yard. they are cheap and bolt right in.

bmwe30

I'm in north and south carolina, I think I might do that,
they say it has a digital speedo, can I just swap in a regular one?

oo ya whats the difference between z and zx?

speed280zx

well congrats on wanting to be a z (or zx) owner. i have an 82 280zx that the speedo does not work and the odom stopped as well. it probably just needs a new speedo cable. if there is something hanging unusually low underneith then thats tell tale. mine was scraped along the ground and basically skinned it so thats why i need to get a new one. its not hard trust me you dont even have to take your cluster out. and you can do it by jacking the car up in the driveway. if its not a bad cable maybe it came un-done it screws into the back of the cluster and screws into the gears in the tranny. two easy spots to get to.

but $3900 from a dealer i can understand good condition but it sounds too high as nismopick said. although it is a dealer so your going to get ripped by them either way. throw some pictures our way if you can. post them up it always helps

speed280zx

what i just said up there about the speedo cable might not apply to a digital dash.... sorry about that but i imagine it could be the same thing.


z's and zx's.... its history baby lol

bmwe30

it wont let me post yet, here is the link
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=19

what are some common modifications?

speed280zx

....damn. was definitely not expecting that. hmmm that thing is pristine lol. your correct in thinking its mainly stock. probably only the stereo is aftermarket. very clean and well kept. i'd say worth the $3900 but try payin $3500 or however much you wanna lowball him to get him to come down. its really clean.

common mods are like headlight covers, shifters, suspension, engine upgrades.. idk its suspect to be modified like anything else really

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/70-96 the z store can help with some of that. as well as black dragon and many other z only companies. there are stickys here for some of them as well.

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/240z-280zxt-s30-s130-tech-tips-275/where-buy-parts-your-280zx-18264/ - where to buy parts for the zx

NismoPick

Common mods are common mods... you can do intake & exhaust upgrades, engine upgrades, cosmetic upgrades, etc etc etc.

What kind of "mods" are you looking for?

The car looks good... but $3900 for an n/a is too much to me (maybe because I've bought a lot of 280zx's for $100 / $200 before).

bmwe30

haha I hear that, ya one reason for me is that car is very nice

for example a common mod for a e30 bmw 3 series is next generation m3 engine swap, z3 M coupe short throw shifter, and M3 conversion 4 to 5 lug

I'll say 3000 and see what he says

BTW I'm in the morket because I was rear ended by a yukon in my BMW totaled it...

bmwe30

what do you mean by it's too much for an n/a?
what is N/a?

Bleach

NA is naturally aspirated. (it sucks air instead of air being forced in, like a turbo does)
Basically NA or n/a is non-turbo.

East coast Zs are more rare... but you probably should pay around $2500. I bet the dealer will still be making good profit at that price. They probably gave someone $1000 trade-in value on it.

1975-78 is the 280Z
then the body style changed
1979-83 is the 280ZX
simple as that

suspension upgrade and body modifications are good to do. The car needs tighter springs and 1.5" lower ride height.

The digital dash was an option only in 1983 but you can't just swap out the cluster. Many of the sensors around the car are different to work with the digital gauges vs the analog. The swap to analog can be done but you'll have to find the threads dealing with that. They outline all the changes to be made.

parts cars where you live will be rare, but you're in the US so just hit eBay.

The interior on that car looks good. Test those heater controls! The "auto climate" is known to have issues. also be sure to test everything else as outlined in the "Buying a 280ZX" thread. power windows, locks, mirrors, steering...

snwbrderphat540

also common mods are swapping out the rear end for the one out of the 87/88/89 turbo 300zx because they had an LSD rear end, suspension mods are popular because these cars are light and handle great also as far as engine swaps go this is the car to do it. you could probably swap any of those bimmer motors in so far i have seen though all RB skyline motors use SR motors a 2jz any american V8 made a old jaguar v12 some nissan v8's 7mgte motors. literally just about anything and everything has or will be done.

bmwe30

will do, sucks to hear about the cluster,
at what rev is say 60mph in top gear?

he says the cluster comes on every now and again short or open in the cluster it's self?

bmwe30

I'm thinkin about putting an M motor in it, german engineering ya
haha

speed280zx

Alright then lol I'm withdrawing my statement lol. Where I'm at is rare for datsuns that's why I thought decent price. Although my excuse is that I'm new to owning a z :-D

Bleach

http://www.geocities.com/z_design_studio/

2375 rpm...

195/70/14 and 205/60/15 are factory tires sizes.
the 245/45/16 that shows up on that page is correct as well for 16" wheels.

NismoPick

Yep... Bimmers don't hold up well when wrecked. I know from personal experience just as you have.

bmwe30

I know right

bmwe30

I just test drove the car, drives fine,

I hear a funny noise from the top/frontish part of the motor
could this be the timing chain? how hard is it to replace?

if not what could it be?
car has 197000+ miles on it

NismoPick

Hum.. a funny noise?


Maybe you could elaborate on the funny noise? I quote myself from another recent "what could a weird noise be?" thread:

bmwe30

haha well it sounds like its a rotating hissing noise, sounds sorta like metal as well, I think I'll know more about the car tomorrow

could it be one of the one million hoses?

NismoPick

Could be a vacuum leak, loose belt, something touching a pulley or belt, worn pulley bearings, worn water pump.... who knows.

bmwe30

very good point, all these things are quick fixes though?

at over 200k what should I look for?

bmwe30

how much would a transmission be? should I be worried about the transmission?