NismoPick

The 280zx isn't a spaceship or ufo. Treat it like any other car. Look for classic signs of abuse, check the fluids, tires, underside... yada yada yada... all the stuff already outlined in the checklist sticky.

How much would a tranny be? That depends on how much you can buy one for...

Honestly, I hope you don't buy it for $3900. You can buy a nice 280zx for $100 - $2000 if you look around. www.craigslist.com is a great place to look.

bmwe30

I said hey I'll give you 2200 and he is really considering it so....

I'm going up there tomorrow and I'm going to give him the fact about whats wrong with it and I'll cut him down

NismoPick

Now ya talkin!

bmwe30

ooo ya with all the 280z's and 280zx's are the motors universal?

NismoPick

yep... there's some differences between years for pistons & block castings, but they are all interchangeable... just do some research & you will see.

bmwe30

well thats good, keep your fingers crossed

oo ya while test driving it water leaked on to my foot... today was not a wet day so...

snwbrderphat540

was it water? or brake fluid? if it was water your heater core is leaking or the valve for it is leaking. if its break fluid i doubt it would have leaked on your foot but then the master brake or clutch cylinder has crapped out on yah.

bmwe30

how hard would that be to fix, the heatercore?

Niku-Sama

i dont think it should be leaking any coolant on the driver side all that stuff isnt on the passenger side isnt it?

NismoPick

For future reference: "How hard?" is relative. How hard is it to fly to the moon? Not hard if you are an astronaut... pretty hard for the average person.

If you can use basic hand tools (ratchet, screwdriver, etc) and can use a Haynes manual, you can do it.

But yes, like Niku Sama said, heater core is on pass side...

snwbrderphat540

right but i know the valve is in the center thats why i offered the alternative, but freaky crap happens. where did the water come from do you know? and did you try to smell it? sounds weird but you can smell coolant and brake fluid and water apart from each other

bmwe30

it was on the left side of my left foot, no where near the center,
I did not have enough time to check it out that deeply because the shop was closing soon,
I'm going up there today though, full force

njgheewala

Funny you mention that water leak...my brother in law (who has a 300ZX '89) had the same leak but on the passenger side. That is a heater core and it has already been bypass. I don't think that they would make changes to the location of the heater core...I think you should also check on the passenger side under the carpet and stuff and see if there is any moisture or puddle.
here is the link to his post on a different forum...please excuse the link since his car is z31.
http://z31.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7811
I would check the passenger side to make sure...

bmwe30

I'll take a look at it,
anyone have any ideas?

NismoPick

Snw mentioned several already.......

bmwe30

I know but everyone says thats on the passenger's side,
so...
I'm going up there today to check on it in depth

dustin_ra

I agree that 3900 is way to much. I bought mine for 2000, then put in about another 2000 and I am happy with it.

Things wrong, hmm well high beam low beam does not work only high beam does, A/C quit but dont really car i like the tops off and the feel of ambient air. Also my 2nd gear sync is a bit bad, only at high revs but if I drive it soft there are no tranny issues.

The 2000 I put into it included new paint, tires, cleaning of the fuel system, and exhaust.

If you hear a funny noise just go faster until you can no longer hear it.

If I wasnt a college student I would love to go with the RB26 as an upgrade but who wouldnt, come on an est of an easy 800 hp would be a bit fun. WOW deff would have to buy wider tires. NAH whats the fun of not doing a mile long burn out,, haha if the car would even move......

snwbrderphat540

like i said smell it! there is a sill in a sense under the dash its possible water just collected on it and rained down when you hit the brakes. however where did the water come from is the problem? seriously, if it happens smell it. wipe it off your shoe with your finger and smell your finger. you'll look stupid as hell but be making a smart move. also i said could be one of the masters failing but if it was the brake master it would leak into the vac booster and if it were the clutch master it really should leak on your foot nor hold pressure for very long in the pedal. so start looking at the other options.

bmwe30

I will do that,
the guy said it will be sold tomorrow but he will let me know if it doesnt
if I get the chance to buy it I'll lay down and look up under the dash

NismoPick

It will be sold tomorrow??? Meaning someone is buying it? He's pullin your leg? It's only for sale tomorrow?

Where do you live? and why aren't you looking for Z's in craigslist?

PLEASE ELABORATE IN YOUR POSTS. Thanks.

280zx2by2

take the car for a hard test drive and see if any thing breaks...

i did that with my car and except for a skipping pick-up coil my car has never broke down, been driving it for half a year 40 miles on every week day since that fix

snwbrderphat540

dumb kid ^^^^^ its at a dealership if you do one hard shift they squeeze your *****, if something breaks and they can claim you at fault for hard driving or similar you just bought a car. don't be such and idiot. you can do a couple pulls so you can listen for anything weird but taking a car on a hard test drive to see if something breaks is really ignorant.

bmwe30

I did get up on it a few times
it sounded ok,
the motor makes that noise though,
my buddy is a Z man (260z) he'll be looking at it soon if it is still there, I'll let you guys know if it gets sold
I looked on Craigslist but they were all out of my budget or they were broken down

bmwe30

FORGET ABOUT THAT CAR!!!!
I found a new one

njgheewala

pics pics and more details please.