Advice on which 280zx to buy?
08-07-2016 | 09:00 AM
#1
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 6
Advice on which 280zx to buy?
So I'm in Saudi Arabia (fun stuff, I know) and looking to get my first Z car (280zx to be precise).
I've found a few and narrowed it down to two (both are 2 seaters).
1st one is an '81 ZX, base model, no digital dashboard, no power steering, no power windows etc. with 82K miles on it. I test drove it, ran just fine, no rust spots except for a dot here or there on the hood, but they're just minuscule dots, and I don't think I'll be facing any major rust problems here in the desert
Asking price is $10,132 to be exact (after converting currencies). Seller isn't going lower. Imported from Texas a year or so ago.
2nd one is an '83 with the digital dashboard, power steering and power windows etc, with 118K miles on it. Haven't physically checked it out yet, but seems to be in decent condition. Let's assume rust isn't an issue on this one either. Seller mentioned it needs a new compressor for the A/C (I need a decent A/C in this hot country...tired of arriving all sweaty to the office, but that's a different story regarding my current '89 Civic), and he's asking $6666 for it (rounding up
). I'm sure I can bring the price down a bit lower after seeing it in person, but let's say that's the price we're working with.
If it matters, 1st one is in a nice silver color, 2nd one is a nice black color (I'm more inclined to the black paint-job, but silver is nice as well).
Now, I've been lurking and reading a bit here and there but I'd still like some advice, which one should I get, especially considering the mileage and price.
1st one obviously has much lower miles, but is that mileage worth that price?
Do the digital dash and power windows/steering add any value to the price of the 2nd car?
Does the faulty compressor add significant cost in repairs to the 2nd car? Is it a lengthy fix, or just a simple swap that I can do myself?
I plan to keep whichever Z I buy long term, and use it as my daily car (only within the city though, no inter-city driving).
(P.S. Interestingly enough, when I test drove the first car the stick could go further to the left beyond the 1st/2nd gears. As in, I could push it and it would be out of gear, and further to the right of the 1st and 2nd gears. I don't know if that is the way it's supposed to be or is something faulty? This gave me a bit of scare when I drove it, going from 1st gear to 2nd, I found it wasn't going into 2nd, rather it was grinding the gears. I quickly learned not to push it that far to the left, but is that normal?
(links to both for pictures, just scroll down to see them):
1st car, '81 ZX:
https://haraj.com.sa/1114677807/%D9%...7%D9%84%D8%A9/
2nd car, '83 ZX:
https://haraj.com.sa/1114702794/%D8%...9%D9%8A%D8%A9/
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this! I'm looking forward to getting my first Z car
I've found a few and narrowed it down to two (both are 2 seaters).
1st one is an '81 ZX, base model, no digital dashboard, no power steering, no power windows etc. with 82K miles on it. I test drove it, ran just fine, no rust spots except for a dot here or there on the hood, but they're just minuscule dots, and I don't think I'll be facing any major rust problems here in the desert
Asking price is $10,132 to be exact (after converting currencies). Seller isn't going lower. Imported from Texas a year or so ago. 2nd one is an '83 with the digital dashboard, power steering and power windows etc, with 118K miles on it. Haven't physically checked it out yet, but seems to be in decent condition. Let's assume rust isn't an issue on this one either. Seller mentioned it needs a new compressor for the A/C (I need a decent A/C in this hot country...tired of arriving all sweaty to the office, but that's a different story regarding my current '89 Civic), and he's asking $6666 for it (rounding up
). I'm sure I can bring the price down a bit lower after seeing it in person, but let's say that's the price we're working with. If it matters, 1st one is in a nice silver color, 2nd one is a nice black color (I'm more inclined to the black paint-job, but silver is nice as well).
Now, I've been lurking and reading a bit here and there but I'd still like some advice, which one should I get, especially considering the mileage and price.
1st one obviously has much lower miles, but is that mileage worth that price?
Do the digital dash and power windows/steering add any value to the price of the 2nd car?
Does the faulty compressor add significant cost in repairs to the 2nd car? Is it a lengthy fix, or just a simple swap that I can do myself?
I plan to keep whichever Z I buy long term, and use it as my daily car (only within the city though, no inter-city driving).
(P.S. Interestingly enough, when I test drove the first car the stick could go further to the left beyond the 1st/2nd gears. As in, I could push it and it would be out of gear, and further to the right of the 1st and 2nd gears. I don't know if that is the way it's supposed to be or is something faulty? This gave me a bit of scare when I drove it, going from 1st gear to 2nd, I found it wasn't going into 2nd, rather it was grinding the gears. I quickly learned not to push it that far to the left, but is that normal?
(links to both for pictures, just scroll down to see them):
1st car, '81 ZX:
https://haraj.com.sa/1114677807/%D9%...7%D9%84%D8%A9/
2nd car, '83 ZX:
https://haraj.com.sa/1114702794/%D8%...9%D9%8A%D8%A9/
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this! I'm looking forward to getting my first Z car
08-08-2016 | 01:19 PM
#2
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 172
From: NH, formerly CT
I personally like slightly different styling of the earlier cars better (79-81) with the chrome bumpers and whatnot, and honestly I'm not a fan of the digital dash much at all.
But if I were you I'd most likely get the '83. Improvements were made every year, and the '82s & '83s were a better car all around, better brakes/transmission/etc, plus it sounds like the '83 is much better equipped with the power windows and stuff. Also I personally like black cars a lot better than silver (although in the desert the black would get much hotter so it's a trade off). Neither car has very high mileage on it, sure the '81 has a little less but not $4,000 dollars worth. Even if it does need a little work on the AC, with the money you saved you can fix it easily and still have a lot left over.
It would be easy enough to swap the compressor yourself but you would still need to pay someone to refill the system after you replace it which doesn't cost a lot (and technically you should have the refrigerant evacuated instead of releasing it all into the atmosphere when you remove the old one, but I can't honestly say I've ever done that before and I've taken apart more than a few A/C systems). Even at a shop I really can't imagine they'd charge much, parts are very cheap for these cars and they're very easy to work on. Simply changing the compressor can't book more than an hour or two max, even that seems steep to me. In my driveway with basic hand tools it would take much less than that.
Assuming they're both in similar condition (I know you have only seen one of them in person so far), sounds like a no-brainer to me. Go with the '83. A better performing, better equipped car for thousands of dollars less. 118k is not very high mileage (especially not for a 33 year old vehicle), that car will easily give you another 100k miles without skipping a beat. With the exception of rust and electrical issues, mechanically these cars are pretty much indestructible. I wouldn't be worried to buy one that had 200k miles on it if it was properly maintained. You're right it would be nice to have even lower mileage but hell no way is it worth spending that much more money when we're talking ~35k miles.
Good luck buying your car. Whichever one you choose you will have plenty of fun with it. They're both great cars, and they both look really nice in the pictures. Lol I couldn't read anything on the page but the pics looked good to me.
But if I were you I'd most likely get the '83. Improvements were made every year, and the '82s & '83s were a better car all around, better brakes/transmission/etc, plus it sounds like the '83 is much better equipped with the power windows and stuff. Also I personally like black cars a lot better than silver (although in the desert the black would get much hotter so it's a trade off). Neither car has very high mileage on it, sure the '81 has a little less but not $4,000 dollars worth. Even if it does need a little work on the AC, with the money you saved you can fix it easily and still have a lot left over.
It would be easy enough to swap the compressor yourself but you would still need to pay someone to refill the system after you replace it which doesn't cost a lot (and technically you should have the refrigerant evacuated instead of releasing it all into the atmosphere when you remove the old one, but I can't honestly say I've ever done that before and I've taken apart more than a few A/C systems). Even at a shop I really can't imagine they'd charge much, parts are very cheap for these cars and they're very easy to work on. Simply changing the compressor can't book more than an hour or two max, even that seems steep to me. In my driveway with basic hand tools it would take much less than that.
Assuming they're both in similar condition (I know you have only seen one of them in person so far), sounds like a no-brainer to me. Go with the '83. A better performing, better equipped car for thousands of dollars less. 118k is not very high mileage (especially not for a 33 year old vehicle), that car will easily give you another 100k miles without skipping a beat. With the exception of rust and electrical issues, mechanically these cars are pretty much indestructible. I wouldn't be worried to buy one that had 200k miles on it if it was properly maintained. You're right it would be nice to have even lower mileage but hell no way is it worth spending that much more money when we're talking ~35k miles.
Good luck buying your car. Whichever one you choose you will have plenty of fun with it. They're both great cars, and they both look really nice in the pictures. Lol I couldn't read anything on the page but the pics looked good to me.
Last edited by Switchtr3; 08-08-2016 at 01:30 PM.
08-08-2016 | 02:23 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 6
I personally like slightly different styling of the earlier cars better (79-81) with the chrome bumpers and whatnot, and honestly I'm not a fan of the digital dash much at all.
But if I were you I'd most likely get the '83. Improvements were made every year, and the '82s & '83s were a better car all around, better brakes/transmission/etc, plus it sounds like the '83 is much better equipped with the power windows and stuff. Also I personally like black cars a lot better than silver (although in the desert the black would get much hotter so it's a trade off). Neither car has very high mileage on it, sure the '81 has a little less but not $4,000 dollars worth. Even if it does need a little work on the AC, with the money you saved you can fix it easily and still have a lot left over.
It would be easy enough to swap the compressor yourself but you would still need to pay someone to refill the system after you replace it which doesn't cost a lot (and technically you should have the refrigerant evacuated instead of releasing it all into the atmosphere when you remove the old one, but I can't honestly say I've ever done that before and I've taken apart more than a few A/C systems). Even at a shop I really can't imagine they'd charge much, parts are very cheap for these cars and they're very easy to work on. Simply changing the compressor can't book more than an hour or two max, even that seems steep to me. In my driveway with basic hand tools it would take much less than that.
Assuming they're both in similar condition (I know you have only seen one of them in person so far), sounds like a no-brainer to me. Go with the '83. A better performing, better equipped car for thousands of dollars less. 118k is not very high mileage (especially not for a 33 year old vehicle), that car will easily give you another 100k miles without skipping a beat. With the exception of rust and electrical issues, mechanically these cars are pretty much indestructible. I wouldn't be worried to buy one that had 200k miles on it if it was properly maintained. You're right it would be nice to have even lower mileage but hell no way is it worth spending that much more money when we're talking ~35k miles.
Good luck buying your car. Whichever one you choose you will have plenty of fun with it. They're both great cars, and they both look really nice in the pictures. Lol I couldn't read anything on the page but the pics looked good to me.
But if I were you I'd most likely get the '83. Improvements were made every year, and the '82s & '83s were a better car all around, better brakes/transmission/etc, plus it sounds like the '83 is much better equipped with the power windows and stuff. Also I personally like black cars a lot better than silver (although in the desert the black would get much hotter so it's a trade off). Neither car has very high mileage on it, sure the '81 has a little less but not $4,000 dollars worth. Even if it does need a little work on the AC, with the money you saved you can fix it easily and still have a lot left over.
It would be easy enough to swap the compressor yourself but you would still need to pay someone to refill the system after you replace it which doesn't cost a lot (and technically you should have the refrigerant evacuated instead of releasing it all into the atmosphere when you remove the old one, but I can't honestly say I've ever done that before and I've taken apart more than a few A/C systems). Even at a shop I really can't imagine they'd charge much, parts are very cheap for these cars and they're very easy to work on. Simply changing the compressor can't book more than an hour or two max, even that seems steep to me. In my driveway with basic hand tools it would take much less than that.
Assuming they're both in similar condition (I know you have only seen one of them in person so far), sounds like a no-brainer to me. Go with the '83. A better performing, better equipped car for thousands of dollars less. 118k is not very high mileage (especially not for a 33 year old vehicle), that car will easily give you another 100k miles without skipping a beat. With the exception of rust and electrical issues, mechanically these cars are pretty much indestructible. I wouldn't be worried to buy one that had 200k miles on it if it was properly maintained. You're right it would be nice to have even lower mileage but hell no way is it worth spending that much more money when we're talking ~35k miles.
Good luck buying your car. Whichever one you choose you will have plenty of fun with it. They're both great cars, and they both look really nice in the pictures. Lol I couldn't read anything on the page but the pics looked good to me.
(assuming the seller doesn't sell it before I get a chance to check it out). And I completely agree on the aesthetics, I much prefer the chrome bumpers and the amber/white indicator lights etc, and personally prefer the regular analog dash (though I don't mind the digital one, it really transports you back in time).
08-08-2016 | 04:02 PM
#4
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,103
I agree with Switchr above on the '83 being the better choice. I see prices are a bit inflated in Saudi. 
If you are not mechanically gifted yourself, try to line up an honest 'thinking' mechanic for regular work. That Z is over 30 years old and you will want to bring it up (back) to your own standards. Zs from the 80s are not so easy to understand that anybody with a wrench in his hand can do the right thing first time. Thinking mechanics are getting rarer but you will need one. Get your factory service manual on-line from Xenon, print out a copy and keep it in the car.
Congrats on your new Z! Best of luck.
If you are not mechanically gifted yourself, try to line up an honest 'thinking' mechanic for regular work. That Z is over 30 years old and you will want to bring it up (back) to your own standards. Zs from the 80s are not so easy to understand that anybody with a wrench in his hand can do the right thing first time. Thinking mechanics are getting rarer but you will need one. Get your factory service manual on-line from Xenon, print out a copy and keep it in the car.
Congrats on your new Z! Best of luck.
08-08-2016 | 04:15 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 6
I agree with Switchr above on the '83 being the better choice. I see prices are a bit inflated in Saudi.
If you are not mechanically gifted yourself, try to line up an honest 'thinking' mechanic for regular work. That Z is over 30 years old and you will want to bring it up (back) to your own standards. Zs from the 80s are not so easy to understand that anybody with a wrench in his hand can do the right thing first time. Thinking mechanics are getting rarer but you will need one. Get your factory service manual on-line from Xenon, print out a copy and keep it in the car.
Congrats on your new Z! Best of luck.
If you are not mechanically gifted yourself, try to line up an honest 'thinking' mechanic for regular work. That Z is over 30 years old and you will want to bring it up (back) to your own standards. Zs from the 80s are not so easy to understand that anybody with a wrench in his hand can do the right thing first time. Thinking mechanics are getting rarer but you will need one. Get your factory service manual on-line from Xenon, print out a copy and keep it in the car.
Congrats on your new Z! Best of luck.
Thinking mechanics are super rare here unfortunately, but I had a brief summer's experience working in a mechanic's shop a couple of years ago (I also had a Triumph Spitfire back then that I used to work on, I miss that car...) so I hope to do most of the (simpler) work on it myself if I have the time. Don't think the A/C is one of those simpler jobs though...
Thanks for the tip on the manual
08-08-2016 | 07:52 PM
#6
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 172
From: NH, formerly CT
If you've worked on a Triumph before I see no reason you can't work on an S130. European cars are a nightmare to work on IME, Japanese cars from the 70s and 80s are about as simple as they get (though the 300zx is a little harder to work on because there isn't a lot of room, everything was packed together so tightly. The 280 is quite simple IMO, honestly one of the simplest cars I've ever worked on with the exception of older Hondas).
08-09-2016 | 12:41 PM
#7
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,103
Probably right. I too had a Triumph TR-4 - for 4 years. Every time the weather changed the carbs needed to be re-tuned. If you could keep a Triumph running right you can do practically anything.
Check out your service manual and all the other cool docs and info at XenonZcar.com and post some more pics of your '83 when you get a chance. Cheers!
Check out your service manual and all the other cool docs and info at XenonZcar.com and post some more pics of your '83 when you get a chance. Cheers!
08-10-2016 | 11:29 AM
#8
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 6
Probably right. I too had a Triumph TR-4 - for 4 years. Every time the weather changed the carbs needed to be re-tuned. If you could keep a Triumph running right you can do practically anything.
Check out your service manual and all the other cool docs and info at XenonZcar.com and post some more pics of your '83 when you get a chance. Cheers!
Check out your service manual and all the other cool docs and info at XenonZcar.com and post some more pics of your '83 when you get a chance. Cheers!
Will definitely check out the FSM, thank you. And when/if I get the car I'll definitely be taking some more pictures
I should do a compression test on it as well right? What's psi should the reading be for all cylinders? And what variance is acceptable? I plan on driving the car back to my city (4 hours away) after I buy it so I want to make sure it's not going to get me killed on the highway lol, so aside from checking basic things like for leaks, checking the struts, bearings, suspension, etc, anything else I should be looking out for?
08-25-2016 | 11:38 AM
#9
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
Be aware that you might have trouble getting a decent compressor, especially for a brutally hot climate like you face there. Reliablity might be a problem with rebuilt units. See the thread about my experiences with this for my 79 280ZX from a couple of months ago. My experience may be unique, but my mechanic took a look at some rebuilt compressors and rejected them for lack of quality; he didn't think they would last long.
08-25-2016 | 01:19 PM
#10
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 6
Be aware that you might have trouble getting a decent compressor, especially for a brutally hot climate like you face there. Reliablity might be a problem with rebuilt units. See the thread about my experiences with this for my 79 280ZX from a couple of months ago. My experience may be unique, but my mechanic took a look at some rebuilt compressors and rejected them for lack of quality; he didn't think they would last long.
08-25-2016 | 01:22 PM
#11
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 6
An update to anyone following (I don't know why you would ), I didn't get either of the two above, still on the hunt for the 'right' one. The black one wasn't in as good condition as I hoped it would be, and I've decided I want one with Bitchin' Betty installed in it, which the '81 lacked. I'm also aiming for a Turbo now. Let's see how it goes.
), I didn't get either of the two above, still on the hunt for the 'right' one. The black one wasn't in as good condition as I hoped it would be, and I've decided I want one with Bitchin' Betty installed in it, which the '81 lacked. I'm also aiming for a Turbo now. Let's see how it goes.
09-05-2016 | 06:34 AM
#12
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 172
From: NH, formerly CT
An update to anyone following (I don't know why you would ), I didn't get either of the two above, still on the hunt for the 'right' one. The black one wasn't in as good condition as I hoped it would be, and I've decided I want one with Bitchin' Betty installed in it, which the '81 lacked. I'm also aiming for a Turbo now. Let's see how it goes.
), I didn't get either of the two above, still on the hunt for the 'right' one. The black one wasn't in as good condition as I hoped it would be, and I've decided I want one with Bitchin' Betty installed in it, which the '81 lacked. I'm also aiming for a Turbo now. Let's see how it goes.
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