The Turbo looks in pretty nice condition, go check it out. I paid 4k for mine about 4 years ago, it had 77k miles on it and always garaged, interior was cherry, paint wasn't perfect, but Ive been asked more than once if it was new paint, so take a close look at it. If its as nice as the pictures say, with low miles you will have a nice car. Its all about getting the best deal and feeling good about it. Mine is an NA, and like most of us NA drivers, we are thinking about doing a turbo swap. Also, and this is just my personal taste, but red interiors tend to fade, just like red paint. The Turbo just makes a lot better choice IMHO, nice paint, fast motor... sounds fun. Good luck with your choice, I'm sure you will be all smiles on the drive home, I was Good Luck... and welcome to the forums, post some nice Hi-res pics too.

 

Go with the turbo. If you can, get a compression test done. I did mine and was able to get the car for 2k instead of the 4k+ the owner wanted. Of course I had to, and still am, rebuild the engine.

 

Thank you all for the help, everyone has provided great information. The turbo is my first choice, just want a back up to finally get this project started. I've been looking for a 280 for about two months now. My only hesitation with the turbo, is hoping it is as good in person as in the pics. I have been on several goose chases lately where the owner claims how wonderful the car is and looks good in pictures only to find that is not the case. I appreciate this is to be a project car and none will be perfect, I just want a good foundation to build from.

Thanks again and I'll keep the board posted, going to look at both on Sunday and with any luck, drive one home!

 

As long as the car isn't rusted that's the main thing to look for. There are lots of places to look for rust but check under the car first, rockers. From the inside check the spare tire well and if you can one of the worst spots can be behind the seats where the body comes up. You have to remove the plastic piece on the door jam and lift the carpet to see in there but its a good representation of what the car is.

Get the turbo. They can be tough to find in good condition and from the looks of it someone has spent some money on the car. Check the VIN - if it starts with JN1C it's a real turbo car and not a swap (you can also look under the car and see if it has CV joints instead of U-joints on the rear axels). It's also a 5sp and has the analog gauges - the perfect turbo car IMHO. I've never heard of it but if you find you'd rather have an N/A it's a lot easier to get rid of the turbo.

As for buying the car you really have to feel the buyer out. Tell them you are serious about buying the car and you've researched and feel that the price is high. Is he willing to go on the price at all? Get some more pictures of every possible angle you can think of. How much is the car worth to you and/or what can you afford? The price is on the higher end of the scale but if the car is in excellent condition and you can afford it then get him down as much as you can and buy it.

You're at a bit of a disadvantage because you haven't been researching the market in you area to see what the cars sell for and what the availability is. I've learned that there are once-in-a-lifetime deals and the come up about once every six months....

 

Thanks for the additional information FricFrac, very helpful to know where to look for rust besides the obvious on the exterior.

My only hesitation is that the seller initially promised more pics as they said there is some minor damage by one of the headlights from something falling on the car. Given I would be driving 200+ miles for the car, I was hoping to see more before making the trip. I have yet to receive any additional pics and the ad only shows very select areas of the car.

I have looked at over 6 of these cars in the past few weeks and every time limited pictures are available, it's been to hide something. The last one looked amazing in the pictures only to find there was substantial rust that was simply painted over with a Maaco type paint job and this was not visible in the photos.

 

Keep us posted. Tell the guy you need some better pics because you're driving 200 miles to look at the car and you're waiting on those pictures before you go check it out.

 

I will keep you posted and thanks again for the help!

Actually both of those cars are within an hour of each other. I'm driving from Cincinnati to take a look so I'm going either way but the turbo seller has gone silent since I asked for the additional pics of damage. Thinking either he sold the car or there is more to the cars condition as it's been several days now.

The seller of the N/A has been great to deal with and answered many questions. Just got off the phone with him to confirm meeting time. He said the only thing that is not working is the AC and thinks it only needs charging. Although, I am not very concerned with the AC, isn't that what t-tops are for?

 

I like A/C It means I can aimlessly drive my car for hours on end comfortably regardless of the temp outside...

 

So I went to look at both cars this weekend and came home with nothing! The turbo had considerable frame rust and both the body and interior were rough. Given the buyer was not all that negotiable, I had to pass. The N/A had no rust and the exterior was in decent shape with the exception of missing the weatherstripping around the doors. The problem I found was the engine was leaking a fair amount of oil around the head. Given this was a rebuild done less than 5k miles ago, I would not expect such a problem. Wouldn't this indicate an improper build or is this common among these cars?

Now I'm back to the hunt and did find the following:

280ZX 2+2 1980 Model-Reduced

The pros:
-Was painted just over a year ago and has the body kit I was going to add anyway
-Claims to have no rust issues
-The seller has sent me several additional pictures (unfortunately, the forum will not allow me to upload images)

Concerns:
-Seller indicates there is "some seepage at the valve covers"
-Interior is shot, hard to tell from the pics in the add but would basically need everything replaced; seats recovered (front & back, it's a 2+2), dash cover, carpet, door panels, new driver's side seat belt does not retract, etc.
-Not a concern but a negative, no t-tops

I'm not too concerned with interior as I can complete this portion. My questions are; how big of a problem is the valve cover seepage and is this an indicator of a much larger problem? Also, given the work needed on the interior, does this price seem a bit high?

Thanks again for all the help!

 

A leaky valve cover can be easily remedied with a new valve cover gasket for $10-$15 from your local parts store.

Have you only been searching for $4k+ Z's? Because I'm pretty amazed that you've only posted ones above $4k. On my local classified there are 5 280zx's right now for $1k-$3k, all in fairly decent shape. If I were going to spend $4k on a car, it sure wouldn't be on an old beat up Datsun.

 

Thanks Nismo, just wanted to make sure the leaking valve cover was not a sign of other problems.

I have been searching all price ranges and have found, in my market (approx a 500 mile radius of Cincinnati, OH), that those below 3k are in very poor condition. What I am looking for is a 280 that is in decent shape without a significant amount of rust, I do not mind doing minor body work just don't have the skill-set to weld. Understanding that these are older cars and will need some mechanical work, I would like to find one that is somewhat mechanically sound before anything major is necessary (i.e. complete engine rebuild, new transmission, etc.).

The last example was attractive as the exterior had new paint and the body kit I have selected for whatever 280 I purchase. It also appears that in this area, these cars are commanding a higher price, not really sure as to the reason. Most that I have looked at seem to price their car on the very high side of NADA value and assume the car is in better condition than actual.

My challenge to looking outside of that radius being it's probably not a good option to make the drive and shipping would offset the savings. That being said, I do feel the last might be a bit overpriced as it is N/A, no t-tops and terrible interior.

 

I would say it is a bit overpriced, but if you compare it to the prices of the other cars you were looking at it really isn't. That body kit and paint is expensive and saves you a lot of work. I'd rather do an engine swap than prep an entire car! Especially a rusted out one.

Interior pieces aren't very expensive to get reupholstered, plus you don't have to do the work yourself (unless you really want to!)

Consider this, slicktops are lighter and some people consider them to be better than the T-tops. Plus you never have to deal with rust or leaking there. Don't get me wrong I don't mind having my T-Tops, but I am not much of a convertible kinda guy.

Oh, and the valve cover leaking is a very common problem, and super easy to fix. He probably just didn't replace it last time he removed the cover. I think it's 8 bolts and it's off. Clean up the oil and replace the gasket! Just be careful when bolting the cover back on, the head is aluminum.

 

Thanks Pimp, given the paint and body kit, I was thinking paying around 3.5 would be fair, if it looks as good in person and drives well. Based on the detail pictures the seller sent, it looks like a "street" quality paint job, perhaps Maaco or something similar so odds are, I'll be repainting sometime in the near future.

 

If it already has paint, a new paint job would be at the bottom of my priority list...

Obviously everyone has their own priority list, but my Z has been primered for 11 years now. Eventually I'll paint it, but why paint it, and then scrape it up when doing work / repairs / mods?

If you plan to paint it, and never work on it, then go for it. Otherwise you'll probably cry when you scratch up your new paint job.

 

I would do all the work first, just meant I would probably only get 1 to 3 years out of paint anyway. Again, this is all based on pictures, which I've learned can be deceiving... It could always be better quality, just basing it on the fact that door jams and area near the top inside area of the hatch is still original color. Still white just a different shade. My only point was, while I give value to the new paint, it's not that it adds significantly to the value. I put more value on the body kit and body work, if done properly.

I have to evaluate this one more carefully as it is a much longer drive, approx. 8 hours and really hate to waste yet another trip and weekend. Have you guys learned any specific questions to ask that might help get more accurate information about these cars? I ask about condition of drive-train, body (rust specifically), service history, interior, etc. but seem to only get a partial picture of the actual condition.

 

^^^ We have a checklist thread: https://www.zdriver.com/forums/240z-...pection-16386/

 

Thank you for the link, I have reviewed that and this one XenonS130 - S130 Buyer's Guide and found both very helpful.

What I'm struggling with is, getting accurate info in a phone conversation or email from the seller before I drive several hours to see a car. Guess I'm getting frustrated as I've driven a fairly long distance several times only to be disappointed in the the cars. My thought is why waste my time or the sellers? If they overstate the car, sure I'll go have a look but not purchasing thus wasting both of our time. I realize there is going to be a hunt for this type of car given the limited availability but again somewhat frustrated with a few experiences.

 

Is craigslist the only local classifieds in OH? There's gotta be one or two other big classifieds sites no? I haven't used craigslist in years because ksl.com is [no joke] 100 times bigger and better than craigslist for the mountain west states. It's better than ebay except when you need those little electronic parts from China.

 

My local news site uses cars.com, not to many 280's listed, last search found 4 within 500 mile radius and most are dealers. Have also tried autotrader.com with little luck. Those I have found on other sources are also on Craigslist. If anyone is in this general area and has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate the information.

 

I talked with the seller of the last car mentioned and he indicated the only problems, outside of the interior and seeping valve cover, is the passenger side mirror case is cracked and the AC. He does have a replacement mirror housing that is painted to match. I have searched here but am unclear, how difficult is it to replace this part? Also, he said conversion was done on the AC but that it needs a new AC compressor, is this a difficult part to replace?

 

Door mirror R&I requires popping off the interior door panel. Then it's just an electrical connection and a 12mm nut.

The compressor R&I isn't going to be fun, but it's not the most complicated thing to do. If you haven't downloaded the FSM for free yet, I suggest doing so now: XenonS130 - S130 Reference

 

Great, thank you. I didn't think it was a big deal given he was providing a painted replacement and that I will definitely be removing the door panel for reupholstering anyway.

Anything I should look for to ensure the AC conversion was done correctly?

 

Out of curiosity are you planning on replacing the compressor, flushing the system, and refilling it yourself? I just did this for the first time on my truck and I now know I definitely needed a professionals help to teach me how (luckily I had one). It isn't the most difficult thing to do, but if you don't know what you're doing you will screw it up and ruin the system.

 

Hey, I also found this one on Craigslist: datsun 280z 1982

I remember he had an actual ad with a price and I believe he was wanting around $2.5k? I also found this: 1982 nissan 280zx turbo no idea how much of a project it is, but might be worth checking out. I've actually been wanting another ZX myself. I'm not sure where you're located, but I'm probably not too far from you. My brother actually told me about that red N/A you looked at. I was thinking of going to check it out as it's pretty close to me.

The best deal I got on a Turbo ZX was the one I bought several years ago. It was an 83' Turbo with manual climate control and analog gauges. Actually had minimal rust, but ended up definitely needing some work to get it running right. Stuff that would now take me a weekend to do. I paid $1500 it ran like crap, but drove it 2.5 hours back home. Drove it for 3 years as a daily and now that motor sits in my eternal project 76' 280Z. If you find anything or want some help I'd be willing to come take a look as I know more about these. Plus I'm always happy to meet other Z enthusiasts.

 

Pimp - thank you for the insight, based on that info, I would probably have a professional do the job. I'm fairly mechanically inclined but never worked on AC before.