Used, Used car

"desertdog5051" (desertdog5051) 08/24/2013 at 14:57 • Filed to: Used cars

0

17

I'm on my way to feed a friends cats. I see a decent looking 1981 280Z for sale. So I stop and the owner is outside. I talk to him a bit. He tells me a bit about the car. Interior is good as he has kept seat covers and a dash cover on it. 135,000 miles, 5 speed (I think).

He says the only thing wrong with it is it has a slight lifter tick. I'm thinking, overhead cam, can't be that hard to fix.

He starts it and I'm going, that is either a rod or wrist pin making that much noise. He swears that the local import repair shop gave him an estimate to fix it. I asked to see the estimate, which he could not produce. Price dropped from $1100 OBO to $600 immediately.

I might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night.

davedave1111 > desertdog5051 08/24/2013 at 15:00

0

$600 with a nice interior? What's it worth as parts? Or just do an engine swap.

LuczOr > desertdog5051 08/24/2013 at 15:06

0

I would have bought it at that price.

desertdog5051 > davedave1111 08/24/2013 at 15:10

0

Probably, but when I feel I'm being BS'ed, I just leave.

GhostZ > desertdog5051 08/24/2013 at 15:10

0

*280zx

Yeah, I'm pedantic, but they're totally different cars.

I would have bought it. Those engines are A) really simple, and B) not worth keeping. At that price, you could have bought the car, had it shipped, had an old LS or Ford small block w/mods put into it, and still come out cheaper than what some people pay just to get them rust-free.

If the dash was uncracked beneath that cover (doubt it) you could have also just made 2000$ with that alone. The wheels, if they are the swastika style wheels, are worth that too. Same goes for the 5-speed BW unit and other bits and baubles. They part out great.

desertdog5051 > LuczOr 08/24/2013 at 15:11

0

Probably a decent project. But I don't feel like it at this point. Plus, I do not like being BS'ed.

desertdog5051 > GhostZ 08/24/2013 at 15:31

0

Dash appeared good. I lifted the cover to look on the drivers side and looked at the driver seat under the cover. Wheels were aftermarket but looked period correct. Body had a few small issues with some dents. Paint was a crappy job. No rust that I could see. It had T tops and no evidence of leakage. As I said earlier, I just get turned off when I know I'm being BS'd. I have to go by it tomorrow. Maybe I'll SR20 it and post it.

GhostZ > desertdog5051 08/24/2013 at 15:40

0

Oh, that's... unfortunate. A non-cracked dash is seriously worth a lot of money.

I recommend you look http://www.zcar.com/ and see what people are selling, and post an ad.

I'd tell you more accurately how much a crack-free dash is worth.... but I can't quickly find any examples for sale. They are that rare. I have seen them go for $1000-$2000 before.

Really, whether you're being BS'd or not, if the metal and rubber is all in the right place, and the price is that low, just get it. I would understand if he was trying to sell it as a $2000-$3000 running daily driver.... but $600 is a lot if you want to take the time to part it out. You could make a few thousand by just tearing it apart, taking a few pictures, and posting a few ads, or turn it around as a parts car to the right buyer.

My two cents. It sounds like the seller hasn't done research, and if you put some time and research in yourself, you can certainly take advantage of that.

desertdog5051 > GhostZ 08/24/2013 at 15:44

0

I guess that is to my advantage. Oppo certainly can give you a lot of input. Maybe I will reconsider. Double check it Manana.

GhostZ > desertdog5051 08/24/2013 at 15:51

1

I grew up around a 1979 280zx, and learned about everything I could from that car, including how to drive stick. Make sure you get pictures of the trunk, wheel wells, battery tray, fuel injection system, differential (if you can) Vin #, under-hood area, interior dash, shifter boot, floor mats (original floor mats are tough to find too, since the floorboards rusted commonly) especially.

Here's a great resource for technical info: http://www.xenons130.com/

If you didn't know, the 280ZX got 30mpg, had 4 disc brakes, and the most powerful Japanese engine sold at the time (and the largest-displacement turbo motor from Japan as well). The turbo model's acceleration and handling compared to Ferrari counterparts much like how a modern GT-R does against a 458, but with a bigger price gap. It was a really advanced car, especially aerodynamically, for its time.

LuczOr > desertdog5051 08/24/2013 at 15:57

1

Yeah, that's the major put off when buying a car. If the guy had just said "It's got rod knock and I will sell it to you for $600," it might have left you scratching your beard.

desertdog5051 > GhostZ 08/24/2013 at 16:08

0

Holy crapola, Batman. Those things are worth a lot of money. Maybe I will reconsider it. Will make a more thorough exam tomorrow.

GhostZ > desertdog5051 08/24/2013 at 17:40

0

http://classiccars.com/listings/find/…

And for good measure... check out this beauty:

http://www.rkmotorscharlotte.com/sales/inventor…

Sparf > GhostZ 08/24/2013 at 17:59

1

Keep your Duff Beer out of my fine 80s Sake! NO V8 SWAPS, BAD GHOSTZ!

GhostZ > Sparf 08/24/2013 at 18:18

0

VK45DE?

Sparf > GhostZ 08/24/2013 at 18:27

0

Almost okay, but the Z was meant to have an i6 and so it shall have one!

GhostZ > Sparf 08/24/2013 at 18:39

0

I actually agree with you, it's just unfortunate that over here there are virtually no accessible I6 motors with decent power output. BMWs are too expensive and complex to swap, and Japanese motors are rather rare and expensive. If you want to realistically make a fast Z for cheap, V8 swaps are still the best way to do it. Getting the same performance out of the original engine (or trying to find another I6 such as a 2JZ) is going to double or triple the expense.

The ideal is of course, the RB block, since it was essentially a much better evolution of the original L engine, but we both know that you already know that. Despite this, if you think about it though, the 4.7l (289) Ford small block/Windsor engine in the Mustang shares a lot more common with the N/A L engine than you might originally think. Both were relatively large for the size of cars they were in, both were high-revving yet cheap, both relied on gradual, "shapely" powerbands to make the driving experience fun, both were used in trucks at first, and both had controversy regarding SAE and Net power ratings! They had similar HP/liter amounts and similar mechanical specifications. Best of all, both were in service for nearly 30 years.

But if it makes it up to you, I am totally down and fine with old V8 -> smooth I6 swaps too, if cost allows for it. I'd take a high-performance I6 rev monster over a burbling V8 at the same power. Such I6s though cost quite a bit to build, and good luck finding one over 3 liters if you want to make decent (250-300) HP without a turbo.

Sparf > GhostZ 08/24/2013 at 18:54

0

While I see what you mean, my issue is with swaps that alter the character and/or identity of the car too much, which means I generally dislike adding or subtracting cylinders and absolutely hate marque mixing (unless it makes sense, like for instance a Suzuki engine in a Mazda or a Chevrolet engine in a Pontiac and vice versa). To me the whole point with the Z is that it was a straight-6 sports car, just like the point with any muscle car is that it has a big V8. While mixing marques doesn't affect that I think having a BMW engine in a Z is wrong because it alters the identity of the car, which is a Japanese icon.

I grew up often visiting (I still do actually) a dear old family friend who collects pre-war MGs and Bentleys, and that puritanical collector mindset has rubbed off on me. Still, I'm young and tuning fascinates me, so I still love pro-touring/resto-modding, but kept within the boundaries of the marque and what I think is the car's identity. In a way, I find that my opinions are a mix of the two opposing views displayed in the documentary Japan's Retro Car Kings (which I'm sure you've seen), retro car Tuner vs. Restorer: