Scoota G Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Bear in mind if you are skilled at rust repairs, don't mind a challenge and have the time you can buy a basket case and repair. I have never gone over 250 Hours on a body resto but for someone professional to do it for you at $75 to $95 an hour you can be way out of budget. Unless stored in the right enviroment any unrestored Zed can have rust just doing it's thing on the unprotected side of a panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris240 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Do many 240z or 260z come up cheap that are road worthy/registered? NO...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamo240 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 i bought my 73 240Z in 1987. At that time, they were still pretty hard to find. Obviously there were more than now, but they were never common. This was before the internet, and the trading post or classifieds in the Age is where you found them. I looked at quite a few 2 seaters back then, and many had rust in those days when they were just 14 or so years old. I paid $3,700 for mine in 1987, and it needed rust repairs then (fuel tank filler, battery area of firewall and rear hatch striker panel). Fortunately it did not need dogleg work...that was all good. At that time, I was an apprentice mechanic and I earned $113/week less tax. So, that was a LOT of money back then for a first car, but I spent it to get what i wanted. 25 years have passed since then. You cannot expect to get an even half alright 2 seater for 7-8k unless someone very naive is selling it. If you can find a cheap 2 seater, you will spend a motza on panel repairs if you want to do them properly, unless you're a good panel man, in which case you better have plenty of free weekends available to you. My advice as an older fart who has done this a time or two: Save for longer, and spend what you need to spend to get the best body you can find....the mechanical work is relatively straight forward compared with the body work. PAY THE $$ TO GET A CAR WITH A GOOD BODY IF AT ALL HUMANLY POSSIBLE! Jamo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CooperJS Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 A wild datsun 260z 2+2 appears on the native gum tree website hahahah. http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/adelaide-region/cars-vans-utes/1976-datsun-260z-2-2-coupe/1016652184 i bought my 73 240Z in 1987. At that time, they were still pretty hard to find. Obviously there were more than now, but they were never common. This was before the internet, and the trading post or classifieds in the Age is where you found them. I looked at quite a few 2 seaters back then, and many had rust in those days when they were just 14 or so years old. I paid $3,700 for mine in 1987, and it needed rust repairs then (fuel tank filler, battery area of firewall and rear hatch striker panel). Fortunately it did not need dogleg work...that was all good. At that time, I was an apprentice mechanic and I earned $113/week less tax. So, that was a LOT of money back then for a first car, but I spent it to get what i wanted. 25 years have passed since then. You cannot expect to get an even half alright 2 seater for 7-8k unless someone very naive is selling it. If you can find a cheap 2 seater, you will spend a motza on panel repairs if you want to do them properly, unless you're a good panel man, in which case you better have plenty of free weekends available to you. My advice as an older fart who has done this a time or two: Save for longer, and spend what you need to spend to get the best body you can find....the mechanical work is relatively straight forward compared with the body work. PAY THE $$ TO GET A CAR WITH A GOOD BODY IF AT ALL HUMANLY POSSIBLE! Jamo Bear in mind if you are skilled at rust repairs, don't mind a challenge and have the time you can buy a basket case and repair. I have never gone over 250 Hours on a body resto but for someone professional to do it for you at $75 to $95 an hour you can be way out of budget. Unless stored in the right enviroment any unrestored Zed can have rust just doing it's thing on the unprotected side of a panel. To be honest, for $7,000 you will get a car that looks/drives shivere. Best advice is work hard, make some sacrifices in other areas of your life, save up, and buy a better one, will save you money in the long run and give you more satisfaction. The 240z/260z is a beautiful car but looks like junk if you don't look after it. Well ill try and save up but my patience will overcome me hahah, but personally it dosent bother me that there is a little bit of rust or something like that because that way i will never get bored of the car and it will also give me something to do and i can also learn from it. As much as i would a like a really perfect datsun 240z or 260z i will be to scared to drive it and take it places and be worried all the time were as if i have a car that is in a work and progress it wouldn't really bother me unless the car look like trash hahah, well that's my point of view Cooper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamo240 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Very well....can't put an old head on young shoulders....we should have this discussion again when you are 40! Jamo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted March 26, 2013 Administrators Share Posted March 26, 2013 Very well Cooper, I don't think anyone would have talked me out of buying an S30Z as my first car either. However that 1 you posted on Gumtree looks like it might be hiding a bit of rust. So be careful. My advice buy the 1 with the least amount of rust possible. As stated, it will save you grief. If you're willing to learn a Zcar is a great place to hone automotive skills and you can't mess too much up . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quandary Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Unlike what one of the above posters said I would bet you can easily find a "mechanically A1" 2+2 for less than $7k. Mine goes hard and has plenty spent on the drivetrain and making the engine bay look presentable and I would no doubt consider selling mine for this much. It doesn't look like a dog but for me personally the money needed for sorting any rust and paint is better done by someone else who has the money or time, rather than by myself who does not and does not want to do a half arse job and then fob it off to some poor soul who wouldn't know any better like many are on Carsales, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilltech Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 The OP was asking whether many roadworthy & registered Zeds can be had cheaply with a budget of 5K. The consensus & advice from numerous experienced Z owners / enthusiasts / restorers - who would be best placed to know - is that, sorry, that budget figure is just too low. In the case of a 2-seater far too low; for a 2+2 not so far out of the ballpark. Therefore a different approach with respect to budget or immediacy of use needs to be taken in order to obtain one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CooperJS Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Very well....can't put an old head on young shoulders....we should have this discussion again when you are 40! Jamo Unlike what one of the above posters said I would bet you can easily find a "mechanically A1" 2+2 for less than $7k. Mine goes hard and has plenty spent on the drivetrain and making the engine bay look presentable and I would no doubt consider selling mine for this much. It doesn't look like a dog but for me personally the money needed for sorting any rust and paint is better done by someone else who has the money or time, rather than by myself who does not and does not want to do a half arse job and then fob it off to some poor soul who wouldn't know any better like many are on Carsales, etc. Very well Cooper, I don't think anyone would have talked me out of buying an S30Z as my first car either. However that 1 you posted on Gumtree looks like it might be hiding a bit of rust. So be careful. My advice buy the 1 with the least amount of rust possible. As stated, it will save you grief. If you're willing to learn a Zcar is a great place to hone automotive skills and you can't mess too much up . The OP was asking whether many roadworthy & registered Zeds can be had cheaply with a budget of 5K. The consensus & advice from numerous experienced Z owners / enthusiasts / restorers - who would be best placed to know - is that, sorry, that budget figure is just too low. In the case of a 2-seater far too low; for a 2+2 not so far out of the ballpark. Therefore a different approach with respect to budget or immediacy of use needs to be taken in order to obtain one. Ok well ill keep looking, and try and look out for cars with minimal rust, who knows my budget of 5k could go up, i will have to wait and see until my birthday hahah only 6 months to go Hope to get 2+2 but if a 2 seater pops up that would be even better! Does it really matter if it is registered? Is it hard to get a car registered? Im starting to think if really does matter if it isn't registered and just register it when it come time to drive it. Cooper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zedevan Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 To put things into some context, I bought a 5g 260z 2 seater as my first car...nearly 10 years ago, and in ways wish I'd bought a 10g one as a second car instead, as you get a lot more for your money the more you spend, and will save it in the long run. At the time I looked at a couple of 2-3g 2+2's and BOG is the word that comes to mind. Sure it's fun to have a zed as a first car, but not only are they too nice to use as a daily as don't survive even a light knock very well, but I missed out on the most appropriate time to own a fully sick lowered bogan mobile, as I have a soft spot for VH SLE's... But in all seriousness an mx5 or s13 is probably a wiser/safer choice for a fun, first, 'only car', as its nice to not be dependent on a car you want to play around with. If the car doesn't come with Rego or a RWC there's probably going to be a fair bit of work to get it up and running, so just depends if you're in a rush, as I never enjoy working on my car when there's a time limit involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted March 27, 2013 Administrators Share Posted March 27, 2013 Evan I still remember going with you to check out your 260z, in fairness you got a great car. I recall some door rust but man think about the fact that you paid 5K for a 260z 2 seater and structurally there was hardly anything to worry about. It was very original and you've got lots of use out of it. Gone are the days when you can find a Z like that at that money though...The same kind of car now would be 16K I reakon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris240 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 To put things into some context, I bought a 5g 260z 2 seater as my first car...nearly 10 years ago, and in ways wish I'd bought a 10g one as a second car instead, as you get a lot more for your money the more you spend, and will save it in the long run. At the time I looked at a couple of 2-3g 2+2's and BOG is the word that comes to mind. Sure it's fun to have a zed as a first car, but not only are they too nice to use as a daily as don't survive even a light knock very well, but I missed out on the most appropriate time to own a fully sick lowered bogan mobile, as I have a soft spot for VH SLE's... But in all seriousness an mx5 or s13 is probably a wiser/safer choice for a fun, first, 'only car', as its nice to not be dependent on a car you want to play around with. If the car doesn't come with Rego or a RWC there's probably going to be a fair bit of work to get it up and running, so just depends if you're in a rush, as I never enjoy working on my car when there's a time limit involved. Haha......bogan ! I still love my vh-sle's.....mine had the red velour which looked like a Vegas strip club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Haha......bogan ! I still love my vh-sle's.....mine had the red velour which looked like a Vegas strip club. Ahh, I still remember my VH SLE, two tone blue, had it back in about 95 I think Also if you find a 5k 240z with a rwc you've done extremely well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
53-681 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Bozo bought a black 260z and someone sold a silver 240z both for less than 7k this year (both looked very clean). But they both had buyers within hours so you have to jump on it as soon as you see it, even if it's 1500km away. What's this??? I buy one 2-seater Z car (my dream car btw) and everybody from the Datsun community somehow knows and refers to it even almost 12 months after purchasing... I had to pay 1K for a RWC and another 1.1K to VicRoads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted March 30, 2013 Administrators Share Posted March 30, 2013 What's this??? I buy one 2-seater Z car (my dream car btw) and everybody from the Datsun community somehow knows and refers to it even almost 12 months after purchasing... I had to pay 1K for a RWC and another 1.1K to VicRoads. What was the 1.1k to Vicroads for? Surely registration is not that much in Australia now is it? You got very lucky so I think everyone is envious of your bargain. But after all the work you did on the 2+2 I think you deserved it to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Z Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 It would be for Stamp duty, booking fee and registration fee of $695? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CroS13 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Yep, sure is that expensive. I'm in NSW, but i paid $780 for CTP green slip, and i believe my rego was around the $400 mark, because of course, in NSW, you have to pay yearly for your personalized plates too... because you don't actually own them, you "rent" them, yet you have to paid $250 or so to order them in the first place... So that's on my weekend car the dato, because i just bought it, but its the same for my daily driver, because i have personalized plates on the 200sx too! Marvelous! Rudolf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
53-681 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Registration and plate transfer. Registering a vehicle without plates is fairly expensive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CooperJS Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Car registration is like a daylight robbery! Pretty ridiculous at those prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted March 31, 2013 Administrators Share Posted March 31, 2013 Car registration is like a daylight robbery! Pretty ridiculous at those prices. That's why I say be prepared to extend you budget a bit more. There is going to be lots of hidden costs getting something on the road. So it's best to buy the best car you can that is registered and roadworthy certificate supplied etc... Even if a car looks roadworthy there will inevitably be lots of little bits that add up. I forgot about stamp duty on vehicle ownership transfer since those don't do it over here in Ireland. However they have other taxes than I'm sure more than make up for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zedsabbath Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-region/cars-vans-utes/1976-datsun-260z-for-sale/1016192230 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris240 Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Cant think where ive seen that one before....... No money shot but Looks clean.. Hehe those 4 spoke dragways bring back memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PB260Z Posted April 13, 2013 Moderators Share Posted April 13, 2013 Yeah, looks familiar to me as well, but just noticed that the add has it living 5 mins from my work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zedsabbath Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Just what the doctor ordered for our friend in SA http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/roxburgh-park/cars-vans-utes/1975-datsun-260z-coupe/1017297894 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Z Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 I dont mind that sunroof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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