New Zed Buyer, wants to buy and modify a Zed

[saxon]

Hi, I am a first time poster, z car prospective buyer, and I'd gonna make a thread to introduce myself! I'm joining the forum now because I want a little help before I buy.

 

I don't know much about cars. I have never been the kid that spends all his allowance on car magazines. Or the guy that buys a bucket seat and welds together a frame with a steering wheel to play Forza 3 in front of a 52 inch screen. I know very little about the mechanical side of cars. But always had a passion for 70's cars.

 

I always thought when I had enough money I'd buy a 71 Fastback Mustang. Then one day while walking to the station on the way to work, I saw a car I had never seen before. It was very poorly maintained, was pretty rusty, and I'm sure many people would think of it as a bomb. But it had this amazing fast back and the coolest rear lights I think I had ever seen. Underneath the flakey paint and dull and worn trimming, I could see a sleek and sexy car. On the back it read, "Datsun".

 

Over the next few days I spent my spare time learning as much as I can about this car. I went through the process I'm sure every early Z owner goes through and that is, 2 seater or 4 seater? Eventually I have come to the conclusion that I should go for a 2+2 because they look so similar and the 240 is a little pricey.   Getting a 2 seater now. I after looking at them for long enough, can't handle the roofline of the 2+2 anymore.

 

Then I stumbled across this website, which has already been extremely helpful for me.

The nail in the coffin came when I came across two cars. I'm sure many of you are familiar with these ones:

 

Miguel Soria's 260z

http://puregroove.org/forum/showthread.php?702-Stance-nation-Classic-Allure-1974-260Z

 

Yuta's Zombie 240z

http://speedhunters.com/archive/2009/11/04/car-feature-gt-gt-that-240z.aspx

 

Those links probably scared away all of the classic restore to the original state kind of guys. Both are incredibly (illegal in Australia) low, wide and aggressive. My goal is to have a car with the sort of stance of one of these, sparing no expense. I will gladly pay less on the body of the car in order to pay for whatever modifications are needed to get this look. Like Yuta's 240z, it looks like he's spent more money on the wheels and tires than rest of entire the car.

 

I'm keeping my eye's open on carsales.com.au and ebay, and am willing to wait a bit for the right price to come along.

 

Any opinions on the following cars would be very helpful!

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1971-Datsun-240Z-SPORTS-V8v8v8-3sp-Coupe-/170559071707?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item27b61ce5db#ht_1932wt_1093

 

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=5&R=9726943&keywords=&trecs=11&__sid=1308B70351C6&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__Qpb=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&seot=1&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294966615%204294966410&silo=1011

 

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=9&R=10329559&keywords=&trecs=11&__sid=1308B70351C6&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__Qpb=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&seot=1&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294966615%204294966410&silo=1011

 

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=4&R=10069776&keywords=&trecs=11&__sid=1308B70351C6&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__Qpb=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&seot=1&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294966615%204294966410&silo=1011

 

If you got this far, many thanks! and I'll see you on the forums!

[zedfan86]

The yellow zed has been posted under the classifieds section - apparently a rough body underneath some new paint.

Middle two look good, as you'd expect for the money.

The red one looks familiar, might have been posted on here already.

 

Have a browse - there's lots of info on here on what to look for when buying a zed, main thing being rust.

[Quandary]

Welcome.

 

The ride would be terrible in that 260.

[luvemfast]

Welcome.

If you pay less for a car, you spend more on repairs.

Basic rule of thumb. 

You say you're not very good with knowledge or working on cars? Best way to make it more ecomical is to do the work yourself, so be prepared.

Good luck

[saxon]

Thanks for the heads up on that yellow zed, i've seen in a couple places now on this forum that people would not suggest buying it.

 

Yeah gotta start somewhere. I'm 24 now. Most car enthusiasts start learning as a kid, so I have a lot of ground to make up! I'm looking forward to doing what I can myself, and learning a lot along the way. And luckily I have friends who have a little experience restoring cars and can point me in the right direction.

[Aliangus]

The last red one is actually a 2 seater 260, it just seems the seller ticked the wrong box when he put his ad together.

[zzzzed]

I love the look of the first blue one Except.. those tyres look effing stupid and dangerous stretched like that.. would look so much better with narrower rims and tyres that fit. Thats my 2 cents 

[saxon]

Thanks Aliangus, someone also PM'd me that. I can't believe I missed that! Looking forward to taking a look at it on the weekend.

 

I love the look of the first blue one Except.. those tyres look effing stupid and dangerous stretched like that.. would look so much better with narrower rims and tyres that fit. Thats my 2 cents 

 

Yeah it looks really outrageous, yet classic and retro at the same time. That's why I love it. Many people agree with you. I reckon it's pretty bad assed though.

 

Does anyone have their zed lowered as much as legally allowed? I'd be interested to see how it looks.

[FuzzyDropbear]

Firstly, welcome! 

 

I love the look of the first blue one Except.. those tyres look effing stupid and dangerous stretched like that.. would look so much better with narrower rims and tyres that fit. Thats my 2 cents 

 

Yep, +1 for that! Why would you put those rims on, if the tyres don't fit.. Either modify the body, or get some proper wheels!

 

Thanks Aliangus, someone also PM'd me that. I can't believe I missed that! Looking forward to taking a look at it on the weekend.

 

That Red 2 seater has had a considerable price drop recently, it's been for sale for a while, it's talked about on this forum in various posts. It's not quite as clean as it's made out in the photos and may not be worth the money he's talking (if you can beat him down, might be a good deal).

 

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

[saxon]

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=2&__No=60&R=10630420&trecs=80&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32

 

Any opinions on this car? Anyone know it's history? And can anyone give an idea of a reasonable price. I wouldn't pay 20k for it, that seems a bit much from what I've heard other nice cars going for.

 

Cheers,

 

Saxon

[luvemfast]

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=2&__No=60&R=10630420&trecs=80&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32

 

Any opinions on this car? Anyone know it's history? And can anyone give an idea of a reasonable price. I wouldn't pay 20k for it, that seems a bit much from what I've heard other nice cars going for.

 

Cheers,

 

Hamish

It's in Melbourne, go have a look at it.

Try and build a nice looking Z like that with a V8 conversion for any less than that. The most important part is the body.

There is always work to be done, wheels, brakes, suspension, to make it your own.

[saxon]

Thanks dude. Also if anyone has any advice on purchasing cars interstate that would be great. I live in Melb but have found a car in Brisbane that is very close to the end result I want. Delivery cost is not a problem based on a quick quote I got from a website. I'm thinking of having a mechanic inspect it. Will this be enough or should I go myself for a day.

 

Cheers,

 

Hamish

[PZG302]

Depending on where and when you need the inspection done I'm sure one of us Brisbane lot could have a look for you and give a basic report, or there are a few places that will do an independent pre purchase inspection for you, but will cost a couple of hundred for the better quality inspections.

 

Best bet, if you can get a cheap flight, wander up for the day trip, that way you know exactly what you are looking at. Also if the car is registered and good to go and you have the time, it;s only a two dat run from brisbane to melbourne so a good road trip to enjoy the car.

[saxon]

Wow that's a mighty nice offer. I'm looking at this car. It is by far the closest on the market atm to what I want and I think a reasonable price considering the mods. He said there is rust bubbling up in places. That's the only worry. Nothing too bad I'm hoping.

 

http://www.boostcruising.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=726811

 

I will absolutely buy this car if the rust is reasonable, and will gladly pay for the better quality mechanical inspection just to be double sure. If anyone from Brisbane has an interested in going to have a look at the car, send me a message. Only worry about driving it down to Melbourne is driving it 300km then it breaks down D:

 

[perrin_07]

Welcome,

              I found everyone really friendly on this site, i already met a few people offering alot of advice.I found when buying my Datsun it helped me immensely asking someone from here to look with me so i know where to look for the rust spots and expensive parts to replace later.

I dont think 24 is to old, im 25 and just getting into it so . Good luck on the car!

[53-681]

Here's an extremely cheap one for its condition:

 

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=10810320&keywords=260z&tsrc=allcarhome&__Ntk=CarAll&__Nne=15&__Dx=mode%20matchany&__D=260z&silo=1011&seot=1&__sid=130D18D145FD&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__Qpb=1&__Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Cr=10&__Ntt=260z&trecs=12

 

 

Looks like its in very good condition

[zzzzed]

that yellow one looks a bit rusty in the sills and around the fuel lid

 

[53-681]

Very true, but the L28, man box and 17x7's make up for it...

[MaygZ]

Then one day while walking to the station on the way to work, I saw a car I had never seen before. It was very poorly maintained, was pretty rusty, and I'm sure many people would think of it as a bomb. But it had this amazing fast back and the coolest rear lights I think I had ever seen. Underneath the flakey paint and dull and worn trimming, I could see a sleek and sexy car. On the back it read, "Datsun".

 

What about the one you fell in love with?  Why not put a note on it to see if the owner is interested in selling it?

 

By the way, which station?  It may be owned by by someone on this forum?

 

Welcome aboard.

 

MaygZ

[saxon]

Yeah its pretty cheap, would be a good start. I have contacted the seller.

 

What about the one you fell in love with?  Why not put a note on it to see if the owner is interested in selling it?

 

By the way, which station?  It may be owned by by someone on this forum?

 

Welcome aboard.

 

MaygZ

 

It was a white 2 seater (from memory) parked outside Malvern station. It was in pretty bad nick so it's probably not someone on this forum, and I'd prefer to get one in better condition. There is a social club for old European men across the road, might belong to one of them.

[luvemfast]

There is a social club for old European men across the road, might belong to one of them.

An older European man would drive an Alfa.

Except for Sirpent 

[Zedman240®]

I think I have seen that same zed in Oakliegh shopping center..did it have green and white number plates? I think an older lady drives it.

[saxon]

I think I have seen that same zed in Oakliegh shopping center..did it have green and white number plates? I think an older lady drives it.

 

That sounds like it. Oakleigh, that's big on Greeks. Looks like it's owned by an old greek couple.

[saxon]

Changed my mind about 2+2. Am now pretty much exclusively looking for a 2 seater. I figured I am going to have the car for a long time so I might as well pay the extra to get exactly what I want. Am willing to pay up to 19k depending on the condition and modifications. Maybe will pay a little more if I can find a close to exact fit and the condition is great. Would prefer a much loved car from a Z enthusiast than a rusted out project car. Here's what I'm looking for.

 

No or only very minor Rust

Roadworthy and Mechanically sound

Engine - running well, upgrades prefered

Adjustable coilovers

Bolt on Flares (preferably cut underneath)

Original Interior or bucket seats, black leather upholstery

BRE spoiler

Airdam - MSA type 1

Fender mirrors

9-10 inch wheels

 

Obviously won't get anything exactly like this but the closer the better. Let me know by PM or response to this thread if you are aware of anything out there that might grab me.

 

Cheers!

[Aliangus]

Doesn't the white 240 you found on boostcruising and posted earlier in the thread pretty much fit the bill for exactly what you just described both in terms of the car the mods and the budget? In the photo's that one looks pretty sweet.