How long did it take?

[Tonyger]

Hi guys,

 

Im just wondering on how long it took for you guys to find the Zed you are driving or the one you wanted to buy?

 

Cheers

 

Tony

[boyblunda]

Hi Tony

 

Good question. I had wanted a Zed for decades (since the 70's) before I finally purchased my first in 2005.

 

My first car, 1977 2+2,  was not really the car I wanted but at least I had the "ride" - it needed a bit of work to keep it on the road, was not worth repairing from a rust and condition of interior perspective, but it remains to this day as a reliable daily driver that I am happy to drive in the rain, leave in a car park, drive on gravel roads, and even follow cattle in the paddock with. I am now in a position where I am willing to sell it but I am not trying too hard as I am just as happy to keep it for a parts car.

 

Two years later I bought a second 2+2 that was worth restoring. It is currently having the engine rebuilt after receiving a lot of love and good bits - new dash, sound system, full suspension, new brakes, new radiator, MSD electronic ignition, rust removal, new seats, spoiler, light upgrade, driving lights, new rims and tyres etc. It will soon only need a new paint job and all of the rubber seals replaced to finish it off. This will be my touring vehicle. I do not really want to know how much I have spent on it to date but it is a keeper and a vehicle that took a long time to find given that I wanted to start with a good body.

 

It took another two years after that before I finally found a two seater that I was happy to purchase as a project car. This was really what I was looking for from day one so in answer to your question, it took me five years from the time I got into the game, to find what I wanted to commit to as a project vehicle. It could be quicker for you if you live in the eastern states, have money at hand, and the space for storage of your car.

 

My next planned purchase will be a ground up restoration project. The best car I ever had was a Datsun 1600 built from the ground up. Should never have sold it. Would love to do a parallel Zed project.

 

I suppose that I should summarise my thoughts to be, that if you are looking for a very specific vehicle, allow a few years to get to know the scene, work out what you really need, develop a plan and a budget, and then you are in the hands of the gods as to when and where the entry opportunity might arise.

 

My last offering here, is that if you want a nice Zed, save your money and buy one that has already been done by someone else. If you buy the right one, you will save yourself a lot of time and money.

 

FWIW

Dave

 

[.]

 

My last offering here, is that if you want a nice Zed, save your money and buy one that has already been done by someone else. If you buy the right one, you will save yourself a lot of time and money.

 

FWIW

Dave

 

My first Zed was exactly 20 years ago. I still have it. At the time I didn't know I would end up with a zed. I just knew I wanted a straight six sports car. So it wasn't a long wait it just popped up and fitted my requirements.

 

While I agree Dave is technically correct finding pre-done Zed will save time and money, its not for everyone. For some its not so much about driving a completed car as driving a car they completed. That satisfaction is worth a lot to some people.

[1600dave]

Over 10 years and still looking 

 

Mind you, it took me over 20 years to actually get around to buying my FairLady convertible from when I decided I wanted one.

 

Can't rush these things.......

[boyblunda]

I absolutely concur with the sentiments expressed in the comment in reply #2  ("While I agree Dave is technically correct finding pre-done Zed will save time and money, its not for everyone. For some its not so much about driving a completed car as driving a car they completed. That satisfaction is worth a lot to some people.") This statement accurately explains the very reasons why I am doing what I am doing despite the time and money involved. In my book, doing what you can on your own build towards your own personal philosophy for the final outcome, is what the Zed sickness is all about. BUT, do  plan first based on your own resources - storage, skills, money, timeline.

 

As a rule of thumb, starting with a good body will be the best thing you will do.

Dave

 

[Retro Z]

Took me 5 years to find my 240z shell. Sold my r32 gtr to fund one. It was a combination of cost, location, and condition for me, even then they only seemed to pop up once every 3 months, in which they sold within 24 hours.

 

Nowadays good 2-seaters seem to pop up for sale more often then they did a few years back.

 

I purchased a 75 2+2, then a 77 2+2, then found a 260z 2-seater so i sold the previous 2+2's, but the 2-seater was too rusty so i sold it on then when a 240z popped up only a few hours drive away and in my budget i jumped on it. 

 

The 240z was always the holy grail for me and when i owned the 2+2's or the 2-seater i didn't have the same satisfaction for some reason and ultimately wouldn't have been happy till i owned one.

[Retro Z]

I absolutely concur with the sentiments expressed in the comment in reply #2  ("While I agree Dave is technically correct finding pre-done Zed will save time and money, its not for everyone. For some its not so much about driving a completed car as driving a car they completed. That satisfaction is worth a lot to some people.") This statement accurately explains the very reasons why I am doing what I am doing despite the time and money involved. In my book, doing what you can on your own build towards your own personal philosophy for the final outcome, is what the Zed sickness is all about. BUT, do  plan first based on your own resources - storage, skills, money, timeline.

 

As a rule of thumb, starting with a good body will be the best thing you will do.

Dave

 

Similar for me as well. For all the cars i have owned, many in fact, i tend to get bored as soon as its complete. I like to work on cars repair and modify thing and make it my own etc. and don't really buy into other peoples tastes. each to their own i guess but for me i get more satisfaction in working on cars than just driving and staring at them.

[lightmaster240z]

It took me ten years to find one after see one in the local Datsun showroom. Them I got one at the right price and that was over twenty years a go now.

Bruce 

[dat240z]

Nice Thread!!

 

I owned a 79 MkI Golf GTI as my first car, upgraded everything (brakes/susp/engine/g/box etc) and it was the bees knees.  Only 150BHP but in 750kg, it was lethal up to 120km/h and would run off an oil rag.....Dominated a lot of s6 commonwhores and xr falcons.... it was priceless to see their faces next set of lights.....

 

But when I was around 15 (15yrs ago) I saw a nicely modded white 240z driven by a Japanese fellow daily.. I fell in love with Z's since then - every page of my school books had some sort of Z sketch, doodle etc.. My best mate and I both dreamed of owning 240z's with RB's and all modern gear - (Fast & Furious had just come out!!!)

 

I searched for a 240z from 16 years of age with no luck.... At 20 in 2003, and still driving the Golf I had almost given up finding something suitable - Clean, rust free, cared for.  Literally, that afternoon, I blew the engine on my Golf GTI.... While waiting in the mechanics for diagnosis, they had a current issue of Just Cars, which I thought Id have a flick through........

 

To my astonishment, there was a clean as a whistle, rust free yellow 240z in Wagga which had been advertised for 15k for months.  I offered 7.5k cash, drove down the next day I blew up the Golf, and then was a proud owner of a 240z.... I knew it was the shit when a old guy in a 355 Ferrari gave me a big thumbs up on the drive home.... Got home, no issues, insured the car for 15k and have owned it the last decade and its my pride and joy...

 

Ive done a full rebuild on it, with a build link under my RB Build. Painting is happening as we speak, so it really is a dream come true for me.  It has to be said, that even if I was a millionaire with a stable of exotic and luxury cars, id still have a 240z as to me, they are the best:)

 

 

 

 

[Six_Shooter]

About a month and a half.

 

I wasn't even in a hurry to buy one, just wanted to keep my eye on the market for a few months to see how the market was, and then BAM, there it was, couldn't pass it up.

[zedevan]

although Canada is a completely different market to Australia...

 

you're best to come along to a zed event and look around the cars there so you can (hopefully) see a nice one and know what they should be like, and make it easier to compare whichever ones come up for sale

 

its a matter of not only what comes up for sale in that time, but how much you're willing to spend and what compromises/changes you're happy to make. ie I bought a clean 260z 2 seater not a 240, kind of wish it was a 240z for the street cred, but all in all

[Six_Shooter]

although Canada is a completely different market to Australia...

 

Yep, which is why I went to the States for mine.

[nizm0zed]

Took me about a week or 2 to find mine, but it really was a case of right place at the right time.

I got lucky, VERY lucky. 

[MATTY]

it took me around 4-5 years to find a decent platform, my problem was talking my self out of buying ones that needed some well... lets say TLC and being blinded by thoughts like hey i can do that its only a little bit of rust (one was actually a missing segment of front passenger side chassis rail :/) and thinking i can fab up a new piece and weld it in being a boily and all. (and the fact that i owned and worked on 300zx - Z32 my self i though i could do any thing!!! haha)

 

but eventually i found a my one (as gay as that sounds) without settling for close enough. yeah sure its not 100% but more like 80% im more realistic with what i can and cant do with the old girl and buying her off some one who was up front with her flaws and seemed reluctant to sell (and also having a pretty impressive T22 celica with a sr20 swap) i was confident that i wasnt buying a lemon.

[Zedman240®]

A freind of mine got me into zeds; he had one so naturally I ended up with one. When I was looking (early 90's), they were plentiful and back then I never saw or even knew a 2 seater existed! Took about a week to find one, bought a late 260 2 seater for $2600 (but needed fair bit of body work). Sold that to try out a few other later Nissan's, then when I wanted another zed, having a good network of freinds in the industry found a great rolling shell for about $5000 that needed reassembly and plenty of parts! That took a few weeks as by then, zeds where starting to get popular. Current zed I bought off a mate that was moving interstate, and had to wait 6 months to buy for $12,000 (and that zed still needed work!).

It's getting harder by the week now as zeds are being hoarded, so just keep saving and jump on the right car...

 

[zzzzed]

I didn't look for any of mine. They all found me

[Tonyger]

Thank you for all your replies.

 

It has given me a very deep insight into the adventure I have ahead. For some it seems; it has taken longer to find the perfect zed for them than I have held my licenses. The learning curve will be very steep and very sharp but I believe I am ready.

 

The three things that seem to be most important:

 

1. Money

2. Time/Luck

3. Commitment

 

It also seems to be the case of find the best you can not the best your money can buy. Unless you are a panel beater or a mechanic by trade, a lot of rust is never a good idea. Research and work on resources; don't rush and jump at the first one because you believe its for you.

 

From the looks of things most of you guys have tried a few of the other datsuns/nissans before you jumped into the zed or played around with a few zed before jumping into the right one. Would you have done so differently if you could go back? Like wait for the right one to come up and buy it rather than going through a few shells before getting to the right one?

 

Thank you for your time in reading and replying to this and all the replies so far.

[Retro Z]

If i had my time again i would have kept saving and bought the car i wanted from the get go. I wasted alot of time and money on something i knew i didn't really want or was going to sell as soon as a 240 pops up. I wasted alot of money on consumables (sandpaper, discs,paints) etc and also on towing costs as a few i bought were from interstate.

Plus having to deal with all the stupid low baller dreamers when it comes to selling was taxing in itself.

 

In saying that i scabbed a fair few good parts off my previous cars before selling them and i did learn alot about s30's having played with several in all different years and configurations.

[Scoota G]

12 Years, i was 15 when i seen my first one.

[thriller]

From the looks of things most of you guys have tried a few of the other datsuns/nissans before you jumped into the zed or played around with a few zed before jumping into the right one. Would you have done so differently if you could go back? Like wait for the right one to come up and buy it rather than going through a few shells before getting to the right one?

 

Thank you for your time in reading and replying to this and all the replies so far.

 

I have an auto S13 as my first car (very nearly had a champagne 2+2, but was a little too much of a project for someone who didn't own a socket set); allowed me to get my hands dirty and change it to manual pretty cheaply + lots of resources out there which was good to learn with.

 

Then dove in the deep and and bought a rusty Zed a year later, without really doing the necessary research. Certainly in retrospect a mistake, but got me hooked, learned lots, etc etc. Still sitting patiently, and still very rusty.

 

Finally have been fortunate enough to buy another two seater project-in-pieces with a very very nice body. This was good as I knew there would be few, if any, surprises. I guess that car was technically the ideal first Z, but without the rustbucket I wouldn't have bought my second one

 

 

Knowing what I do now..

If you want a project, but many months of rust repair does not excite you, either wait for a good solid shell, or hand the body + cash to someone who knows them well. Then go to your hearts content refreshing parts and bolting it all back together. In the time you spend fixing up a shitty rotten shell, you will almost certainly come across another, much cleaner, body for not too much money more. Stretching your project budget by $3,000 might save you $6,000 / few hundred hours in the long run.

 

Happy hunting!

[gav240z]

@Tonyger - if I had my time again, I would never have sold the first 240z I bought. I will have to get some photos of it before I stripped it down but here it is undressed.

http://www.viczcar.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=199&page=1

 

The reason I regret selling it is that I tried to do too much at once, I was young naive and full of enthusiasm. I thought it needed to be perfect etc.. so I was going to strip it and rebuild it with a full paint job. I didn't have the budget for it.

 

It was an extremely original undamaged shell (the roof had a dent from someone sitting on it) but you could hardly tell and it was my very first car. I still have it's motor sitting in my garage. I would like to buy it back someday (I know who owns it, he has a couple of them!) hehe.

 

Anyway for me it's the 1 that got away, given my time again I would have fixed the rust under the battery, perhaps stripped the motor and dash to do it. Tidied up a few other rusty areas, but left it wearing the paint it had. Focused on mechanical work and enjoyed driving it while fixing it up. Eventually when time, money and resource permitted I would have repainted it and done a full strip down.

 

I love my current 240z, but it's not my first ever car and it lacks the originality that my first 240z had. It was the kind of car everyone with experience would like to restore, everything was there it was just tired. The last guy who had it loved it also, it was his daily drive (even had the original hub-caps)!

 

I do have videos of it somewhere also!

[Zedman240®]

One more point you can add..

4) Being at the right place at the right time!

 

Going through all the classifieds as often as humanly possible is the best way and even joining a club as cars are usually sold within a club before its let out in public. Contact wreckers etc...

Also, the only time you sell a zed is to buy another, better zed!

[Tonyger]

@Tonyger - if I had my time again, I would never have sold the first 240z I bought. I will have to get some photos of it before I stripped it down but here it is undressed.

http://www.viczcar.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=199&page=1

 

The reason I regret selling it is that I tried to do too much at once, I was young naive and full of enthusiasm. I thought it needed to be perfect etc.. so I was going to strip it and rebuild it with a full paint job. I didn't have the budget for it.

 

It was an extremely original undamaged shell (the roof had a dent from someone sitting on it) but you could hardly tell and it was my very first car. I still have it's motor sitting in my garage. I would like to buy it back someday (I know who owns it, he has a couple of them!) hehe.

 

Anyway for me it's the 1 that got away, given my time again I would have fixed the rust under the battery, perhaps stripped the motor and dash to do it. Tidied up a few other rusty areas, but left it wearing the paint it had. Focused on mechanical work and enjoyed driving it while fixing it up. Eventually when time, money and resource permitted I would have repainted it and done a full strip down.

 

I love my current 240z, but it's not my first ever car and it lacks the originality that my first 240z had. It was the kind of car everyone with experience would like to restore, everything was there it was just tired. The last guy who had it loved it also, it was his daily drive (even had the original hub-caps)!

 

I do have videos of it somewhere also!

 

So lesson to learn is; if you find the right one keep it and don't let it go. Right?

 

That sounds like the way everything should be applied in life.

 

I hope I find the right one first time round; and hope a lot more that I will be able to keep it for a very long time.

 

One more point you can add..

4) Being at the right place at the right time!

 

Going through all the classifieds as often as humanly possible is the best way and even joining a club as cars are usually sold within a club before its let out in public. Contact wreckers etc...

Also, the only time you sell a zed is to buy another, better zed!

 

Point 4 is a very good point too.

 

I'll try to go through the classifieds as often as possible; as for joining clubs i believe i was told to join the NDSOC. Is there any other clubs you would recommend?

 

 

[Fairlady Z]

well was looking for a project car had to be old and sporty. first choice didn't have luck after 3months so got bit eager. got trading post yep trading post and started looking for Z cars. 1hr later ended up with 260z 2+2. 

 

than 6 month later wanted a 2 seater. at the same time my first choice poped up but the 240z was an hours dirve from home. went to see it but couldnt agree on price. bought the first choice. 5months later the same 240z poped again closer to my offer this time so this time was shake hand swap cash for car bring it home. Still in top 5 of my life most exciting days. Owning a 240z. This was my first Z car ever driven and now its getting what it deserves a new life.

 

After that had 3 240z sitting in my garage with few other classics i just happen to be at the right time and place like mick said i didn't look they found me.

 

 

but it is a virus. Zedatitis. Incurable disease. once the z rust goes in your blood and old oil u just want more. LOL (well less of it for ideal car)

 

if u don't buy a car u realy want it will never satisfy you like retro Z explained. but the loss of money hes talking about is still nothing from experience those 3 cars gave him and the special bits he kept from each one of them for his perfect Z.

 

so if u dotn want the virus. buy the one that you don't have to do anything besides personal touches. if u buy a cheap car it will develop into a disease that can be costly messy dirty and very obsessive. could break marriages, banks and  friendships. 

 

but you will gain lot of better friends that understand you as they have the same sickness as you. hahahhaha

 

if u working on the car yourself which to me is most rewarding few tips:

 

1. MONEY

2. SPACE

3. understanding wife, girfriend, mistress parent friends or kids . if u have one of those if you dont skip to 4.

4.TIME

5. Knowledge or as a substitute add few more of number 1.

6.Patience

7.Dirty cut up hands, bruisers and frustrations.

 

 

looks painful

 

But when you finish and hit the gas all the above will be forgotten. Just dont forget number 3 to go for a ride with you  if you have the first two, otherwise your hard work and  joy will be for sale as divorce settlement. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Napes94]

I took a chance and bought one off ebay from nsw, transported it across to the other side of Australia to Karratha, took me a week and a half after I saw it on ebay. Had only been looking for one around 3 weeks before that. The front infront of the strut towers is stuffed so I'm replacing the front end from half way through the struts. Huge risk getting off ebay, but it payed off for me. Rest of the car has barely any rust