Hi everyone!

[MickieB]

Hi just introducing myself.

 

My name is Michael but all my friends call me Brownie. I'm 23 living in toowoomba at the moment, just moved there from townsville. I previously posted on the classiczcar forum under the same name.

 

I have owned a few old cars, most recently an EK ute which i restored and sold, however my first passion was my 260z 2+2. I'm currently on the look out in the south east of QLD for a 240z project car in ok order.

 

Hope to talk to you all soon

[Zedman240®]

Welcome and good luck with the hunt...better start saving your pennies now!

[MickieB]

Yeah i know.. I've started another thread checking on prices and such, but i can see it won't be cheap. Only benefit is i want to do a full bare metal tear down with new engine over a few years so hopefully i don't need to spend tens of thousands on a spotless car.

[gav240z]

Welcome, all the best with your search.

 

My current evaluation of 240z's in Australia:

 

1 - Poor Condition - Swiss Cheese Project

Price Range: $2,500 for rolling shell through to $4,500 - $5000 for a complete car.

 

2 - Good Condition - Drivable - ready for registration a bit rusty but not structural.

Price Range: $8,000 - $15,000 dependent on condition of vehicle and how original it is.

 

3 - Great Condition - Possibly restored within the past 5 - 8 years or so. Good paint, decent interior, bodywork is good (possibly but not necessarily bare metal resto).

Price Range: $20,000 - $24,000 (depends on work done)

 

4 - Concourse / Race Car / Competition Vehicle / Modified - Serious coin spent on this car or lots of work detail gone into it.

 

This could be used to describe a bare metal concourse restoration or a full race car with serious race engine, handling work, log books, history etc..

 

I've seen prices from $24,000 - $50,000 although I doubt many Z's have changed hands at the $50k mark. In fact the highest price I've heard so far (anyone correct me if I'm wrong) is around $45k for Gavin Strongman's 260z - which was / is an excellent car.

 

These values are strictly reflective of the Australian market and HS30 cars. When it comes to cars outside our market or with special chassis designations (PS30 / HS30-H / S30) or competitive history all bets are off.

 

As other early Japanese cars such as the Mazda rotaries become more expensive to buy and Australian muscle cars get even harder to obtain many will turn toward other alternatives such as the 240z / 260z and their under appreciation and undervalued status will change.

 

The low number of Zeds initially imported by Nissan won't help the situation. If anything I see the potential for more people to start considering importing HLS30 cars from the states and converting such vehicles to RHD.

 

The US still has many great cars available for a very reasonable price. 

[MickieB]

Hmmm yeah i was thinking the prices were around that area. The big issues for me right now is that i am renting a unit, and am getting married late next year. After that we have plans to build a house with a rather large shed, and i have already gotten the blessings from my partner to have a zed. (Slightly off topic but for our one year anniversary she sewed me a cushion with a picture of a 240z on it she made by hand, was mad!)

 

At this stage i am chasing a potential car just if one comes up that is a good deal because my partner has lots of family well out west with farms and sheds so the potential to store a car for 12 months is very high. I think i will be looking for a good condition car, for the fact that i can move it easily if i have to, and that i am not an experienced body worker, but i really have the desire to learn. So perhaps starting a little easier is the go.

 

What does everyone think?

[crazed]

Welcome. Ex Townsville eh? I lived at Bushland Beach years ago. Left there in 97. (Too hot for me).  Good luck with the search.  If you monitor this site I'm sure you'll get hold of one. Prepare for a quick trip to Vic. Seems to be more Zeds in Vic than anywhere else.

[MickieB]

Welcome. Ex Townsville eh? I lived at Bushland Beach years ago. Left there in 97. (Too hot for me).  Good luck with the search.  If you monitor this site I'm sure you'll get hold of one. Prepare for a quick trip to Vic. Seems to be more Zeds in Vic than anywhere else.

 

Really? I lived in Bushland beach around then too. I was probably there from about 1997 till 2000 or so. I liked it there, a bit muggy in the summer. Plenty of rain though.