New guy that wants a 280z

[Darnit5]

Hi my name is peter, im 18 and i go to a community college, im looking to invest in a 280z, but problem is, i have no hands on experience with cars.. I just know basic knowledge. Im currently working with my dad saving up money for a 280z, hopefully i can save enough before i return to school. I can save maybe about 3-4k. I know a classic car like this is not recommended for young students like me. If i do buy a 280z though i will enroll in automotive classes at my school so i can gain knowledge on how to work on my own car (which i should have done in highschool -_-).

 

 

So what do you guys think about a teenager owning a car like this? how much work would need to go into one of these and how often would i need to be shelling out cash fixing stuff. Is it a reliable daily driver in its stock form?

 

 

When i get the car i plan on keeping the stock engine and tidying it up.

 

Be brutally honest in your opinions too LOL i don't want to end up over my head with this.

[I'm BLUE]

well geee billy bob gosh Peter ! WELCOME :D

 

 

 

Carbed early 70-73 are non-smog ,,, carbs ,,, a bit easier to work on/learn on ,,,,, BUT ,,,,, need more maintenance

 

 

 

 

Get a friend that can help you check out the car first ,,,, take your time ,,, you will do fine :)

[Skib]

I always rocked the shit outa one threw collage.

 

take care of it and its reliable

[Dirk Diggler]

Don't drive like a dip shit and its a fine car for anyone of anyone age. It's not the car, its the driver.

 

As far as maintenance, take into consideration how old the car is. Like skib said, pre smog are best to learn on. Very simple design, easy to learn, and you have to do it so often that you will become a pro. Parts I can't think would be too expensive with the amount of them that are in junk yards. Find yourself an old persons Sunday driver and too much shouldn't need to be done to it.

[503Alex]

Got mine when I was 16, and have learned a lot working on it. Got picked up by a tow truck 2 times so far, but it's all part of the experience .

[motavated]

It depends on the condition. If its in bad shape, then your just going to get into lots of problems. You never know what to expect and spend on a beater. Good luck!

[HRH]

If you get a Z, inspect it carefully for rust! ESPECIALLY along the frame rails, in the wheel wells. Crawl completely under the car prior to buying. Old Datsuns have rust issues. What may look nice on top can be a basket-case underneath.

[Skib]

if you get one in good shape and keep it that way youl be fine.

 

 

you will have to work on any Z you get tho.

this isnt some POS kia you can just drive and never pop the hood on.

[Hardwyre]

Don't drive like a dip shit and its a fine car for anyone of anyone age. It's not the car, its the driver.

 

+1

 

The fact that you're going to be investing your own money into it makes your far more respectable than 2/3rds the people your age when it comes to car ownership. That fact you want something that isn't 1. new, and 2. a Honda, makes you infinitely more awesome.

 

The old Z cars are an interesting species. You will get love from everyone, regardless of generation. Even die-hard muscle car guys have some love for the little Z's. If you keep it clean and tasteful, you'll also get "passed" on a LOT more by cops then, say, if you were driving a 90's Civic.

 

Insurance companies will just about give you a reach around because it's not a Honda in SoCal.

 

If you get a carbed one, put a shut off valve in the fuel line on a flexible cable you can articulate from inside the cockpit. If it's a later FI type (which all 280Z's were), hide a fuel pump kill switch somewhere. For both, you should also think about a spark and starter kill switch.

 

Don't drive like a dipshit, try to drift onramps, or street race Hondatards at stop lights and you'll get plenty of Ratsun love. Shit, we do clutch and engine swaps while camping just for shiggles apparently.

[bananahamuck]

you will have to work on any Z you get tho.

this isnt some POS kia you can just drive and never pop the hood on.

 

I am relativity good with cars and i can guarantee this statement to be a fact, especially with an older fuel injected z car.

 

just take your time finding the,, RIGHT,, one not the first one

[datsun723]

 

this isnt some POS kia you can just drive and never pop the hood on.

I resent that :lol:

[datsun723]

In all honesty though, do your research, find a nice clean one (3k is def enough), and don't mess with it besides wheels, tint, stereo etc. Leave the motor alone! Also try to find one '75 and older so you won't have to deal with smogging it. I got my first Z at 16 and the only thing that went on it was a radiator, brakes, and a battery. Easy stuff.

[Skib]

I resent that :lol:

 

 

:lol: but im not wrong lolz

[Darnit5]

Wow Im surprised at how active this forum is! Thanks for all the relpys.

 

When the stock motor goes out, What is a viable option? i read a little about the v8 swaps but they seem too costly

 

 

Also, are there any datsun mechanics in southern california? Orange county- area

[Skib]

the stock motors are easy as shit to work on.

 

 

and easy to rebuild/replace when it comes time.

 

 

and Ratsun is a very active forum, because its far more than a forum.

its a very large and tight community.

[Hardwyre]

Wow Im surprised at how active this forum is! Thanks for all the relpys.

 

However, the forum falls asleep promptly at 2am.

[bananahamuck]

You would have to do some serious beating on it for it to go out . .........(.man that`s alot of two letter words in one sentence ). Anyway like someone mentioned above Z cars are pretty plentiful in junk yards.. but almost never because of actual engine failure. Being an old car people have a hard time trying to figure out what makes it run because you can`t go to auto parts store and simply plug a code retriever in and have " it " tell you why it`s running badly or not at all.

 

just say no to the V8 swap

[Skib]

However, the forum falls asleep promptly at 2am.

 

 

someones always here ;)

[bananahamuck]

t

its very large and tight

 

[Hardwyre]

just say no to the V8 swap

 

Pay no attention to bananahamuck, his mom was drinkin' when she had him!

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=573xLfNmLeA

[h4nsm0l3m4n]

Hi my name is peter, im 18 and i go to a community college, im looking to invest in a 280z, but problem is, i have no hands on experience with cars.. I just know basic knowledge. Im currently working with my dad saving up money for a 280z, hopefully i can save enough before i return to school. I can save maybe about 3-4k. I know a classic car like this is not recommended for young students like me. If i do buy a 280z though i will enroll in automotive classes at my school so i can gain knowledge on how to work on my own car (which i should have done in highschool -_-).

 

 

So what do you guys think about a teenager owning a car like this? how much work would need to go into one of these and how often would i need to be shelling out cash fixing stuff. Is it a reliable daily driver in its stock form?

 

 

When i get the car i plan on keeping the stock engine and tidying it up.

 

Be brutally honest in your opinions too LOL i don't want to end up over my head with this.

 

As its been said, a 280z is reliable enough so overall you cant go horribly wrong as long as youre careful. Out of curiosity though why exactly are you looking to buy a car in particular? Do you need a car to drive? Are you looking for second car to use as a project? Both? My advice would be evaluate why you want to get a car, and really think about what your goal with it would be. In my opinion if youre looking to go to school, your focus should be going to school. This should take up the majority of your time and, if it doesnt, youre not doing as much as you could. A project car should come secondary. I went to college for 3 years before I even had a car, I rode the bus or my bike everywhere and it was awesome. No gas, or maintenance to pay for and no risk of breaking down.

 

If you want to learn about cars, like wrenching on stuff, or just want to learn about mechanics, you dont HAVE to have a project car. Take the automotive, welding, fabrication, engineering, CAD classes at your school. Find a Formula SAE club or similar at your community college (or a bigger university) to join up with. You will learn more than you ever knew was possible. Get with some engineering professors and volunteer some of your time on their research projects, there are some awesome research projects going on that will blow you away. If you want to race, find a ChumpCar or LeMons team to spend some time with. If there is a race track in your city see if you can volunteer at the various racing venues they hold, or see if they can hook you up with a local team you can volunteer with. All these things will teach you a lot about cars, how things work, and will get you in contact with great people that can help you later.

[bananahamuck]

Pay no attention to bananahamuck, his mom was drinkin' when she had him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ya, but i had your mom when i was drinking.

[Dirk Diggler]

^ hahahaha you get pos repz when I get on my computer.

 

Seriously though, lsx swaps are bad ass, but costly, time and knowledge consuming, and in my opinion, over used. It's not hard to find a v8 z, there's a 240 with a 350 in it for 7k down the road from me. Stick with the stock engine and you will be more than happy. If you do want to do a swap, go with an rb. Rb25 and 26 are expensive, but you can get an rb20 for a good price and have a bitchin motor.

[Skib]

you can fit just about anything in a Z. but lets not get into that here.

 

you need to be familiar and able to know your Z and its stock L motor inside and out before you should be messing with motor swaps that arnt an L series.

 

 

 

and like bananahamuck said, take the time to find the right one, not just the first one

[BareAssGodzilla]

However, the forum falls asleep promptly at 2am.

 

LOL that's exactly when I went to sleep last night. and I spent my last few minutes awake on ratsun too.