Datsun 240Z | Buyer's Guide
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- Опубліковано 20 кві 2015
- An iconic, reliable and affordable Japanese sports car, the Datsun 240Z is increasingly in demand. In our latest video buyers guide, filmed across the pond at our UK offices, host Danny Hopkins of Practical Classics magazine, looks at a pristine example and tells you exactly what to examine - including common weak points - before you pull the trigger on a purchase of your own.
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Still one of the sexiest cars ever made, in my opinion.
We agree!
Ikr
yes... my dream car
Novidian your opinion is the right opinion!
this one and mazda rx7 is all i want. But this one first ;D
I had a 1973 240z in near perfect condition I bought in 1985 when I was 18. I eventually sold it and the lady I sold it to totaled it 6 months later. I wish I never sold it.
Rip
I thought the rule was if its a 240z buy it.
The fact that this guy is talking about looking for rust..... I have had 6 of these, and rust is like grinds in your coffee. It has rust....
I have no idea why I am so addicted to this car.
Motor Trend Roadkill fan?
dude i live and breathe datsun 240z these days. i want one so bad.
Brandon Harper I just got a 76 280Z 2 days ago!
nice! ive considered a 280 as they are much cheaper than the 240 and are pretty similar.
Brandon Harper Thats exactly the reason why! Lol Found one in perfect restoration quality haha.
I have a 240Z, and basically your best bet is to get a good solid body first, that's the most important thing. The floor rot doesn't come from leaking door seals, but from a leaking cowl area ,the seams dry out, and over the years it get's blocked with dirt leaving water in there leaking slowly from the firewall to the floors. Getting a 240Z from a dry climate like California or Nevada, saves you alot of headache on body work.
As an ex-Datsun repair specialist, this is a very good, if not entirely accurate, overview of 240 "Zeds." Same stuff is true for the 260/280s, and the 280 finally got away from carburettors prone to vapor-locking, to EFI.
Nice review and good points to check. A couple small technical errors.
The car being reviewed was either 72 or 73 model. Only the 70 model had Speedometers that started at 20mph and had 140psi Oil Pressure gauges. After 1970 the Speedometers start at “0” and the oil pressure gauge tops out at 90psi.
Rust was not a problem with “Japanese Cars”. Rust was a problem with ALL Sports Cars in the 60’s and 70’s. My 911 rusted in the front pan and floorboards, so did any MG, Triumph, Fiat of the time. Most all American Cars suffered from bad rust in most States as well.
Gavin Doolan Good call on the battery box. Always an important place to check.
Gavin Doolan A 4mins 24, Danny mentions looking under the battery tray.....
Gavin Doolan I agree. Two serious killer rust zones slightly overlooked in an otherwise good buyers guide. Rust in the corner beneath the battery tray, a battery out check is ideal of that. Also hand up in the front arches to feel the air tubes. Rust in there will spread everywhere and before long, you could be faced with repairs to the value of the car. lol
actually he is right, Japanese cars of this era were not galvanised or under sealed as the climate in Japan isn't conducive to rust. of course all old cars will rust though providing they aren't a delorean lol
+The Creepiest Of Pasta Not conductive to rust in Japan....Are you for real? Winter's there can be amongst the most difficult in the World. The snow in the majority of the Country during winter is an absolute nightmare !
Who has ever referred to a Z as "The Samurai"?
Daniel M Samurai was a modified Z done by Spike Anderson in the UK. Very quick cars. It’s a name that has stuck.
My grandfather got one in 1973 and used it as a daily driver for 40 years it's still in the family today
The car in this vid looks just perfect. Great colour, nice wheels, lovely interior and absolutely original - no garish spoilers, flared arches, scoops etc.
All the talk of rust makes me glad I live in California. There are positively ancient old hoopties running around without a speck of it. Downside to all that sun in faded/cracked plastics and upholstery, but those are easier fixes than rust.
cars in California still rust, it does rain there too!
gav240z
No salt on the roads like in most of the eastern two thirds of the US, that's why you'll often see an old car advertised as a "California car", meaning little to no rust. My parents had an ancient '77 Toyota Celica and a friend from the Midwest saw it and was so surprised. He said if a 70s Japanese car was in Iowa it would have rotted away from rust decades ago. My folk's car had no visible rust anywhere (and I had it up on blocks doing oil changes and brake jobs for them - I would have seen the obvious rust).
hope you like parking it in a garage and staring at it, because that's ALL you'll be doing in smognaziland!
Slappy Fistwad
Very little smog where I live. No Nazis last time I checked either. But yeah, I actually park my cars in the garage instead of using it for as a mini storage for a few hundred bucks worth of junk like most people do.
Jeff Morse Cool, keep rolling in your CARB unapproved (i.e. ILLEGAL) vehicles and bragging about it on social-lust media
What do I do if the car happens to be a devil?
Scrap it! DO NOT let anyone take it to Tokyo's Wangan!!!
A Proud Lion Too late, I'm going 300 km/h right now while typing this comment.
+The AE86 of Mt. Akina what you do is set it to 800hp and do the hakone...that'll calm the demon
+AE86 of Mt. Akina Dude its the the Devil
race it to mt taikan and make sure you have a bana passport
Love those little details underneath the bonnet.
What a lovely car!
I bought one, a 73 to be exact and i love it! Best first sports car ever and is my forever car
I'm a '73 model. I'd love to find a 240 to match!
I wrenched at a Datsun dealer in the mid-70's till the early 80's. This video missed the #1 hidden rust issue seen on these cars: Front frame rot. I saw several 240/260/280 Z's with rust perforation in the frame between the front crossmember & the firewall. The fattest part of the frame in this area is where you should look for rust or repairs, even on otherwise rust-free cars. I remember a customer bringing in a like-new low-mile 260Z in 1977 for us to look at. The car was near perfect except for the severe rot in the front frame. Due to heavy factory undercoating, it didn't become visible until the rust had made the frame unsafe. The Datsun Zone Rep. was called it & agreed to pay for the frame rail replacement. I've seen cars so bad, that when the wheel was turned side-to-side, you could see the whole front-end sheetmetal move. Since factory replacement parts are unavailable, this repair would cost a lot of $ to fix correctly.
steven burkholder did you have a chance to work on a 280zx? im looking at one and it has some little rust spots here and there but i haven't noticed anything serious...any idea of anything major to look for?
This was my first car in England, a '72 bought in 1975... Great car: before I knew any better I treated it like crap and it just kept on ticking. Loved it!
You are a lucky man ... I've been dreaming of one since birth lol ... getting one soon hopefully.
My compliments, sir! Very usefull video. I bought my '73 240z from a guy i met via work and he told me it stood still in his barn for around 10 years. Later I went checking with my old boss who had more knowledge of these cars than i had and a few days later i had this car at my parents driveway for €5000,-. It had run for only 70.000 Kms and was almost rust free. Till this day i haven't driven it yet and planning on doing some work real soon. I'll start with a detailed inspection learned from this video soon! Thanks!
Iam german..........................in germany it is boring watchig a 911 (old or even new or the way around) takes you over on the left side.Watching a Ferrari overtakes you ( better old than new is real cream!
Driving a 240z ( modified or not ) overtaking a Porsche or Ferrari makes you real proud and ( Dare to be different) in germany. Greets Martin Weber
Great video and worthy of watching a few times if in the market for a 240Z - 280Z. Rust is such a huge factor here in Canada. I used mine as a service vehicle year round and after 4 years she was rusting. The balance, the power, the beauty all make these cars a true classic.
Great video, thank you for posting, it poited out most the things I should be looking for when I go to see a 280 Z that's for sale.
Great information in this video. I've been wanting a first gen Fairlady since the first time I've seen one when I was little.
Good video, shoulda watched this before I bought mine but I got it so cheap because of all the rust. And my rebuild process has been fun. Good luck finding a non rusted z!
I have owned my 71 240Z for over 25 years now and was my daily driver up until about 3 years ago, when I decided to do a full restoration on it. Now it is completely torn down and I am slowly putting it all back together. So far I have over $48,000 in to it and still looking at another $2000 to finish it off. I am very excited to drive it once again.
Awesome review! As a 240z owner I am proud to see it get due recognition! Almost sold mine toward end of last year...so glad I didn't.
Niceee. My neighbor is selling me his for $1,500. It runs, has a little rust around the car like any other old car, and other little details that I can fixe. Should I buy it ?
I hope you bought it.
clay jones change the wheels brotha if that red one is yours, not period correct aesthetic wheels..........Looks awkward.
Did you buy it? Has it been reliable?
Don't ever sell it (unless u sell it to me 🤣)
nice guide....been admiring this car for so long....
Gotta love the S30. Just bought mine. 1973 5spd for under 2k, running and driving
I've had both a 240Z & 260Z, loved them both. Wish I still had them...
Brilliant, thanks for a proper review!
Nice Guide!
Love the video! Thanks alot for the tips & tricks for where to check when I'm going to buy mine, do these spots you mentioned here match with the 260z and 280z? :)
My father's coworker had one in the early 70s. My dream car
Wonderful video! The (car) love of my life was a 1973 240Z. i loved her so much, but she succumbed to the cancer of rust. I still dream about her at night, and I hope to see her again in Datsun Heaven.
Nice review, Thanks a lot
Great video, beautiful car. Having said that I sold mine 6 years ago to buy a 911 and never regretted it.
Thank you for the video, I am in the market for one right now and will certainly re-watch this before I go and negotiate with the seller.
Did you get one ? Is it reliable as a daily? where and how did you go about buying one?
Nicely done!
Thank you sir for this video! I'm on my way to check out a 240z. What better way to research than with Hagerty?
Wonderful video.
My definition of getting old is "owning a "antique automobile" and having purchased it new"! My 240Z was purchase new in 1970 in Pomona, California....and after waiting six months for the delivery of my "Silver" colored order.....walked into the dealer to pick it up and lo and behold the "Silver" was "Orange"......so ended up with the classic color Datsun 240Z....and have enjoyed it every since.
How many miles on your Z now? I bought a new 280Z in 77, 5 speed A/C car. Had a ball with it from April to Oct, sold it for what I paid new with 4500 miles.djv Murphy
100,000 plus.....but only 1000 on new Chevy engine.
djv Murphy thats also the definition of being boring. come on now. how long did you go with an old outdated slwo car? "Car guy" sure. sure.
12 year olds loved skylines but I loved this and still do
Hey, nice review. I have been around these cars for a little while and I am with some of you as this is the first I have heard one called a Samurai? That is interesting... I have only heard them called AWESOME! or at least that is what I call them...
First time I've heard Samurai as well
Used all these tips and just bought a 240z for 500 bucks. Thanks man.
Was it reliable ? Where and how did you go about finding one?
I'm 2 meters(6.56feet) and I don't have any problems fitting into my 280Z, just a heads up for anyone talled planning to buy one straight of the bat without having to modify anything, of course I would've if I didnt fit but for sure not a problem at all.
Of all the cars I owned over the years (starting in 69) I miss my "71 Z the most followed by a 71 Dodge Charger. Both were beautiful cars. Interestingly I still have some body repair panels stored away for the Z.
Mine was a 1976 280-Z in a color similar to British Racing Green with vanilla color seats (everything else in the interior was black.) Though twice the price of the original, with six years of refinements it was still a bargain at $7K for an Army lieutenant just a couple years out of college. Everyone has a car they wish they had kept. The ‘76 Z was mine. 🧨
My dad has a 280zx. Does anyone know how much it would cost for a body paint? It’s exactly the same color as the car in the video. Thinking about painting the car to black or red. Maybe other colors
I owned a 240Z back in 1977 with the rego DAT240K, unfortunately, I stacked it in a country lane and ended up selling it for GBP400. mine had twin Hitachi carbs and a cracked No6 Piston!
"You cannot kill a man just because he gives you a Datsun!"
-Cheech and Chong Things are Tough All Over
1977 Datsun B210 "PLUS" Hatchback, i need a classic insurance quote, help me!
beautiful car love it my dreams cars
Which model year is shown in the video?
How much does it cost?
That closing statement, wow
This guys could be a Top Gear host
This has been my dream car for so long, and I've never even been able to sit in one. I'm so afraid I wont even fit.. I'm 6'5 and have always had a hard time fitting in all my favorite cars, it's become such a discouragement. Like I'm forced to forever drive my Bronco and big ass boat cars. Not that I don't love my Bronco, but I want a car I like as well as that.
I am in deep love with Fairlady, why they are so expensive :(
Actually the dog legs rust from the inside out and often look fine from the outside, best to just cut them out and replace them, they have a panel. I welded a stronger plate inside, coated and gave it drainage. The reason for the rust there was no real drainage. Who cares about the hood and fenders, they make them or you can find used ones before any bodywork. Major rust spot is under the rear hatch, on the tailgate, behind the headlights and along the top of the gate is always rusted. They make the piece for that too.
i love this car i have toyota celica 2ltr gt 1975 this is just as nice a bit like a prius .
I don't know why but the way this dude talks makes him such likeable :D
Where can i buy one? I searched and looked everywhere
Had a 280ZX 2+2
Nice car but the body was dissolved by rust.
Valve stem seals wear out early too
I have 3 dream cars
1: 1970 (specifically) dodge challenger R/T with the 426 hemi and manual
2: 1965 (or 1964.5) ford mustang with any v8
3: this.
I dont see where the ed are on the 240z name. I'm sure it's just z not zed
awwwww, I LOVE THEM.
i wishd id had some day 3 240zs 2 yellows and one green
I've always owned Datsun/Nissans. This is my dream car. I like them until about 1983.
I have a perfect red 83 280zx with all the right options, analog gauges etc. Many improvements were made to the suspension, transmission and engine. These components often find their way into the earlier cars. Although lambasted by earlier car owners for being overweight and softly sprung, the difference is barely over 100 lbs and the suspension was more dialed in for longer trips 'ala gran touring. Aerodynamics in the ZX was greatly improved and you could get open air driving with the T top. Thank you Paul Newman for choosing the ZX.
on my top10 list i would love to paint it changed tyres it and sit on it
The first thing you do is check for the fingerprints of Kitami Jun !
Proper L28 swap, reinforced bodywork, and a bad track record.
My 240z just hit 500 hp mark !
How much horse power does it have with the twin turbo? Sry if I misheard anything in this video ._.
Twin turbo didn't come until 1990 to 1996 model, and that was the Z32 300ZX. Completely different car.
“Samurai” is the most badass nickname for a car ever, except for “Outlaw” for the Porsche 356.
Japanese cars rusted in 70s...? And British cars didn't? When this was new it cost the same as a dolomite sprint. The 240Z was one of the first truly desirable Japanese cars and what a fabulous car it was.
We have no problem with rust here, It's never rained for well over 9 months ;D
cali?
Mister Mood welp, you jinxed it. We got rain 2 days in a row
I had 1970 240 z 4 speed that car would variance feel honored beat every car I reached on the freeway
Supercar? Ive owned a few. Stock and modified. All were fun. A super car to own but not a supercar. Good review.
where's the best place to find one? Could you find a good reliable one for daily driver under 10,000?
I see this Z has the original grey tint on the taillight panel. Any idea what the color code is? I can't get my hand on it.
Twinturb069 No but if you have a sample piece you can use a spectrometer to determine how to mix up a similar colour. A good panel or paint store will be able to help. I believe the grill is often the same factory colour, the problem might be that over the years the paint can fade so you may not get it exactly how you want first time. Best thing to do is probably try a few samples till you get close to what you want. This is my plan with my S30z.
Twinturb069 I used this on eBay: @400922404133 Applies nicely, one can's enough for the rear panel and the front grille, which is apparently the same colour.
gav240z I haven't tried the panel with a spectro yet, but on my original
interior paint (which was untouched) and It gave me a renault tint :s
this tool isn't always the solution.
jhepb cheers, mate.
Twinturb069 Just put the number in the search box and press search!
The prices on these cars are ridiculous. I swear it's as if fanboys run my life now. I almost got one of these running and driving for 300 bucks when I was 15. Of course my mom wasn't having it, I was upset about for a while but I never though that a rusted out piece of junk would turn into 4k.
Heard of inflation and/or increase in value over time?
meek miLL
Oh no I haven't what's that?
lol complaining about 4k.... try finding a similar era 911 for that price now. These cars are still cheap in comparison and in many ways better.
***** in my opinion look nicer, big L-series engine has more displacement. A lot of that era 911 was 2.0ltr, these were 2.4ltr. Engine in the right end of the car.
I still like the 911's but I just think the S30Z is better.
It's the point with "collectible" items. You don't know how the things will go out. Back in the day, the Lamborghini espada of my neighbour was just "an old sportscar". Nowadays, it is a valuable collection car.
My old Sota Sapphire turtable also was worth nothing during a while. Now, peoples are giving me around 2k$ for it.
But it's always like that when something is a masterpiece of it's own in his time. Prices will go up with the time.
I found one out in a pasture in Texas that got pulled out from in a garage just before they tore down the house. Has some rust, hood was left open, all complete with a straight body, I want it but I'm only 18 and never gotten to learn how to work on cars. I'm not even sure if it's worth it. Someone please help, I can send pics.
Email me at gabediazz27@yahoo.com
Very good advices but at this point just buy what you can find and expect to pay or do body work. For the rest keep the ecu dry or you'll see yourself install a megasquirt/haltech/used ecu. They are in the worst location and they are not sealed at all.
Datsun is the best car ever been manufactured and produced and is one of the best sexiest car.Is the manufacturer is still manufacturing and producing, because we need to order and own one for the.
My first X had a 280ZX Turbo. The ZX was known for relatively loose, sloppy, Americanized handling and steering. Not that it wasn't fun to drive as a Grand Tourer, but it wasn't the taught sports car that the 240, 260, 280Zs were. So in those I don't expect as much handling precision. Also, on those later ones, like those ZXs, beware of problems associated with the luxury touches Nissan/Datsun added, like the climate control. There were many vacuum lines, each one a potential leak, and since they were still using the chassis of the sports car the space to work on that stuff under there is nil, making it a source of learning to curse in Japanese.
They should do a retro remake.
I've just bought a 280zx for $600 and I couldn't be happier...
Where can I find the engine? I was thinking of putting one in a future car.
Probably better off looking for another L6. The L28 was brilliant in its hayday, but at stock... it's not that powerful. It's definitely a tuner's gem to shine, however, if you put the time into it.
you mean a turd to polish
Maybe one day :')
A sleek design made it ahead of its time.
Except for the Jaguar E-type that came out in 1963
Similar to the Mark 1 Celica in terms of styling--very pretty car and looks great from every angle.Weak review though, ' Look for signs of wear and tear'---what would you expect from a seventies car!
I do not know why, but everyone seems to forget to listen to the engin right. VERY often, the engin is not set right. Carbs are not even and timing is not at best because of other defect parts. The engin does work, ok but I do not know alot of people who knows how to FINEtune those enign. And once it is, it feels like a e46 M3 motor. Light, torquer and the most impresiv, responsiv trought the S.U. You will feel the piston unit in the carbs lift as it let more juice flow trow the butterfly.
Did he say supercar?
No, it was a sports car
Not really, Corvettes were faster
we didn't get corvettes in england
But you got cars from Japan, which is twice the distance?
and you guys didn't get any tvrs..
I bought a 70 $300 but the frame was to rusted to drive. The best looking old car ever. I bought a 75 280Z $3000 and it was much better. Only put a water pump and brakes before a friend fell asleep and wrecked it.
Wife got a ticket in mine , she had to borrow it one night , having never driven it before . she said the hood was so long she didn't realize how fast she was going . 59 in a 45 zone !
Magnets don't work. What if the body man mixed steel wool in with the body filler ? Never thought of that did you?
Underrated car unlike the ae86 with overhype drift tax around it
Luv my 260, but parallel parking without power steering is a you know what. 😆
How much would one go in a dealership just sitting?
+Pedro Cortes A dealership? I doubt it now days. Unless it was perfect, but even then it would cost a fortune.
It's not in the best conditions but it's in a dealer sitting
Pedro Cortes
Great to look at, a nightmare to repair and maintain, with all the rust issues. You basically have to get the 240Z all sorted, never drive it again, and put it in a hermetically sealed glass display. There's always something with some of these "heartbreaker cars" as I call them, some particular, serious weakness, that make them deal-breakers. Rust is the 240Z's. Forget it.
Nobody in the USA ever called a 240Z a "Samurai". Over here, good luck finding a 240Z without a V8 swap in it. 280Z (not ZX) will be the next Nissan/Datsun to go nuts, it's really another excellent car.
Martin Espinoza There are more 240Z's without V8 swaps than with it in the states, at least from what i've found :-)
Martin Espinoza Nobody in the UK ever called a 240Zed (not Zee ;-)) a Samourai or Samurai.....Samuri - go read Spikes' book :-). Agreed upon the 280Z, great car but it'll go nuts only because the 240Zs have gone so high in price and 'most' 260Z 2 seaters (and there aren't many) are dogs- kinda left there in limbo land between the pure 240Zs and the better specced 280Zs.
Martin Espinoza
Unfortunately most of the V8 conversions are V8's with automatic transmissions. Which IMHO an automatic transmission has no place in a S30 chassis or a any sports car for that matter. Scarab & later JTR conversions based on the Chevy 350 were the most popular. Its the American half ass approach to car wrenching.
michael , enough power to pull out the curls off ur hair HAHAHA
drove mine from new to 1990 sold it for same price as was new. that day.
the perfect car if ever there was, at 500k miles , rear axle went out, so sold it. (used axles near impossible to find, and no shop would touch it . Just keep the SU (Hitachi carbs clean it just runs) never once vapor locked, what it does do (real) is the 1 float needle sticks close, with about 1/3 HP, so put in viton tipped, needles and no more so call (wrong) vapor lock. at 250miles!, with this happens pull over pop hood and tap bowls with screw driver handle tap tap, good for 10,000 more miles not fixed right. (im a SU nut(CV carbs)(, owned many Brit cars with real SU's (they stink btw) but sleeving fly shafts cured, (Dat-Soon? SU has them new)
2 in family both ran for ever.... endless. so long and not in any rust belts. we are not.
ran CDI ignition on mine every day, zero loss of spark ever,. nice Blast from the past. thanks.
i would give my blood and tears to have one of these...sadly i do not have the finances for such a car.
Saw a 280z going for 5k literally right when I was gonna have the money to get it, it sold. Still heart broken from it smh 🤦🏽♂️