Potential buy? what are your thoughts?

[Slight]

hey all,
here's my situation.
I found this fairlady z close to home and I'm wondering more about it.

first off, is a 1975 fairlady z similar to the 260z? is that correct? what kind of differences am i looking at?
weight reduction, stiffness, power, engine?

and i guess mainly i am curious to what kind of 'trouble' ill be getting into if i bought one. I'm not the most mechanically adept guy and i'm not wealthy by any means... but i absolutely love the looks of the z...
do these cars cost quite a bit on parts? are they hard to find?

I was seriously considering getting a 240sx from the states, but what i find is that what I really want to do is invest time and money into something I love. not so much as a practical car, but as a hobby.

here's the link to the car i'm looking at.
http://www.oldcaronline.com/ocdetail292188.htm

thank you so much for helping!

[Travel'n Man]

Are you looking for back seats? This one is a four seater - the typical Zcar is a 2 seater. The rear window is elongated in the 2+2 - not my cup of tea but she could be talking to you!

[Slight]

yeah, i think that would be nice... agreed its not full race... but its a touch more practical
thanks for the thought, I have lots to learn about these cars.

[Hunter260Z]

Are you sure this is a 2.0 liter in line 6. Looks like 2.6 or 2.8.

[Travel'n Man]

Josh -
Best of you luck on your Z quest!

[Slight]

Are you sure this is a 2.0 liter in line 6. Looks like 2.6 or 2.8.

I've yet to take a good look at it, hopefullly this week. i'd assume the guy would list it accurately as he is apparently a hot rodder.
if it is a 2.0 L does that indicate more accurately the year of the vehicle?
do you know of any major differences between the Jdm and Usdm versions?

thanks!

[sblake01]

There were no USDM Fairladies. There would be many differences between that car and a U.S. market 75 280Z.

[Slight]

of course, the jdm were the fairlady's and the 240,260,280 were under the datsun badge..
I'm just wondering if those differences are significant In way that would drive the cost of parts up by a lot.

[Healey Z]

I think it looks pretty cool.

I'm sure most all of the mechanical parts would be interchangeable. It has the round top SU's instead of the more problematic flat top with the 260z. Chances are it is a 2.6/2.8 liter and not a 2.0 liter as claimed in the ad.

[Slight]

cool thanks for the insight

[FastWoman]

Of course ask yourself whether you want to drive from the passenger side of the car! It could be difficult/dangerous for passing, particularly if you're following a truck. Think carefully about that!

It sounds like a lot of little things need attention, and that could add up. For what they're asking, I'd expect a 100% functional car with very little rust. (Just because they say there's no rust doesn't mean it's so. Look carefully.)

Also the 2+2 thing -- less desireable, but more rare. I don't know how that plays out in the value of the car. I personally hate the hump in the roof line, but a few people really like it.

[Slight]

some very good things to put to mind, do you know of any specific things i should look at when i see the car?

thank you so much for your help =D

[spitz17]

Owning a Fairlady State-side myself, I would say that the cost is not driven up at all.

I have been able to get the same parts as any other 240Z. It is definitely a cool factor to have a rarer Z, but in the end its still a 240Z to me The 2+2 is not my cup of tea though.

Differences to name a few:

Factory Fairlady Z's had lower/stiffer springs from what I understand.
Brake Booster/Master + vacuum lines on other side
Steering Rack (Crossmember has grooves for both RHD and LHD).
Signals and Light Switch on opposite sides (potentially expensive to replace)

[Gary in NJ]

I just looked at the ad. That is not a 2.0L. Also, despite his description, there doesn't seem to be anything special about the SU's.

While it would be interesting to own a Fairlady, it would never want to be sen in a 2+2.

Just my own opinion.

[Slight]

thanks Spitz,
after doing some looking around i guess my opinion is somewhere around the fact that the coupe looks better than the 2+2 but the difference to me is negligible.
my major concerns would be costs of those certain parts to repair.

ie.
"Signals and Light Switch on opposite sides (potentially expensive to replace)"
how potentially expensive am I looking at?

and the add says that "Has factory air [ not working ] - the Hitachi compressor is free wheeling, so it is not seized. all the copper lines from it are are intact. The heater hoses are not hooked up - suspect it might need a heater core"

my situation is that at this point i dont have all the money in the world to straight up restore,
I am a student.
but having said that i do work at the local nissan dealership and I have access to tools, help, cheap labor rates, and the like.

the more I look at these cars the more enthralled I become...
I guess my understanding is that you can expect normal to high maintenance, but it is worth the effort and work.

[psdenno]

Check the price & availability of the rubber trim strips that are missing/need replacing on the early style bumpers. All things being equal, and they never are, I think I'd pass on this one unless I had always dreamed of owning a righthand drive Fairlady 2+2 with questionable history. In which case, I'd be there checkbook in hand.
Dennis

[olzed]

The general consensus is that not many like 2+2. I'm another.

He says bumpers need replacing. Very costly.
Dash is cracked. Also very costly and might be hard to find, if not impossible for this model in RHD.

2c

[Slight]

where do i start to look for those items? are referring to the trim around the wheel wells? thanks for the opinion

[Slight]

it seems like this may be a endeavor beyond my ability.. if those costs are high and the parts are hard to source..

[Arne]

Any part that is JDM specific will be hard to get here in North America, and more expensive than the normal North American parts. If they are available at all, most will have to come from Japan.

[spitz17]

Ordering parts from Japan is a possibility. But let it be known, it is darn expensive! I have ordered through both third party auction sites and received aid from friends to bring parts from Yahoo! Auctions Japan over at a hefty price. To give you an idea, my car was missing a windshield wiper rod when I bought it. It took me 6 months to source a simple RHD-specific wiper rod!!

[Slight]

yes, i think with all this input and information I will decide against this car, especially with your first hand experience Spitz, thank you. and thanks to everyone else too. I shall keep looking and learning =)

[olzed]

Wise decision.

[Threehz]

I have to ask, do you want just a 'classic' Z car in general, or did you want the Fairlady specifically? Because if you just want a classic Z but you just happened to come across this one, which is a Fairlady, you will have no trouble finding a stateside Z. There are many many Z's out there and new ones pop up for sale every single day in places all around, if you go check ebay you can find a slew of really nice restored ones for a worthy price, however there are usually a lot of really great deals on some in good/great condition that just need a loving owner.

my 2cents

Hope you are enjoying your time in the Z world and good luck finding the right Z for you!

[zKars]

Slight, I sent you a private message.

Check your "Notifications" up at the top of the window by your user name.

[FastWoman]

You ask about maintenance costs. I owned a 2001 BMW Z3 2.0i prior to my Z. It was a very nice/fun/cool car, but it was quite complicated. "Complicated" doesn't necessarily just mean "hard to diagnose." The bigger part of "complicated" to me was that there are more parts to break. I could theoretically have had a malfunction with a common safety device I'm legally not at liberty to mention [cough, cough], and that could theoretically have caused a lot of damage and costly repair. Near simultaneous to the theoretical malfunction, the steering angle sensor (component of the dynamic stability control) went out. That would have been another $700 if I hadn't shamed the dealership into fixing it gratis. (The car was in the hands of their mechanics when the SAS went out.) Add this to the list of $1.25 TINY little NOTHING caps that cover the screw heads and must be destroyed everytime a screw is removed -- and the $60 pieces of rubber and plastic -- and all the "because-we-can" price gauging. I simply had ENOUGH!

What I really wanted was my old Z that my ex made me sell back in the '90's. I did my research and found out that parts aren't really so bad. I already knew the car from bumper to bumper, so diagnosis was easy. The car is solid, reliable, and SIMPLE (meaning fewer complicated systems to break). Moreover, even scarce antique parts for the antique Z are cheaper than the BMW parts -- by FAR. They might not be as cheap as parts for a Chevy, but it might be like buying parts for modern Japanese cars, for the most part.

Most major working parts (e.g. alternator, distributor, ignition components, brake components, and other stuff you'd expect to find at an auto parts store) are actually available for the Z. Gaskets are common and are still made for the car. I'm not worried they'll disappear, because I could still get gaskets for my 1932 Chevy coupe if I owned one -- or any other really old car.

So really these cars are quite ownable and practical as a daily driver. Here's the catch, though: Like any old car, any Z you find will probably not be in the best running condition. You'll put in a lot of time and perhaps even a bit of $$$ turning it into a properly functioning car. And then you're there! Maintenance will be similar to -- or cheaper than -- maintenance on modern cars. These old cars ARE a bit fussier than modern cars because of the way they're designed, so you might have to mess with idle speed settings a bit more (for instance). They're also not nearly as efficient as modern cars, nor are they as powerful, in general (although they can be modified for a LOT more power if you have the $$$ and time). But if you're OK driving old technology and paying more for fuel (approx 19 mpg combined city/highway), these cars are GREAT to drive. There's definitely a "cool" factor about them.

[FastWoman]

I also forgot to mention rust/corrosion. That will be the biggest difficulty you will face -- rust holes, frozen bolts, etc. On the plus side, you can actually SEE the engine and reach its working parts without taking half of the engine compartment apart.

I think your decision to pass on the 2+2 was a good one. Keep your eye out on CL. These cars do come around.

[Slight]

yes, I think the novelty of owning a jdm doesn't sway me too much in the matter, I guess my opinion is that
if i am going to buy a summer car, then I should get something that moves me... and classic jdm cars do...
so if i can get best of both worlds; a usdm car thats still a classic jdm... seems like a win win deal..

and thank you FastWoman for laying it out like that, that's what i'm looking for- a car that isn't so complicated that i'll have to pour every single last penny i own to it, something i could take the time to learn more about...a car i'd actually want to invest my time/money into.
and judging from what i've seen, the Z community is something i want to be apart of.