Newbie from California....

[draztik280]

Hi. My name is Pat. I live in Granada Hills CA. I am about to buy a 78' 280z this weekend that i found in craigslist.

I don't know about 280z's at all. I'm new to Vintage Cars. This will be my first time. I know how to work on newer cars, but not on older ones.

Looking forward to learn everything on the Z with you guys.

And meet with the fellow members...

Thanks

[SportBikeMike]

Welcome to the site and nice purchase! If you're used to working on newer cars, you'll find working on an older Z a breeze. Please post up pics when you get them.

[draztik280]

I can't wait to get the car. The person is selling his car for $1500.

Here are the problems...

leaking fuel rubber hose near the gas cap. Cracked dash and seats. cracked exterior paint, couple rust spots, broken windshield.

The good...

has A/C, no oil leaks or any leaks at all.

body is straight. no accidents.

Is it worth the price?

[SportBikeMike]

Hard to tell without pics. Depends on the severity of the rust. If its just a few spots of surface rust, then no big deal. But if there is a rust on the frame rails or floor pans, this could be a major expense. I would say if the rust is minimal its a good deal. Everything thing else you listed can be easily dealt with.

[draztik280]

Thanks. I will check again and look at the floor pans. rust are just suface rusts. Hopefully i wouldn't find any in the floor pan.

[70 Cam Guy]

Good luck with the purchase! Also check under the battery for rust, that is another common spot (at least on the 240's) but thankfully the previous owner of my car installed a plastic tray years ago

If your Craigslist is anything like up here, there always seems to be a steady flow of Z parts. It's not a huge amount but there's a handful of fresh posts everyday if you're looking for used parts

[draztik280]

yeah thanks i will look forward to that. The seller told me that whenever he fills up the gas tank, the gas leaks on top of the tank. he said it's the gas pipe that needs to be replaced. Is this a rubber hose?

Is this easy to replace?

[260zCaliCar]

Good luck Neighbor! I took a look at the ad on craigslist. Looks like a nice car, and appears to have lived it's whole life in California (You can tell by the license plate). Find out if it's the original paint, if not, you should take a magnet with you to look for repairs (magnet won't stick to bondo). Also, like everyone else said... look everywhere for rust and/or rust bubbles in the paint... remember to look under the battery (even my california car which I bought in 1979 rusted under the battery).

[beandip]

Granada Hills ! That was my old stomping ground. I was assigned to the Fire Station at Devonshire and Balboa for years. For the amount of money you cannot expect to find a cherry Z. If he were asking 5K or so then the magnet thing would be something I would do. But not for a $1500.00 car unless you are trying to impress the owner. Besides looking under the floor mats and battery for rust , pull the dipstick and look at the oil. It should not be black if the engine has been taken care of. Check the coolant in the radiator also, if it looks oily pass on the car! Rust is the biggest enemy with these cars. Surface rust can be expected , but holes rusted through can lead to the bottomless pit in your wallet. Good luck , Gary

[draztik280]

Hi neighbor! I will go back and take a look at today. Yeah it's the black one that was on sale on craigslist in Granada Hills, there is also one today that I found in Tujunga. Definitely I will take a look at the battery section.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I really do appreciate for giving me knowledge about these cars. Thanks alot!

More suggestions are welcome.

[draztik280]

Granada Hills ! That was my old stomping ground. I was assigned to the Fire Station at Devonshire and Balboa for years. For the amount of money you cannot expect to find a cherry Z. If he were asking 5K or so then the magnet thing would be something I would do. But not for a $1500.00 car unless you are trying to impress the owner. Besides looking under the floor mats and battery for rust , pull the dipstick and look at the oil. It should not be black if the engine has been taken care of. Check the coolant in the radiator also, if it looks oily pass on the car! Rust is the biggest enemy with these cars. Surface rust can be expected , but holes rusted through can lead to the bottomless pit in your wallet. Good luck , Gary

Nice place to live in. $1500 is not bad at all. everything works. I just need to replace the gas pipe like what the seller said.

Good luck Neighbor! I took a look at the ad on craigslist. Looks like a nice car, and appears to have lived it's whole life in California (You can tell by the license plate). Find out if it's the original paint, if not, you should take a magnet with you to look for repairs (magnet won't stick to bondo). Also, like everyone else said... look everywhere for rust and/or rust bubbles in the paint... remember to look under the battery (even my california car which I bought in 1979 rusted under the battery).

Hi neighbor! I will go back and take a look at today. Yeah it's the black one that was on sale on craigslist in Granada Hills, there is also one today that I found in Tujunga. Definitely I will take a look at the battery section.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I really do appreciate for giving me knowledge about these cars. Thanks alot!

More suggestions are welcome.

I added the link of the ad. Here it is

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/1251594158.html

the one in Tujunga that im going to look at today.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/1255925691.html

[SportBikeMike]

Wow, you guys get some great deals out west. Those same cars in Illinois would be going for $4-6,000. Both cars look pretty clean, although on the second one, I'd probably lose the large, pink, fuzzy dice.....