Im interrested in buying a Datun 280z and have found a relatively cheap one, a 1977, that seems like it would be a nice match for me. It was a bit before my time but i have heard that buying a car around '76 or '77 can be a bad idea.

I heard that because the smog regulations were much more strict strict than before, cars of the era had problems with the ability to reduce smog and lacked horse power to comply with the new regulations. The car that i found does indeed pass smog regulations in California, but i was wondering where datsun fits in this issue and if there is anything i should watch out for/ find out before buying a car from this time?

Thanks

Z's of that era were unusual in that they were fuel injected. So the compromises brought on by the emission controls were less onerous than in many carburated cars. That said, a classic Z is not a speed demon by today's standards, so I'd recommend a test drive to make sure that the car is what you expect.

Yeah, they pass pretty easy. Theses around 46 in my town half of which are drivers and plenty of 76 and up 280Z's running around.

as long as you can keep all the components of the EFI system maintained and working (especially the connectors) it ought to be well-running car. My '78 was WAY under the limits when I got it in 2002 and is only getting better with some maintenance and a few rebuilds (distributor, injectors.) You probably have a few extra components to your EFI for CA regulations tho, and there are people here that gotchya covered. :classic:

thxZ