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Hi guys, just catching up. Overall, I would like to think that our website served an overall larger purpose. We did the right thing by informing a fellow human being the correct value of a classic car sitting in his garage. It shouldn't matter if he is a newbie, or a long upstanding member, because I think our opinions bring value to the overall hobby. I am proud that we come across as a helpful friendly bunch and can be considered a trusted source for Z community.

I like to see the win-win. If the car is worth 15k and he sells it for 13k great, everybody is happy. If the car is worth 15k and he sells it for 8k he took a 47% hit. One's really happy and one got taken advantage of. If it was Jai selling Redbird and she offered her car at a 50% discount would we be supportive of somebody taking advantage of her ignorance. Would we fault her for re-evlauating since she lives on limited means and the difference in cash would be huge to her....

I think when people use @Mike 's forum to sale a Z they should make a donation for his work keeping this forum running smoothly. We all pick it apart and say if it's a deal or not and that has to affect the sale, good or bad (mostly good). It's common sense leaving a good tip when you have good service.

Fun topic! We've gone from buying a Z, to buying a Porsche, to buying a Ferrari. Is this an eclectic group of car enthusiasts, or what? What we haven't discussed (getting back to the original topic, sort of) is that there are a lot more good jokes about Porsche owners than there are about Datsun owners - another reason to buy a Datsun Z instead of a Porsche. I can't remember ever hearing a Ferrari owner joke. BTW, here's a picture of of my Porsche - a 1970 914-6. Dennis

I also have a Porsche ( 1987 928 S4) that is the stablemate to my 72 Z. The 928 is my trip/touring car while the Z fulfills my "down and dirty" desire to feel every physical force that accompanies the no frills driving aspects of pure sports cars. No computer assist, no automatic leveling, traction control or completely quiet cockpit...just you, the Z, the sounds and the next demanding road. In it's day, the 70-72 Z ate the basic 911's lunch. Fiat, MG, Triumph, Lancia all played catch up after it's introduction. 150 hp, great design, superb handling and a great cockpit led to their being forced to the back of the bus. The 996 is a great deal for a cheap "initial" buy in to the Porsche fraternity. Like any German engineered car, they need constant inspection and strict maintenance followup. They will cost more to own, you will not recoup your investment, but like the Z they are made to drive, the harder the better. For my money, if you are patient, you can find a solid, well taken care of 1st generation Z but you must look everywhere. Get up an hour early, go through craiglist in other cities and states, set up a automatic search engine, go to other unknown listing sites and you will find your car. I am currently finishing up an 8 month engine refurbish upgrade to my Z. My goal was keeping the stock appearance and just concentrating on engine, trans and suspension enhancements. Rolly the "Zombie" Alberto is masterminding the engine and he is a savant when it comes to squeezing max hp from 4-6 cylinder engines. Rolly is from the Philippines and has two speed shops there that build drift cars for the Asian market. I will post everything here once we are finished in about 3 weeks. The early Z's are so simple to work on, so simple to up grade that its makes much better sense to buy one if you can't afford both. Good luck keep us posted.

I wonder if the thought was, The car is to fast, You're not gonna outrun this guy. Can't imagine why they would consider the owner of a sports car a threat. Unless they were transporting NOS parts, that is.

I could give Mike some best practices gleaned from years over at Ferrari Chat, which is absolutely the best forum I've ever participated in. Founder / owner is very involved, makes good money from the site, and polices the classifieds with some good rules. FWIW

It's the art of a deal, ask Donald J. Backtracking, #1.

Hey, if they wanted to make it really scary they could have used the image of a Pinto backing up toward you!

This is my first Z. She is Redwing, a 1971 purchased new, HLS 30 11904. This first photo is celebrating her first 100,000 miles. Sorry, there is not more of her to see, this is the only old photo I could find. I was christening her with wine. The second photo is a 200,000 mile photo. I drove her 259,000 miles total. She is now in the hands of Tim, who is doing a full restore on her.