TomoHawk

I think the book should also fairly current, because as the availability of parts changes, you may have to begin substituting something or having a part made from scratch.

The only air tools I own are apaint gun and the fitting to put air in the tyres.

The 5-bolt Honda drum swap is possible. Maybe it was that.

Do they make a combination oil pressure & temperature, and water temperature gauge?

You mean you're all not taking phones with a high-quality, 150k pixel cameras, to send photos directly to Mike? Wait.... Maybe that is a good idea.... Someone could be a collection point for phone photos.

Cool. I'll "borrow" your car, you report it destroyed, get the 12 grand, and give me 3 for returning it in good condition... just kidding...

That was a nice explanation, Arne. As to documentation, what would that include? I have mostly new parts to replace the worn-out stuff like the driveshafts, a trans rebuild, and engine parts/repairs/improvements. thxZ

I think you mean the NADA Used car price Guide which is at: http://www.nadaguides.com I've got a lot more than the $9000 invested in it. Maybe I will go through the receipts to see exactly how much.

When you post a link to somewhere, it is considerate to note where it goes or what it (the destination website) does. It was off-topic anyway. The topic is to see what things you would consider in your estimate for the value of your car, not some blue-book, value. Most all of the Z owners I know have many thousands more invested in the car than the pittance you'd get as a look-up quote from some book. I tried to look up the value on Edmunds or Kelly's Blue book, and they only go back to about 1990, so you're on your own, unless you can find some pricing service for antique cars. They seem more interested in selling you a new or used car. Thanks Stephen, for the note. That one appraisal company looks to be the kind of place that might get you the appraisal you'd like. But it will help to know what to tell them beforehand, besides the year & model. Is there a website that will just give you a simple value, like the blue-book value? thxZ

You'd sacrifice your tyres, quick speeds, and a decent lap-time just to do that?

What is that for?

How would you calculate the value of your Z car, for insurance purposes, like the Haggerry insurance? I have all the receipts for service, parts, and any engine/body/chassis improvements done since I got the car. I would not count the cost of regular service or functional repairs. Would you just calculate the sum total for all improvements and give that to the insurance guy? thxZ

There is a nice article on the Wikipedia website concernin sportscars, and the differences between sportscars and other associated types. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_car

The Mini Cooper will fit for you then, Julio. It doesn't have much horsepower, but does handle well. It has little in terms of amenities, but was very enjoyable.

Across town (in the ritzi part,) there is a Tuesday night cruise-in where it's been said that they turn you away if you drive in a ricer or tuner, or something that doesn't meet the theme of the day, like Mopar. One week they had "2-seat sportscar," whch according to our definition is redundant. Maybe those people think there are 4-seat sportscars? That's part of what this topic is about- the difference between sportscar and performance sedan, etc. It seems that people with Acuras or Lexii think of their cars as sportscars because they can go fast or look sleek or "sporty." I don't think there are many 2-seat cars made today anyway. I'm not so sure about Corvetes being sportscars any more. They have 2 seats and all the rest, but they have gotten bigger, so I think of them as a kind of exotic car.

At $14 million, a 250 SWB (supercompetezzione) is a little too expensive for me. It took 39 years to sell 1,000,000 corvettes, Whereas Datsun sold about 150,000 240Zs in the first few years. and the 1,000,000th Z (an S130) in 1982.

Yes, according to the sales figures, from the Z car history video from the History Channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=filjihe00Go&feature=PlayList&p=201AF19EE8E687FD&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=25 Corvette owners will argue that, tho.

The Z wasn't alone at first, but it did eventually replace the MGs, Triumphs, and most every other sportscar. I would also like to include "low-cost" for a sportscar, which would eliminate the ABS, turbo, exotic suspensions, air conditioning, etc. You don't really need all that. I'm not sure what to say about the $1000 stereos; I prefer to go basic on that too. Even power steering, like the 280ZX had, which IMO, is when the original Z car line ended. After that, the Z was was more of a luxury touring/GT car. A sportscar should appeal to the pocketbook too, like the 240Z did, so I would say that eliminates the exotics for many of us. Unless it's in plastic or diecast metal, that is. thxZ Part of my collection of Italian Sportscars:

I like to brag about the Z as the "most popular sportscar in the U.S.A., but someone will then say, "What about the Corvette..." or, "what about the Mustang..." or the BMW Z3 or 318, and so forth. The Z is a sportscar, the Corvette is (the only American ) sportscar, a Mustang is a Pony car, the Z3 is a roadster, and the 318 is an executive/touring car. Then the same person will say, "What about the Infinity...., or Acura......, etc" which are performance sedans. Sportscars have exceptional handling due to light weight, "2 seats," a well-engineered, balanced chassis, and modern suspension. A powerful engine alone doesn't make a sportscar. It goes without saying the 240Z, 260Z, and 280Z were the only real sportscars sold in the U.S.A. in their day, after MG, Triumph, and others had left the market, but things seem less defined lately, with most every car looking like a aero-something with 4-wheel disc, ABS, turbo-EFI-"VTEC" engines, and all the other stuff. Except those new box cars, which should say SF&TokyoRR on them thxZ

Chris- Could you repost the link to the article? The one just posted wasn't complete (the dots). thxZ

There was talk of updating the judging rules for this year's convention. Has it been done or available? thxZ

I tried out my handheld CB radio for a club outing next week, and I'm getting loud buzzing from the engine. It has stock ignition, resistor plugs (I think) and I plug the CB into the cigarette lighter plug. I was thinking of adding an extra cigarette lighter jack on the riser hehind the seats. There is no buzzing on the stereo system. Any ideas? thxZ

A short while after I got my car, (2003) I went to the Nissan dealer to get to know the Z tech guy, and one of the salesmen told me that they don't make Zs any more! There's no way I can have a 280Z, because they stopped making them.

there was talk about revising the judging rules for this year's ZCON. It ought to be in print by now, is it available somewhere?

When you get that big of a difference between judges it can only mean two things: 1- the judges don't have the same way of judging. 2- You car isn't so perfect that two different judges can give the same results. So you get to keep working on whatever the deductions were, to get it all to perfection or correctness.