KDMatt

Paint job looks absolutely fabulous! I'm jealous, heheh.

, could just do what I did and buy a Prelude Naw, I love my Z (and secretly I probably spend more money on toys for her than any other car would warrant) ... but you still can't beat the $600 Honda I bought, has all of the qualities you describe... very unique (not many 3rd gen Preludes around, especially with 4-wheel steering... 'wish I had that), fixer-upper, but pretty steadfast even in bad weather ... front wheel drive is a bit of a bugger though, but nice in the snow ... oh and having lots of microchips is a definite let-down, not as easy to diagnose broken stuff as it would be with a Z, but still... Good luck on your search... You know, if finding a Z doesn't work out (and I sure hope it does) ... could keep an eye out for an old first-gen Prelude? Hell, maybe even a Datsun B210 hatch? ... or maybe an old Rx7? ... I've seen a lot of decent RX7's in particular go for very little amounts of money...

I agree with Zuma. Spend more time and money trying to find a first class example and you will be rewarded in dividends by a car that never fails to impress you. Under $1500 might be a stretch though. These may serve you a little better... http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/574042589.html http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/571314930.html http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/car/570706193.html http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/car/570016493.html http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/568502314.html Now you might be asking yourself... "why did he post ads for 79-83 280zx's when I want a 70's car?" ... Well for one thing, it looks like they're a lot easier to find in your area, and secondly, the engines in the ZXs (i.e. 2nd gen) are basically the same as those found in the mid 70's first-gen Z's ... with only a handful of differences. 'Just some food for thought.

Likewise... but at least I have the Prelude to keep me company while the Z freezes to death.

You forgot "Tail Wind"

Except where it really counts... on the engine and on the seatbelts...

That show (the full-throttle thing) is where I had my first exposure to Z's,

My '76 gives me some hell in the rain every now and then. If I juice the throttle any more than a 'reasonable' or 'sensible' amount it'll spin and/or slide... ... but sometimes it's fun to drift around a corner in the rain... it can also be very scary when you nearly hit a BMW M5... yikes!

Oh man, I want a B210 really, really badly. Those things are so ridiculously awesome! For now though, I guess a Honda will have to do

Oh God, Nitro! Darbji I had this strong gut feeling that something was amiss last night, and sure enough when I check today I find out this has happened! I hope you're okay lady, we have some serious catching up to do!

What a deal! Welcome to the madness, heheh :stupid:

If not Knight Rider, they do simply SCREAM 80's

I'd buy it just for the V8 conversion goodies.

'Last time I checked my L28 had a timing chain, not a belt. Otherwise I second everything else bigoak mentioned. I would also recommend having some emergency stuff with you, flashlight, tools, universal belt, some 50/50 antifreeze etc. You know your car better than we do, and you know better what things need to be kept up on/looked at.

Umm... well I suppose the coolant temp sensor could be another place to start... (In case you haven't guessed, this game is HARD... you know the figure out what's wrong with your car game) You could try messing around with the AFM while the car is on, don't adjust it, just press on the flap to open it more and/or close it more and see if going either way helps or clears the smoke. There's always the remote possibility of a bad ECU too. With things being that rich though I suspect it's something more mechanical than electrical/sensor related, but the components involved that I'm thinking of have already been mentioned.

Hey Mars, thanks for the offer, PA is a little far, and I've actually got a winter car now anyway I found a lovely little 88 Prelude at a trade-in dealership about 5 minutes from my apartment. Almost ZERO rust. It's still pretty rough around the edges, but it still runs and drives. I'm hoping over winter break I can spend some time fixing all of the little quirks that are wrong with it and make it really solid. Found 'er on craigslist and paid $600! I'm a happy camper! http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/car/510173601.html

If it hadn't before... it has now...

Not a bad idea, I can't find any older ones though, not at those kinds of prices. The accord I posted sold. I think I'm gonna go look at a 3rd gen Prelude now... one of those All-wheel-steering thingers. I'll keep you posted.

aHA! The very same brother who also forgot to reconnect the AFM after he helped you gut the A/C. btw: Are you losing weight?

Oh man, major bummer... My Z will never look at my dad's B2200 the same way again!

A Jeep would be a pretty sweet snow car, but yes I agree all I really need is front wheel drive... but I'd be okay with rear wheel drive too. Here are the two top contenders for me right now: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/car/480722991.html http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/car/477301622.html This dude I met told me the best winter car he ever had was a 280zx with monster snow tires. (I sort of want to try that out, and it would be nice, considering I know the L28 like the back of my hand now :rambo:) Oh, and I'm not actually at the U of M, but close... right across the street from the West Bank pretty much.

I've been looking at lots of cars lately ... I miss being mobile and it's never fair to take the Z out into the snow, I'm curious to know what some of our snow/salt-belt drivers use in the snowy season, seeing as I am now on the hunt myself. Oh, and if someone has a rust-bucket/beater 2nd or 3rd gen Z, now is the time to speak up! I've been hunting 2nd gen Escorts, 2nd gen Preludes, Rx7's ... Corolla Sr5's ... Accords, Civics... lots of fun stuff...

looks like she lost a fan shroud on the way over there (judging from the pics linked here)... Didn't you guys see the jump? ... Oh, maybe I just imagined it.

You were on to something there I think. There is a fuel-pump cutoff located in the AFM, this circuit is typically closed while the engine is off/no air is flowing (mine doesn't work this way for whatever reason however) So, in other words, no, the fuel pump is not supposed to come on just by having the key in the 'on' position Also, I let my car sit with an empty gas tank for about 6 months also and never had a problem getting the pump re-primed. The FI pump is supposed to be self-priming.

I agree... I would even go so far as to say it sounds like your clutch slave or clutch master has given out ...