intro and quick question about '83 280zx

[c-dawg]

hey everyone! i'm new here. my name is curtis, but i don't have a classic Z... yet! i have really loved the way these cars look and feel and the desire to have one has been burning inside me for a long time now. i finally decided to quit playing with my bmw and get into a car i REALLY want to drive.

with that said, my uncle has a 1983 n/a 280zx. everything in it is completely stock, besides the t-top covers and brake pads. it has under 50k miles. he bought it brand new and has kept it covered in the garage every single day. he drives it about once every six months. he says that it's such a nice car that he doesn't want to mess it up by driving it too much. everything in it is perfectly kept up. it has the digital displays for tach and speedometer and such. he said it was the top of the line back then.

now my question is: how much is it worth?

he says that he's gotten offers, but he doesn't want to sell it. i somehow told him that i would love to have this car, and he said that if i wanted it, he'd sell it to me. he doesn't know how much it's worth and stuff. he just knows that he's taken immaculate care of it for 24 years. and it shows. everything's perfect.

should i go for it? if i bought it, what should i do with it? i mean, it's completely factory fresh and everything works...

should i just pass on this and look for another 280zx? one that wouldn't be as much and that i can play with/modify?

thanks guys! this is troubling me very much. i really want the car, but i want to drive it and mod it and stuff. but my uncle's kept everything in tact for so long, i wouldn't want to waste his efforts. heck, i'm nervous just THINKING about driving it... even if it WAS mine : P

-curtis

[evildky]

welcome to nico,tught to value a car like that, I've seen an ultral low miles (14k IIRC) ultra rare red ae model fro sale fro aobut 20k, but it's been for sale forever because no one seems to want to pay that much for it, this car your uncle has is not doubt imacualte and low miles but not a collectible model, so I'd guess in the 5-10k range again this is completely a guess, a clean s130 turbo can be had in the 3-5k range, I guess it depends on how much you have to spend and how much he'll take and what you'r intended use for the car is, it's be a shame to hack up a low miles car, if you want a weekend cruiser to take to shows your unbcles car wil no doubt suite you, if you want to make a street bruiser, I'd look for a solid chassis and build from there up

[c-dawg]

thanks for the reply, evil.

yeah, i don't know what i really really want to do. it does depend on what car i get and the condition it's in.

if i do get this one, i'll probably keep it the way it is. at most, maybe exhaust and intake, but that would be about it.

i've seen some other 280zx's, and most of them seem a bit beat up and rusty. but then again, those are getting sold for like $1k. we'll see what happens.

i'll keep checking the classified's for anything that pops up. my uncle wants to sell it to me cuz he needs cash. he's buying me lunch to negotiate... : P

i really want one of these cars. we'll see what happens : )

-c

[evildky]

oh yeah beaters can be had for a couple hundred bucks and up, but to get a decent friver you're looking at a couple grand, and 3k you can get a real nice car

[c-dawg]

i've been looking around, checking classifieds here and there, and i've even gone to look at some of the cars listed. a lot of them have some rust and minor problems.

i'm gonna sound like a complete newbie (cuz i am one), but how do i remove rust from the body? would a paint place be able to fix it easily and cheaply? do i have to somehow patch it up?

also, if i found a cheaper one, how much would it cost to swap an engine? i don't have the time or knowhow to do it myself. more importantly, where would i go to find one?

sorry for all these n00b questions, but i've never dealt with older cars before. the oldest car i've ever had was 94 : X

thanks again!

-c