If I remember, 240Z’s would rust through the floor boards before they got sold
I played golf with a dentist who owned a Jaguar E Type. The local BMC dealer was useless in servicing the car so he bought an expensive set of tools to do most of it it himself. Wearing gloves of course.
He neatly summed up owning a Jag as similar to being married to Elizabeth Taylor; some great moment of passion but the rest of the time a temperamental companion with very high upkeep costs!!!
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… along with many periods of serious illness…
Miata, over a Z, seriously? Please don’t drink and post… heh heh
I recently sold my 300 ZX for like $2k. The 300 is just as flashy, glass T-Tops, and though it had a lot of issues, the engine was still rock solid into 2018. What you need to take away from all these experienced shadetree mechanics, old car fans and we’re guys so of course we love race cars is this 1) Please stop using the word “pretty”, I’m worried you will buy the car based on looks, you need a sound engine too. 2) Expect to spend as much in the first year on repairs and rebuilds that you would if you had a $300-$400 car payment on a new car. 3) Talk to people like me who have actually owned one (I’m not discounting the experts here, I’d be sunk without guys like George San Jose and Bing, others), only we can tell you the upkeep and with the later model Z’s late 280’s & 300’s you will deal with 2 main issues, frequent electrical problems and oil leaks. Oh, and you should try to find one with a replaced or rebuilt tranny, they don’t last 100K . That being said, if you are willing, it’s a great car, handsome, corners like it’s on rails, killer sound system and quick off the line. Love the romance in you looking for an old classic sports car!
My dream car is to own my first car again, 1977 Camaro Z-28 all black with orange pinstripes…faster than any car I ever drove before or since…350 4 brrl turbo trans balanced and blueprinted, glass packs, Holley Carbs, topped out over 140 mph
Glass T-tops…
Any day of the week, and that’s coming from a huge fan of the 300Z (and, really, all the Z’s before it too).
The only Z’s that are new enough to have a shot at reliability are the 350’s and up, and the build quality of those was markedly lower than the Z’s that came before them. Not that they aren’t great cars, because they’re an absolute blast to drive, but they’re gonna break more often than the old ones did at similar age/mileage.
And the old ones are just… Well… Too old unless you do your own wrenching and are willing to sink money into them often. I mentioned my MR2 earlier, which was more reliable than the 300Zs – it has a Camry motor after all - and it still costs me a fair amount of money, especially considering I do all the work myself. It’s an old car, and so are the 300 Z’s at this point.
If you’re a normal person who doesn’t have a whole lot of tools in your garage and a whole lot of experience and willingness in working on old cars, you get a newer Miata. Just about any Miata from the 2010’s is going to be more reliable than an old Z, and let’s face it. Fun cars aren’t very much fun when you can’t drive them because they’re down for repair, again.
Plus, if you’ve ever driven a Miata, they’re an absolute blast, no matter what generation you drive.
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Yep, a 2019 Miata would far outperform a 280Z. The new Miata will do 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, old Zs (non-turbo) in the 9-10 second range.
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Those new Miatas look like really stellar cars. Upped the power enough for really good fun, but kept the handling. And the power hard top is a great convenience. Look sharp too. I’d be tempted to buy one if we weren’t focused on replacing the comfortable car first.
And I’m not usually one to care much about car color but that new red they’ve come out with is pretty amazing.