Anyone ever bought an old (classic) car?

Dad had a restored 68 Barracuda when I was a child. The thrill of a Saturday afternoon ride is one I still cherish.

 

I'll throw in my .02, because I've been on this road for awhile.

Do it, get one. But keep shopping around. Been to Hemmings Motor News? ebaymotors (it's actually pretty good)? A Datsun 280ZX online club? My guess is that you can find one for cheaper.

Is this going to be your daily driver? Keep in mind if you're in a coldish climate, you'll have to deal with snow and a rear-wheel drive car. My guess is parts are pretty easy to come by because of the number of clubs around.

I bought a '62 Buick from the original owner before I graduated college 8 1/2 years ago - 69,000 miles and everything original, down to the non-existent seat belts, which were an option back then, for $1,200. Plus, the first V-6 engine ever put in a car. Then five years ago, I bought and restored a 1967 Land Rover Series IIa. I had never restored anything before but I learned it all on the land rover (but had to sell it). I still have the Buick and it's an absolute joy to drive and you always get comments about it wherever it goes. The trump card though has been I've always had a '99 Ford Ranger during this time. I drove the Buick alone for six months after I bought it, but as the weather got cold and the realization that I'd be driving a rear-wheel drive car with no power steering or power brakes came into focus, I needed another car.

Would your 280ZX be your only car or do you have another more *modern* one?

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, I'd be glad to help. Trust me when I say there's nothing better than going down a road in the summer driving a classic car.

 

Usually, this is a point of concern. But combine two factors - manual transmission and that Zs are almost perfectly balanced (front-rear weight ratio is close to 50-50) and it's a passable bad-weather machine. Again ... speak from Z experience.

MacDaddy, a Z of that age with under 100,000 miles isn't terribly uncommon. Granted, it's not a Ferrari or something else of European vintage with a six- or seven-figure price tag. But it's entirely possible the vehicle had been garaged when not used and driven only on occasion.

 

Many thanks for the advice. I found a lot of other options. Have you ever bought a car online? Is that reliable? I've bought stuff off eBay before, but nothing of this magnitude.

 

I drove a fully restored (ground up, wires, hoses, everything) '66 Mustang Conv for 7 years (up until 2 years ago.) Fun, loved the classic feel, 70 yr. old babes came up to me on the street telling me their stories. That was the great part.

The only negative is be prepared for repairs. They simply did not hold up like new cars. Also, there is a huge benefit to 40 years of technology, anti-lock brakes, airbags, better steering, better tires, better seats.

 

My brother in law has bought 2 Mustangs on eBay. He has sold one. The second one had a little more rust than advertised (nothing major). He called the guy, who was 1,500 miles away, and the guy sent him some money back. The brother in law swears by it.

 

It's how I bought the land rover, off ebaymotors. Guy lived in Oneonta, N.Y., about four hours from where I live. I won the bid, drove up to see it to make sure it was how it looked in the pictures (it did). I knew the frame was shot and it also had 295,000 miles, but I had plans on restoring something from the ground up anyway so it didn't bother me. The only kink was I had planned to tow it home myself but that damn thing was so heavy my Ranger couldn't do it so, as luck would have it, this guy delivered cars for a living, so he said he'd do it the next day. This all took place on Sept. 10, 2001, so needless to say I'll never forget waiting for it to get delivered while listening to Don Imus at 2 in the afternoon talking about what had just happened.

The most important thing with ebaymotors is feedback. And pictures too, I guess. If you see something you like, ask a lot of questions to the seller before the auction is up and also see if they can send you more pictures than are already online. I don't know about Datsuns and rust but have them send pictures of the usual trouble spots...rear quarters, side rails (below the doors), frame...

good luck...as always, feel free to drop me a PM if you want throughout your process.

 

I stand to be corrected on this, but I believe the Z might be a little overpriced because of its fad value to the "drifting" community... Those crazy Japanese bastards and their American hombres who screech around corners in the mountains (and now on tracks). Right about now, after the rice rocket/sushi sled craze, the cool thing for the today's kids is a pristine, original machine, not all glopped up with aftermarket bullshit. And the Z, with its rear-wheel drive, stick transmission, and perfect balance (as noted by Mr. Mills) is aces for finding the edge in corners.

Not at all suggesting that the price for this particular vehicle is reasonable (although the color is bitching). Just trying to explain why it might be inflated, is all.

 

Was about to post almost the exact same thing as qtlaw. My second car, back in the late 1990s was a 1965 cherry red mustang, 289, automatic. It was awesome! And, I would get all of these old men coming up to me at gas stations and so forth, telling me their stories about memories of being in a '65 mustang -- many of those stories centered around gettin' busy in the back (who knew?!) ... Anyhow, we kept it for about 3 years until it started to break down piece by piece, despite its exterior being in top condition. And, my biceps were super strong after handling the steering on that car! .. Anyhow, it got to be way more expensive to repair than to keep it as a main car, so we sold it. My heart aches every time I think about that car because I miss it so.

 

1952 Korean war jeep, with a PTO winch and rebuilt engine. It was known around the homestead simply as "The Beauty."

 

Somebody here just became the proud owner of a 1979 Z today off e-Bay. Anyone want to pick me up at the airport in Burlington, Vt., and drive me to go pick it up in Montpelier?

 

Atta boy. Can you post pictures of it?

My next-door neighbor from 25 years ago had a 25th anniversary gold one. I don't remember the year - 1982, perhaps? - andI vaguely remember it because my father was always asking him to borrow it.