Hi just joined

Fish1234

Active Forum User
Hi I'm a newbie and joined because i love 240z and i want one! But they are expensive so i guess a lot of people here enjoy restoring them to keep costs down. Personally I'm not mechanically minded so it would be an uphill struggle to restore one i would like to source one but i would like to find an expert to talk to someone that knows the pros and cons before i push the button.
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
Hi, welcome - ask your questions.

The advice will always be 'buy the very best that you can afford'.

If you can only afford £10k then be prepared to work and spend a lot more ! If you can budget £25k and upwards, you can get a nice runner.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Welcome !!!

What Sean said is spot on. Whereabouts are you? It may be worth going to a club meet up or an event and talking to a few people / seeing what they’ve done.

As Sean said the best advice is to buy the best for your money and if India are limited, focus on a good body and not the running gear. Rust will cost you large and mess with your fun!

LHDs are less money than RHD. 260zs are cheaper than 240s but are no less fun to own and drive, in fact more comfortable (OK I’m biased)! :p

280s aren’t UK cars but plenty coming in and also available in RHD.

If the LHD / RHD equation isn’t an issue for you then I know of a member’s lovely condition left hooker 240 that may potentially be coming up for sale in the next few weeks / months. And by that I mean, good running gear, as rust free a body as can be (no Z car has zero rust - unless of course it’s a concourse condition show ponie) but it needs a good coat of paint and some cosmetic loving.

You could always buy auto and convert to manual (with s13/14a ‘box or stock s30 ‘box).

There is lots to consider - try to go see people and their cars as you will get a lot more from it than reading, but by all means ask away and don’t just buy, there are plenty o fish, catch the right one!
 

status

Well-Known Forum User
Get one already restored and save yerself lots of time and money cos someone has done all the work for you,have a look at the late 260 z as sed before bit more comfortable but probably about 5-7 k behind a 240 z in price and more rare especially the late 260 z also to consider is the 260 2+2 they look nice with a decent set of wheels and lowered slightly and probably the rarest of them all now days then the lhd scenario,you can get a decent rust free import and spend loadsa money converting to rhd if that’s your thing but it’s never gonner be a uk car when it comes to sell it on which bothers some people and then you have to source all the bits to convert but if you’ve got 20-30 k sitting in your bank then go for the first option I suggested then you won’t have it sitting round for years being done up
Wot is your budget anyway
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Hi I'm a newbie and joined because i love 240z and i want one! But they are expensive so i guess a lot of people here enjoy restoring them to keep costs down. Personally I'm not mechanically minded so it would be an uphill struggle to restore one i would like to source one but i would like to find an expert to talk to someone that knows the pros and cons before i push the button.

Try to get to Japfest (Donington) or the Silverstone Classic.

Your biggest problem would be to buy a cheap 240Z. You need £20+k and a wealth of knowledge (or help) when buying it.

But I think you already know that.
 

status

Well-Known Forum User
Wot we need to know Rob is wot the guys budget is as we get loads on here saying they want a Zed but are reluctant in most cases to say how much they have in their piggy bank
 

johnymd

Club Member
It is getting harder and harder to find a reasonable price car that can be driven and enjoyed. Try and find a solid car and ideally one that hasn't been painted recently. Old paint and general tattiness is the main thing I look for in a car as you have a better chance of that nasties are not hidden. LHD would be my choice all day long. Good RHD cars have increased in price too much IMO and any affordable RHD car will probably have its issues. I know of a RHD car that sold for high teens and looked too good to be true. Turns out it was. Required a complete front end, chassis, inner wings, rad support, front wings, headlight cowls, bonnet, and half the baulkhead. Also still need doors and other rust repairs. I hate to think what the final cost will be but it just highlights the risks of buying a 240z. LHD will give you a better chance, although I've seen rotten ones, but you still need to inspect well.

I have a very good rust free LHD rolling shell that is relatively complete apart from engine, box and diff. Glass and most of the interior are there. It has a sunroof but it comes with a spare roof. It is fitted with carbon overfenders but the cut arches will need some finishing off. Also has a couple of cuts in the floors that need welding back together (damage from winching onto trailer). I'm looking for £7.5k and I'm down in Essex.
 

status

Well-Known Forum User
Jon is right there,as good as mine looks we found a tiny bit of tin worm underneath didn’t we Jon,it’s being sorted next week nothing major thankfully but you have to remember these cars are old,not as old as Rob gaskin or Chris Vegas but be careful in wot you get,
Wot is your budget
 

Fish1234

Active Forum User
So one of things i cant find out is was the 240z made in Japan for it's domestic market? Because then it would be right hand drive.
 

jonbills

Membership Secretary
Site Administrator
So one of things i cant find out is was the 240z made in Japan for it's domestic market? Because then it would be right hand drive.
The S30 was made in Japan for it's domestic and international markets, with quite a lot of variation in spec and branding between markets. The Japan market cars were indeed right hand drive.
 

Fish1234

Active Forum User
Thanks for all your info and i don't know enough really about most cars let alone a 240z not to get burnt. 260z would be probably a better bet but why don't i just buy a Mazda mx5 instead?. Can anyone explain why i shouldn't just buy a sensible mx5 with little rust issues tons of spares and cars that start around £1000.
 

Fish1234

Active Forum User
The S30 was made in Japan for it's domestic and international markets, with quite a lot of variation in spec and branding between markets. The Japan market cars were indeed right hand drive.
So why don't i see a lot of s30s for sale? Maybe Japan's weather is not as kind as California's and import charges?
 

jonbills

Membership Secretary
Site Administrator
So why don't i see a lot of s30s for sale? Maybe Japan's weather is not as kind as California's and import charges?
There's Japanese RHD cars for sale in Japan. They don't get imported to here because the Japanese like them. I don't think you can make money importing them from Japan.
Its not like mx5 grey imports!

BTW, I don't think you'll find an mx5 for £1000 that isn't rusty.
Mr2 roadster however, you definitely can get rust free examples sub £1000.
 

toopy

Club Member
Can anyone explain why i shouldn't just buy a sensible mx5 with little rust issues tons of spares and cars that start around £1000.

If you want sensible and little rust with beer money, an S30 is not for you!

That's not a dig, these cars are now expensive, cheap classic motoring they are not, unless as mentioned above you have £30+ for a well sorted example to start with, and then running costs are very reasonable.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
MX5 - came out when I graduated, was VERY cool with pop-up lights and would out dynamic anything else in the price range and reasonably above in its handling and driver focused feel.

Like you say, lots of parts, tonnes of driving fun and easy to work on. An ex of mine had one and when I popped the bonnet and found a dry dipstick, I was told that in 50k miles it hadn’t seen an oil change!!! [emoji33][emoji33] yet the engine was keen and didn’t smoke - I wonder why!!! :p actually when we added oil it didn’t have any blue smoke, so they appear to be rock solid cars with minimalistic electronics.

Defo go that way if your budget is sub £20k and your preference is low hassle / low involvement (by that I mean not getting the spanner out) ownership.

Forgive me for saying this Mr T. (And bear in mind I love the MX5): it’s not special in the same way as an S30 - not even close. Very few cars became such an icon. The drive, the feel, the looks will never be replicated in an MX5. No MX5 feels as special to get into or turns heads in the same way.


Part of the pain and joy of ownership is parts hunting / hoarding. For me the joy is tinkering and being able to period mod and feel the difference under my right foot. 99% of the misery of ownership comes from tin worm! This is not a car you want to drive on a wet day or on salty winter roads if you don’t want to see rust appear.

Ask yourself if this is a head or heart decision?

But either way, go in with eyes wide open and don’t fool yourself into thinking you will only spend £10k on a £10k rusty car. The bug will get you and you will want to do it right. If you buy a Z, buy the most rust free possible example. If you don’t, then enjoy opening cans of worms!!!
 
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