I got this car by trading a powerbook (I think a 230c) for it. It had a tendency to exhibit electrical problems. I replaced the alternator twice and it still killed batteries, so I figure it had a short someplace. I had to continually charge my battery, and it managed to die at several inopportune times. It's hard to say in retrospect though.
HOWEVER, the car had some huge advantages over other vehicles. For one, it had more legroom than anything I've driven before or since. Also, if I dropped my elbow on the map box and let my arm just sort of go, my hand fell right on the stick when the car was in neutral. That's nothing short of beautiful.
To see Z cars like the one I owned (which was a 1980 280ZX 2+2 with a five speed and some other nifty features) you should visit The Datsun Z Car Home Page in Australia. It's slow, and no longer being updated, but it's a great resource.
That page has been replaced with the Datsun-Nissan Z Car Home Page which is hosted in the US. It includes the home of the IZCC (Or Internet Z Car Club). You should see the Modular Z Concept page, in which they talk about a very lego-like Z car idea. It's doubtful Nissan will pick it up any time soon, but we can all hope. It's even very nicely drawn.
Anyhow, I got in a wreck in this car and pushed the strut mount on the left front side against the EFI system (which is in turn right against the engine). This pretty much ruled out keeping the car. I removed the Z logo from the hood and put it it on my next car, which was an '84 300ZX Turbo.
I found this table of resellers of factory warrantied refurbished Z cars on Nissan's site:
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Tampa, FL 33612 |
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Lithia Springs, GA 30057 |
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Miami, FL 33055 |
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Jacksonville, FL 32225 |
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Los Angeles, CA 90068 |
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Duarte, CA 91010 |
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Santa Clara, CA 95051 |
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Irving, TX 75062 |
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Richardson, TX 75080 |
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Fairfax, VA 22030 |
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Continuing the amusing anecdotes: "An instant hit, it soon became the best-selling sports car in the world. The Corvette took nearly 25 years to sell 500,000 units, but the Z did it in fewer than 10 by offering outstanding value, European-like sports-car capabilities, plus creature comforts like roll-up windows and a heater. Before long, it heated up the entire sports-car category."
Anyhow, that's about all the 280ZX info I have so far. If I come up with something else, I'll put it here. If you find a good picture of an '80 2+2 in White, let me know so I can attach it here, too.