1981 Datsun 280ZX Black and Gold Special Edition

Description

Up for sale is my black and gold "special edition" 1981 Datsun 280zx, which has141,290 original miles. I am the third owner.This Z was purchased in 1981, and has remained in California where it has been lovingly maintained for the last 38 years.It has been my daily driver since the day I bought it and I've never had any mechanical issues or breakdowns. It fires right up and runs great. I've found it to be very reliable. Last time I had the oil changed, the mechanic asked me if the engine was new, and I told him it was original. He couldn't believe it! He also said that the Datsun / Nissan straight six engines were bulletproof and easy to maintain.

I forget exactly all the things the previous owner did, but I do remember some of it. All of this is from the last two years and includes the work I had done as well:

• new tires
• new brakes
• new tire rods
• new headlights
• new modern stereo and new speakers
• new black radio antenna
• new dash cover
• new spark plugs
• relatively new battery
• replaced all the hoses in the engine
• professionally tinted small side and back windows (trust me, you want this)

In addition to this, I regularly had the oil changed, and only ever used Chevon gas (with Techron) to keep the fuel system clean. The car was kept covered and I washed and waxed it every Friday for as long as I've owned it. I'm also including all of the cleaning / waxing supplies I used (tire shine, Turtle wax, leather cleaner, etc.), as well as an original Datsun 280zx service manual, which are getting more and more difficult to find. There are also some original dealership papers and various other documents that the original owner kept in the glove compartment all that time. It's pretty cool.
The body looks great and there are only a handful of minor imperfectionshere and there that you'd never really notice unless you were looking for them. My neighbor always says it looks like the car just rolled off the factory line. There are a few things that I had planned to fix, but never got around to it because it never really bothered me. The fuel gauge doesn't work, but I just clocked the mileage with the trip meter and refilled it every 250 miles or so. The rear wiper needs to be replaced, but I never had any use for it since it doesn't really rain here, and even when it does, the rain rolls right down the back anyway. These are things that, if you really wanted to have them replaced, you could order from Z Car Depot online, or check out Don's Nissan & Z Specialist in Campbell (near Fremont).
Overall, this Z is beautiful and in excellent condition. It's not a "project" car — it's a sturdy, reliable classic car that you can start driving right away. Honestly it's in better shape than a lot of newer cars I see. The only downside is that you're going to have a lot of conversations with a lot of people in, say, grocery store parking lots who want to tell you about the Datsun they owned in high school in the 1980s. It's not so bad though! I've ended up meeting some cool people this way.
Please note: The previous owner told me that there had been a court thing between him and the insurance company over the slightly bent driver's side fender (see pictures), andeven though the vehicle was never in an actual accident, it was involved in a court case that left it with a "clear" title, but also a salvage title for nothing more than a slightly bent fender. He gave me 3different VIN checks and one shows a salvage, and the other 2 do not, so there was some sort of discrepancybetweenhow it was reported between that insurance company and the state. Rest assured, any vehicle report will show this car was never in an accident and is in the shape I have described it to be here. Also, I had zero issues getting a bank loan for it, and I have full coverage through my insurance company that costs me less than any other car I've ever owned. This thing is beautiful and has no mechanical issues.
Inspection good till January 2020. I will consider any reasonable offer! If you're local to the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm available to do test drives anytime after 4:30 on weekdays, and anytime on the weekends. If I think of anything else to add to the post, I will. In the meantime, free to email me with any questions you might have.
Thanks for looking!