At some point, we all have to adjust to a new phase in life. When you’re a teenager, you become a young adult; when you’re a young adult, you become a grown-up; and when you’re grown-up, eventually, you get old. Nissan’s Z-car, and its many forms, has been through the ringer as it relates to transformations, and in the late 70s, it evolved from a true sports coupe into a luxury-oriented GT car. It wasn’t fast, and it wasn’t particularly sporting, but it was still considered a gold standard if you wanted an import sports coupe that make even the most stodgy driver look dapper. Find this gold-on-gold-on-gold 1979 Datsun 280ZX listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $9,000.
At first, I thought this was one of the 10th anniversary cars; after all, it has gold wheels. But when you look closer, it’s obvious the wheels have been painted in their entirety to match, while the “Black Gold” anniversary model has gold inner spokes with polished edges (these are painted gold all the way across – likely a home-brew job.) It also doesn’t have the classic two-tone paint job, another hallmark of the anniversary models and what spawned one of the most legendary car commercials of all time. The seller’s car looks quite clean from top to bottom and despite the color-matched wheels, the black bumpers and hood inserts give me some confidence it hasn’t been resprayed.
The seller doesn’t tell us much about this Z car, and the ad itself sounds like some jumbled AI speak. Regardless, it has the preferred 5-speed manual, which is surprisingly hard to find in a Z car of this vintage. After all, these were grand tourers through and through with lots of comfort-oriented features, so the slushbox was practically standard equipment. The dashboard shows no cracks and the seats look decent, although their lack of bolstering is one of the greater disappointments in any car claiming to have sporting pedigree. The seats, however, were endlessly adjustable, so you could still find a good driving position even if you slid all over the leather surfaces.
Power-wise, the 280ZX made 135 horsepower and 144 lb.-ft. of torque. The 3-speed automatic would sap most of the fun out of that equation, and since this Z appears to have a backseat (the two-seater was the hot ticket, relatively speaking), we’re even more grateful to see the manual transmission. The carpeted cargo bay looks surprisingly clean and it’s a shame to see the spare tire chucked in there. The 280ZX is located in Maryland, which gives you a 50/50 shot of it not being rusty underneath. The price isn’t a steal, but it seems reasonable for a manual Z car in clean, stock condition.
Geewhiz, nice right-up Mr. L, and you are right about the seller description. I probably shouldn’t comment too much about where Nissan went with the Z cars, it will have to suffice to say many of us thought it was a slow devolution of a great start. But they had to build what the folks wanted to buy, and as I recall, a lot of those folks were single dudes in their leisure suits accented with gold chains headed to the disco to pursue a night of fun and debauchery. The 2+2 back seat could add to that appeal by accommodating additional consorts, though they would be limited in exterior dimensions due to the confined space.
You should add “2+2 to the headline.
It’s kind of ironic – I saw one of these in the
regular body,same color,yesterday,in Salem,-
Virginia.I was surprised to see it driving around,
as they coated the roads a few days back,before
it snowed.
I’m not fond of these,as having driven many
240 Zs,it drove more like a Cadillac.
I had a Maxima of this era. Amazing car, tons of power from the 6-cyl, cruised effortlessly in any situation, and super comfortable. I used to tell myself it was a Z-car with four doors. Now I realize the Z-car was actually a Maxima with two doors and stripes.
Just horrifying, worst z look
“Now let’s see, where did I store my Members Only jacket?”
Looks like a good price on a well-kept Z. The price on these has been escalating the last couple of years. I understand they are not the same car as the early Z’s, I had a 72 and a 76 before my 80ZX. The ZX is a smooth operator. Not fast, doesn’t handle as well as the older ones, and weighs more. But that’s not the point with the ZX. It was a product of the car climate then. The ZX was what people wanted. I currently own an 80ZX. I would rather be driving this than a grey/silver/black SUV. And $9K is a drop in the bucket compared to a newer SUV price. So really, which one would you rather drive??!