This 1983 Datsun 280ZX is a loaded-up example featuring 2+2 seating, T-tops, and the preferred manual transmission, and is a running car that was just donated to charity. Despite the NACA-duct on the hood, it is not a turbocharged model, retaining the standard fuel-injected inline-six. Though the bodywork looks rough from here, the Z car has almost 300,000 miles on the clock and still looks tidy inside – in my book, that speaks to being a car that was loved. The cabin features the slick digital instrument cluster, and bidders certainly aren’t turned off by the cosmetic flaws with bids up to $1,600 with no reserve here on eBay.

The Datsun features what looks like a period aftermarket rear spoiler, though there’s a chance it was an OEM option given how well it fits the car’s lines. It seems like there’s a chance of a respray in the car’s past, as the paint is flaking off in chunks on the front passenger fender, and the driver’s side appears to show blue paint underneath the forest green finish. While it was likely a cheap car at the point in which it was resprayed, most quicky paint jobs would have simply painted over the black trim in the rear bumper – so there’s a chance it looked pretty good when the color change too place. The 280ZX retains its original Datsun-stamped wheels and factory badges, another feature that usually gets lost on cheap resprays.

The interior is in surprisingly nice shape despite the numbers on the odometer, and there are little details here that make you wonder if a longtime owner truly cherished this Z car and did the best they could until they either couldn’t drive or the HOA told them their project car had to find a new home. The door panels still look pretty good, the seats are in OK condition, and the original radio still remains with the car. There’s even a “No Smoking” sign on the ashtray, clearly intended as instructions for any passengers who dared to even think of striking a match while in the cabin. I’m not saying this means a car was particularly well-loved, but someone had pride in ownership at one point before it went to the donation center.

The digital gauge cluster is one of my favorite features, simply because it looked so advanced for the time. Today, it’s no big thing to have a cluster like this, but it was earth-shattering in 1983. The seller is a regular fixture on eBay with donation vehicles, and usually provides a basic overview of the vehicle’s health in broad strokes – does it run, does it drive in a straight line, that sort of thing – and in this instance, they note that the Datsun runs, drives, and that the tires are in good shape. The only obvious defect is the admission that the suspension is tired, but this is way better than most of the cars they feature. Which reminds me: I just found two S130s on my friend’s property in Georgia, and I need to post those up for sale soon.