oh the mileage is 176k, and its the turbo L28 strait 6 motor... im sure you could tell from the picture

 

If you dont need to sell it then keep it. Find yourself a nice 240z and then swap the turbo over to it. Part out the rest of the ZX and that will help with the cash flow problem.

 

maybe $1000. That car would require a complete disassembly and refurb.

 

I agree with palladin and would add that the restoration costs would exceed, by a vast margin, the car's [monetary] value upon completion:

 

No more than $500. That's a rust bucket that will cost several K just in body work. With 176K it will need a turbo before long if it doesn't already. Basically it's a parts car, for the driveline, wheels, glass, t-tops, tail lights and the few rust free parts you have.

 

@freddy - i like the looks of your 280zx. I found a guy here locally in town who is selling a 240z which looks like its in great condition, but he wants 5k for it... he is willing to trade plus cash... problem is, i dont have any extra money, so i just asked him if he has done any body work on his own z cars and come to find out, he went to school for body work and is willing to work on my z! So i think ill have him help me with the rear end of the car, seeing as he has done his before. So im leaning toward keeping the car and just restoring little by little. The car was free anyway. Good deal, but now that its winter, cant drive it for a while. Stupid winter! Here is some more pics!

 

Drive it as is until it's structurally unsafe or becomes uneconomical to repair. Save money for another Z.

 

Drive the beater, save your pennies, find a clean car

Silk purse, sows ear...

 

So im leaning toward keeping the car and just restoring little by little. The car was free anyway.

Your best bet. Don't dump a lot of $ in the car, but take the time to develop your mechanical, bodywork skills and learn your way around all the different systems of the car. At the same time save every penny you can, so when the right car at the right price comes along, you can upgrade.

 

Codizle, your car's got all the usual areas of corrosion. Although they're covered, you should assume the corrosion's worse below the surface. Also, more importantly, before you decide whether to tackle (restore) this car or not, check the undercarriage. The most serious corrosion on my car, as well as a couple of others I've seen, was on the undercarriage. Check especially the area below the spare tire (behind the passenger side tail light):

After Repair:

And the two frame rails that run the length of the car, onto which the drive train rests. Mine were so rotted that I ended up removing and replacing them with a pair of custom-fabricated stainless steel members, which not only stabilized the undercarriage, but noticeably improved the overall handling/ride:

 

yeah, from just the surface area that is rusted, im sure everything underneath the car is rusted out... i was just going to do either a floor pan kit with custom rails like yours, or just fabricate my own floor pans out of some sheet metal and then add the custom rails... im not looking to make the car pristine, just want to make the bottom safe and make the appearance a little better. Trust me, i dont have money to put into it, the only parts i will get are either for my birthday or xmas presents Thats all ive been asking for! haha. Thanks for everyones input, when the snow melts or when i go buy a new tps, ill put it in the garage and lift it up to take some pics of the under carriage. Im sure it wont impress anyone haha!

 

hey what part of washington you located, I am in spokane..

let me know

 

Usual areas of rust? Sure, if your local government pours salt all over the roads and you drive through it. In georgia I have seen cars sitting on the dirt for ten years with less rust! I was just looking at a 240z yesterday, it was a 70 or 71, I couldnt tell because a tree had grown up by the drivers door so I couldnt see the production date in the door jam. It had less rust than that car. Can you imagine the scope of the damages in dollar figures that salting the roads causes? And now you would have a 240z suffer the same fate? Sloshing through a salt brine to carry you to your destinations. Geeze.

 

Sloshing through a salt brine to carry you to your destinations.

Lol. Salt is like miracle gro for rust. I had a 720 pickup when I was 18, living in Kansas City, KS. The floorboard was completely rusted out it felt like the bench seat was going to collapse into the street one day while driving. Ended up selling it for 1000. Ran like a top.

 

yeah, i got the car a year ago... it was sitting in some old guys backyard and god knows what he did with it.. where i live, it snows, and yes they pour all kinds of **** all over our roads! But i would tell you this, if i were to get another z, there is no way in **** i would be driving it during winter.. thats what i have my cheesy little hyundai for anyone wanna buy this car from me?