Used Car of the Day: 1975 Datsun 280Z

by Tim Healey

Published: August 1st, 2023

Today's UCOTD takes us back to the 1970s, as this 52,000-mile 1975 Datsun 280Z, which comes to us from Pennsylvania, is on sale for $25,000.

The seller says this car is in good condition and has been covered and garaged its entire life. It apparently has all the original parts except for the shift knob and boot -- and the seller still has those parts.

All the fluids except for the coolant were changed and the car has never been driven in the winter.

There's no rust, although the fuel tank had some corrosion -- that has apparently been fixed. All the gauges work, except for the fuel gauge. The low-fuel light does work, however.

The seller is getting rid of this Z since he or she can no longer drive a stick. Oh, and the tires are new.

Check it out here.

[Images: Seller]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

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2 of 17 comments

Marty S on Aug 02, 2023

Nice exterior and interior colors. I owned a 77 Z two seater purchased new. The lines of the 2 seater were certainly nicer but I remember the 2 + 2 being a nice car. Could not keep my car because of rust and eventual electrical problems, but loved it for sure. I always thought the styling was fantastic and looked like a Maserati Ghibli of the period.

1 Reply
Marty S on Aug 02, 2023

By the way, I think the 77 and 78 280 Z's were the best of the first generation as they had electronic fuel injection and cool looking louvers on the hood.

1 Reply

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