Obtained and driven my 82 turbo for over a year now and just don't understand the hate. A great median between 70s era and 80s era cars if you ask me. This was an awesome deep dive! I'm glad to see people still making videos on the ZX
@@BrianRomsdal If it was a 280z it was ‘78 or older. ‘79 and up it would have been a zx. I owned 2 different turbos back in the day, both autos. Test drove quite a few in my searches, 5spds were rare.
@@TheSaturnV you’re right my ‘81 was a ZX. I just don’t like the “ZX” so I don’t say it. I’ve had my ‘91 Z twin turbo for almost 15 years now. But I will own another 280 someday
Nismo Haters will come and go....Straight up Nissan makes the most Handsome, Fast and Realiable cars...look at it R390, GTR( R32, R33, R34, R35, R36), the Silvia Range👈 no car is more handsome than Silvia( Sx)😅, just look at it! Then the Gti-R the Most Astonishing Bonnet you will Ever See in your Life! Just look at it! Darn than you have the Station Wagons, I owned Gt4-z front mount intercooler, 4wd, turbo, freaken fantastic plus the Stagea RS4, then you have the Nissan Bluebird Turbo, then you have that SR20VE Primera...gosh all other Japanese Car look quaint in front of Nissan Cars (the Primera - British Touring Car Champion), the Pathfinder 4wd and Safari are champions off road and desert than the V8 Cima and Gloria and Laurel Exquisitely Luxurious...the Z Range again all of them are the Best Looking cars ever....It's Simple: Nismo Power! Thank you for reading go fetch.
Bought my 280zx because I wanted to have a Datsun but couldn’t afford a s30. After working on the s130 and looking at it daily I realized that I had already bought my dream car. Favorite fairlady by far
My mother likes hers, 1982. She still has it to this day and still dtives it as her primary car. I've driven it once or twice, i can see why she likes it
I've had them all!! The z32TT was an incredible car but nothing will compete with the S30s. I am currently building a high power L28et for my 76 and fixing up an 81 turbo 2+2 for my 16 year old daughter.
I’m on my 3rd s130 zx. Went from owning a rust bucket 83 zx turbo 2+2 in highschool. To a v6 mustang to a 07 charger srt8 after high school. Then back in a 82 280zx turbo 2+2( again rust bucket). Then had kids and own a truck and suv. Finally I found a 45k mile all original 82 280zx turbo 2+2 with all red interior and I must say this is my dream car. Will buy an s30( what started my love for Datsun) but that 2+2 turbo t top is the best in my books. People don’t see the potential they have with some atara racing wheels, fender flares, msa air dam, msa victory rear spoiler, and fender mirrors!! My god so beautiful!!! Till this day there has not been a single day that I go out in it and not receive a compliment. This car starts conversations and makes friends really quick!
I loved mine! You have to compare it to what was out in the Market at the time. It was a very dark time for the auto industry. The Z made great engine noises, well built, beautifully designed, cool features, and fun to drive
The 280ZX was the right car for the era. Personal luxury was the most popular category at the time so it's no surprise that Nissan moved the Z-car in that direction. They styling was excellent as well, taking the classic S30 shape and modernizing it. Too many people try to judge cars of one period in history against those of another, and that's unfair. A car should be regarded only from the time it existed in.
@@MidnightGreen4649 Always? You must be fairly young to not remember the 240Z/260Z/280Z. The 280Z went a bit more luxurious than the earlier cars but the 280ZX was the first grand touring Z-car. As for Miatas, they didn't debut until the Z32 did, 20 years and four generations after the first Datsun Z.
@@afoolandhismoneychannel I was born when the 350Z debuted. the 240Z was meant for the US market, which means it is gonna spend a lot of time on highways. Japanese cars all had independent suspension and thin steel unibodies which made them handle a lot better than muscle and pony cars. 50 years later, our idea of a grand tourer has changed so much that the luxuries of the 240Z are now basic traits and so they are "pure sports cars". I suppose features of the 280ZX like t-tops and power steering, as well as the leather seats and the general campiness of the car's style still fit with our idea of a "grand tourer". But the Z cars were always meant to be a more affordable version of the Jaguar E-Types of their time. Miatas on the other hand were meant to take after the Lotus Elan, which I think we can both agree is just about the purest expression of sports car you can find. That's why I say the Z cars were always grand tourers.
@@thatzfever7294 When you sell more 280ZX's in 1979 than any other zcar in any year; it DID appeal to customers. The exterior was also vastly superiority to earlier designs as the 280ZX was STABLE and faster at speed because they actually used a wind tunnel on the 280ZX. Hell, my 1979ZX was even the same weight as the outgoing 280Z. The huge 21+ gallon tank in the ZX plus the better mileage mad the Z outstanding as a fast highway driver for long distances!
Having owned and modified every version of the Z over many years, the 79 ZX was left untouched excepting the supension. The model was super comfortable, fast enough and a pleasure to drive on the interstate for long stretches. Mine had a factory CB which was always fun on a long drive. At home I had a 72 240z built to the hilt as well as 77 280z scarab clone, both purpose built, and the purpose was SCCA autocross in "A S/P" and "SS/Prepared", both multiple trophy winners, but the 79 was my daily driver, I really enjoyed that car.
Really interesting story, more people should read this comment. I don't have the expertise, but every old Z wizard or expert seems to give the same story, I think this is a world wide phenomenon
The 280ZX Turbo w/ a 5 speed transmission was awesome. My kid brother had one. When first released, the Turbo was only offered in automatic, because Datsun/Nissan didn't have a strong enough in house transmission. The next year Datsun put in a Borg Warner T5, 5 speed transmission. They'd take off, like a scalded dog & then, when that turbo eould kick in, WOW!
I was 15 when the ZX came out. My first drive in one came when I was 17, a ZX Turbo and it was quite nice. Of course I couldn’t afford one but I grabbed a ratty used one a few years later. It needed lots of work and I did most of it. I never got it to where I wanted it to be but I had fun driving and wrenching on that Z. I hate that nobody seems to have any love for the old ZX.
I'm not too fond of the S130's looks, but mad respect to the folks who keep them running today. When I see them on the road, I feel happy and nostalgic.
I've always heard about the 280ZX my whole life, the previous Z cars were always just "The older Z cars" where as the ZX? That one was the shit and the cool one. I'm currently trying to buy a 83 with digital dash in damn near perfect physical shape and low miles, basically a replica of the one my dad had when I was born. His didn't have the digital dash though. I've never cared much about "SPEED AND RAW PERFORMANCE" because if I did I'd get an electric car. The Nissan Leaf I was in pushed me into my seat from the acceleration, only other vehicle that's come close to that was my old 91 Hardbody that I would abuse the clutch to go 0-60 in just a few seconds. I'd rather comfort and a nice drive anyways, the speed limit exists and I'm just getting my speeding ticket off my record. Just a nice quick drive on the twisty country roads around here does it.. When there isn't a million people. My 94 Jetta with fat tires did it well and a 280ZX would do it even better. Nothing about these things is "terrible" other than the age, and hell... They're newer than my other car. Love that damn Beetle.
The 280ZX Turbo w/ a 5 speed transmission was awesome. My kid brother had one. When first released, the Turbo was only offered in automatic, because Datsun/Nissan didn't have a strong enough in house transmission. The next year Datsun put in a Borg Warner T5, 5 speed transmission.
As the owner of a minty 81 turbo with just 30k miles, I think it's a very comfortable wonderful car! It amazes me that this is the same company that produced the lightweight Datsun 210.
The 280ZX Turbo w/ a 5 speed transmission was awesome. My kid brother had one. When first released, the Turbo was only offered in automatic, because Datsun/Nissan didn't have a strong enough in house transmission. The next year Datsun put in a Borg Warner T5, 5 speed transmission.
If you lived in a red house in Monmouth Illinois in 1985 and owned an 80s 280zx. A crazy 16yr old & 13yr old who was tagging along. "Borrowed" your 280zx one sumner Friday night while you were out of town and pushed it to It's limits on Cameron blacktop outside of town. Somehow by the grace of god. The 16yr old driver managed to get the car back into the garage without a scratch on it.
I raced a 280Z in the SCCA ITS series, and then moved on to a 280ZX. The ZX had better disc rear brakes. With race suspension it was faster than my 280z. Sold it to move on to a second generation RX-7.
I couldn't afford a 71 240Z when it first came out. had a new 81 280ZX and a 85 300ZX. The 81 ZX was the most beautiful car I had owned. It had a 20 gal tank and range of 600 miles. It was a perfect touring car. I wish I still have it. There are many good Z car for sale at premium price, but those days of Southern Calif sunshine had passed for me. I know live in a state with snow in the winter. My Lexus AWD SUV is the perfect touring car that could go anywhere.
I had a 70 240z and an 81 280zx. Yes if I could have one back I would choose the 240z but the 280zx was far more comfortable and luxurious. It was also a better daily driver. I thought it was a beautiful car and would love to have another one. A car from my youth I Truly love.
@@MarkAngelbuer mostly stock on the engine, turbo L series didn't have an intercooler so I added one, got a slightly bigger turbo running at 10psi with a 3 inch exhaust, and I replaced the turbo cam for an p79 n/a cam, MLS 2mm head gasket, and a stand alone megasquirt 2
@@alextepozteco3681 wait, the P79 head was better for the bigger turbo? I thought the P90 head was built for turbos, I’m confused. (Take it easy on me, I’m not that knowledgeable)
@@amadowaycott1108 the P90 head is the best head for turbo L series but the P79 is a good turbo conversion head since it has really good flow and identical combustion chambers to the p90 the main difference is the p90 has square ports and the p79 has Dimond ports with exhaust liners for emmisions, what I did was get the n/a camshaft off a P79 and used it on my P90 head n/a cams have more lift and slightly better duration
My 83 ZX is a much better car than my 76 280Z period. Fit, finish, and materials are much better. As far as handling the 76 car was very tail happy which led to it's demise at less than 10k miles when a roomate took a tail end first off road adventure. By 1983 the entire rear suspension system had been redesigned and upgraded which makes for a much improved experience.
most people would disagree with you; the trailing arm suspension of the 280ZX took up less space than the S30 mcpherson strut, but led to worse suspension geometry from a handling point of view, so the 280zx had lower limits than the 280Z. The Triumph TR6 suffered from the same flaw.
@@racketman2u LOL, you never drove the ZX. The trailing arms made child's play of high speed cornering. Only thing wrong with it were the idiot drivers who slammed on the brakes in a turn thus raising the tail and losing some grip. Like the early Corvairs and 911's, the problem was the driver and not the design. Hell, if you drive it like it was designed then it was a gem. If you drove it like a 17 year old dummy trying to street race it, well, you ended up in a tree trunk.
I push my 1979 ZX out of the garage and wash it after 12 years of storage. My dreams of being back on the road are right in front of me. the 280ZX has its looks, my car has spoke hub caps that give it a nice look at slow speed at lease thats what people tell me.
I had an 81 Turbo auto back in the late 80's. T-roof and leather interior. Previous owner added a fiberglass front splitter and spoiler on the back hatch. Coolest looking POS I ever owned. Rust from hell in the frame rails and for some reason it kept on going through fuel pumps. It got stolen and then recovered shortly before I was going to get an insurance check. I swear that car was demon possessed.
We had a 280 zx manual & then ..... as an easy modification.......... bolted 3 X 240 dso Webers from a 2.0lt Afla GTV ....... Then had the exhaust system upgraded to a 3" with a 'bro speed' booster. After those upgrades only, our 280 zx out performed all comers in our area. After upgrading the valve springs to allow us to rev higher, we were able to melt tires. ha-ha Those tight budget days bring back fond memories. ha-ha
i was able to buy a 1979 model with a custom blue toned paint, a two year old model at thetimestill in mint conditio. it was the second car I'd owned at the time. since I've owned many vehicles from just about every manufacturer. the only other of those that brought me so much joy to drive was my 1983 mazda rx7 special edition with a larger engine and suspension that when tested equalled that of the in production corvettes. nonetheless the 280zx to this day is the one that is by far my favorite. since i did get one of the first 350z's. one of only 273 white versions produced in it's first year of production. it too was a great car but imho didn't have the emotional connection of the 280zx. my onl regret is that mine wasn't the turbo version.
I can't say I'm happy with my 280zxt after like 2 decades with it. It hasn't been a very reliable car. Blown a lot of head gaskets, and fuel injectors are always leaky, and shocks have always been shot out. All that premium luxury car stuff on it... cruise control, talking lady, door lights, air conditioner, stereo, digital dash, gas tank measuring stick, oxygen sensor, etc... just dies over time and never works again. The clear coat peels off and looks like dandruf. I've had to clean the steering column light stick contact switches more times than I can count. It's not a very friendly vintage car to own at all. It only seems fast because it's low to the ground. I gave up driving the Z and switched to driving cruiser motorcycles, they were much more fun, cheaper, more fuel efficient, faster, and just better vehicles. The Z now seems like a gas plg by comparison, I would never go back to driving the Z.
@@ceasersaahir7949 45mpg is a lot better than 25mpg. My 280zxt only seemed fast because it was so low to the ground... it's an illusion of speed car... and not terribly original... a knock off of the Jaguar E type. I haven't driven my 280zxt in geez... 10 years maybe... it just eats too much gas. Parked where I last parked it, and as they say... for real, running when parked!
agree with afoolandhismoneychannel. I bought a '82 silver/black ZX in '93, expecting it to be a 'nicer', maybe quieter version of my '75 280. I was right, but I wasn't expecting a Buick. The change from McPherson strut to trailing arm rear suspension may have solved some NVH issues but it was no longer a sports car. Driven even moderately hard, the softness of the back end, in my opinion made it unusable on a twisty country road. I tried better shocks, but it was what it was, as the commenter said, for all the right and wrong, reasons. Great looking car, I kept it for 3 years and sold it way too soon, it was an immaculate low mileage cream puff from CO. Great to look at, not fun to drive. Was it the 'worst' Z ever? For me, yes, but I've only had 2. Still have the '75.
In stock form the 280ZX is pretty lame. We converted one to a road race car and with correcting the suspension geometry, lightening the car and installing 15" wheels and perf tires, it performed very well. It was a little under powered but the rest of the car was great. For the street this will be more difficult.
280zx очень крутая модель , у меня была такая , и еще двух местная датсун , и более свежая 89года 3х литровая ,но 280zx впечатлила больше остальных ,вот двигатель почему то 2х литровый был , думаю стоило в нее более мощный мотор поставить возможно турбовый , мне больше остальных понравилась эта модель !!!
I worked at a Datsun-Mercedes dealership in '78 and '79. IMHO, since I got to drive the last of the 1st Gen Z's and 1st 2nd gen one, the '78 felt much better, crisper, livelier. More fun to drive. The '79 was a pig by comparison. Bloated, sloppy and slower. I didn't care for the styling "upgrade" either.
No it was actually the best. Took all of the aerodynamic challenges from the first gen off the table and was improved in every way, while attempting to keep the car looking as close to the original as possible. They caved to "modern" markets and tried to make it more luxurious which made it heavier, but a stripped out model will outperform most other comparable models in almost every way. I have intimately spent time working on and every Z model from the original series 1 240z up through the 350z (never bothered going newer) and there's a reason I have personally owned 3 different S130s and still own one to this day. Far from stock, but still the perfect Z car IMO...
I bought a new 1977 280z and kept it for 4 years. Traded it in for a new 81zx. The zx is absolutely the worst Z ever made. It’s not a sports car, it just looks like one. Kept it 4 months and bought a good used 78z. The zx rides like a tiny Cadillac coupe de ville. Horrible car.
The 240 Z was the best Z car, it was carbureted, the 260 Z was the worst, it also was carbureted by the worst possible carburetion scheme. The 280 was fuel injected & performed much better. After the 280 Z is when the body style changed.
I bought a 78 280z new and added an aftermarket turbo kit. I then bought a 1981 280zx turbo for my girlfriend; what a disappointment. It was no longer a sports car. Bug, heavy, underpowered, and the the rear suspension would squat on acceleration. In 1990 i bought a new 300z twin turbo. Awesome car. Totally reliable a pretty fast stock...
This is exactly why anyone that started in an S30 isn't fond of the s130. My 84 turbo 5 speed was referred to by all my friends as the squat-o-matic. It wasn't that fast and didn't handle very well. My Z32TT was incredible!!!
@@williamandrews1683 I still own an S30 and a 79 280ZX. The ZX is vastly better in every way than the S30. The S30 was SLOWER that the 280ZX. The ZX had more HP and lower drag. As far as handling the ZX is just as good (assuming you know how to actually drive fast).
Well... instead of complaining like many little "keyboard Enzos" who think they know about cars, I'd like to try a Fairlady 280-ZX to smash the criticisms again. Even though I'm here in Brazil, I really think this would've been the perfect cheap and reliable sports car according to our economy, even at that time. Between a bunch of reliable and cooked Corvettes or refined and burnt Porsches, the Fairlady would've suited me best. True JDM is always efficiency over reliability and refinement.
I can't remember watching a worse video. You never mention what the chassis codes mean, for instance that one is 2-seat and one is 4-seat. At 7:04 you say "market-exclusive 280Z" which doesn't even make sense. Maybe you meant, "Japanese market exclusive"? At 5:55 you say "Cars destined for the US were equipped with... shock absorbers." Guess what, all cars have shock absorbers. Name one since, say, 1950 without. You might as well brag that it had a steering wheel. You say it was "outstanding in its class" without mentioning what that class was or what other cars were in that class. There were over a half-dozen other points where your script literally is factually incorrect or ungrammatical and meaningless. Video is quite often of other cars than the ones you're talking about. Really, just astonishing waste of time.
That, and he never mentions that the 79zx (like the one I bought new in 79 and still have) finally got real aerodynamics and thus was faster and more stable whilst driving than any previous Z. Huge improvement. That, and it was what I would call a "real car" as far as a daily driver sports car.
If you never owned or driven one for good amount of time. S30 owners always throw the 280zx under the bus but will lowkey take parts of them to improve their S30s 🙃
The 280ZX Turbo w/ a 5 speed transmission was awesome. My kid brother had one. When first released, the Turbo was only offered in automatic, because Datsun/Nissan didn't have a strong enough in house transmission. The next year Datsun put in a Borg Warner T5, 5 speed transmission.
Living in the Bay area in Northern CA, I owned a 1983 280ZX and it was the best car I ever had. A had a cool 1971 240Z before it. My 280ZX did over 130 MPH on the San Mateo bridge like a rocket ship with tight controlled handling. I put a new Moterola car phone in it in the arm rest. Working in outside sales at the time, it was one of the best decades of my life. I drove it for over 12 years and then sold it still running perfect. That car was the only car I ever had that spoke to me. It would say Fuel level is low, Right door is open, Left door is open, Parking brake is on, and lights are on. All useful audible warnings. Mine also had removable T-Tops. An Awesome car. ( Especially with my car phone in it. -- A NEW thing back then.)
I had a 240Z for my first car. 4 years later I bought a 280ZX. The 280ZX was a smoother and nicer driving car but the 240 was still my favorite of the two.
It’s a good starter Z for a new driver. I fell in love with the awesome engine sound, extremely reliable, beautiful handling on the back roads and twisties. Yes it had body roll but at the same time it was balanced and felt like a tiger with four wheels for paws with the independent rear suspension. I replaced mine with a turbo z31 which was a rocket after I added a boost controller but I miss the zx now more than the z31
You are the first person I have heard that mention the awesome engine sound. That most of all made me love the ZX. I drove my 82 5speed for many years just loving that sound. I was raised on American V8 muscle but the sweet sound of a Japanese I6 was the best.
I've driven one, and I thought it was quite inferior to a simple little 1979 RX-7 Savannah 12A, which I had at the time. Heavy. Lumpen. Slow. Large. Boring. No, thank you!
Or any Z really. I liked the Z31(1984-1989 300ZX) best of all of the Z series. Mom loves her 1983 280ZX. Both my sister and myself learned to drive with it. She still drives it to this day. She has a dark blue 1978 280Z too. Her baby is the 1983 though. Dad likes his 2013 Challenger. This video has my baby though a older year: in my case 1983 DeLorean. Other than my sister, my mom is the only one I'd let drive it other than me. My late lady wanted to but didn't know how to drive a stick. My dad tended to destroy clutches to the point my mom wouldn't let him drive her car anymore just before their divorce 20+ years ago. I bought my DeLorean in March 2003 for just over $23K, $40K in today's money. This past March, marks 21 years of owning it and been an honor to.
Answering the question: No, I don't consider it close to "the worst". It helps a lot to have been alive and aware of cars in that era. The visceral reaction was directly proportional to the fondness for the original S-30 platform. Nissan made the very smart move of changing the Z into a more comfortable tourer-type car while retaining KEY cosmetic aspects of the original. Those visual connections along with more comfort-aimed features helped the Z remain relevant even while becoming much less of a performer. People should understand that in the '70's and '80's, the US EPA single-handedly turned N. America into a "performance wasteland" across ALL makes/brands/models. To me, Nissan did not fully betray the inconic image of the Z car until the 1990 Z-32 design.
The ZX is the 1st I ever bought. Used 1979, rusty floor hole and leaking injection. $900. Loved till it got towed away. Balanced designed GT car. A poor man's Vette. And better than rival Mazda or God forbid, TR-7.
Wrong! They sold 86,007 280ZX's in 1979, the most EVER in a single year. I know, I bought one brand new off the lot. As far as handling, the ZX was actually stable at high speed due to real wind tunnel testing. Hell, even Paul Newman drove a 79ZX to victory so calling it's handling poor is laughable. It's honestly a real car and with it's 21 gallon fuel tank was perfect for being "driven". Funny how people today just regurgitate old crap stories and have zero real world experience in what they put out on the web.
It had better transmission, better engine, better high speed stability (aero tested) which didn't unalive people, better rear end. I mean, everyone who has a 240 butchers the 280 for each and every one of it's components. That makes it the best.
Some would say the 280z is what really put Nissan on the map on sports cars of that era. Certainly matured when it came out. No more carburetor and yes to EFI. The 280ZX showed that one can have luxury and have the sporty feel and characteristics and at the same time not forgetting its roots. The 300ZX changed the game completely. One could say it😢 could do everything a traditional sports car and do everything a personal luxury car at the same time. One did not have to choose between comfort and performance and feel. The 300ZX/Z31 gave you both. If you really want speed, the Turbocharged 300ZX had you covered, if one could live with an automatic transmission, their 4-speed automatic was the only one they had in-house that could handle the turbocharged engine at the time. They later found a manual gearbox that was strong enough
