Used Car of the Day: 1975 Datsun 280Z

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

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

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.

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  • Marty S 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.

  • Marty S 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.

  • Proud2BUnion I typically recommend that no matter what make or model you purchase used, just assure that is HAS a prior salvage/rebuilt title. Best "Bang for your buck"!
  • Redapple2 jeffbut they dont want to ... their pick up is 4th behind ford/ram, Toyota. GM has the Best engineers in the world. More truck profit than the other 3. Silverado + Sierra+ Tahoe + Yukon sales = 2x ford total @ $15,000 profit per. Tons o $ to invest in the BEST truck. No. They make crap. Garbage. Evil gm Vampire
  • Rishabh Ive actually seen the one unit you mentioned, driving around in gurugram once. And thats why i got curious to know more about how many they sold. Seems like i saw the only one!
  • Amy I owned this exact car from 16 until 19 (1990 to 1993) I miss this car immensely and am on the search to own it again, although it looks like my search may be in vane. It was affectionatly dubbed, " The Dragon Wagon," and hauled many a teenager around the city of Charlotte, NC. For me, it was dependable and trustworthy. I was able to do much of the maintenance myself until I was struck by lightning and a month later the battery exploded. My parents did have the entire electrical system redone and he was back to new. I hope to find one in the near future and make it my every day driver. I'm a dreamer.
  • Jeff Overall I prefer the 59 GM cars to the 58s because of less chrome but I have a new appreciation of the 58 Cadillac Eldorados after reading this series. I use to not like the 58 Eldorados but I now don't mind them. Overall I prefer the 55-57s GMs over most of the 58-60s GMs. For the most part I like the 61 GMs. Chryslers I like the 57 and 58s. Fords I liked the 55 thru 57s but the 58s and 59s not as much with the exception of Mercury which I for the most part like all those. As the 60s progressed the tail fins started to go away and the amount of chrome was reduced. More understated.
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