1970 Datsun 240Z | Buyer’s Guide

Lot of folks are going to regret doing the cliche LS swaps and hacking out the fenders for flares as these beauties keep rising in value.

Ah, such memories! I bought a 1971 240z in San Diego in 1985 while serving in the US Navy. She was outfitted with triple (!) side-draft Weber carburetors and painted a metallic grey. Also sported twin sunroof vents (opened at backside only) and aftermarket rims. $2500 from a guy in the northside of the city. The setup was highly illegal in California at the time, but there were ways around that of course. The 3 Webers were difficult to sync but I still loved 'em. Wonderful car. The accelerator seemed bottomless to me. Drove from San Diego to Virginia after my Navy time. I had her until I got short of cash in the late 80's. Now I own a 2013 370z. Nice, but somehow just not the same.

Buyer's guide: Good luck. Seriously I can't find one that's not completely rusted out.

I've owned about a dozen of these cars. Epic performance when dialed in.

That exhaust note still sounds good to me after all these years. What a gem of a car it was and still is. Like most desirable early model Japanese cars and trucks, they're no longer cheap if they're in good condition.

As a 240Z lover i have a note, when i first saw a 240Z i felt like i saw life. The 240Z is like a absolute animal of a car! Wild and alive, made to respect it's owner as much as it could. Made to make the owner of itself as happy as it could, i think that this car is amazing.

"This is a Nikon SLR. This is a Sony Television. This is a great example of the Japanese BEING the Japanese, and simply applying a logical method to a romantic idea." This is probably the best line in any car video. Brilliant.

I'm glad I bought mine years ago, prices going up. I won't sell it. We spent three years restoring it in stages.

Great series so far, absolutely loving it

I owned 2 of these, an early 71 with the vents on the rear hatch and a 73. To this day it was one of my favorite cars to drive and either my favorite or 2nd favorite looking car.

Loved my '73. Rusted to pieces during the mid to late '80s while I lived in NY. It was the only car I had for several years. I really wanted another one a few years ago, but I had already missed my affordability window and settled for a 987.2 Cayman with a stick. Also a fun car that hasn't lost any value since I purchased it, but I still miss the Z.

I had a 260 in college till some idiot hit me and wadded it up. I stayed pissed for years. It was a great, very flingable car. Years later, after college and making a few bucks, I bought its more costly younger cousin, the Infinity G35 for much the same reasons. It was a great handling car, and while it doesn’t have the seven hundred horses that so many do today, it had a good 300hp in a great V6 that ran like a Swiss watch. I lost it too when some meth head stole it and then spun it into a guard rail and then a ditch. Bent it like banana and with aluminum body panels it was totaled. They kept the thief in jail for about a week till his grandma bailed him. Sadly, he died of an OD two days later. I’ve been looking for a good deal on a good driver version of one of these cars for years but they’ve just priced them out of my range.

My friend's brother had 240z, bone stock. Sat in it few times and fell in love with it

an early 70s 240z was a real eye opener for me !

Love Sam! Just the best. Great job as always

I like the buyers guide series. I enjoyed the Miata buyers guide as well. Looking forward to more of these. would Like to see you do a Ta22 Celica, Datsun 510, Fj cruiser.

3 days before buying my 280 I didn’t even know what it was lol I just recently picked it up and all the attention the old Zs are getting is a good motivator to start putting some work into the old thing

I always liked the 280Z and the 240Z a lot. Really neat little cars.

Great seeing Sam and hope he keeps up the reviews but Sam there's a small pull handle to the left under the dashboard so the hood opens to reveal the engine just in case we wanted to see it .

I'm about to take delivery of a '72 240 owned by the same person for over 48 years, fully restored and ready to rumble. I can't wait!!! My dad had a 240 when I was a little kid and I used to sit in his lap and steer it and a 280ZX Turbo in the 80's that I used to "borrow" when they were out of town so it will be a little nostalgic for me to get back into one.