Datsun 240z - Meeting the Legend - Everyday Driver Review

I had a Datsun 280z car back in the day. Loved it.

I owned a 240Z, 4 gear - lived in Carmel Valley during mid to late 80's.
The Z-car was always great running "over the hump" from Boronda Rd up to "The City" or south Big Sur to L.A. - winding her out along Pacific Hwy.
A couple trips Hwy 99 to Canada, never a handling issue. Drove it from 20 through 50 odometer miles , written off when girlfriend was T - boned on passenger side, not hurt much.
Gradual loss of genuine road feel cars and myself fading away into digital control land 😂

Have fun, be safe everyone

edit: no gas smell then

Thats alot of bs

I've got a clean stock straight decent 260 2+2 for sale

This car, along with the old Ferrari's, is why I fell in love with the Mazda MX5 RF in red. It's the long nose, cute butt, sassy attitude...

That interior is gorgeous

This reminds me of driving a friend's TR6 years ago.

As a young man in the 80's I was fortunate to own and drive a 1973 240Z in orange. I left it a little beat up on the outside (to better deter thieves in Los Angeles), but under the hood I installed triple weber side-draft carbs, racing headers, a 5-speed sourced from a later 280Z, shortened steering knuckles, etc. Tried to emulate the 1973 Datsun racing team cars. She was a blast to drive fast, but I had to watch out on wet roads! Very light tail so I would add weight in the back. I would love to own one even now.

DATSUN built better cars than ANYTHING we had here in the UK in the 70's

Love the Z car I had the 72-79.82 now have the 78

Great video, blokes! I also enjoyed your 356 / Daytona video. A great setting, too; reminds me of Tasmania, Australia, with its Targa roads.

this video has aged so well
nice work guys

Here because the 2023 Nissan Z sent me down the classic Z cars rabbit hole. I always enjoy these guys and this was no exception.
If this was my car I would be in relentless search for those interior chirps and squeaks with screwdrivers and lithium grease.
So fantastic that its not slammed but just has more rubber.

Spend the $ for new hatch gaskets

Man I can't die before riding this car

It sounds just like my old 71 and 73's did and I love it! But to correct you on tire size, the original tire width was 175mm. I had upgraded mine to a 195/70 on a 7.5" wheel and it made a huge difference.

I never, ever, ever, ever should have sold mine. I needed the money and I sold it and I have been looking for another one ever since.

What is that steering wheel …..I gotta get one.

As a former MK II owner @58 seconds, I approve. Proud owner of a MK III.

these are junks that are very unsafe

My Dad bought the same car in 1985 less than 50k miles for 1,800$$ i loved that car it's what i learned to drive in then upgraded to 1969 Ford Torino GT 428 Mean Machine

Oh crapz! 240Z was like u said a rattly, smelly unforgiving excuse for a sports car. It had all the handling of a poorly thrown brick, it was front heavy and under steered horribly. A much more responsive rack and pinion steering could be found on a Chevrolet Chevette. Toyota answered the Z car with a heavier, better balanced, little hatchback car later in the '70's. It was called Celica GT. Bitty little 95 HP 4 cyl, 5 speed, Drove much nicer, handled better, made 6 cyl 240z look foolish. Yes the Z looks nice but I like reliability in my car, so toyota had that. You know why there are few Datsun Z cars left doncha? they rust. Bottom up and top down.

I owned a 280 Z 1976 and the problem is the weight distribution -it’s easy to fishtail in it

Am torn between a 2002 and the 240Z !

And those wats tho!!!!! 💸

Just now watching this. Dayum

Very nice automobile,just beautiful. And cool.

Great production value on this one guys!

225's... what was the rim size... 14" I doubt...?

The 240z are really going up in value

I had a 1972. It was perfect with ZERO rust and turned heads everywhere I went. Best comment I ever overheard was a man talking to his little son. He said “That’s the car daddy always wanted..”

So beautiful 👍
Looking at the front mask of this car, I understand the front mask of the new Z.

BEAUTIFUL THING!!

And you were correct these have shot up in value in the last two years(now late 2020).

This was a fantastic video

The guys said the styling reminded them of E type Jags. It reminds me of Ferrari GTO. Also the 2.4 liter size is GTOish and the length of the inline six is comparable to a V12.

Was this shot in Azusa Canyons? Looks familiar.

My 16 year old kid dream car. My 1.35 hr. job after school put that out of reach. Settles for a Dodge Dart Swinger 340/4-speed....only way to fool insurance companies.

My Classic car smell: weed

In April of 1987 my best friend bought a 240Z. We had both just turned 15. For the next 4 years, he always had 2-3 240 & 260Zs at his house. He'd buy and sell them. In retrospect, his mother was even cooler than I thought she was at the time to let him do that. One of those Zs always ran. Sometimes two of them did. Whatever wasn't running was being used as a parts car. These were the cars that I learned to do everything in. First manual I drove. First brakes I changed. It's a shame they cost so much now. Probably also a shame that Casey didn't take all the ones he had and put them in a garage somewhere. :) Great video!

6k?? absolute steal maaan

E type right down to the straight 6 and twin SU carburetors. I had a 1972 Z I bought in 1976 the same color as James...such a beautiful car. Regarding the brakes...chasing a friend of mine down Little Cottonwood Canyon from Snowbird resort..had scary brake fade. Switching to disk brakes would have been much better. Overall, a great car!

I miss my '73. When I owned it I installed new struts, electric fuel pump and headers. I then paid to have dual exhaust with an H pipe and glass packs that pointed upwards under the bumper installed. That car sounded great and could run 125.
In the end the encroaching rust in the floor boards/rails made me part ways. What a fun, little car that gets a lot of attention

4 year update since filming. The L24 used during filming was retired, pending a special rebuild. In goes an L30 race motor I spent a summer building in my last year in college. I found more parts of the frame that needed fixing so the frame has been repaired better. A new suspension setup has been put in. Overall it is still driving on the road today. Thank you everyday driver for the opportunity.
To those who are asking what exhaust set up: thrush muffler 2.5 inch mated to a 3-2 header.
Tire Setup 225/50r15 going to be a R888 slick set up soon.
Springs in that filming are the Tokico Lowering springs but I has a set of custom springs in now.

About the weak brakes, here's a easy, cheap upgrade. There's a Toyota pad that doubles the pad area and bolts right on. Check it out.

Japan as No1

this thing is pretty comparable to the c3 corvette

loved them for over 50 years. never drove one.

This is still my favorite 240Z video

Lovely car, lovely exhaust note, lovely road.