5k: Seller Submission: 1970 Datsun 240Z Barn Find
Mention the term Barn Find around car guys and you get two responses. The first is from the group who starts fantasizing about restoring the car back to its original glory and the second are guys who start thinking about how much they hate money pits, rust pits and spider pits. Here at DT headquarters near the intersection of Lazy Avenue and Poor Street we firmly maintain that a barn find needs to be a significant deal to be considered and you should never pay the previous owner for the privilege of restoring a car. A barn find should be drastically cheaper than survivor or restored version of a car and the buyer should be rich in free time to fix/restore. Don’t buy a barn find if you just had triplets or work a full time job and go to night school, but it isn’t a bad idea for the recently retired. Find this 1970 Datsun 240Z barn find for sale in Portland, OR for $5,000 $3,400 via craigslist. Seller submission from Ian. Update Jan 28, 2014, 11:15AM PST, price dropped to $3,400
The Datsun 240Z was for years one of the best affordable classic 2-seaters to be had, but the market has been very bullish recently and early Zs demand decent money. This S30 is from the first year of production with serial number 3242 and will make a nice driver when complete.
Before you start thinking we’ve lost our minds and think an engine-less Z is worth $5k, please read the fine print and notice that 2 engines are included with the sale (one recently rebuilt) as well as 3 transmissions, two 4-speeds and one 5-speed.
This 240Z has been through a number of paint schemes causing this passenger’s door to resemble a Colombian flag. As far as we can tell the CAT yellow was the original color; the blue and red are 2nd and 3rd resprays respectively.
See a better candidate for restoration? tips@dailyturismo.com
Ad should read.
Rolling chassis, special tri color paint job and only one re-vin from the highway patrol the reason of which is up to your imagination. ………… and only $5000
We must be neighbors, DT! I live right near the intersection of Lazy and Poor.
Ian, for market reference I've passed on S1 S30s down here in SoCal in complete, running condition for $1k cheaper than you're asking. The most recent one was 2 months ago in Long Beach. Original but faded silver, S/N 042xx, original L24 & 4 speed, rust in the usual places but not through. Interior was complete and original and documented mileage was under 100k.
Typical rust areas on these cars are the floors, frame rails, under the battery tray, the doglegs on both sides, and the rear hatch area. Any serious buyer will want to see these in picture form.
Market value for a clean titled rolling shell down here in SoCal with a bucket of parts is $2000 – 3000. While I appreciate the fact that you, unlike 90% of the sellers down here, actually went into great detail about the car, its just not a compelling enough reason to spend $5k on a non-runner that will take at least another $5k in sweat equity / parts before its on the road again.
Good luck with the sale, but you may want to aim a bit lower with that price tag.
As a series one 240z owner, I've kept a pretty close eye on the market over the last several years. There is no reason this should be valued at anything over $2000.
Anon
1. While I do indeed wish it was still 1999 and I had my youthful looks and free time back, the market has moved on and I struggle to find good 240Zs that aren't total rust buckets for $2k…not to say you can't get a better deal by driving around the local country side looking for neglected Zs and tracking down owners. If you see a better example, by all means, please send us a tip or post it up in the comments. The best I could find with a quick search in the $2k range is this pile of parts in Las Vegas.. But…it is a real pile of parts missing thousands of dollars of trim pieces.
2. See commandment number II. If you can't think of a name, I will pick one for you. Shirley O'Must B. Jokin is at the top of my list.
EIC Vince
You forgot a third category of reactions to "barn finds"…..those who roll their eyes and think the term is one of the most overused terms in the car hobby today and is usually used now to glamorize and romanticize cars which were formerly described as "poorly maintained and neglected heaps". Put me in that category.
Wholeheartedly agree. I suspect there's a start-up company out there which is making a business of covering cars with authentic looking dust! And then there's this recently discovered 1902 Porsche