Listing snapshot
| Spotted | October 2022 |
| Asking price | $6,500 |
| Listed on | eBay |
| Drivetrain | Inline six, automatic, rear-wheel drive |
| Status | Ad expired. This page is our archive of the listing. |
We spotted this 1979 Nissan 280ZX, sold in the US as the Datsun 280ZX, on eBay in October 2022. The asking price was $6,500. The listing has ended, but we keep the record here, since early 280ZXs in honest condition are a useful reference point when pricing one.
What this car was
A dark blue metallic two-seat coupe, the short-roof version without the 2+2’s rear seats. The photos show glossy paint, black wheels with polished trim rings and a complete set of bumpers and lights. From the rear, the black tail panel, taillights and hatch glass all look intact. It had an automatic transmission, which most Z buyers like less than a manual.
The seller was upfront about what wasn’t pretty:
- The underside was heavily corroded
- There were some minor scratches around the fuel filler
Was $6,500 a fair ask?
For a car that looks this good from the outside, $6,500 was low, and the reason is underneath. Heavy corrosion on the underside is the biggest problem a 280ZX can have, because floors, frame rails and rocker areas are expensive to repair properly. The automatic also holds the price down. A buyer would have needed to see the underside in person before handing over the money. If the structure was sound, the price was fair. If not, it could become a costly project.
A little 280ZX history
The 280ZX replaced the 280Z for the 1979 model year as the second-generation Z car. It kept the 2.8-liter L28 inline six but had an all-new body, a softer ride and a much more luxurious cabin, moving the Z toward grand touring. It came as a two-seater or a 2+2, and a turbocharged version followed in 1981. In North America it wore Datsun badges, with small “by Nissan” lettering added as the company phased out the Datsun name. The 300ZX replaced it for 1984.
More cars from the archive
- Every Nissan 280 ZX we’ve spotted, with asking prices
- 1987 Nissan 200SX XE, another Nissan
- 1995 Nissan Maxima GLE, another Nissan
- 2000 Nissan Frontier XE Desert Runner King Cab, another Nissan
- 2001 Nissan Altima GXE, another Nissan
