Do you like driving?

[Thumpalumpacus]

I DO sometimes think about taking my little Kia jellybean up and around Little Tujunga Canyon from the Santa Clarita Valley into Sylmar, or Bouquet Canyon Road from Santa Clarita all the way to Quartz Hill. I'd be a bit slower these days, both because I'm older and the people on Bouquet Canyon Road road have been known to shoot at the passers by. No call for that, even if they are driving it like I did back in the '70s. None of them died in the crashes my acquaintances died in, as they live there 30+ years later. Crazy Days, is all I can say.

I'm giving serious thought to going out and getting an old 280ZX, like the one I owned 30 years ago. Fun as hell to drive, and the roads around here are much like your route there, or between Agoura Hills/Westlake Village and the coast, going past Lake Sherwin.

[SYZ]

Yeah, I like driving.  The majority of my journeys are through picturesque rural countryside,
from sub-tropical rain forest, through alpine ridges, to open flat farmland.  Although it's a
280 mile round trip for us to the "big smoke" for any serious shopping.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I live on the edge of a city with 996,000 people. Fifteen minutes can put me "downtown" or in Wine Country. Love the options.

[Dancefortwo]

I love to drive.  Absoultely love it.  Yes, I'm weird.

[TheGentlemanBastard]

I DO sometimes think about taking my little Kia jellybean up and around Little Tujunga Canyon from the Santa Clarita Valley into Sylmar, or Bouquet Canyon Road from Santa Clarita all the way to Quartz Hill. I'd be a bit slower these days, both because I'm older and the people on Bouquet Canyon Road road have been known to shoot at the passers by. No call for that, even if they are driving it like I did back in the '70s. None of them died in the crashes my acquaintances died in, as they live there 30+ years later. Crazy Days, is all I can say.

I'm giving serious thought to going out and getting an old 280ZX, like the one I owned 30 years ago. Fun as hell to drive, and the roads around here are much like your route there, or between Agoura Hills/Westlake Village and the coast, going past Lake Sherwin.

I had one of the last 280Zs before the introduction of the larger, heavier ZX and loved driving it. But, I'll take the experience of driving the Spitfire over the Z. For me, there's a much better connection to the road in those low slung roadsters than you can ever get from the Zs and ZXs. Having said that, I've been tempted by a couple 260Zs in recent years. Nicer lines on those than on the 280s, especially the ZX, and perkier acceleration. I spotted a 260Z ragtop conversion back in '16 that I was quite taken with, until I tested it. Bad brakes, really bad alignment and some seriously wonky thumping noises coming from the rear end. He wouldn't budge on the price and I wouldn't pay what he wanted. Seeing what Z-cars are going for these days, I wish I had kept mine instead of selling, especially with it having the 5-speed vs. the more commonly US equipped 4-speed.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I DO sometimes think about taking my little Kia jellybean up and around Little Tujunga Canyon from the Santa Clarita Valley into Sylmar, or Bouquet Canyon Road from Santa Clarita all the way to Quartz Hill. I'd be a bit slower these days, both because I'm older and the people on Bouquet Canyon Road road have been known to shoot at the passers by. No call for that, even if they are driving it like I did back in the '70s. None of them died in the crashes my acquaintances died in, as they live there 30+ years later. Crazy Days, is all I can say.

I'm giving serious thought to going out and getting an old 280ZX, like the one I owned 30 years ago. Fun as hell to drive, and the roads around here are much like your route there, or between Agoura Hills/Westlake Village and the coast, going past Lake Sherwin.

I had one of the last 280Zs before the introduction of the larger, heavier ZX and loved driving it. But, I'll take the experience of driving the Spitfire over the Z. For me, there's a much better connection to the road in those low slung roadsters than you can ever get from the Zs and ZXs. Having said that, I've been tempted by a couple 260Zs in recent years. Nicer lines on those than on the 280s, especially the ZX, and perkier acceleration. I spotted a 260Z ragtop conversion back in '16 that I was quite taken with, until I tested it. Bad brakes, really bad alignment and some seriously wonky thumping noises coming from the rear end. He wouldn't budge on the price and I wouldn't pay what he wanted. Seeing what Z-cars are going for these days, I wish I had kept mine instead of selling, especially with it having the 5-speed vs. the more commonly US equipped 4-speed.

Yeah, my 79 280 was the first year of the heavier body, with no real improvement to the engine. Still, it was a 2200-lb car with about 170 hp [edit: it was closer to 150BHP by SAE standards, and 2800 lbs, I blame my memory -- though I had the two-seater not 2+2, could have been lighter?] and could handle three-dimensional roadway very well. It did have a 5th gear, which helped highway fuel consumption, too. And no goddamned T-tops!

The big issue with Datsuns of that era was the airflow valve meter, which would go tits-up with some regularity if the gasket was worn, resulting in bad mixture and rough running. That was also an $800 twist of the wrench for me. But boy, that inline-6 had torque on demand through a broad tach range. Drop it a gear lower, hit the gas, and hold on. I had it at 115 mph in 5th with about 2000 rpm left on my tach ... 130 would have been easy money.

[Deesse23]

Always had a weak spot for those Datsuns.

[Thumpalumpacus]

This internet image is a dead-ringer of the one I had:

[Thumpalumpacus]

Always had a knack for those Datsuns.

It was a nifty driver, very well-balanced CoG. With that, and the broad power-band, you could bring the back end of the car out or in on a curve with throttle if you were not ham-fisted about it.

[TheGentlemanBastard]

This, in my view, is the sweetest Z Datsun/Nissan ever made:





They had nimble handling, a suspension that wasn't overthought, divorcing the driver from the road, and the best power to weight ratios, especially with the overly restrictive emission controls of the late 70s and even worse in the 80s where almost all Japanese produced cars were required to conform to California emissions regardless of their actual destination.

And, I'm a sucker for a ragtop.

The range of 300s, most of which had plenty of power, lost the Z-mystique, trying too hard to recapture what that had in the 200s. They would have been better served doing what Chevy has done with the latest Corvettes. Quit trying to re-define yesterday's model and simply redefine what the Corvette is.

[Thumpalumpacus]

This, in my view, is the sweetest Z Datsun/Nissan ever made:





They had nimble handling, a suspension that wasn't overthought, divorcing the driver from the road, and the best power to weight ratios, especially with the overly restrictive emission controls of the late 70s and even worse in the 80s where almost all Japanese produced cars were required to conform to California emissions regardless of their actual destination.

And, I'm a sucker for a ragtop.

The range of 300s, most of which had plenty of power, lost the Z-mystique, trying too hard to recapture what that had in the 200s. They would have been better served doing what Chevy has done with the latest Corvettes. Quit trying to re-define yesterday's model and simply redefine what the Corvette is.

That's a beaut. I'd be thinking about body-sway through handling, but I bet that'd be one hell of a fun driver.

I did like the second 300 with its wider footprint and 222hp engine (300 w/ turbo), and its skidpad performance was hot, something like .96g iirc. I lusted one for the longest.

[c172]

I had a weird fascination with 320i's as a kid. They were the entry level BMW of the day. Nothing too flashy at all. Mildly sporty with room for groceries.

[Fireball]

I'm giving serious thought to going out and getting an old 280ZX, like the one I owned 30 years ago. Fun as hell to drive, and the roads around here are much like your route there, or between Agoura Hills/Westlake Village and the coast, going past Lake Sherwin.

I had one of the last 280Zs before the introduction of the larger, heavier ZX and loved driving it. But, I'll take the experience of driving the Spitfire over the Z. For me, there's a much better connection to the road in those low slung roadsters than you can ever get from the Zs and ZXs. Having said that, I've been tempted by a couple 260Zs in recent years. Nicer lines on those than on the 280s, especially the ZX, and perkier acceleration. I spotted a 260Z ragtop conversion back in '16 that I was quite taken with, until I tested it. Bad brakes, really bad alignment and some seriously wonky thumping noises coming from the rear end. He wouldn't budge on the price and I wouldn't pay what he wanted. Seeing what Z-cars are going for these days, I wish I had kept mine instead of selling, especially with it having the 5-speed vs. the more commonly US equipped 4-speed.

Yeah, my 79 280 was the first year of the heavier body, with no real improvement to the engine. Still, it was a 2200-lb car with about 170 hp [edit: it was closer to 150BHP by SAE standards, and 2800 lbs, I blame my memory -- though I had the two-seater not 2+2, could have been lighter?] and could  handle three-dimensional roadway very well. It did have a 5th gear, which helped highway fuel consumption, too. And no goddamned T-tops!

The big issue with Datsuns of that era was the airflow valve meter, which would go tits-up with some regularity if the gasket was worn, resulting in bad mixture and rough running. That was also an $800 twist of the wrench for me. But boy, that inline-6 had torque on demand through a broad tach range. Drop it a gear lower, hit the gas, and hold on. I had it at 115 mph in 5th with about 2000 rpm left on my tach ... 130 would have been easy money.

One of my friends had one of the 280Zs, don't remember the year. It had that air flow meter problem. It would start and run for a short time and then quit. After a bunch of trouble shooting pointed to the valve, and with the manual saying to just buy a new one, we noticed that the cover had been puckied on with silicone sealer. Cut it open and cleaned up the contacts that close when the engine is pulling air. The electronics run the fuel pump for some number of seconds and then, when the engine is running, the air valve opens, and an arm on the flap closes those contacts. After the cleaning didn't work after some amount of time (months) I took the cover off again and soldered the fucking contacts together. Don't tell the NHTSA. 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I had one of the last 280Zs before the introduction of the larger, heavier ZX and loved driving it. But, I'll take the experience of driving the Spitfire over the Z. For me, there's a much better connection to the road in those low slung roadsters than you can ever get from the Zs and ZXs. Having said that, I've been tempted by a couple 260Zs in recent years. Nicer lines on those than on the 280s, especially the ZX, and perkier acceleration. I spotted a 260Z ragtop conversion back in '16 that I was quite taken with, until I tested it. Bad brakes, really bad alignment and some seriously wonky thumping noises coming from the rear end. He wouldn't budge on the price and I wouldn't pay what he wanted. Seeing what Z-cars are going for these days, I wish I had kept mine instead of selling, especially with it having the 5-speed vs. the more commonly US equipped 4-speed.

Yeah, my 79 280 was the first year of the heavier body, with no real improvement to the engine. Still, it was a 2200-lb car with about 170 hp [edit: it was closer to 150BHP by SAE standards, and 2800 lbs, I blame my memory -- though I had the two-seater not 2+2, could have been lighter?] and could  handle three-dimensional roadway very well. It did have a 5th gear, which helped highway fuel consumption, too. And no goddamned T-tops!

The big issue with Datsuns of that era was the airflow valve meter, which would go tits-up with some regularity if the gasket was worn, resulting in bad mixture and rough running. That was also an $800 twist of the wrench for me. But boy, that inline-6 had torque on demand through a broad tach range. Drop it a gear lower, hit the gas, and hold on. I had it at 115 mph in 5th with about 2000 rpm left on my tach ... 130 would have been easy money.

One of my friends had one of the 280Zs, don't remember the year. It had that air flow meter problem. It would start and run for a short time and then quit. After a bunch of trouble shooting pointed to the valve, and with the manual saying to just buy a new one, we noticed that the cover had been puckied on with silicone sealer. Cut it open and cleaned up the contacts that close when the engine is pulling air. The electronics run the fuel pump for some number of seconds and then, when the engine is running, the air valve opens, and an arm on the flap closes those contacts. After the cleaning didn't work after some amount of time (months) I took the cover off again and soldered the fucking contacts together. Don't tell the NHTSA. 

I once owned a 200sx (different engine, same AFVM) that left me stranded on I-35 outside Alvarado TX. Got it repaired, finished my trip.

When the AFVM went south on the 280, I thought I could fix it myself, but it had apparently had that issue before, and the previous owner had gone with the silicone gasket-maker solution, which clearly didn't work. I limped in to Columbus, OH pulling perhaps 70% rated power and trying to overheat, too.

Bought the part, tried to install it myself, and ... oops.

[TheGentlemanBastard]

This, in my view, is the sweetest Z Datsun/Nissan ever made:





They had nimble handling, a suspension that wasn't overthought, divorcing the driver from the road, and the best power to weight ratios, especially with the overly restrictive emission controls of the late 70s and even worse in the 80s where almost all Japanese produced cars were required to conform to California emissions regardless of their actual destination.

And, I'm a sucker for a ragtop.

The range of 300s, most of which had plenty of power, lost the Z-mystique, trying too hard to recapture what that had in the 200s. They would have been better served doing what Chevy has done with the latest Corvettes. Quit trying to re-define yesterday's model and simply redefine what the Corvette is.

That's a beaut. I'd be thinking about body-sway through handling, but I bet that'd be one hell of a fun driver.

I did like the second 300 with its wider footprint and 222hp engine (300 w/ turbo), and its skidpad performance was hot, something like .96g iirc. I lusted one for the longest.

Cropping the top helps lower the center of mass on a car that already had a decently low center of mass. The one I drove cornered like it was on rails, unless I tweaked the throttle and intentionally broke it loose.

There's also some room in that suspension for tuning. Drop it just a bit and stiffen it up a little... The 260s also ran on wider rubber. Made 'em a bit tough to steer at low speed, banging about town, but my how you could stick 'em into the corners on the back country roads.

Don't get me wrong about the 300 series. Those are/were some nice cars and I certainly wouldn't say no if somebody gifted me one. I just don't think they lived up to the 240-280 Z-cars and they certainly priced out a lot of Z-car fans. The 370Z roadster grabbed my interest briefly, until I realized just about everybody had a comparable car for less money or a better car for the same.

The Zs seriously need a complete overhaul and hopefully we'll get one with the 400s, but from what I've seen so far of the Z-Proto (what everyone assumes will be the 400Z), it's too little too late, especially with a projected price tag of $40,000 to $55,000 depending on options. Hell, Starting at $60,000 you can get a Corvette.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Don't get me wrong about the 300 series. Those are/were some nice cars and I certainly wouldn't say no if somebody gifted me one. I just don't think they lived up to the 240-280 Z-cars and they certainly priced out a lot of Z-car fans. The 370Z roadster grabbed my interest briefly, until I realized just about everybody had a comparable car for less money or a better car for the same.

The first 300s were dogs, imo. Nissan didn't start getting the series better until 1990, and even by then the thing was still as much about luxury as performance. Clearly a business decision to penetrate the Yuppie market that was growing in 1980.

The Zs seriously need a complete overhaul and hopefully we'll get one with the 400s, but from what I've seen so far of the Z-Proto (what everyone assumes will be the 400Z), it's too little too late, especially with a projected price tag of $40,000 to $55,000 depending on options. Hell, Starting at  $60,000 you can get a Corvette.

They definitely need to go simpler. And I think you're right that most muscleheads will go for a 'Vette if the prices are in the same ballpark. I do hope they dumb it down a little and go for handling rather than straight-line, because they've shown themselves capable as a company of delivering a really well-handling car.

In the Air Force, my roommate in the barracks had an 87 Camaro RS, with a 305 and an automatic transmission. He could kill me on a straightaway, but had zero-point-zero chances on any curving road, I could eat him for breakfast.

I hope Nissan gets back to that approach, but I bet they'll chase the soccer-mom/fancy car set instead. "Isn't it pretty?"

[Fireball]

Well. Back in the early '70s, I bought a '64 Malibu SS that I put NASCAR suspension parts on, since I worked for Chevy dealer(s) and could get the parts at cost plus 10% (and the car). The stupid driving I previously mentioned relied on those parts. #damnedluckystupiddriver

[TheGentlemanBastard]

Don't get me wrong about the 300 series. Those are/were some nice cars and I certainly wouldn't say no if somebody gifted me one. I just don't think they lived up to the 240-280 Z-cars and they certainly priced out a lot of Z-car fans. The 370Z roadster grabbed my interest briefly, until I realized just about everybody had a comparable car for less money or a better car for the same.

The first 300s were dogs, imo. Nissan didn't start getting the series better until 1990, and even by then the thing was still as much about luxury as performance. Clearly a business decision to penetrate the Yuppie market that was growing in 1980.

The Zs seriously need a complete overhaul and hopefully we'll get one with the 400s, but from what I've seen so far of the Z-Proto (what everyone assumes will be the 400Z), it's too little too late, especially with a projected price tag of $40,000 to $55,000 depending on options. Hell, Starting at  $60,000 you can get a Corvette.

They definitely need to go simpler. And I think you're right that most muscleheads will go for a 'Vette if the prices are in the same ballpark. I do hope they dumb it down a little and go for handling rather than straight-line, because they've shown themselves capable as a company of delivering a really well-handling car.

In the Air Force, my roommate in the barracks had an 87 Camaro RS, with a 305 and an automatic transmission. He could kill me on a straightaway, but had zero-point-zero chances on any curving road, I could eat him for breakfast.

I hope Nissan gets back to that approach, but I bet they'll chase the soccer-mom/fancy car set instead. "Isn't it pretty?"

Yep. Sports cars for Baby Boomers. That's really what the Z-cars always were. They need to re-think their target market. When the 240 was introduced, 50 years ago, the baby boomers were just out of college looking for their first new car and, especially the guys, were looking for something sporty and sexy that wouldn't break the bank. They need to quit catering to their past, dwindling customer base and start looking at the new kids on the block. Those kids who are just out of college and looking for something sporty and sexy that won't break the bank. With an entry level price of $36,000, the new Kia Stinger may be poised to take that market away from Nissan and if Nissan loses it now, they'll take years to get it back, if ever. The stinger's got an available 3.3L twin turbo V6 that provides 368HP and 376 ft./lb of torque to get a sub 5 0-60.

If someone would produce a minimal bells and whistles, 400 HP 2-seat sports car with a sub $30,000 entry point, that would really set the sports car world on it's ear. I think all the car companies are headed the wrong direction with sports cars that are loaded down with tons of luxury features. Give me a thumping stereo with blue tooth, heat and A/C, power windows all around and a sunroof or a ragtop, and I'm down. Hell, my base model Soul has more bells and whistles than I'll ever use. In a sports car, I don't want a mobile lounge. I want to DRIVE!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I had a weird fascination with 320i's as a kid. They were the entry level BMW of the day. Nothing too flashy at all. Mildly sporty with room for groceries.

When I was stationed in Cal. I was nearly hit by a ... lady ... in BMW who wanted the piece of lane under my bike. After I was released from the hospital I was talking with the guys at work.

Me: Why do BMW drivers drive like asshole?

Frank: Hey! I drive a BMW!

Me: Okay, why do you drive like an asshole?

[Kim]

Even if I didn't drive for a living, I'd still vote "Yes".
A combination of freedom & control, I suppose.

[Aliza]

I hate driving! I live in Florida, so depending on where I'm located, my walk-score can vary from -5 to 3 (car dependent). Love it or hate it, driving is a must.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I hate driving! I live in Florida, so depending on where I'm located, my walk-score can vary from -5 to 3 (car dependent). Love it or hate it, driving is a must.

Driving in Florida was a very shitty experience for me. Who in their right mind gets on an Interstate onramp doing 35?

[Fireball]

I hate driving! I live in Florida, so depending on where I'm located, my walk-score can vary from -5 to 3 (car dependent). Love it or hate it, driving is a must.

Driving in Florida was a very shitty experience for me. Who in their right mind gets on an Interstate onramp doing 35?

Last time I drove on the I95 in Florida (2017) there were signs posted for minimum speed of 40 MPH.

[TheGentlemanBastard]

I hate driving! I live in Florida, so depending on where I'm located, my walk-score can vary from -5 to 3 (car dependent). Love it or hate it, driving is a must.

Driving in Florida was a very shitty experience for me. Who in their right mind gets on an Interstate onramp doing 35?

Texans here in Colorado every November through March.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I hate driving! I live in Florida, so depending on where I'm located, my walk-score can vary from -5 to 3 (car dependent). Love it or hate it, driving is a must.

Driving in Florida was a very shitty experience for me. Who in their right mind gets on an Interstate onramp doing 35?

Texans here in Colorado every November through March.

We don't do snow, damn it.