When I moved to the US, I knew I wanted to do that roadtrip. You know the one - where you fly to one of warmer states with a pile of money and buy your dream car in immaculate condition, then drive it home.
Well my dream car has always been a 280Z. Ever since seeing the combination of the long bonnet and fastback, I love the styling of them. I love the interior. I love the endless possibilities of modifications. I love that it's a Japanese RWD GT car.
Idly browsing through Craigslist, to get an idea of prices / condition, I was a little disappointed. $2k gets you a heap of rust. $4k gets you a heap with slightly less rust. It's not until you get over $6k that you start to see something that looks appealing. But for that real mint, Californian, stock, never seen salt, low mileage car you dream of, you're up to around $14k. And these prices are on an upwards trend.
Factor in transport, accommodation and all the other hidden expenses with buying a car, and it quickly became unattainable. A pipe dream for a future date, perhaps.
That was until I turned my search Northwards, to Minnesota. There it was on Craigslist. A very genuine looking 1978 280Z, driven up from California a year ago, used for a summer and dry stored since. For the price, it was too good to be true, surely. I got in touch with the seller as quickly as possible, and after a lengthy chat, felt convinced enough about it to sacrifice my Sunday to go and view it.
The newly fixed Jeep would be my uncomfortable, back crippling home for the next six hours.
Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy the Wrangler. It's great fun, has a lot of character. But for highway speeds, and lengthy journeys, it's the exact opposite of what you want - loud, uncomfortable after four hours, gets buffeted by the wind constantly thanks to it's brick-like stream lining. Oh, and EVERYTHING rattles.
The drive North was uneventful. Three hours later and I was at the seller's (Chris) house. It was easy to spot, as it had four cars of various types parked outside. I'd gone up with the intention of finding everything wrong, talking myself out of buying a money pit and waiting for the perfect one to come up. But it turns out the car was exactly as described.
Chris let me have a good look at all of it. There's not a spot of rust on the underside, or in the usual traps like the battery tray or under the brake booster. The sills are totally clean. There's nothing lurking behind any of the trim that I could see.
The engine fired up first time and got up to temperature nicely. The oil pressure was good. The gearbox felt good. Hell, it felt newer than the Jeep I'd just driven up in.
But that's not to say it doesn't need work. Most of the weather seals are dried up from the California sun, and the dash is also cracked in a couple of places. The heater matrix leaks, so right now that's bypassed. There's a vacuum leak somewhere that results in a high idle sometimes.
The biggest concern from the advert was a patch of rust on the boot shut, where a weather seal had perished (now replaced) and pooled water underneath. It was a little crunchy, but not structural. I gave it a solid prod and was satisfied that it could be fixed.
Chris laboured to point out all the imperfections in it; a stone chip on the rear quarter that had some surface rust, the brittle plastic interior, the handle had snapped off the bonnet release. He also pointed out all the new stuff he'd added in his ownership - upgraded ignition module, leather seats, brand new aluminium radiator.
But it was too late - I was smitten.
As well as the car, there's a ridiculously comprehensive service history, service manuals, and a whole host of spare parts (including a replacement heater matrix). And he also offered to deliver it.
More pictures when it arrives on Wednesday.
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