Faults:

My dad parked the car for a little more than 10 years (he's the original owner). As you can imagine, it came to be quite a bit of work when we finally decided to restore it. The worst part was the dashboard, but back then the plastics weren't as advances as they are now. That was really our biggest problem. Since we've had it restored and on the road, the only thing that we've had to fix are the rubber parts of the suspension as well as the front and rear shock assemblies.

General Comments:

Amazing car. I love driving it and it truly is my dream car. Solid engine, solid tranny, solid suspension, solid everything! Amazing Car!

Faults:

Wire broke off temp sensor.

General Comments:

Very good car. Not to big on power, but handles great and can keep up with older Mustangs and the import crowd's cars. It needed a V8 so that's what I'm doing to it.

It's a sports car so it's not going to ride like a Cadillac.

Very good first car.

Faults:

Car was utterly reliable. No issues.

General Comments:

Got this car from a next door neighbor--my second car. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the car had been wrecked and somewhat shoddily rebuilt. The frame wasn't quite straight.

Even with these issues, the car was a blast. This was a technological marvel in 1975: Bosch electronic fuel injection. Datsun made a smart move by choosing fuel injection to solve emissions problems rather than tacking on emission devices to a carburetor. The fuel injection improved performance and fuel economy without ANY emission devices. Yep, other than a PCV valve, both the '75 and '76 non-California 280z had no emission devices in stock configuration.

I think this was one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven. You sit rather low in a well with a high transmission tunnel. For me, at 6' the high transmission tunnel was great to rest my leg against.

There is an incredible amount of room to work in around the straight six engine. It was absolutely amazing--very easy to get to just about anything. Changing the oil was a breeze!

Performance was quite good for 1970s standards. The suspension was independent on all four wheels--handled nicely. Lots of aftermarket performance parts were and are available for it.

Really, overall a fantastic car. So much so that when I sold my '75 280z to get an '81 Mazda RX-7, I dumped the RX-7 and got a '76 280z. Maybe one day I'll get one again if I can convice my wife!