1970-78 Datsun Z

More than any other car, the “Z” put Japan in the automotive big leagues. Very stylish, reasonably fast, reliable, well-built, and at $3500, it was an absolute bargain to boot. It's 2.4 liter 151hp inline six was smooth and it sounded great. In one fell swoop the Z shattered all the stereotypes of Japan’s inability to produce top tier motorcars.

  In an effort to cheat ever tightening emission restrictions, Nissan bumped displacement to 2.6 liters in ‘74 and 2.8 liters in ‘75. Along the way the Z got heavier, slower and less attractive (mostly due those inescapable mid-seventies bumpers). Get the Z in it’s purest form, the ‘70 - ‘73 models. If you need greater utility, the later 2+2 with its back seat (kids only) is a worth a look. It has the benefit of the later injected 2.8 motor, which is less troublesome than the earlier dual SUs.

  Still a bargain, good, clean, fully serviceable examples are everywhere at around $5-6,000, sometimes less. Even really nice ones come in under $10,000. You’ll have to scour eBay and the classifieds -- not many show up at auction. Prices have been stable for many years and despite all it’s charms, we don’t see enough demand to suggest significant value gains any time soon. Several years ago Nissan produced about 40 “factory authorized” restorations and offered them for $25,000. A couple early ones sold above that at auction but generally the market yawned, and Nissan quietly scuttled the program.

(note: this snapshot appeared in the Dec. 2005 issue)