From: "Jan"
Carl -- Here's my "Z story" for the ZCOOR site:
In 1971, I'd been reviewing what cars were available that I could buy to
replace the '65 GT Mustang convertible I'd had since 1966. My first car (the
'Stang was my 2nd) was a 1962 Alfa Romeo 2-seater convertible, bought the day
after I graduated high school in 1965. There should have been laws
against18-year-old girls in the NorthEast buying Italian sports cars; it was fun
to drive, but needed constant mechanical attention, so I sold it after only 8
months.
While considering the purchase of maybe a Vega or Fiat 124, one day I was
driving past the local Datsun dealership and saw the 240Z. It was instant love
and knew that any other car just couldn't compare. Although I was struggling by
financially, I figured out a way for me to obtain my dream-car: I did
photo-processing work as a side-line to my regular job in photography and gave
up my apartment (and the ever-increasing rent!) to move back into my parent's
house. My favorite uncle was well-off and gave me a $4000 loan; the dealership
owner, with whom I'd become friends since drooling over the XKE's in his
show-room since school, accepted my $100 deposit in Oct '71 on "any Z except
orange, with a manual trans." Other dealers in the area had 1-year-long waiting
lists; my friend told me he could probably get me a car in 6-months. In Feb '72,
I got a call from Bristol Motors, saying that a green Z was available because
the person who was next on the waiting list had been forced to not accept the
car since he'd just been transferred by his company and was getting a company
car, so just didn't need the Z.
I rushed over to the dealership and found the color "green" to be that pale
chartreuse that I liked even less than orange! The original purchaser had also
wanted bumper guards and deep-dish wheels installed, so that was added onto the
price. I told my friend that I just couldn't buy that Z and he saw the
dissappointment in my face, because he said "I've got 3 Z's coming in next week.
You can have your choice!!" The next 7 days crawled by....
I was driving past the dealership a few days later when I saw a white Z
parked in the corner of the front lot of the dealership. A fast U-turn, my
Mustang raced back to the lot, I jumped out and ran to the Z to look inside. A
4-speed stick was all I needed to see!!!! MY car!! The dealer said the white one
was the first one to arrive and he didn't have the paperwork yet, but he told me
I could have it. It took a few days for all the details to be taken care of but
I had my first Z.
That summer I heard about the SCCA and joined the club, becoming involved
with the road-circuit racing program (mostly at Lime Rock Park, CT) as a
"flagger." While at my first race in August, 2 important things happened: I met
another Z owner (Harry had a blue '71) and I saw Bob Sharp race his C-Production
Z. I've been involved/interested in racing ever since, although I haven't gone
to any races for several years, tending to watch them on TV. Harry's brother
Alan soon bought a white '73 Z and it looked like a Z mini-convention when the 3
of us got together. Harry, Alan, and Bob are still friends of mine, but I'm the
only one who still has their 240Z!!!
My '72 Z is still as stock as possible although I've had a lot of body work
done. The engine needed head-gasket replacement twice during the past 174,000
miles and a new timing chain was installed at 120,000, but no other major work
has been necessary. Some rust bubbles are showing up through the last paint job
done 12 years ago, but since I don't do my own autobody work, it's hard to raise
money for a full restoration when I'm still paying for the '95 300ZX convertible
I bought last year and I'd like to start saving up for the new Z than Nissan
talks about for 2002!! But I remember when I'd just put a lot of money into
bodywork on my 240 in '79, then announced to my dad that I was buying a 280ZX
2+2. He was concerned that I might "not get all my money out of the older Z to
trade on the new one." My reply was "If selling my 240 is the only way I'll ever
be able to buy a new car again, I'll never own a new car again!!!" He thought I
was nuts for getting another Z.... funny, he sure liked to drive it whenever I
let him!!
But since I had a second Z, the 240 was taken off the road, at least in the
winter time. My next door neighbor had a 2-car garage, but only 1 car, so she
offered space to store my 240Z. I gratefully accepted and put the Z in the back
of her end-to-end garage, covering the Z with its first "mitten." (In those
days, car covers were rare and a company called "MG Mitten" began offering
covers for MG's, then other brands.) My neighbor told me bashfully that she'd
mentioned to some of her visitors one day that she had a Z sitting in her
garage; she hoped I didn't mind that her friends insisted on going into her
garage and pulling up the cover to peak at my Z. I laughed and told her she
could sell tickets!!
By '86, my 280ZX was suffering from rust on the outside and deterioration of
the interior. I'd seen the 300ZX in '83 and was interested, but couldn't justify
buying one then. In late '86, I saw the re-styled version and placed my order
for a Turbo. It took 7 months and phone call to Tokyo (but that's a whole
'nother story!!), but I finally got it and found a good home for my 280ZX with a
young college kid, who planned to do the bodywork it needed himself.
The 240 comes out on nice days (weather extremes I leave to my Turbo, which
has AC and practically no rust) and takes me to the office once in a while and
Z-car events. I got NJ "vanity" (personalized) plates for it in 1977 that say
"JANS Z" and have since added "JANS ZX" (for the '79, then the '87) and "JANS
Z-2" (on the '95). [Note: I just received my set of NJ
"historic car" plates (designated by "QQ" but I they still say "JANS Z."
Whenever I take the 240 out, people go nuts over it; they want to know if
it's new ('cuz they've never seen one before so don't know what it is).
Everytime someone asks if I'm interested in selling it, I tell them "no, but if
it was for sale, you'd be at the bottom of a VERY long list of buyers." And
since I don't have any heirs that are real Z-car lovers (although all my
cousins' kids keep asking to drive the car), I put the car in my will to my
long-time mechanic. Now every time I take the car to his shop, he tells me that
"Jan, OUR car needs..." or "Please drive OUR car carefully!"
My company-sponsored web-site is called "JANSZ" the URL had to include my
UNIX login, which is my license plate, so I was able to legitimize having lots
of Z links and images on the site. When people stop by my office, they quickly
recognize the car from all the photos on the walls as being the Z infrequently
parked near the front door of the building. I found notes left on the car, like
"Please call me. I have a '73 Z being restored."
My neighbors in my condo community know me more by my Z's than my role as the
building rep. One neighbor actually moved her car when she came home at the same
time I was shuffling cars around (the current "car in use" gets the garage) and
pulled into the parking spot I normally use for one of my Z's.
After 27 years, my '72 is still my favorite and the one that started me on an
on-going and ever-growing passion for the Z. Will it ever end? Yes, someday....
after they pry my hands off the steering wheel to toss me into the "Old Ladies'
Home for Z-car Lovers"
Z'ya!!! Jan
To: "'Carl Beck'" beck@becksystems.com
Subject: Z Car Original Owners
Story
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 13:14:30 -0400