Datsun 240Z for Sale: 2026 Prices, Rust Checks and Specs

Datsun 240Z history: 1969 to 1973, and the S30 line after it

Nissan built the 240Z for four model years, 1969 to 1973, and the platform underneath it, the S30, carried on as the 260Z and 280Z until 1978. The engine is the L24 2.4 litre inline-six at 151 hp SAE gross, bolted to a 4-speed manual as standard, a 5-speed manual outside the US, and from September 1970 an optional 3-speed automatic. The reason the 240Z leads that family for collectors is that it is the original: the two-seat GT coupe as first launched, before the later cars' changes.

Datsun 240Z price in 2026

Good-to-excellent driver-condition cars trade for roughly $23,000 to $55,000, as of 2026 market range. Hagerty's condition #3 'good' figure is cited at roughly $19,300 to $36,000 depending on year, and recorded 2026 sales anchor the higher end of our range: a 1972 example sold for $55,650 in September 2026, and one exceptional, highly original 1971 car reached $82,500 in April 2026.

That top sale is the exception, not the rule: it reflects an unusually original car, not the going rate for an average 240Z. Judge any car against the $23,000 to $55,000 band first, and treat anything above it as a car that needs to justify the premium with documentation.

Ownership reality

This is one of the better-supported classics of its age anywhere on this list. A very large global enthusiast and parts base exists for a car now over fifty years old, and reproduction rust-repair panels and mechanical wear parts are widely available and relatively affordable, helped by parts commonality across the broader Datsun L-series engine family.

What is scarcer and pricier is genuine new-old-stock trim, badging and brightwork. If originality matters to you specifically, budget extra time to source those pieces rather than assuming they come with any project car you buy. Parts overlap with the later 260Z and 280Z, which share the same S30 platform, is part of why the 240Z stays easier to keep running than its age suggests.

What to check before you buy

Rust is the entire conversation on an unrestored 240Z. Factory rust protection was minimal, and corrosion very often starts on the inside of a panel and works outward, so it can be structurally significant before it is visible from outside. Work through:

• Floor pans rusting through to the underside, especially on coastal or salt-belt cars: check with the carpet pulled back.
• Front frame rails under the footwells and the battery-tray area, where factory rust protection was minimal at best.
• Frame-rail corrosion that starts on the inside and works outward: by the time it is visible externally it may already be structurally significant.
• Chassis rails and tension or compression-rod mounting points, since structural suspension-mount corrosion affects safety and alignment.
• Sills, rockers and lower A and B-pillars, a common rust-progression zone.
• Strut tower rust, which affects front suspension geometry and safety.
• Worn bushings, ball joints and dampers, common on unrestored high-mile examples.

Buying a 240Z abroad: countries, import and what to send

A car this collectible and this rust-prone lives or dies on paperwork: which panels have been replaced, when, and by whom. We treat that documentation as seriously as the car itself when we source or place a 240Z.

A 240Z bought in another country has to clear the destination's import rules before it is yours to drive. The routes we handle are import to the UAE, to Saudi Arabia, to Qatar and to South Africa, each with its own age rule and duty line set out on that page. For the market where the car already has a following, see classic cars in South Africa; for Gulf demand, classic cars in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Photos, rust-repair history and inspection reports for specific cars are available on request via WhatsApp. Before we look at a car for you, send:

• Chassis number and model year, plus the gearbox fitted
• Photos of the floor pans with the carpets lifted, the front frame rails and the battery tray
• Photos of the sills, lower pillars and both strut towers
• Rust-repair invoices and a list of the panels replaced, with dates
• The asking price and the city where the car sits now

Compared with its neighbours

If you are weighing it against a later, faster relative from the same maker, look at the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), or against the British contemporary it is often compared to on styling, the Jaguar E-Type. The wider field sits on classic cars for sale, and the South African listings on classic cars for sale in South Africa.