§ V.01What a 1974–1978 Datsun 260Z and 280Z is worth
A 1974–1978 Datsun 260Z and 280Z sold for a median of $25,500 across 184 completed auctions from January 2016 to November 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 184 sales fell between $15,438 and $34,063 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $1,500 to $140,000.
Data as of 3 November 2026 · 184 sales · January 2016 to 1 November 2026 · auction results only
§ V.02What moves a car within the band
Within that band, coupe cars are the most frequently traded body style in this set (171 of 184 sales), and manual cars account for 115 of them. Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of the range is wide.
The spread by variant, printed in full above, is usually wider than the spread by year, and a single median that mixes body styles describes none of them well.
§ V.03Recent sales
| Car | Sold for | Date | Mileage | Sold by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 Datsun 280Z 5-Speed | $23,500 | 1 November 2026 | 88,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1978 Datsun 280Z 5-Speed Project | $10,800 | 4 October 2026 | 81,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1977 Datsun 280Z | $23,500 | 24 September 2026 | 57,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1977 Datsun 280Z | $9,000 | 24 September 2026 | — | Cars & Bids |
| 1976 Datsun 280Z 5-Speed | $24,000 | 18 September 2026 | 97,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| Ex–One Lap of America 1978 Datsun 280Z 5-Speed | $28,500 | 15 September 2026 | 43,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1977 Datsun 280Z | $10,550 | 11 September 2026 | — | Cars & Bids |
| 1976 Datsun 280Z 4-Speed | $16,000 | 10 September 2026 | 60,000 mi | Hagerty |
| 1976 Datsun 280Z 4-Speed | $25,500 | 19 August 2026 | 97,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| Single-Family-Owned 1978 Datsun 280Z 5-Speed | $23,250 | 15 August 2026 | 53,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1977 Datsun 280Z 5-Speed Project | $1,500 | 14 August 2026 | 69,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1974 Datsun 260Z 4-Speed | $24,000 | 11 August 2026 | 39,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1977 Datsun 280Z 5-Speed | $30,000 | 2 August 2026 | 93,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1978 Datsun 280Z 2+2 5-Speed | $25,500 | 31 July 2026 | 28,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1976 Datsun 280Z 4-Speed | $8,000 | 29 July 2026 | 52,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
§ V.04Price by model year
| Model year | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | $25,900 | 40 |
| 1975 | $26,750 | 19 |
| 1976 | $25,000 | 35 |
| 1977 | $27,675 | 44 |
| 1978 | $22,625 | 46 |
§ V.05Price by body style and transmission
| Variant | Type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe | Body style | $25,500 | 171 |
| Manual | Transmission | $27,250 | 115 |
§ V.06Questions
What is a 1974–1978 Datsun 260Z and 280Z worth?
A 1974–1978 Datsun 260Z and 280Z sold for a median of $25,500 across 184 completed auctions from January 2016 to November 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 184 sales fell between $15,438 and $34,063 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $1,500 to $140,000.
What affects the price of a 1974–1978 Datsun 260Z and 280Z?
Model year: by year, medians run from $22,625 for 1978 (46 sales) to $27,675 for 1977 (44 sales).
Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of sales spans $15,438 to $34,063.
Is the Datsun 260Z and 280Z 1974-1978 going up or down in value?
Up. The 44 sales in the 12 months to 3 November 2026 had a median of $20,625, against $19,700 on 35 sales in the 12 months before, a rise of 4.7%. That compares whichever cars came to auction in each year, not the same cars sold twice, so read it as the direction of the market rather than a rate of appreciation.
How many Datsun 260Z and 280Z sales is that based on?
184 completed auction sales, from January 2016 to 1 November 2026. The table above lists the 15 most recent, each linked to its auction record. The figures were last rebuilt on 3 November 2026.
What is the difference between the typical range and the full range?
The typical range is $15,438 to $34,063: half of all 184 sales fell inside it. The full range is $1,500 to $140,000, the cheapest and dearest sale that survived cleaning. The full range is set by outliers, so it is a boundary rather than a guide to what most cars bring.
Which body style holds its value best?
On this set, coupe is the most frequently sold at 171 sales with a median of $25,500. Each variant's median and count are in the table above.
Do manual or automatic cars sell for more?
In this set, manual cars account for 115 of 184 sales. Too few cars of the other transmission type sold to publish a comparison, so this page does not make one.
Does mileage change the value?
Mileage is recorded for part of this set, not all of it, so it is not used to adjust the median. It is shown in the sales table wherever the auction record carries it, and you can see the effect directly by comparing rows.
How current is this figure?
Data as of . The figures are rebuilt from completed sales on a schedule, and the date above is the date of the last rebuild, not the date this page was loaded.
§ V.07Method and sources
What these figures are. Every number on this page is computed from completed auction sales of Datsun 260Z and 280Z cars built between 1974 and 1978. The median is the 50th percentile of the sale prices; the typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile; the full range is the lowest and highest sale that survived cleaning. Percentiles are linearly interpolated on the sorted prices.
What is excluded. Asking prices, reserve-not-met results, withdrawn lots and unsold cars are not prices and are not counted. Parts, memorabilia, literature, scale models and other non-vehicle lots are excluded. Sales not made in US dollars are excluded, so these figures describe the dollar market. Duplicate records are removed. Sales below a plausibility floor (5% of the median) and above a ceiling (10× the median) are set aside, because a $22 "911" is a data error rather than a cheap car.
What it is not. This is not an appraisal or an inspection, and it does not predict what any particular car will bring. Two cars built the same year can differ by more than the whole typical range on condition, originality, documentation and provenance.
The set. 184 sales from January 2016 to 1 November 2026, drawn from 8 auction sources, principally Bring a Trailer (156), Barrett-Jackson (11), Bonhams (4), Cars & Bids (4), Hagerty (4), Hemmings (2), Mecum (2), PCARMARKET (1). Data as of .
See the disclaimer for the limits of a valuation of this kind.
§ V.08Compare with
- Datsun 280ZX 1979-1983 — $15,500 median · 125 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Datsun 510 1968-1973 — $32,375 median · 68 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Datsun 240Z 1970-1973 — $34,000 median · 392 sales · as of 3 November 2026
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