§ V.01What a 1979–1983 Datsun 280ZX is worth
A 1979–1983 Datsun 280ZX sold for a median of $15,500 across 125 completed auctions from January 2018 to October 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 125 sales fell between $8,500 and $27,500 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $1,250 to $70,000.
Data as of 3 November 2026 · 125 sales · January 2018 to 29 October 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 (109 of 125 sales), and manual cars account for 81 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 Datsun 280ZX 2+2 5-Speed | $15,500 | 29 October 2026 | 62,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1982 Datsun 280ZX Turbo 5-Speed | $12,500 | 11 September 2026 | 152,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1983 DATSUN 280ZX TURBO | $15,400 | 11 September 2026 | — | Barrett-Jackson |
| 1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo 5-Speed Project | $1,700 | 4 September 2026 | 59,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1983 Datsun 280ZX GL | $12,200 | 4 September 2026 | 165,000 mi | Cars & Bids |
| 1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo 5-Speed | $27,000 | 28 August 2026 | 88,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1983 Datsun 280ZX | $38,500 | 25 July 2026 | — | Mecum |
| 1981 Datsun 280ZX | $8,250 | 23 July 2026 | — | Mecum |
| 1980 Datsun 280ZX 10th Anniversary Edition 5-Speed | $24,000 | 14 July 2026 | 67,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| Single-Family-Owned, 10k-Mile 1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo 5-Speed | $53,999 | 12 June 2026 | 10,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1983 Datsun 280ZX 5-Speed | $12,005 | 11 June 2026 | 111,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1980 Datsun 280ZX | $7,600 | 10 June 2026 | 118,700 mi | Cars & Bids |
| 1983 Datsun 280ZX | $19,800 | 5 June 2026 | — | Mecum |
| 1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo 5-Speed | $28,280 | 3 June 2026 | 60,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 41k-Mile 1982 Datsun 280ZX GL 5-Speed | $19,250 | 19 May 2026 | 41,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
§ V.04Price by model year
| Model year | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | $8,950 | 10 |
| 1980 | $19,500 | 23 |
| 1981 | $17,050 | 26 |
| 1982 | $10,750 | 31 |
| 1983 | $25,000 | 35 |
§ V.05Price by body style and transmission
| Variant | Type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe | Body style | $14,000 | 109 |
| Manual | Transmission | $21,250 | 81 |
| Automatic | Transmission | $9,150 | 30 |
§ V.06Questions
What is a 1979–1983 Datsun 280ZX worth?
A 1979–1983 Datsun 280ZX sold for a median of $15,500 across 125 completed auctions from January 2018 to October 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 125 sales fell between $8,500 and $27,500 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $1,250 to $70,000.
What affects the price of a 1979–1983 Datsun 280ZX?
Model year: by year, medians run from $8,950 for 1979 (10 sales) to $25,000 for 1983 (35 sales).
Transmission: Manuals hold a median of $21,250 on 81 sales, against $9,150 on 30 for automatics.
Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of sales spans $8,500 to $27,500.
Is the Datsun 280ZX 1979-1983 going up or down in value?
Down. The 34 sales in the 12 months to 3 November 2026 had a median of $15,450, against $19,500 on 24 sales in the 12 months before, a fall of 20.8%. 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 280ZX sales is that based on?
125 completed auction sales, from January 2018 to 29 October 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 $8,500 to $27,500: half of all 125 sales fell inside it. The full range is $1,250 to $70,000, 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 109 sales with a median of $14,000. 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 81 of 125 sales. Manuals hold a median of $21,250 on 81 sales, against $9,150 on 30 for automatics.
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 280ZX cars built between 1979 and 1983. 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. 125 sales from January 2018 to 29 October 2026, drawn from 6 auction sources, principally Bring a Trailer (112), Mecum (6), Cars & Bids (3), RM Sotheby's (2), Barrett-Jackson (1), Hagerty (1). Data as of .
See the disclaimer for the limits of a valuation of this kind.
§ V.08Compare with
- Datsun 510 1968-1973 — $32,375 median · 68 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Datsun 260Z and 280Z 1974-1978 — $25,500 median · 184 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Datsun 240Z 1970-1973 — $34,000 median · 392 sales · as of 3 November 2026
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