These days, the names of new car models are usually a disappointing array of letters and numbers that encourage anonymity. It’s almost as if manufacturers want us to more easily forget models that suffer from numerous recalls or poor resale value. That’s not a problem with this super low mileage Datsun 620 pickup here on eBay, which was affectionately known as “The Little Hustler” in the U.S. market. This 13,040 mile example is located in Kansas, where there’s one bid at $6K and the reserve remains unmet.
The 620 broke some new ground, starting with launching the first long-bed pickup in the U.S. Of course, being attached to such a small displacement pickup likely prevented it from hauling anything weighing more than a few bags of mulch, but these small pickups were designed to be more of an in-town conveyance than something parked at the boat ramp. In fact, at the time, almost half of all owners claimed they never actually used the truck for work purposes!
Perhaps that explains why this Little Hustler remains in such good condition. It has been parked in storage for 40 years, according to the seller, who freed it from a storage unit after an estate settlement. All I can figure is the intended driver fell sick or passed away shortly after purchasing the truck, and the family left it in storage. That’s just one guess; how do you think it got there? As you can see from this photo, the interior remains in top condition, right down to the OEM rubber floormats. The truck has remained in the Midwest all its life, after originally being sold in Indianapolis.
We have featured a number of these Datsun pickups over the years (and even fairly recently), as Scotty wrote up this similar survivor-grade example wearing only 44,145 miles. Hard to believe another low-mileage example of a truck wearing sensitive Japanese tin was hiding out there, but perhaps this seller sensed growing interest in the vintage Hustler market. With only 13,040 miles, perhaps this example should be an installment in a Nissan / Datsun museum? How would you use it?
When I was 18, my summer job was hauling hay. One of the guys I sometimes worked with had one of these, and we’d put 30 to 35 bales on it at a time. It didn’t necessarily like it, but would handle it. Solid little workhorse.
wow – they keep comin’
It needs to be used…memories need to be made!
I borrowed an little Datsun truck like this one to move all my household belongings, admittedly not much, back in the early 1970s. I was surprised how much cargo I could fit in the bed and the little truck carried it all.
Bought a new ’73 Datsun pickup, sticker price was $2800, got $1500 trade in on a ’69 Datsun 2000 roadster (sob!), I was 20 at the time and then spent seemingly every weekend helping friends move as Jimbo alludes to above. The little trucks were cheap, plastic-intensive, underpowered, and I loved it!
It’s also a longbed.And disc brakes didn’t come out until ’78.
I almost bought a ’77 King Cab,but after driving one,ended up with
a Toyota – better built truck.
Is it just me, or does that steering wheel photo seem strategically cropped to prevent one from seeing any potential wear on the rubber floor mats – could be the difference between 13,000 and 113,000 or so it would seem to me.
I had one of these, short box one. It was a slow lane truck, it was a 4 speed but sure needed that 5th gear. Great truck, drove it for years on SoCal freeways.
Laboratory that I worked for in 1978 1979 had one of the short bed versions with the automatic that thing would go anywhere we processed coal samples for mining companies and had to go into some of the worst places you could imagine and get them. One place I remember very well was so muddy that the bottom of the truck was dragging you could feel the floorboards moving darn thing never got stuck was going up on a stripmining job to pick up samples that day never seen a truck pull like that and it was a 2 wheel drive. I’ve been a Datsun/Nissan fan ever since own 1 truck and a new car now and would love to have the red one to go with them.
Have a 79. 400k +. No problems except 3 water pumps. Put the spare on the front bumper, 20 gal gas tank under the long bed, 1500 lbs over load springs, heavy duty tires capped it off with a Lance camper. We took off with 80k on the speedo and went for 6 mos Canada, up and down the east coast twice back through Smokies as and Blue Ridge. Sierras, Rockies, Adarondikes ever major Mt range in US. Blew a tire in Charlotte 10,000 miles exactly even if I drove around the hood for 1.5 miles to the it over.
Several years later similar 6k trip thru south west. Later on 2k trip north west. Sold the camper and just haul fire wood now. He gives me almond 40$ all I can fit on. :)
I purchased this truck in August on its second round on eBay. It’s appearance is as good as the photos, but it suffers from the characteristically bad Datsun paint jobs of the period. I’ve adjusted brakes, put on a new muffler, and tuned it up. Starts on first crank and runs like a dream. Proud to own it and will fix everything I can find OEM parts for.
Dad bought a 76, 78, 79 extended cab I believe in its first year. Not work trucks? I disagree. Dad did delivery work in Southern California with them they performed flawlessly.