#1,000,001 in Scotty G’s truck series, this 1981 Datsun 720 DX King Cab 4×4 is located in Greenboro, North Carolina. The seller is listing it on eBay with an ambitious $5,900 buy it now price and there is no make-offer button. On paper it hits almost every sweet spot for me, let’s check it out.
Speaking of paper, or paper-thin, we’d better get the biggest thing out of the way: the rust. There’s a fair amount of it and the seller says that it “is actually a Southern vehicle that’s been here in NC since it was new. A vehicle is only original once, so we chose to service and detail this truck rather than paint it.” That’s the only flaw about this 4×4 that I can see or even think of, but it’s a considerable one for me. I have dealt with rusty vehicles before and unless it’s a Bugatti Royale or a Toyota 2000GT I want no part of dealing with rust again. With only 71,653 miles this is a very low-mile truck given its age, that’s only 1,936 miles a year.
It’s true what most people say, these vintage Japanese vehicles really do seem to rust quicker than American vehicles do. I still like them, rust or not, but at this price, $2,300 above NADA’s high-retail value, I’d have to think long and hard about buying a truck that’ll need a lot of rust repair. It’s a shame because this truck has a lot of great features. The King Cab portion is sought after as is, of course, the 4×4 option.
The interior looks great overall. I really like the seat pattern but it isn’t original, they have been redone. Everything looks as tidy as can be and super clean. This is a 5-speed truck, another nice feature. In looking at the photos, I ran across what appears to be some significant rust in the floors to the left of the mat in this photo. The next owner will have some work to do in patching this baby up. The King Cab area behind the seats looks great, that would be a big selling point for me.
The engine is Nissan’s Z22S 2.2L inline-four with 86 hp. The seller says that just “before we got it, the the carburetor, tires and ignition switch were replaced.” They go on to list a lot of work that has been done, including: “Engine: oil change; new spark plugs, wires & rotor, valve cover gasket, water pump & coolant. Electrical: new battery; brake light switch; new t/s bulbs. Brakes: new LF caliper, hoses, rear wheel cylinders, drum hardware and fluid. Body/exterior: new wiper blades, RF turn signal, tailgate handle.” Trucks like this have been selling for above NADA’s value so maybe $5,900 isn’t such a high number, despite the rust issues. What do you think?
Too much money, but it’s interesting that the worst of the rust seems to be in the doors rather than the rockers. Find a couple of replacements and bolt ’em on, patch up the floorboards and drive. At least it’s the right color when you have rust- BROWN.
good price for what it is and condition its in though
These are fantastic vehicles, I’ve had several and I find them to be better, more durable, and better designed than comparable Toyotas – not just by a little but by a wide margin. Undervalued trucks, this one is worth the money, rust or not.
I agree. These were great trucks, and just as durable as the toyotas but offered a better interior design as well as a king cab several years before toyota did. Even when they did the toyota x-cab was only good for putting a subwoofer box back there. I don’t understand why the toyotas are commanding double the price? They both had the same fatal flaw. 300k mile drivetrain in a body/frame that would only last 5 years.
Maybe the Datsun to Nissan name change causes lineage confusion for some? I felt they were a better truck than the toyotas in the early 80’s at least. Certainly better than the mazda or mitsubishi as well. If only the body and frames lasted as long as the S10 and ranger. I don’t think the asking price is too out of line on this. If it were a similarly optioned toyota in the same condition what would you think of the price then? I think it would be gone in minutes because of the yota’s rep.
Had the exact truck, one of the best 4X4’s I’ve owned…too bad it just rusted away on me..
Although I was too young to drive at this time, I remember when Datsun was sold in the USA. Why they changed its name to Nissan is still a mystery to me. I remember when they produced quality compact trucks. For the most part, they were quite comfortable.
I worked at (Dave Miller) Datsun dealership back in the day. I was told that the Datsun name was initially used as the Nissan company was not sure if their products would be successful in USA. They did not want their Nissan name associated with failure so used the Datsun name until they were well established in this country at which time they renamed their USA cars as Nissans. I can’t swear by this, just what I always heard.
Given its condition and its originality, I’d be willing to pay around $5900 for it. The *only* condition I’d have for the purchase would be that everything on the truck works like it should work, that it’s safe to drive, and that all parts are still available in case of an accident, or if I want to add something different to the truck, as long as it’s Datsun parts.
Great find. I really miss the era of mini-trucks… today’s trucks are 4 times bigger, with the same size bed.
My great uncle Fred had this same truck but light blue metallic. I drove it a couple times when visiting my grandparents in New Brunswick back in the 1980’s. Drove great but SLOW, especially because I learned to drive on my mother’s 1978 Chev Caprice wagon with cop motor, suspension and rear axle, special order buy a guy who worked for GM Canada.
My Father had an ’82 Datsun 2wd truck and by 1986 the entire bed, rockers and front fenders and the front edge of the hood were rusted through. The engine outlived the body. It just fell apart. He had it completely redone once and within 2yrs, same thing started again. the panels were so thin it just didn’t hold up. He just drove it until it died in 1993 with 168k miles and huge holes in the floorboards.