What happens when a forgettable, disposable car like a Datsun 210 isn’t forgotten or disposed of? It ends up here on craigslist, residing in Thornton, Colorado and in magnificent condition for $5,900. Thanks to Steve L for the tip!
Datsun, the U.S. nomenclature for Nissan before it reverted to its Japanese corporate namesake, was one of the big three of Nippon production among itself, Toyota and Honda in the ’70s and ’80s. It was considered the price leader compared to Toyota but more car-centric than Honda and occupied an important niche in the Japanese automotive onslaught that was omnipresent in the U.S. back in those years. And the 210 was everywhere because it was the everyman’s car; affordable, reliable and parsimonious with fuel, which in 1980, was a very significant selling feature.
The Datsun 210 was mostly lost to my memory until I encountered this example. As I mentioned, a car that was considered to be disposable is here before us, 46,000 miles young and looking like it just reached U.S. shores with nary a mile on its odometer. The seller tells us little to nothing about this Datsun but we know it has a 1.4 liter, in-line, four-cylinder engine good for 65 net HP. While not much in the Vroom department, this diminutive powerplant could eke out an EPA rated 34 MPG which in the days of odd and even fuel rationing, was appreciated. Rowing a five-speed manual transmission got the go to the rear-wheel-drive differential. The veritable pantomime description does manage to state, “runs and drives excellent.”
The images of the interior are mostly useless as they are out of the context of their entirety (hint, hint, when you are photographing a car for sale, consider how it’s going to show in a publication) but what can be viewed appears to be sound other than one boo-boo in the lower seat back of the driver’s seat.
The body of this 210 is fantastic! Straight, aligned and covered in a period-correct, orange enamel, this Datsun presents itself really well. As mentioned earlier, with only 46K original miles, maybe the finish is from back in the day. It honestly looks too good which makes me think it’s a repaint. If so, all the better, this 210 is really sharp looking. Suddenly it’s 1980 all over again!
It’s unfortunate that the owner of this Datsun hasn’t been more forthcoming in his description of this, what I would consider, a rarity these days. I call it a rarity because cars of this class generally aren’t preserved to this level, low mileage or not. The issue is that the upside value, which isn’t going to grow; this is a commodity, economy car after all. Nevertheless, is it worth spending this kind of money on a nice, but forgettable car, knowing that you can drive it, park it anywhere, and just enjoy it without concern?
This car appears to be in amazing condition and a great value at less than 6K! I remember seeing this identical car in the same color at the 1980 Harrisburg Auto Show. That show is great because you are allowed to sit in the cars, fiddle with all the knobs and switches, and open the hoods and trunks, which is what I did at 15 years old. I am by no means a die hard Datsun fan, but I would definitely own this for it’s time warp original condition.
Red say’s to Hyde : Toyota !
I take issue with the title saying it is as original as it gets.
The rims were not painted that color originally.
I was wondering about that (wheels painted) It looks kinda neat but also looks odd
i sold them brand new,and all the Datsuns had silver painted wheels..never did i see one with color matched wheels..
Had one of these back in the early 90s. Same year. Mine was silver with a black and white houndstooth interior. Mine was kissed on the front end a little bit.
I believe the wheels would have originally been silver. Don’t have many memories about it though. It was boring and slow as I recall.
Right….I think they came from the factory in a silver/gray color. Does look nice with matching color too!
To me these were the Toyota Corolla doppelganger. Of course, the Corolla was a lot quicker.
I had the same year and color as this one in early 90’s. Bought it from an elderly man named David for $60 bucks after it had sat for 2 years in front of his townhouse in a racquet club. Some kids had broken the drivers window out and the battery was dead. He had gotten used to riding the city bus and that had become his social network so was appreciative that someone could get the car going and using it again. I’ve read some of the posters complaining about big bumpers on cars after 1974 or so but I have to tell you on this car they absolutely work and saved my bacon when I got rear ended by a new Isuzu. Nothing to mine and theirs was towed away. Great little rear wheel drive beater and it got me around.
Great reliable car. Far superior to today’s Nissan junk. I work on these modern POS cars. Poorly built. Over priced. Terrible computer problems. Junk.
The Datsun A14 engine was a very close derivative of the BMC A-Series. Close enough, in fact, that more than a couple of running but rusty 210s gave up their engines to make Midgets and Sprites a little tiny bit faster. The extra displacement offered a few extra foot-pounds of precious torque, and with minimal effort the Spridget twin-SU intake setup could be transplanted onto the A14 to help it breathe. The five speed also fits.
care to show how a 8 dedicated port engine can use a Siamese port intake with so little intervention…?
Yeah, someone spiffed up a really clean car, those wheels were silver, and they painted the spare rim too. That seems a bit much, and the engine is just too clean. Even Asian cars at 46K would have some residue. And I don’t want to hear these “Colorado rust free” stories, that’s baloney, they do indeed use salt here. This car was clearly never driven in any moisture and garage kept. With our low humidity ( we have single digit dew points) cars don’t seem to rust as fast. These were adequate cars, they had doors 1/2 thick, terrible seats, crummiest heaters of all time, but they did one thing great, get fantastic gas mileage, and just shows what people will drive when gas takes too much out of their budget. Great find.
I’d put a set of chrome trim rings on the wheels and drive this little beauty!! :-)
My girlfriend at the time ordered one of these back then. She ordered metallic brown. When the car arrived the dealer said without any irony “the car is here but it’s a slightly different color”. “Yuk” we thought but we took it anyway. Same car same colors inside and out. Exception in the case of the car pictured here is the incorrect wheel color. Correct would be silver. Bare bones card radio and manual transmission. Not a fun car to drive by any stretch. She traded two years later for a Honda Civic 5 speed. Now that was a fantastic car.
These ws the cars my buddies bought in high school for $500. Tosses a ghetto blaster in the back. I the not one saying this is a simple cheap Datsun that might be worth paying $1800-2200 for? If everything is pretty too too. I see painted wheels. It looks like the car received a respray. It’s a decent crude unsafe car for light use. It’s still going to need all kinds of seals and gaskets eycto be reliable. Often the tank needs flushing. Carb rebuilt. Etc etc. if you are dumping $ into a aging car, is this a Bright choice?
$6000? Srsly? This is where someone wouod invest that kind of $ on an older car?
Despite the hideous color combination, I’d buy this. I had a 1979 210, in Grasshopper green with tan vinyl interior. I think my moped had more power but I loved the car. And the 34MPG rating is ridiculous. Mine was 4 speed sadly but I got 52 MPG without even trying.
My wife and I each had ’78 B-210 fastbacks, cars that were 16th birthday presents for her sister and her. I inherited one when it was totaled in 1980, beat it kinda straight and drove it till 1994, putting 173,000 miles on while she racked up 145,000. In all that time I only had to rebuild each car’s carbs once and do normal maintenance. Top speed 85 mph downhill with a tailwind, (automatics) but dead reliable and fun to drive. We gave both of them away and I know they were driven for years afterwards.
I have one of these. Mine is a 79 4 door with 72000 original miles. Got it outta California so it’s pretty much rust free. Came with all its original paperwork n stuff. I swapped out the automatic trans for a 4 speed which is way more fun and added a Weber carb. I also got JDM bumpers, grille etc so now it looks like the JDM Nissan B310 Sunny…looks way better than those awful park bench bumpers. I love these cars…my dad had 2 of em growing back in Trinidad and Tobago. I’m on my 3rd one now. To most people these are nothing special but to me it’s a fun little car. Not fast but still fun. I’m keeping mine forever.
Kris. you just summed up what this hobby is all about. I doesn’t matter what brand of car, how many horsepower, what options it has, all that matters is that you like it! Keep on keeping on….
Oh yeah. This thing’s actually a ‘79 not an ‘80. I bet the wheels were all rusty and faded. Seemed these did that really quickly and they all did it. Clean though.
I had the twin to this car too, and yup, m uh ne was a 1979. 1980 had square headlights & different taillights.
Mine was awesome on gas, like someone else pointed out. Mine too was a 4 speed. I had a friend that had a 1980 wagon with a 5 speed, and his wasn’t nearly as efficient as mine.
Both his and mine had carburator issues, and even back then when carburetors were much more prevalent (late 1980’s), neither he nor I could find anyone to make them run right.
Before the carb went, mine was a lot of fun. Not quick but it handled well.
I strongly doubt the miles on this one are original. Obviously a repaint (these had no clear coat) and the rims were painted at the same time. I can’t help but to think that this would still have original paint if the miles were accurate.
Something just doesn’t seem right with the passenger door alignment.
Talk about appreciation! Now listed pn Ebay for $10,900.00
LOL! I just Can’t. Maybe $1900.00?