We’ve all heard stories about the “Little old lady from Pasadena” who had a car and only drove it to church on Sundays, yadda-yadda. Most of them are probably made-up fables to sell vehicles, but this one is plausible, I think? This 1980 Datsun 510 four-door liftback is listed here on eBay in Simi Valley, California, and they’re asking $9,500 or best offer.
This car looks like it jumped right out of a 1980 Datsun 510 brochure. The Alpine White body appears in perfect condition, unlike my Alpine White body. The original owner was a 50-year-old middle-aged young lady, as the seller describes the former owner. She purchased this car new in Banning, California and parked it in her garage in Beaumont when she wasn’t driving it an average of 2,300 miles a year. The underside looks dry and clean for the most part, other than that one little “tear” at the bottom of the rocker joint.
The Nissan Violet was sold here and in Canada as the 510, and buyers had five choices for body styles. You already know the four-door hatchback, or liftback as they were called, but there was also one with two doors, along with a four-door station wagon and both a two-door and four-door sedan. I had a somewhat similar Toyota version a few years ago in the form of a 1984 Toyota Camry Liftback. Here’s what it looks like inside the Liftback area.
The interior looks nice, much nicer than a 45-year-old car with 190,000 miles on it should. You already noticed the Jatco L3N three-speed automatic transmission gear selector on the center console, a $240 option. A five-speed manual would have been nice to wring the available power from this four-popper, but sometimes it’s nice to drop it in D and get about your business. The back seat looks nice as well and should have enough room for most adults and more than enough for kids. At around $7,000 new with options, that’s the equivalent of $27,310 today. Just for anyone saying this car didn’t cost $9,500 new. It didn’t, but it was fairly close to that.
The engine is Nissan’s Z20, a 2.0-liter SOHC inline-four NAPS-Z engine with 92 horsepower and 112 lb-ft of torque when new. The seller says this one has factory air-conditioning, a $550 option ($2,146 in 2025 dollars), and it “runs out fantastic.” It sends power through that automatic to the rear wheels, and this has to be the nicest one left, or one of them. Have any of you owned a 510 from this era?
Always loved that front end.
I can’t get over how clean this Datsun is, especially with that mileage. I’ve said it before, usually on Barnfinds people doubt the LOW mile claim people make….. I’m doubting the HIGH mileage claim!!! Very nice find Scotty I enjoyed your write up and also the memories of yet another car we used to see every day, and sadly don’t anymore.
Ha, now there’s a switch you don’t hear every day! “No way does this car have 109,000 miles, it looks like 9,000!” I agree, what a gem, even with the automatic, and four doors, and…
Well, the author has his songs a bit mixed, the “Little old lady from Pasadena”, did NOT just go to church on Sundays, she was the terror of Colorado Blvd. at all hours ( in allegedly her sons new Super Stock Dodge), the old lady to church on Sunday is an urban legend used by everyone trying to sell a low mileage car. I don’t buy it, but, 45 times 2300 is about 103K, but I don’t buy it. I say, someone “found” this car 20 years ago with low miles, and drove it regularly in sunny California. Datsun didn’t their homework here and was everything the original 510 wasn’t. Not many missed the IRS anyway. Great cars.
Datsun DID their homework, still no edit on “EA”,,
The early 510s with irs made pretty good rally cars in the day.
Yes, sometimes they only drive them to church on Sunday. In ’97 one of my mother’s friends bought a new Plymouth Breeze from me. She lived in our small town and everything was literally blocks away. The following year I get a call. “Nelson, I just don’t understand your service department. They won’t change my oil.” Turns out her year old car had only 825 miles. I explained her situation and we set her mind at ease and preserved her warranty.
The price is agressive, it isn’t hard to see someone pay the asking price for a 2dr or wagon, especially with a 5spd manual, but a 4dr hatchback with an automatic is going to be a hard sell. It could see a buyer at the asking price, eventually, Japanese cars from this era do have a following but I think they lean more towards performance models, wagons and truck.
This seller has been featured on this site multiple times, usually selling muscle cars, though I haven’t seen him lately. The Los Angeles area is a great place for flipping cars, someone willing to put in the work can do well.
Steve R
Great condition! I always thought these were good looking little cars. And any car with a blue interior gets bonus points from me!
At least in the US at no point were all five body styles on offer, and the wagon was the only one that lasted the entire run. At launch the lineup was hatchback coupe, 4-door sedan or wagon; the 2-door sedan came in at some point, the 5-door hatch with the midcycle facelift at which point it replaced the 4-door sedan and somewhere in there the hatchback coupe was dropped.
Doesn’t look like a bad little car aside from the crazy asking price, but still not a “real” 510 to those of us who owned the original.
Thats my thought had a mid 70s 510 such a blast still keep an eye out for them.
Exactly my thought, too bad it’s not a PL510; otherwise, I would be all over this one like a cheap suit.
Had one. Stole it from the winter park Co fire department. Drove it accordingly for a couple of years. Was blue on blue with a 5 speed. Think I paid about the right amount. Never put a penny into it except for a couple sets of front brake pads. I still like it, but wouldn’t buy it. There is newer garbage to be found that is better in every way except crudity.
I have a 1980 four-door 510 wagon. It was in excellent condition until I lost a fight with a concrete mailbox post. I’m looking for a front windshield and possibly a couple of trim parts if anybody can help a poor East Coast Datsun lover out. I don’t post here often so if this is not allowed, please let me know.
I love these weird throw away cars, must watch, I think more interesting than same Mustang , Camaro , Chevelle, rusted Mopars. I love these write ups by Scotty and returns by Howard. Great combination.
When I was14/15 my neighbor up the street ran a business refurbishing washers and dryers and reselling them believe it or not you can put the back seat down in this thing slide a dryer in there and shut the hatch I delivered more than one to home’s around the county and the look on peoples faces when you rolled up in a little car like this with their new to them washer or dryer in the back, price of this one is a little steep But it will make someone a good little car
Nice looking car. Although I was too young at the time to drive a car, I remember these cars. I had a teacher in elementary school who had one.
Nice Datsun. :)
Always.
Pity it’s an automatic, but they tend to be the ones that survive.
I believe that the “tear” is a drip vent. I see no signs of impact damage.
I don’t mind the auto gearbox. I agree. I would’ve preferred one with a manual gearbox.
My parents had one (same year), and I learned how to drive on one just like it. It was quite peppy, and compared to my parent’s old Dodge Darts-it was very modern.
I would’ve gladly driven a 1970s Dodge Dart had my parents driven one. I would’ve also driven a Datto. 🙂