Datsun must have enlisted Ford’s Color and Materials design team to help with the incredibly creative name for the paint on this car: Medium Gray! It’s hard to see, but there’s a tiny DIESEL badge on each front fender telling you this car is a bit unusual. This 1982 Datsun Maxima Diesel Wagon is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Hollywood, Maryland, and they’re asking $6,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Chuck F. for the tip!
Wearing a Datsun roof rack and factory wire wheel covers, the only wheels available for the diesel wagon, this Maxima wagon appears to be in top-notch condition. The seller says it’s “fully original,” and it sure looks great to me. I know this sort of car doesn’t appeal to everyone, but, truthfully, neither does a Hemi Cuda or a ’60s Corvette. Some of us like our vehicles on the unusual side, and you would fit right in with that group if you used this 15.5-foot-long diesel Maxima wagon as your daily driver. The seller’s asking price is about half of what this car cost new.
The evolution of Datsun to Nissan happens right around this era. In 1983, most cars sold in the U.S. would be badged Datsun by Nissan, and after that, the Datsun name went away. I had a jewel box of a 1983 Datsun-Nissan Sentra 2-door sedan with a 5-speed a few years ago, and sold it, like the idiot I am. That was one of the many cars I should have kept. We saw a similar 1981 Datsun 810 Maxima diesel wagon here on Barn Finds way back in early 2017. Here’s an old brochure showing this model.
The Datsun Maxima was made from 1981 through 1983, after the Datsun 810 and before the Nissan Maxima. A 5-speed manual transmission was standard (so to speak), but this one has the optional Jatco L3N three-speed automatic. A 5-speed manual would have been a lot better, in my opinion, but it usually is. We don’t really get to see the seats, either front or back, unfortunately, so I’m guessing they aren’t in the best condition. I could be wrong. Here is the only photo showing part of the back seat. It looks like it also has a cover on it. Maryland isn’t exactly in the desert southwest, so I’m not sure why the factory seats aren’t shown.
This is Nissan’s LD28, a 2.8-liter OHC inline-six diesel with 80 horsepower and 120 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by that three-speed automatic sending power to the rear wheels, the seller says this one has new tires, new oil, and 290,000 miles, but they don’t say how it runs. I have to assume it runs as great as this car looks overall. Would any of you daily drive this 44-year-old diesel wagon?
Good Grief Scotty!!! You did it again!! Totally forgot about the the Maxima Diesel. A kid I was friends with, his Dad bought a brand new silver Maxima Diesel sedan. It was a nice car from what I remember of it. I don’t think he ever had a lick of trouble with it either. There can’t be too many of these left. Thanks for blowing some cobwebs off my memories yet again Scotty, I really enjoyed your write up.
I’ve always wondered what a two-door convertible diesel wagon would look like… (just kidding!)
This engine makes a great Jeep swap,I know a guy who has one in a YJ…
This one’s popular with these sites! It was on Autopian’s S**tbox Showdown a few days ago (“lost” to an Iron Duke Chevy Celebrity wagon in much nicer condition).
Diesel or not, the only wheel choice for wagons was steel wheels with wire wheel covers. Seems like a blatant effort to offer a downsized Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, but not even a Custom Cruiser had standard wire wheel covers.
Will it beat a Mercedes diesel of the same vintage
in a drag race?
Personally. I’ve driven a non Turbo Mercedes from the 70’s, I seem to remember my friends Dads Maxima having a little more snot to it than a Mercedes. We’ll have to do some road test research.
The miles are the slush box transmission are two reasons I’m not interested, nice find.
That engine will go past 450,000 miles, so the miles isn’t a problem.
We owned one for several years. It was not fast, but was a very nice wagon. The only problem I had was the fuel pump timing belt broke. Which was no problem bought a new belt retimed the pump to the engine and off we went. Only got rid of it because it got hit and wiped out left rear quarter . Sold it to a home body repair guy who fixed it and drove it for years and then sold it on. If it were closer I might be interested . I wish you luck with your sail.
I have several of these and do daily drive them, mostly a sedan at the moment. The automatic transmission was standard on the wagons, not the “option” . The 5 speed is preferable to me, but any wagon would have to be converted to a manual. The 1983 Automatic has an overdrive gear which makes for a nicer drivetrain, than this 1982 version.
Scotty – The factory seats probably aren’t shown because there are 290,000 miles of butt infused wear. If that 290k were spent solely at 50mph, they would have 5800(!) hours on them. Considering that most family vehicles travel at city and suburban speeds of Hollywood, MD (outside of the occasional and or short highway trips) which would clock an average 37mph (my average is lower and I spend about 25% of drive time on freeways), that would put butt time at over 7800 hours. None of this takes into account the in and out activity, plopping down, sliding across, twisting for better position, or parked in the sun and extreme cold overnight, etc.
You are probably asking, why am I even bothering to submit my personal opinion on this matter. I turns out I am sitting here with my 11yo grandson (apprentice, tho I am not certified mechanic). For the past 1.5 years we have sat down on Sunday and gone through the week of cars and discussed those that interested him (or me). He liked the look of the Datsun Maxima which reminded him of his other grandma’s Olds ciera wagon (which had a little over 45k on it when she passed). The seats were in pretty darn good shape, she was a tiny lady and it was garage kept in her home in Fredericksburg, VA.
When he got to the part where you implied (or not) that the seats might not be in good shape, he wondered why, which sparked our conversation. Just a moment between a grampa and granson. Thank you!
It could be the opposite too, the seats might be really nice under the covers that protected them. Those Maxima seats are made of a real durable material, and really hold up well.
I guess I should have thought of that.
We have the 1951 Buick bought new by my parents, it went in for seat covers in the first few days. I’ve never seen the original upholstery! I assume it’s new under there. This Maxima though looks like the cheapo all purpose covers that slide on in one minute. I think I know who owned this car for decades, and you’re probably right, the seats are somewhat worn.
Mick, that’s so great that you and your grandson are Barn Finds regulars, thanks for the super fun and informative (you must be a professor?) figuring out all of that butt-time info in the first paragraph, that’s excellent!
I usually go with the dash/seat/steering wheel cover is either hiding a problem or protecting a perfect dash/seat/steering wheel, as Duaney and Mickey said, but I neglected to do that this time. That was an error on my part, assuming the worst. You know what they say about people who assume.
Thanks to everyone for the excellent comments, I wasn’t sure how this one would go over. I do wonder if it would be sold already if it had a 5-speed manual.
I believe the 5 speed would improve the possible sale, but these cars tend to sell for much less money, even though I like them, they’re oddballs in the market with a small group of potential buyers. The hey day of these is 45 years ago, and today there’s few people that even know what they are. There is a Maxima diesel web site, but it’s not too active as it once was.
Concerning the seats Iwill say when we got our diesel wagon the previous owner had put the clear plastic seat cover on the rear seat. Our kids never liked that, cold in the winter and hot and sticky in the summer. The fronts did not have and were very comfortable and I never noticed all that much deterioration in the time we owned it. Seeing how it was kind of a flag ship model for Nissan I’m pretty shur they used high quality materials in the car. Just two more cents from a former owner.