The Datsun automobile brand has been around for nearly a hundred years, with its inception dating back to 1931.  Three years later, in 1934, Datsun began producing trucks, although the Datsun name was dropped for the U.S. market in 1985 and instead the trucks became known domestically simply by the name Nissan.  But in the Japanese home market, the name Nissan Datsun continued to be used.  The truck being offered for sale here would fall into the latter category, as it is a Japanese Domestic Market model that was brought over to the United States from Japan.  If you live in the U.S. and have been in the market for a JDM vehicle, this 1989 Hardbody Nissan Datsun 4×4 truck would definitely be worth taking a look at.  It is located in Nottingham, Maryland, and can be found here on eBay with a current bid of $10,400.  At the time of this writing, there is just under a day and a half left on the auction.

As I haven’t seen them all, I typically hesitate to imply that any particular vehicle may be the nicest one left of its year, model, and country of origin.  But it does seem like a safe bet to say that this 1989 Nissan Datsun truck is among the nicer surviving examples of its kind, as it looks really good from just about every angle we can see.  One thing I did notice from the photos is that the larger chrome bar over the front bumper may be at a bit of an odd angle, or maybe that’s just its natural trajectory.  But the smaller chrome bar underneath looks slightly lower on the left side than on the right.  What do you think, readers?

Of course one of the most obvious differences between the domestic and JDM models is the placement of the driver’s side, which would make a great conversation starter everywhere you go.  The interior looks about as good as the exterior, and with a total of fewer than 21,000 miles driven thus far, this Nissan Datsun looks like it’s got a lot of good miles left for the next owner.  And being the crew-cab model, you’ll have room for a couple of more friends to enjoy the rides as well.  The odometer has an actual reading of 33,732, but these are kilometers.  In miles, this number converts to 20,961.

This Nissan Datsun is equipped with a 4 cylinder diesel engine, and while it may not have quite as much power as some of its counterparts it is connected to a 5-speed manual transmission, which I’m sure helps things out in the performance department.  The seller says that the engine runs very well, and also that the clutch grabs all of the gears very well.  The suspension is said to be quiet, and the brakes appear to be in good working order.

Judging from the photos underneath, this 4×4 may not have seen an extensive amount of abusive off-road use, as the chassis seems straight and solid with some minimal peeling and flaking in a few areas.  What are your thoughts on this JDM 1989 Hardbody Nissan Datsun truck?