Oxymoron. Two things set side by side that clash with each other. Example: calculated risk. Further example: the 1979 Datsun 310 seen here on craigslist and given to us in a tip by Pat L. The car is two things, to some eyes. The first is a bit of a nerdy and awkward hatchback. The second is a car with an almost luxurious interior. If you’re willing to love it for one or the other of these things, maybe you should find your way Azusa, CA. which is on the eastern edge of the greater LA area. You’ll be in this one for just $6500. Or less, if you can convince the current owner to give you a discount.
Look at that body styling. From front to back, it’s like a nervous nerd going on his first date. The awkwardly huge front bumpers. The oddly placed rear view mirrors, a homage to Japanese-market cars likely done by the current owner. The steel wheels with not so much as dog dish hubcaps, just wheel centers. The odd rear quarter windows. The slant hatchback. But then there’s the interior. Luxurious velour in an elegant burgundy-red. Red dash. Red steering wheel, red, red, red everywhere you look. The exterior of this car in no way matches the interior. But that just means you’ll love one more than the other, your pick.
Should you drop five or six G’s on this car? On the one hand, why not? The old “you’ll be the only one at the cruise-in with one” line rings true. The hatchback has utility, too, for bringing home the Costco haul. The downsides? Not much power, and front-wheel drive. Plus you’ve gotta smog it if you are in Cali, though the seller says it just passed with no problem, giving you a two-year reprieve.
Then there’s the possible needs. No photos appear of the engine, so you don’t really know what you’re getting for motivational power, though apparently it’s the original 1.4-liter four-cylinder. That’s backed up with a four-speed, so you’ve got that going for you. The car has 110K on the odometer, not a low-mileage example. Further, it has a transmission hum, dismissed as “a normal occurrence,” only so long as you don’t have to get it rebuilt, as it’s getting harder and harder to find people who want to work on “old stuff” these days. Still, I wouldn’t discount this as a fun car on that basis. I would like to see the car start up from cold and run a while to see what color smoke it produces, if any. If it’t not blue or white, then what the heck. “Sports compact” might also be an oxymoron, but it’s a category of car that more than a few people have embraced of late.
A friend of mine had one back in the day. Since it’s lived in CA, the body hasn’t rotted like most Japanese cars of this era would have.
Nissan is known for relatively weak manual transmissions, but if it needed a rebuild eventually it wouldn’t be that big a deal. That’s the only major repair my 2000 Nissan truck has ever had.
It looks like a nice car for the money, and the new owner will have something unique.
“Work on old stuff.” These days a mechanic is a dying breed. Most shops just hook up the computer, read codes, replace parts and call it done. Rare is the guy who can diagnose with his knowledge and ears. If you find that guy, treat him well.
And a good body man is maybe even more rare Poppy.
Cool car, rwd and stik shift is ideal.
One Bigrig i drove had those cheater mirrors on the fender. Didn’t care for them at 1st, but they certainly didn’t hurt 👍
This car has FWD, not RWD.
“oddly placed rear view mirrors”. They are called Wing Mirrors, or in American, perhaps fender mirrors? Was very common up until the 1980s Im guessing. Miscreants loved knocking them off-view, necessitating a visit to the front; both sides.
I never liked those mirrors. You need binoculars to see whats in them when they are mounted so far forward.
I remember when a set of trim rings, chrome lugnuts, and a chrome wheel center cap was all it took to jazz up a set of plain steel wheels, LOL!! :-) This one makes me think of it as a truncated Datsun B210 hatchback. GLWTS!!
When I clicked on the interior photo and all that red velvet jumped out at me, I gasped. I love this thing! Looks like a great deal that will only appreciate.
Being from the Northeast and growing up with these cars (I just gave away my age), it just amazes me how a simple (valueless, in its day) car survives all these years. I know being in CA means everything. Driving these was different feeling than the the old American iron of the day. They were light and peppy (not fast and not designed that way). It just brings back memories of very simple vehicles that purchased new were in the $3000 range. Nice to see!!!
Peppy? What are you comparing them to? A Crosley?
If you weren’t there, you probably don’t get it. Not peppy like like a big block, maybe “zippy” is a better term. They were nimble in traffic and easy to park. Fun in their own way, like a go cart.
I was there. My Pinto ate these zippy things for a snack.
Also, the American attempt ( the Vega) to duplicate the Japanese product failed miserably…..Most of your Vegas were turned into tubbed race cars with big motors… The only Vega worth anything today is the Cosworth Vega and there weren’t very many of them built..
This must be “Chick Magnet Cars from Japan” week on Barn Finds.
I would have been all over this a few years ago when I was in my Datsun/Nissan collecting (hoarding) phase. Nice one, Brian and Pat!
Plush and 30 miles per gallon, suppose it will get picked up as a nitch collector car. Could be scary pulling out on the on ramp today.
Yeah, fit it with a periscope to see over all the tall SUVs. But hey, could be more fun than drafting semi’s to just hide underneath them.
Never met anyone who collected “nitches”!
What word would you use to collect things that most people have little to no use for?
This car apparently sold on Bring a Trailer one week ago …
Quick flip, or overlapping listings?
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-datsun-310/
The wheels are different but it has to be the same car. Could either be a non paying bidder and seller just doesn’t want the hassle again. Certainly not a flip as they are asking for what it “sold” for on BaT. We could ask the seller :)
Yep, non paying bidder, says right in the ad. Shaking engine and whirring transmission…I’d probably avoid also at that price.
I seen a bunch in the 70’s and 80’s and the mirrors were always on the doors…
Bought one of these new in 1979. The writeup indicates transmission “hum”….it wasn’t a hum, it was a loud, obnoxious gear whine, really loud accelerating. Otherwise a fun little car, but I wouldn’t call the interior luxurious. Sold it in ’81 and bought a new Honda Accord 4 door 5 speed manual. THAT was a fun car……