It is sad to see a 510 in such condition. I would have loved to have made it the centerpiece of my own hell garage and am saddened to see it meet it's demise in LeMons. That said, I will be cheering for it as the Datsun 510 is one of my all time dream cars, right up there with the original Mini, the Trabant and the Lamborghini Miura SV.
@Jim-Bob: Cars no longer "meet their demise" in LeMons, now that no more races take place at Altamont "Demolition Derby" Motor Speedway. These days there's very little metal-on-metal or metal-on-concrete contact at LeMons races.
Found a really badly hit 510 on eBay recently, would have been a perfect contender. I think the bidding was still less than 5 bills, too, and it had all manner of aftermarket performance equipment on it.
Here's my all original(other than paint and tires and fluids) 1974 Datsun PL620 with L18 motor. 374k miles on it right now, original engine, and it gets used(read: well beaten) as a truck, and keeps running like a solar timex watch.
I would love to do disc brake swap and sr20 swap, but that takes away from the original truck that runs forever, and stops in a different lane each time you hit the brakes :) You can ignore all my Hondas in the background if you are die-hard Datsun/Nissan junky. The accord, fit, and RR all rock!
Here's a 510 in San Francisco that looks pretty unmolested. It needs to be other-than-whatever-green-it-is.
If I wasn't in the process of changing out my 850 for an E39 M5 today (got tired of waiting for something weird to happen to that V12 and decided to do something a little different with my repair reserve) I might go take a look at it.
Always liked these cars...very nice example. It has been my thought that you can tell much about an owner and how he/she treats the overall car by looking at the interior. This one appears pretty clean from the one image...thus the owner takes care of the car in general and is appreciative of what he has.
@Chuckie_A: Then I must really, really care about my car right now. Over the next few months, as it did over the last few months, I will slowly accumulate bad feelings towards my car, only to one day suddenly feel good feelings toward it again. It is a cycle that repeats itself with no end in sight.
In reality, the only time I really feel good about my car is at the gas station. Well, that and the stereo's great. Other than that I'm beginning to get quite bored of it; I'm thinking it's time to add an engine or something.
@Maymar bans bare chassis hoonage: You would be surprised. There is luck involved (it took me over 3 years to find mine) but I got my 73 2 door for $1300 with SSS Sidedraft SU carbs, cam, header, exhaust, and solid floor and trunk pans. There is only a tiny hole of rot right in front of the passenger side rear tire, and I plan on cutting it out and welding a piece in. Other than that the car is totally solid.
@Code name: Lavinicus Stronghold: It's not quite that I think they're expensive - although an ungaraged early 70's Japanese car wouldn't make it through one Southern Ontario winter without needing plenty of body work. It's just that school and the economy (I'm in an automotive program, so few summer jobs) are conspiring to keep me broke
@A pistonforging player: See, I owned a 2002. Yeah, it broke often, overheated, and was expensive to keep in spares. But I loved it. The 510 is only slightly lower on my ladder of desire, but it is lower.
@BRAWNDO_POWERED: Because the BMWs were preserved, moreso than the Datsuns - about an equal proportion of each probably ended up as track cars, but more of the straight BMWs survived, while the Datsuns suffered greatly from that plague that haunts the Japanese to this day - rust.
When new, the 2002 cost somewhere between double and quadruple what the 510 did. 2002s were all about status and prestige, while the 510 was all about cheapness.
07/05/09
We can get you one of these if ya' want....
07/05/09
07/05/09
07/05/09
07/05/09
07/05/09
07/05/09
It's a Japanese juggernaut
You better get out the way
07/05/09
07/05/09
05/02/09
I never cared much for anything from Nissan, but the five-and-dime always turns my head. If anyone wanted to drop one in my yard, I'd take it.
05/02/09
Here's my all original(other than paint and tires and fluids) 1974 Datsun PL620 with L18 motor. 374k miles on it right now, original engine, and it gets used(read: well beaten) as a truck, and keeps running like a solar timex watch.
I would love to do disc brake swap and sr20 swap, but that takes away from the original truck that runs forever, and stops in a different lane each time you hit the brakes :) You can ignore all my Hondas in the background if you are die-hard Datsun/Nissan junky. The accord, fit, and RR all rock!
05/03/09
05/02/09
05/02/09
05/03/09
05/02/09
If I wasn't in the process of changing out my 850 for an E39 M5 today (got tired of waiting for something weird to happen to that V12 and decided to do something a little different with my repair reserve) I might go take a look at it.
05/02/09
[cgi.ebay.com]
05/02/09
05/02/09
In reality, the only time I really feel good about my car is at the gas station. Well, that and the stereo's great. Other than that I'm beginning to get quite bored of it; I'm thinking it's time to add an engine or something.
05/02/09
05/03/09
05/04/09
05/02/09
05/02/09
05/02/09
Not these days, the 2002's can be had all day for under $5k, but those 510s are so much more expensive.
05/02/09
05/02/09
05/02/09
When new, the 2002 cost somewhere between double and quadruple what the 510 did. 2002s were all about status and prestige, while the 510 was all about cheapness.
Oh how the tables have turned.