It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210 - Jalopnik Comments

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

00solstice — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:25:27 EDT

My dad had a '78 or '79 B210 when I was 6 years old. Dark metallic green. It had vinyl seats that would leave tiny basketweave imprints the back of my legs whenever I wore shorts. He pimped it out by stitching up the steering wheel with race-inspired leather wrapping, and ICE consisted of the AM/FM head unit, 8-track tape deck, and CB radio. Man, life seemed simple back then.

00solstice

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

CptSevere — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:29:46 EDT

My old roommates got one of these for free from a bodyshop that was tired of it sitting around. Full-on beater: primered, rust, dents, just plain fugly. They got it running and drove it for years. Called it "The Beercan." I swear, it was slower than the forklift at work, but guess who was grateful to borrow it to get parts for his Cadillac whenever it died?

CptSevere

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

wookie1901 — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:09:10 EDT

@graverobber: The versa also has about twice the horsepower 122 vs. 65, and weighs 700 pounds more.

wookie1901

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

Uncle Bo, averting foreclosure — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:53:01 EDT

Wow, that red 210 hatch with the racy stripes, trim rings and white lettered tires.... now that's straight sexy. DO WANT!!

Uncle Bo, averting foreclosure

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

outZider — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:38:42 EDT

graverobber: You aren't going to get it in a hybrid, either. Check out the Jetta TDI.

outZider

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

yellofury * * * * * — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:29:25 EDT

my dad had a JDM Nissan Sunny (B210) with the kammback hatch design ..yellow with the honeycomb wheels
[www.adclassix.com]

he apparently broke the speedo twice for going over the limit..the pointed snapped off on the highway where he set a cruising time of 40 minutes from Tokyo to Yokohoma
taking my mom back home. the distance between the two cities is roughly 17 miles hardly what you call a long trip but if you have ever traveled on Japan's highways out of Tokyo you then have a vague idea on how incredibly hellish a place it is to travel on....

yellofury * * * * *

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

Kelly — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:54:23 EDT

My folks bought a '77 blue, two door sedan B-210.

What a heap, though I remember thinking the tail lights were cool.

I still can't believe my mother, who got it in the divorce, traded it in on a '79 Regal. Turned out the '79 Regal was decent, unlike the '83 which replaced it.

I've since convinced her to just run her vehicles 'till they die. I'd like to surprise her with a one-year-old Accord, one of these days.... She'd never kill it.

Kelly

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

s0crates82 — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:05:57 EDT

@FLB: Ditto. Or maybe a 1982 VW Rabbit.

s0crates82

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

TheBlueBomber — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:58:12 EDT

i owned a 1979 B210.
that car was awesome!!!!!

TheBlueBomber

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

FLB — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:40:46 EDT

@graverobber: More and more, I realize I'd buy a new 1978 Honda Accord tomorrow if I could.

FLB

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

MILESPX — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:30:02 EDT

My first non-American car was a Datsun 210 like the one in the video (except lt. blue). I put 100K trouble-free miles on it. Sold it to my brother-in-law who drove it (more like crashed it) for another 50K before he sold it. The car never had a lick of mechanical problems. I replaced it with a 85 1/2 Escort Wagon that ended up being the worse car I've ever owned. My wife affectionately called the Escort the "Penalty Box" and "Road Apple."

MILESPX

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:27:29 EDT

In 1980 $3,749 would buy a Datsun. In 2008, it might cover one or two tanks of gasoline...

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

graverobber- My Yugo Nova! — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:26:11 EDT

A 1980 210 gets 31 city and 43 highway. A 2008 Versa gets 24 city and 32 highway. Now I know the Versa has 72 airbags and A/C and power-this and bluetooth that, but seriously, WTF?
Is decent mileage only available through the purchase of a $25K-plus hybrid? Even that little Korean Chevy- the Aveo gets rotten mileage, and that's a tiny little car.

graverobber- My Yugo Nova!

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

Mad_Science — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:25:21 EDT

My dad had one of these. Got 40 something mpg. At some point, the dog (or her puppies) ate the passenger seat foam.

Definitely an exercise in minimalism.

Mad_Science

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

Mike the Dog — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:22:09 EDT

I had 2 different 1980 210s that I drove about 80,000 miles each. GREAT pizza cars (until the tinworm gets to them).

Mike the Dog

It's a Long Way To Empty In a 1980 Datsun 210

CharlzR — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:20:34 EDT

Thanks, guys, but I'd rather keep it real with a B-210. The Honeybee, if possible.

CharlzR