The seller of today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Bluebird says he's testing the waters with his price, and is in no hurry to sell. We will of course let him know if he's a fair price, or if he's all wet.
Der Kommissar's in town, oh, oh, ohh. Whether you want to play German diplomat or Russian Mafioso, 76% of you felt that yesterday's 1993 Mercedes 600SEL was the right-priced prop in which to get your fat cat on. Of course, everyone expected that entry price to be just the beginning, and that ongoing expenses would likely add up to far more than your usual two-drink minimum.
Representing the polar opposite of that big Benz, both in its nation of origin, and its intent and purpose, comes today's 1971 Nissan Bluebird 1800 SSS Coupe. It's a sporty Japanese two-door that once aimed at the youth market in the Land of the Rising Sun, and now represents - here in the States - as rare and interesting a car you might imagine a major Japanese manufacturer could offer, one that seems at once both familiar and uniquely exotic. It's sort of like the girl next door, after she's read up on the kama sutra.
Now, at first glance, you might just mistake this as your run of the mill Datsun 510, which we did get here in two-door, four-door and wagon forms. You might have not at first noticed the shorter roofline and faster backlight, or the full-width tail lights. All of the original 510s were the work of in-house designer Teruo Uchino, and his edict was to make a Japanese car that Americans would notice. Too bad we didn't get to notice this model when it was new.
Much like how we did receive VW's Fastback and Squareback Type 3s, but never officially their oddly pleasing Notch sister, this sportiest of Uchino's 510s was also denied official U.S. passage. A few have made their way Stateside, but you still don't see many of them for sale here and when you do, it's worthwhile to give the offering a peek.
This one, in metallic orange and a glare-reducing matte black bonnet, is quite the handsome car. Perhaps that has something to do with what appears to be professional photography - credited to one Connor Harrison - that is used in its ad. Note to all other Craigslisters, this is how to your present your car.
The body is straight and clean, and rides on a set of grey-centered Pannies. All the righteous badging seems present, as are a pair of proper fender mirrors, a nod to the car's JDM origins. One of those badges is the 1800SSS that sits on the grille. That grille and the headlights are the 510 style with which you are probably familiar.
The RHD interior is in great but not perfect shape. One big win is that it does all look complete, with the exception of the factory tiller. The vinyl inside is buckling in places, but the dash is notably starlight and free of cracks. I wish my '71 240Z were so lucky.
Mechanically, this SSS rocks an L18 with a pair of Hitachi sidedrafts. That's backed up by a 4-speed manual and the ad notes that the exhaust, brakes and suspension have all received some sort of attention. The car also comes with a clean title and WI inspection papers, and it sports a modest 68,000 kilometers on the clock.
The asking price for this rare bird is $28,000, and the seller notes in his ad that he has set the price to gauge interest and to fend off annoying time-wasters. HE NEEDS OUR HELP! What we need to do is help him with his pricing by offering up in the voting below whether or not that at this Bluebird's market value was a bullseye.
What do you think, did he hit the mark at $28,000? Or, is this one Bluebird that's grounded by its too-high price?
You decide!
Madison WI Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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