Lately I’ve been feeling a wee bit anxious that the CC era in Eugene is coming to a close. I see fewer and fewer genuine CCs in traffic, which is increasingly dominated by newish cars and trucks, due to our booming economy, among other things. Plus, the old classics are just getting…older. So yes, there really are fewer of them out there.
But the other day, running back and forth on an errand a few blocks away, I realized that there were still quite a few genuine CCs and decided to start shooting all the ones in my neighborhood that I saw. By neighborhood, I mean within a 5-6 block radius of my house. And it’s not going to be a complete survey, just shooting the ones I see as I happen to drive or walk around the ‘hood.
First up is one of my favorites.
I’ve probbaly shared it before, but this veteran 210 showed up a couple of years ago, and is a daily driver. It did pick up this nasty dent about nine months ago, but that hasn’t stopped it yet. Undoubtedly, a few of you are going to get in a big huff about the damaged tail light. I don’t judge these things; I just appreciate old veterans still at it, no matter what shape they’re in.
Just to clarify, this is a Datsun 210 by Nissan. And the Carfax on the license says it’s a “Datsun 210 MPG”, so it may well be, although I don’t see any badging to that effect.
Not surprisingly, there’s not much left of the front seat upholstery.
And the rear seatback is in an active state of auto-deconstruction. It’s an interesting look at the construction methods used at the time.
I can’t explain the skis on the roof in June; maybe someone has no place else to keep them, or it’s just part of the look. But I can explain the Mercedes W213 off in the distance: there’s still a few of them in the ‘hood, although nothing like during the Great Bio-Diesel Boom in about 2008 or so. The neighborhood was clattering with them; now it’s so calm and quiet, as Prii roll by soundlessly.
I’m amazed at the ingenuity of tail lamp and head lamp bezel repairs with duct tape and baling wire. Essential items for inexpensive body repair =:-)
Get some in a tan color and fix the upholstery.
Datsun nice car there. Seriously, if the tin worm didn’t find out where they were hiding these cars were really good vehicles. Of course, if some of the salt from your soft pretzel landed on it somewhere, they lasted about 20 minutes.
I don’t personally believe the day of the curbside classic is over just yet. I saw an early 80’s Mercury Grand Marquis wallowing along in traffic yesterday; here in salt-free Dallas the body was immaculate. Better yet, the driver was clearly no Hipster kid. The thing that struck me most was that I used to think of these cars as huuuuge. However, while it was long, it was low and not really very big compared to the higher, fatter, and generally bigger Honda and Toyota crossovers surrounding it in traffic.
Love it! It has been many moons since I have seen one of these.
You will get no pushback from me on that crunched quarter panel. That is usually a fatal injury to a car like this. 99% of the population does not have the skill to fix this kind of damage and to have it done professionally would cost several times the value of the car. But so long as it runs and drives it will live.
And wow, what a thin layer of foam in those seats. You almost wonder why they bothered. Upholstery in this era of Japanese car did not seem to be any better than what we were getting in the US.
JP: look at some of the old junkyard stuff on TTAC. Those old GM cars from the 80s held up far better than this, even the old Xs.
Say what one will about GM of that period, but that velour upholstery was durable.
The 86 Calais my brother owns has seats that still look new. Not even close to the disintegration of this Datsun.
Unfortunately, it’s opposite for the headliners that gradually developed the fatal attraction to our heads. Argh!
We propped up the headliner in Mom’s 87 Deville with flexible yet strong bamboo slats every foot or so, cut to fit. It actually looked pretty good compared to other attempts I’ve seen to keep the headliner up there. Most folks just poke holes in it and spray 3m glue inside.
My oldest brother taught me how easy it is to restore GM headliners. Start with buying OEM style headliner material from a fabric store. Then pull out the headliner shell. The hardest (messy) part is peeling off the old cloth and scraping off the deteriorated old foam. Cut your new material to size and adhere it with genuine 3M automotive upholstery spray adhesive. Re-install the shell, sun visors, dome light & other trim and voila! Just like new in an afternoon!
I did my Beretta and my wife’s Celebrity station wagon. He did his Grand Am and one or two other cars. We tend to keep cars for a long time and never needed to re-do any of them.
As a bonus, until the adhesive completely cures, you get to enjoy some “new car smell!”
The seats in my ’82 Malibu were positively immaculate when I bought the car in 2002. And though it was relatively low mileage, it was no garage queen–the sun fading and liberal surface rust on all the top paint surfaces told a different story. That upholstery, not quite velour but some kind of soft-touch cloth, seemed impervious to damage.
Be still my beating heart! Between the aerodynamic lines, the designer co-ordinated colour scheme and it’s presence, I am beside myself and am taking out my checkbook as I write this. However the skis have to be part of the deal so I can schuss my way down the street if it breaks down.
That’s quite a punch to the back of this one, and completely missed that huge bumper too.
Must be a very motivated owner to be able to sit in an interior like that. The skis make up for quite a bit though.
There’s a mid-60’s Ford pickup in neighborhood that I see parked in enough different spots that I assume it’s driven regularly. It has no, as in ZERO, seat upholstery or padding …. just the metal springs. I assume the driver is either well-padded, or brings a cushion each time he/she drives it.
I had a hatchback version of one of these I drove for 3 years in the 90’s. Engine ran like a watch, but eventually the rust took it’s toll and it had to be put down.
I had forgotten there even was a hatchback version. But what *wasn’t* there a hatchback version of in the first half of the 80’s? I don’t think the Maxima ever got one, but I could be wrong.
I wonder how the humble Datsun acquired that dent? A real survivor, to be sure. 36 years of hard living and it’s still going!
Datsun 210s of this generation were our drivers ed stickshift cars in 1992ish. I suppose the fact that they had survived that long was a testament to their durability and ability to absorb abuse at the hands of kids who had never driven a stickshift car before.
I never successfully learnt to drive them or any other stickshift car. I thought they were hateful little cars, tinny, boxy, cheap, and ugly inside and out. Cheap tinny vinyl covered door panels, cheap ugly plastic interior, nothing comfortable or luxurious about them. Hair shirt specials. By contrast, another car of the same vintage in the Driver’s Ed fleet was a downsized ’78/79 ish Malibu, which was rich, creamy, luxurious, and plush. It was a fleet special Malibu but leagues ahead of the 210s.
I have no love for the Japanese econoboxes of the ’70s and ’80s.
I spent half a day in Ashland and 4 days in Portland last week, and though Ashland was pretty dull automotively, Portland is still a CC delight even compared to Santa Cruz/Berkeley/Marin. So Paul, though it may be different in Eugene, I think maybe you’re just getting jaded. I’d say Oregon is still a great place to catch CC’s, especially of the low-budget variety.
Off the beaten path you will find a larger variety of classic cars from the early/mid-1990s and older.
I can’t say that I have any love for these either, but it’s nice to see one still buzzing along. That is certainly a stripper special ‘MPG’ version as evidenced by the interior door cards and pull handle, the very basic (what’s left of it) “upholstery”, and dearth of pretty much any trim whatsoever.
I may be mistaken, but I doubt the ‘MPG’ came with wheel covers of any kind. More likely it was delivered with painted steelies, with maybe a black plastic center cap, but no other adornment. I’f I’m remembering correctly, I think the wheel covers it’s sporting now are from an early 510. If so there’s likely a market for those, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re the most valuable asset that this little survivor has left.
(A bit of Googling indicates I may be wrong on this one)
Man, that’s a real beaten-down beater! I don’t think I ever rode in one of these, but did ride in a Bluebird on Okinawa back in the day. Good basic transportation. Shame that the early Japanese imports had such lousy interiors.
Of course, all so-called eras come to an end, it’s just a matter of when, for everything just plain wears out.
As I am retired and fortunately don’t drive too much anymore, at least right now, I toy with the idea of keeping my 2012 Impala long enough to be a CC in its own right.
Time will tell.
I actually find some real charm to this car, which must have been the cheapest four-wheel conveyance on the market in 1981. After Nissan’s weird, sci-fi inspired styling seen in its B-210 and F10 predecessors, the simple boxy lines of this generation 210 were refreshing and timeless. And, here it is, 36 years later, giving its owner good service.
What’s more, there appears to be a growing appreciation for the virtues of these early 80s Nissans, as Hemmings reports that an immaculately well-preserved 1981 210 MPG hatchback recently sold for $11,770, or more than twice its original MSRP!
We used to get these as 140 Y downhere.that A14 motor will literally go forever.even after the body gets destroyed the motor lives on on forklifts.sounds like a swing machine but does not stop running.great to see one that is still on the road there.
Nice catch Paul and I wonder if the owner drives it because they have no other car or they want to drive this? I do wonder if the police have ticketed them for that body damage? There are several 1990s cars that are rare around here.
Like the B210 before it, these were good transportation cars, but nowhere near as fun to drive as a Rabbit or Honda cars.
I had a friend whose mother had one of these just like the featured car. She had finally let go of a troublesome ’75 Rabbit, and wanted something new and reliable. About 2 years after purchasing the car, I saw her leaving my friends house just as I was arriving. Two blocks later she was rear-ended; thankfully she was OK, but the very low mileage, like new Datsun was crushed on both ends. She replaced it with a new, bare-bones Sentra. This she drove for another 2 years, then she needed a car with an automatic, so it was replaced with a second hand Cimarron. What a contrast.
You bring up an interesting point: is the timeline for genuine CC status a static point in time or does it roll forward with each year? I say the latter because it will be very interesting to see how newer generations of vehicles fare as time takes it’s toll. CC can go on forever!
Cars in their 20th model year are eligible for historical vehicle plates in several states so I say the cut off keeps moving forward though I can not think of many highly coveted 1997 cars.
CC status with this site is somewhat flexible. More important than age seem to be those vehicles which were “everywhere” in their day, but rarely seen today.
Regarding the crunched corner and shattered taillight. looks like the rear side marker light and panel on which it is located have been turned nearly 90 degrees, so the side marker is now effectively a taillight. Still see one of these every now and then here in rust free Az. At least the body is all there, The interior? Well, 36 years of desert sun…Not likely to be in tip top shape inside.
Maybe I’m a bit obsessive, but I feel that an OLD car needs extra care, washing , etc. I feel that to drive one in this condition indicates that you don’t really care about it, and so why should anyone else? If this were mine, a set of seat covers, and wash and (maybe) wax would be my first priority. Again, maybe it’s just me, but I do have my standards! LOL!! 🙂
My ex Wife and I visited Hawaii in 1981 and rented this exact car (same odd pink color & stickshift) for $10/ day ~ it was indeed very cheap but it ran fine and as long as you kept the engine “On The Boil” and shifted rapidly, it has no problems with any hills (! The Pali !) , bad roads or whatever .
Great gas economy too .
-Nate
Had a crush on one of these as a teenager. It was a white 2 door with a dog-leg 5 speed probably a ’79 . Hard to explain as my first car was 1970 ‘Cuda 340.
This brought a smile to my face as another car I remember fondly from childhood. I rode in many of these as taxis in Liberia’s capitol city of Monrovia when I was a kid living there for a year in the mid-80’s.
I’m glad this one’s rear damage didn’t put it out of commission. I can’t remember the last time I saw one of these in present day.
Whoops – “capital” city.
If the CC cutoff is 20 years then I have 3 of them in my driveway. I always thought it to be 25. If that I only have 1.
IL has Antique Vehicle plates for 25 years and older, so a ’92 Civic counts as such.
Virginia is also 25 years for historic plates, though I take a more liberal view of what is and isn’t a CC, depending on rarity and interest. A 1992 Silverado or Camry barely registers a passing glance, as there are still plenty of both on the road. A 1992 Hyundai Sonata? Hardly a “classic” in the traditional sense and not a great car, but if one of the few survivors was spotted curbside, it would be well worth mention here.
I’ve noticed less of the older metal on the roads as of late, too, but I suppose that’s how it always is. Some vehicles do seem immune to attrition–older Cutlass Cieras and 70’s Ford Trucks are both oddly abundant around here.
Had a silver 1980 210 coupe with black interior that I bought in ’89 from the original owner, it had 60k miles on it and was the first nice car I owned after a slew of teenage junkers. A week before my high school graduation I let my girlfriend at the time use it, she got distracted looking for a cassette tape and went into the ditch and hit a culvert. The police figured she went airborne and flipped end over end then rolled about 4-5 times. She wasn’t wearing her seat belt and somewhere around roll number 2 she got thrown out. She was in pretty bad shape for a few days but managed to make a full recovery (minus her spleen) after several weeks in the hospital. I was really surprised how well that little car held up for all that it had been through. The right front corner was pushed down almost flat and the front off the roof was caved in at the A pillars but the rear half of the roof and the rest of the body was still fairly intact.
The feature car reminds me of my butterscotch yellow ’74 B210 hatchback. $400 beater purchased in the early ’80s. 1300 cc A13 motor, 4-speed and power nothing. Zero mosquitos in my neighborhood until I had the head rebuilt and installed new rings & bearings. Put a set of generic 70 series all-season radials on it and it tackled a couple of snowy central Ohio winters with aplomb.
The tin worm eventually had its way with the left-front inner fender / shock tower, so I had to put her down. The junk man scowled at it, seeing merely another rusted out hulk. A faint smile of approval appeared on his lips, however, after hearing the little A13 purr to life effortlessly before he drove it to its resting place on the scrap pile.
I see a green Datsun 210 2 door sedan of this vintage roaming around Kennewick WA and I’ve looked at the interior from a distance and to my surprise the car was an automatic, I would’ve thought the car would’ve been either a 4 or 5 speed (the latter would be my preference).
My grandfather had one. As a kid I sat on the hood which didn’t hurt normal cars back then and it made a but shipped dent in it that was there all the years he had it. It was slow and cheap and reliable but a total penalty box. He traded it 3 or 4 years later for a 300zx.
My friend John had one so rusty and holy it was amazing it still went. And Clyde had one same way. Looked like hell and you would think it wouldn’t make it to the store, but went on for years.
Maybe he’s going to ski at Timberline Lodge up at Mt. hood, where they have year round skiing. Those 210s were a nice change from the earlier B210s, which were kind of ugly.
Early versions of this car were called Datsun 120y here
carrying on the name of the previous model, then they became the Nissan Sunny, not many left now though theres a regularly driven wagon a few streets away.
Also were the rounded headlights still available on the 1980 210’s? I know they were available on the 1979’s but was never sure if they were still available on the 1980’s or not.
Those old Nissan’s are incredibly cool, awesome looking, great old cars. They were built like tanks, drove awesome and ran forever. Even the 210 pictured, as worse for wear it is, still you can see how good the panel fit is in the undamaged areas. You won’t see good panel fit on any American made car from that era. I’m sure a super clean, low mileage 210 would get big $$$ nowadays. Those old Japanese cars are what the new generation of car collectors are paying big bucks for mow.