some good points here..

i admire a well put together and engineered a-series 1200 as much as a 500hp ca powered one, they all have there place and its up to the owner on what they wanna do..

For me personally i like the ones fitted with modern engines, doesnt mean i dont like mint stock 1200's.. far from it!

Ive been through countless cars over the years, many 1200's and 1600's and a few imports and aussie v8's. and i can tell you out of the thousands of hours and $20k+ ive spent on my current sedan.. this one isnt leaving my side!

i have spent bulk on my sr20det power'd 1200 ute and if i did it again i would think about a 4age 1200 ute has there such a small nice reving motor . a series motor's are great stock but dont see why one would work it when there are much better motors that will make power and last

if u wanna drive a stocker find a nice granny spec and keep it that way
if you wanna race build one to race
if you want a streeter with power build one to suit

there not xy gt ho's but i love them

i would buy i stocker in mint condish and store it if i could find one

definately modified. i have the 1200 coz i like it. but then you have the cown side of it being slow and not turning or stopping all that well in stock form, compared to say a new economy hatch

so thats when the modifying starts, make it fast enough to be fun, then stop and turn well enough to keep up. then make it a bit faster coz you can, and so on

i well built injected turbo A series would be good fun in a 1200. but its cheaper to put a CA in that will be stronger and more reliable at that kinda power

Both!

I like making something better (well at least what I think is better, some may not agree). More power, better handling etc., and if it's old school cool like a 1200 then even better. Probably the best way to describe it is retromod, give a cool old car a new age rebirth!

However, I also make sure that whatever I do, I can always return it back to stock in the future.

A great topic likely to create a difference of opinion!

From my perspective I just love the look of the 1200 ute. To be honest I'm not a big fan of any other body shapes in the range. I must admit the more time I spend here seeing some of the awesome restos/buildups done on coupes/sedans and wagons the more I'm growing to like them too.
I'm all for modding them. I'm afraid I just don't have the respect for originality to do a granny spec. I love modern engines and technology, hence why I'm doing an SR20 conversion. If there was something later and better I'd use it but Nissan has obviously turfed the turbo 4 for the V6's now.
Each to their own and as long as you love your car then who cares what anyone else thinks??

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This comes down to what the individual sees in the vehicle.

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With me it was never about trying to find the 'best' car to start a project with. For me I like 1200s due to their small size and uniqueness and the fact that you can fit later model Nissan engines in them.

I like both original and modified and own both. They each have their own appeal. I got into 1200s and Datsuns in general due to the modified examples getting around, but as they become rarer and harder to find in good condition, I appreciate the stockers much more.

I went with a CA18 because of the turbo ones I admired growing up and because I couldn't put a SR in where I live anymore.

This is a very good topic, as its all about the sort of person you are and what interests you...

I would have to say i like the standard original look as this is what i grew up with as my dad used to rebuild old cars like buicks, chevs when holden used to make the bodies for them.. plus the old willys knights cars with the big wooden wheels... although my build has a lot of mods but only to the body, i'm trying to keep mine as a replica GX sunny truck it will be having a GX engine and all the other goodies when i can find most of the parts, as Endo from Bprojects has been an awesome help with finding and sending parts from japan for me. i to am a big fan of power as my Mazda R100 has a 13b pp with 48mm ida webbers bored out to 51mm but the power to weight ratio is crazy as it likes to float around corners and all over the road at high speeds....
But i guess its all about what you are in to and what you like the look of...

modded for sure

for the money ive spent on ,my 2 rigs i could of bought a silvia or something that has all the fruit in them from factory ,but everyone has one ,same as commodores ,there probably a good car ,but not realy for me

so ive got dattos ,cos for one they look good and there is a never ending list of stuff you can do to them ,personaly i dont think i could have a ca in my ute ,cos the temptation would always be there to belt the crap out of it and ide end up around a tree ........dead

so thats why im sticking with an A series ,there a good motor ,they sounds freaking sweet and with some work they go pretty good too !

carps that r100 sounds sweet ,wanna rent it out to me :D

I once read somewhere that people modify cars to create what they think the car should have been like in factory trim.

Ive thought about it more than enough, and I think I agree.

For me, the hooligan factor plays a big part, i wont deny that. (Id be a fool to do otherwise, and bescides there are plenty of people here who know me better than that!!)

The biggest factor is garnering credibality. My project is a granny spec looking car with a warm a15. I even have rear venitans for it!
I reckon that there is nothing worse than a car that looks like it goes fast, but is nothing but an old heepa with a milo tin exhaust and mags for Billy Bobs budgo tyre shop.

A car that looks fast and shiney but is rubbish/std gets nothing but poser/try-hard labels. (we can blame movies like Fast and Furious for that!)

This is different of course from a well looked after/restored car that doesent try to be anything else.
And Different again from a granny spec/sleeper look, which Is where i think the real cred lies.

But then again, this thread is nothing more than a "My Two Cents" opinion session, so
Thats MY Two Cents!

Well said Reuben, I also fully agree with ssskiwi.