Ok been thinking about this one for a while. Whay one quality keeps you a loyal Datsun owner.

. "Oh look there is a crest on this nice gravel road....sure is quiet while the car is in the air. "hey you realize the motor has been turining 6000 RPM's for the last 2 hours" "Ka-bang.....those FIA kerbs are higher than I remember in turn 3" "that motor , it's only been in the car for 10 seasons"

All of the above are things we/I did to the poor little Datto. I love driving it , the handling and the rev happy motor but for me I can't help but adore the abuse loving nature of the car. Nothing short of total neglect seems to kill a 1200.

Tom

the fact that after nearly 30 years and almost 300,000 miles the car is still solid.

maybe because it seems like you can swap parts in these datsuns like legos.

I have a couple of the worst cars ever books and the 1200 is in one and the 120Y /B210 is in the other but as much as the books blast the Datsuns for rusting both list the cars as indestructable strong runners. The one with the 1200 slams it for being top heavy ,errr I have put mine on 2 wheels twice at autocrosses but I was letting it all hang out with an ignore common sense inspired drive. Read "hey so what if there is an abrupt pavement seem that causes the car to violently snap back the other direction just keep it floored" The course workers were less than impressed as they ran for the hills. We used to run inside of a 1/3 mile oval and without fail the course would involve going down the banking slaming on the flat then back up the banking resulting in a 10 degree of camber chicane................such fun!!!

Tom

top heavy? Maybe has a less than ideal center of gravity height with the tall tires and high oem ride height. Not top heavy by today's standards.

you were right that suspension does help with those 90 mph turns, crazy freeway drivers around here got me up to 94.4 mph and it gets more solid feeling as it goes. Someone else decided to try to pass me on the outside of a 2-1 lane merge in a 90 degree right turn where i was next to the kerb ( in the actual lane perhaps, since it's 1 lane there.) i just held 30 and waited for him to wake up and stomp his brakes and get back behind me where he belonged.

do they rust more than other cars? in what conditions?

Quote:

Iv met from some one that use to work on Datsuns back in the day for Datsun. He said something about the Mixture they used for the metal to make datsuns bodies contained too much carbon and Datsuns were very prone to rust. He said when the start rusting, its not little rust spots, rather big chunks at a time.

I don't doubt that some of the steel may have not been as good in the older datsuns, I think by the 80's the steel was as good as anybodies.

that was a complaint of all asian cars till they took over in the 80's people said they were made of old beercans, maybe so, but they tended to overengineer, so it lasted.

What keeps me driving Datsuns? Thats a hard one because there are so many reasons.

Economy of purchase.
Lets face it, they are cheap to buy, even if some classic models are becoming dearer.

Economy of operation.
Cheap to drive, cheap to service & maintain as well as to repair.

Economy of effort.
No need to wrestle a steering wheel in a Datsun. By way of comparison, Drive a stock 910 Bluebird, then go straight to a same year Sigma. It drives like a truck.

Interchangeability.
Look at the tech section & various posts. There is very little in there about aftermarket stuff. Want a stronger diff? Use another model Datsun one. Upgrade suspension & brakes, same again. More power? A later Datsun swap will fix that problem. It just goes on & on.

Excellence of Design.
Just think about it. That little 1000 engine, designed on the cheap back in about '64/'65 was developed into the larger models that are legendary for power output & reliability. They are such a good design, that they are still in production forty years after the first of them went on sale in 1966. Not many engines can claim that.
These engine will take boost in stock trim without too much fuss & those who race, as well as those who drive a lot will know from experience that as long as there is oil in the sump, you CANNOT kill the bottom end.
There are many owners of newer fancy-dan exotica who came to realise that DATSUN spells eat-my-dirt, yet this economy engine shares much more technological commonality with a mid '20's Chevrolet than anything that you will find in a recent model car.

Variety of hardware.
Want an A series engine? They came in six basic sizes [A10, 1200/A12, A12A, A13[two versions] A14 & A15.] There are about five or six cylinder heads, including GX & factory race types. If you want power, or economy, or somethin in between, then there is a combination of A series engine parts that should fit the bill, & all at a very modest cost when compared to Datsuns contemporaries.
There are three basic manual transmissions [light, stronger & bulletproof] & the light one was made in three speed, four speed, & five speed with three ratio options in the four speed, & two in the five speed. The mid size one had direct drive or overdrive five speeds.
If you have a 1200 or 120Y there are up to three rear axle choices,[H145/150, H165 & Warner] with three [Jap] diff sizes,[H145, H150 & H165] a wide range of diff ratios from somewhere near 4.8 up to 3.54 to 1 & LDS's were made for all of these.[aftermarket only for H150]
Even the engines came with single carbs, twin carbs, & EFI. Name your poison, & take your pick. Chances are that it will have a Datsun name on it & lets not go into suspension & brakes as this post is too long already.

Reliability.
Now, if you want to kill it, you will find a way, but operate your Datsun within reasonable limits & it will soldier on till the sun grows cold.

Soundness of design.
This is the final reason for me. They were a GOOD basic design back then & nothing has changed since.
They are simple, reliable, stylish, fixable, sound, inexpensive, & modifyable.

Thats why I drive a Datsun

i think that just about sums it up for every one dodgeman

Datsun and Subaru are the reason they now make cars that won't last 30 years. It's not economical for the manufacturer if you only need to buy 3 cars in your lifetime.

What datsun has that subaru didn't is our hearts. Datsun is different, nissan didn't really keep it, I guess it was Mr. K.

It was my first car and I been through hell and back with it. I cant bring myself to sell it. Maybe I will actually get around to building a motor for it with all the parts I have lying around. I had some fun races in it.
-eddie