1972 Datsun 510

September 22, 2006 2:47 PM

Tell me more about a Datsun 510

I'm looking at possibly buying a 1972 Datsun 510 4dr and would like to more know about it. I've always wanted one and come across one for about $3500.

It's got about 138K miles with a somewhat built engine.
L20b with L18 head and some kind of 5 speed tranny all recently done with some other new parts. It looks pretty decent from the pictures.

If I get it, I would possibly autocross it later on down the road.

If I go to look at it what should I look for?
Hows the price?
How is the reliability?
What else should I know?

posted by Orbitalmovment to travel & transportation (15 comments total)

I had a 510 wagon--many trips from the midwest through out the states. Reliability was good for the times but just does not even come close to what we experience with newer cars. Moved on to the highways in the sky when the rear end went out. If I remember correctly most of the problems were minor mechanical problems--nothing major until its final collapse at 100,000 plus.
posted by rmhsinc at 2:58 PM on September 22, 2006

I've always wanted one and come across one for about $3500.

That seems awfully expensive for that old a car. I had a Datsun 210 from that era -- similar car -- and apart from some fixable suspension issues, the car was pretty bomb-proof. But for three grand, you can likely get a newer Honda that is just as reliable and fuel efficient, if not moreso.
posted by frogan at 3:21 PM on September 22, 2006

My brother bought a shitbox Datsun 510 for about $250 in the late 80s, FWIW.

Then he put it in a ditch while drunk and then claimed it was stolen, but that's a whole other story.
posted by Kickstart70 at 3:35 PM on September 22, 2006

I learned how to drive on a 78 Datsun 510. It was white and rust. I remember it had an AM radio only, no airconditioning, and black stuff was oozing out of the door frame onto the vinyl upholstery. When my parents finally got rid of it in 1995, you could pop open the trunk and see the ground. There's no frame so when it rusts, you're losing the structural integrity of the car one little red flake at a time. I think dad ended up selling it for 50 dollars with the caveat he was afraid the seats were going to drop through the undercarriage at any moment.

Even though it was completely decrepit by the time it went, it never, ever failed to start. In fact, outside of the cosmetic/unibody distentigration issues, nothing mechanically ever went wrong with it.

The Datsun 510 was reborn as the Nissan Altima.
posted by pieoverdone at 4:39 PM on September 22, 2006

Corrosion aroung the front strut mounts is one of the leading causes for Datsun's of that era to be not roadworthy. You need to carefully inspect the unibody as pieoverdone mentioned, to be sure you've got something roadworthy. And $3500 bucks for a car of that age, that probably sold for not much more than that new, doesn't seem like a reasonable deal, even if the thing is showroom.
posted by paulsc at 4:49 PM on September 22, 2006

Owned one for a couple of years. Worth every penny of the $2000 I paid ofr it at the time. The price is way to high for what you say you're going to use it for. Mechanically wonderful. As previously noted the unibody disintegrates slowly and is not repairable unless you plan on doing a full restoration. For a drive around car, buy the Altima if you're in love with Nissan motors.
posted by ptm at 5:19 PM on September 22, 2006

Well, don't listen to the naysayers here. A friend of mine just started a 510 site; you might shoot him an email and see if he can give you any advice or knows someone who can.
posted by willpie at 6:38 PM on September 22, 2006

I used to autocross a 510. Absolutely loved it. I am looking at the resulting trophys as I type. :) $3500 sounds a bit high. See what their going for on Ebay.
posted by BillsR100 at 7:10 PM on September 22, 2006

The 510 is a perfect enthusiasts car. RWD, good power available from the stock engine with good possibilities, good size, fairly simple, lots of go fast parts have been produced over the years. They were pretty popular up here for rally but you don't see many around anymore because like all imports of the time they rust something horrible.

The price is more than I'd pay but not terribly out of line for a popular nostalgic car in good shape. $3500 is less than a years deprecation on a new Civic/Corolla if it helps to think of it that way.
posted by Mitheral at 8:29 PM on September 22, 2006

www.classiczcars.com Mostly dedicated to the 240-280z, but 510's are also widely discussed.
posted by IronLizard at 1:06 AM on September 23, 2006

I had a 1980 F10 (aka 310). One day it was folded around me like a beer can by a Buick Century. Not super-relevant, but your post reminded me of how I loved that thing, and why my neck cracks and pops like it does.
posted by Dunwitty at 2:37 AM on September 23, 2006

It is widely agreed that the Datsun 510 was based on the BMW 1600, which later became the BMW 2002 (the story goes that Datsun engineers imported a 1600 in 1966, tore it apart, and built much of the 510, especially the rear suspension, based on what they saw in the BMW). While 510's were more successful in early racing series (due to much better factory support for race teams) they have not aged nearly as well. If you're looking for a fun, cheap, RWD 70s import street rod, I'd suggest taking a closer look at the BMW 2002.
posted by saladin at 6:34 AM on September 23, 2006

I'll second Saladin -- back in the day, the 510 was known as the poor man's BMW -- specifically the 2002.

My first car was a 1972 510...great handling, tho it was starting to rust out by 1980. Its design saved my life, most likely. (Driving from MN to DC, rainy night in West Virigina, dozed, drifted into the next lane & got sideswiped by a truck. THAT woke me up right away and I regained control of the car. Next day, the battle scars ran the entire length of the body.)

But $3500 seems pricey. Look at a BMW instead.
posted by omnidrew at 7:34 AM on September 23, 2006

Now that others have mentioned it, I realize that a BMW would be perfect for what you're looking for.
posted by frogan at 12:45 PM on September 23, 2006

Perhaps not useful, but one of the Sport Compact Car writers has a bit of a 510 fetish and talks about rallying it here. Obviously, rallying != autocross, but maybe you'll find it interesting.
posted by Skorgu at 1:21 PM on September 23, 2006