Saturday, April 28, 2018

Sucking in the Seventies: 1975 Datsun B210

We get kind of excited at DT World Headquarters when we run across low mileage J-tin survivors from the malaise era.  Seems like the excitement usually only lasts until the 3rd photo on CL where the interior shot reveals a soul-sucking slush box, guaranteed to rob whatever small amount of imagined joy there might be in a 70's crap-box.  Well, today is a different day.  Find this low mileage 1975 Datsun B210 with a 4 speed manual for sale in Everett, WA for $3,600 via craigslist.

Most 70's econobox survivors without moonshot mileage seem to exist out there only with automatic transmissions.  One theory is that they are so awful to drive that someone that put their hard earned paycheck down and signed on the dotted line, usually gives up after a couple of years.  Then it is moved to the back of the garage, where it is slowly covered in flower pots until the owners heirs are tasked with selling it on.  It's rare to find one with an honest shift-it-yourself transmission with minimal miles under its tires.  Our subject here claims 32,000 miles over the last 43 revolutions around the sun, so I will leave it you to figure out the reason why it has logged less than 750 miles per year or if there is a bit of creative copy writing going on.

Here's the money shot.

From the seller:

Selling my daily driver 1975 Datsun B210 4 door as I no longer drive it regularly. Its engine still works great and 4-speed transmission shifts through all the gears with no pop outs or funny business. Odometer reads 32,343 miles. In great condition for being over 40 years. Headliner intact and complete, interior overall is very nice. Externally it does have some dents and some bruising from age and use. Bought it with a newer coat of paint which makes it stand out nicely.
$3600 OBO Cash only
Clean title in hand
If this ad is still up its still available.
No flakes or low ballers

See a better way to commute slowly? email us here:

Gianni is Daily Turismo's Pacific Northwest correspondent.


  1. What remarkably rust-free condition! Up here in Canada, these and all their brethren (and sistren) decomposed into piles of orange dust before the 70s were even finished. It just amazes me to see that photo of the engine bay with brake lines that are still recognizable as such! All that being said, as a car the B210 was a significant step down from its 510 predecessor.

    1. My Dad had one of these that was so rusty it had mud splashes on the headliner from the holes in the floor.

  2. Love this one. Even prefer the 4-door body style with the B210.

    Be aware, the odometer is only a 5-digit unit and mileage could easily be 132,343. They're only advertising the car as "Odometer reads 32,343 miles." You're making the assumption of super-low miles because of condition. The seller is careful not to claim low miles or original miles.

    This car is more likely to be a very well kept 132,000 mile car than a 32,000 one. It's not hard to put 100,000 miles on a car like this without beating it to hell. I know, as I have a straight car with 350,000 documented miles on it. Assume the higher miles unless there is documentation. Either way, it's still a decent price on an unusual, durable, cool(?), well kept old car. Datsuns rule.

  3. I learned how to drive a stick shift on an '81 Datsun 210. It was a challenge, between an engine that made about 50 hp when new, steep highway gears, and a shifter so vague I thought the gates had been made of rotten bananas. Not exactly a car I would feel very nostalgic for.
    Unless you swapped in a nasty bridge-ported Mazda rotary... or maybe an L28ET out of a 280ZX Turbo.

  4. not many of those surviving. there used to be more of those on the road than hondas today. i loved mine. when i had mine there was always 20+ in the local junkyard to get parts off of, but they were blowing up and getting junked at an alarming rate then and we ran out of them quick.

  5. BTW a comment about the odometer, i don't know why but many of these had a hidden 6th digit under the plastic fascia, i took mine apart to do a repair and found mine had over 400,000 miles on it, so i cut the fascia to display the digit.


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