37K Miles: 1978 Datsun 510 Wagon
It’s hard to believe how small a car like this 1978 Datsun 510 Wagon is until you see one on the road next to what is considered a “small” vehicle today. A 2024 Nissan Sentra is 71.5 inches wide, and this ’78 Datsun 510 is about 63 inches wide. The Sentra, a four-door sedan is 183 inches long, the ’78 510 wagon is 172.5 inches long. About a foot difference each way doesn’t seem like a lot but it is. Not to mention the Sentra is about 800 pounds heavier.
This car appears to be in really nice condition, much nicer than it should be after almost five decades on the planet while wearing such thin sheet metal. We don’t see the underside but the seller says it’s “nice and clean underneath.” It’s located in Colorado and is said to have 37,000 miles “showing”, and it really looks like a 37,000-mile car to me.
The seller has just uploaded these three exterior photos and that’s a bit disappointing, but they show a range of photos so even though technically, I just complained, I really can’t complain too much, or as much as I usually do about a seller’s photos or lack thereof. We all like to see a bunch of photos, it’s not just me, right? Here’s what it looks like under that rear hatch. The seller says it has two small rust spots and was repainted a few years ago.
This car has a Jatco L3N, a three-speed automatic with a console selector. A lot of us were hoping for a manual transmission, but maybe this transmission has helped to preserve this car from being a camber monster with fender flares and a huge exhaust pipe sticking out of the back. Colorado gets hot, despite a portion of it being snowy during parts of the year, and you can see this one has a carpeted dash cover. The seats look great both front and back and that’s all we see of the interior. There is a bit of rust showing at the very bottom of the rear seat photo, on the door sill, that must be one of the small rust spots the seller mentions.
The engine is Nissan’s L20B, a 2.0-liter SOHC inline-four with 97 horsepower and 102 lb-ft of torque when new. Sending power through that automatic to the rear wheels, this car has power steering and power brakes (power brakes were standard) and even air-conditioning! It’s listed here on eBay in Fort Lupton, Colorado and the seller has a $5,000 buy-it-now price listed. That doesn’t seem unreasonable to me at all given how nice this one looks.
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Comments
It’s interesting to compare cars between countries. Over here the 510 was called the Datsun 1600 (but we called it the datto 1600). Your 510 is identical to our 1600, in looks. But we had the 1600 engine, (hence Datsun 1600). The datto we got with the 2 L engine was the 929 (same looks as the RX3).
Aussie Dave was there not also a Datsun 1000 available in Australia? My dad had one in Canada about 1970 ish. I can find no record of them in the US though.
Yep and the datto 1200 as well. Canada and Australia got cars, that yanks didn’t.
If it had a 5 speed,it might almost be interesting.
These were “Machines” that got you there & back,but
you never looked forward to driving.
These later 510s really did not live up to the reputation of the original. Maybe less of a concern with a wagon since the late 1960s/early 1970s wagons didn’t have the independent rear of the sedans. (More years ago than I want to think about I owned a 1971 510 sedan.)
I’m a wagon lover, and I’ve never bought a wagon that didn’t have leaf springs in the rear. Why? Load carrying. I’ve seen wagons on the side of the road with the IRS completely gone, the wheels were hard up against the inner guards. And besides, it’s a lot of fun to drive a leaf sprung rear wheel drive wagon unloaded, more predictable than IRS.
Yep, I never grew up, born a hoon, die a hoon.
The reborn 510 couldn’t live up to the hype of the original 510 from 68 to 73 this reborn was the replacement for the 710 in their lineup as the 610 was replaced by the 810 far better improvement over the coke bottle styling of the 710 sadly it didn’t live up to its predecessor
Shows how perceptive I can’t be, I know, the ravages of age, just the other day, I sent Scotty this listing, blissfully unaware he had already written this up here. I had another par-baked idea, trade the Jeep for something a bit more useful, road wise. STOP RIGHT THERE( sound of tires screeching) not going to happen, but I did browse FB in case something jumped out at me. The mid 80s Asian wagon seemed to fit the bill and saw this. Naturally, the price immediately turned me off, I would pay MAYBE $1500 tops, and what do I have? A mid 80s tincan with no chance of resale. The Jeep will always be a Jeep. Moral of story, careful what you wish for, eh? Thanks, SG!
Howard if I’m not mistaken you are in Florida (as am I), don’t sell that Jeep. I did a few years ago and it took me forever to find a nice one that suited me to replace it (05 TJ w/51K on it). I’ll be dead or in a wheelchair before I sell this one. Florida and Jeeps goes together “like peas & carrots”.
Florida – No.Try Colorado.
Hi Petey, nope, while I spent a lot of time in Florida, I decided Colorado was the best place to “run the clock out”,, and by the weather you guys have been dealing with lately, I think I made the right decision. Apparently, it’s not over yet, I hope you can manage okay. And upon further review, the Jeep isn’t going anywhere without me in the drivers seat. Of all my vehicles I had, the Jeep is one of my favorites.
I think the price is a little high for what this thing is but not dreaming like others we have seen. I would drive it however I would like to see a picture of the odometer I can’t remember if this year had a 5 or 6 digit odometer but believe it or not you can take a standard size clothes washer or dryer slide it into the back of this thing and shut the gate. Someone is going to get a dependable little rig that is going to last and doesn’t have all the technology garbage that is in new cars.
Your size comparison is very interesting and applies to nearly every brand. The new Civic is nearly the size of an Accord 15 years ago! The late-model Ford Ranger is a “midsize” truck but the same size as a 1997-2003 F-150! Vehicles and waistlines keep going up while street lanes and parking spots languish.
I had a 71 or 72 510 sedan loved it, then in 1981 i worked overseas we had similar pickups same motor we would drag race them down the run way. I ended up buying several at DRMO sales. Never had a wagon but would see them in Fl in late 90s the latino dudes seemed to buy them all up. Do motor swaps and lower them.Great size comparo.
My father, having had enough of 1970’s Ford “quality” purchased a 79 Datsun 510 four door sedan. His first foreign car.
It was actually quite nice – a two-tone silver over gray – with a velour interior. A first for our family as everything prior had vinyl seats.
His had an automatic and A/C – but no power steering or brakes. The lack of PS was only a problem at very slow speeds – and the brakes were fine.
For the time it was decently peppy – even with the automatic. This was the car I learned to drive on and took my test with.
He drove it for several years – putting around 150K miles on it. By then the NJ winters had taken a toll on it – and it was pretty rusty. His next car was an 87 Camry which lasted a long time.
Bought a ’70 510 wagon from another solder when in Germany. Great running and the 5 speed gave it plenty to play with. Draw back was they weren’t marketed in Germany, so when head gasket went it sat for almost a year before I found out they were in Switzerland. 16 hrs round trip but had the parts and a repair manual in German. Got it fixed and drove it until one nite a trolly stop guard rail got in the way. Always looked around for another one but never could find the 5 speed again. Guess will keep looking.
You think these are small….we bought a new ’79 Datsun 310, small 2 door hatchback. Fun car but scary small. We soon traded it for an ’81 Honda Accord, a little bigger.
I’d drive it! (wait, I do, the ’07 focus waggy).
Well a lill better drive train, suspension, comfort
and safety level. But when good, Y change? I aint
in 5 decades (well, continental, domestic and Japanese…
And no, its not “…what it looks like under the hatch…” I hate it when interiors are covered up, un-observable. How bout they shot the exterior with some of it behind a buldg, or w/a skimpily clad younger woman hiding some panels, doors, etc?
Lovely looking Datto. I had a teacher when I was a boy who had one like this. I can’t remember if his had 5 spd. manual gearbox or an automatic. If only more pictures were posted on ebay. IMHO, there’s no such thing as too many pictures. I like to see as much of a car as can be shown. And I’m sure many people would also.